Da Da Da Dum.... Gary's Show is Over! And We Survived!

For the last year Gary has been the Artistic Director (and referee, and social coordinator, and cheerleader) of BYU-I's touring company, Dance Alliance. They do everything in their show from ballet to Hungarian slap, hip hop to swing, Gumboot to hoe down. All year they've been focused on getting this show together, and this weekend it all climaxed in their concert "The Journey". He did most of the choreographies by himself or with the help of his amazing TA, Deedee, which meant a huge learning curve - he had never before choreographed ballroom numbers, and his experience with modern and ballet was pretty limited. I am so proud of all he accomplished - it's been a life-changing experience.

Gary chose dance forms and songs to match stages in the human experience. So the opener was a mix of all dance styles (some modern, some African, some Irish, some waltz) all done in cream costumes as the pre-earth experience. Then there was a hoedown to celebrate a birth; a modern piece showcasing the wonder of youth; a Mexican step coming of age dance; a "totally rad" '80s medley (which I helped choreograph - thank you Clayton Entertainment Studios!) and a hip hop number to represent the rebellious teenage years; a Bollywood wedding celebration; a post-modern, a capella "building" number; a modern "motherhood" essay; a foxtrot to represent mature love... you get the picture. The finale was a song by Josh Groban called "You are Loved (Don't Give Up)" with all dance styles mixed again. Over the beginning of the finale, Gary had a voice-over of Pres. Monson saying the following:

"I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by… Instead, find joy in the journey… now."

It was a HUGE success. Five sold-out performances, standing ovations, tears, laughter... Technically there were some flaws, and the quality of dancing could be higher (most of the 12 guys on the company had never danced until they got to college, if that says anything) but the overall spirit of the show - the unique thing it has to offer the world - is strong. We are excited for Gary to take it to Russia in April; they go on tour all over Western Russia for 17 days. I'm not going on this tour, because our kids are so small still and it's in the middle of Maggie's school year, but I'll get to go on future tours. I'm just not ready to leave the kids for that long yet. I'm excited for Gary and his dancers though; it should be an amazing, difficult, challenging adventure.

But first, we could all really use some sleep! I think I'll go lie down now...