We’re spending quite some time over in Canterbury this week, as Bryan is in a dance show – one of the highlights of his year. One of his biggest passions in life is anything to do with dance, so it’s understandable that this dance show is a big part of his life.
The dance school he goes to – Masque Theatre School – do a big summer show for their students (of which there are many – I can’t even begin to imagine, but it must be in excess of 100). This year, they performed the show at the King’s College “Great Hall”, a purpose-built theatre; they’ve done shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (in fact, he might well be performing in the matinee as our esteemed editor publishes this). He also spent a full day rehearsing on Thursday, so we’ve spent a lot of time at the theatre this week.
I go along as a parent helper, which is the equivalent of a general factotum backstage. I help get dancers to the stage, make sure they know what dances are coming up, and just anything else needs to be done. I’m usually based in the boys’ dressing room, which delights Bryan no end, as I’m sure you can imagine.
I thoroughly enjoy watching my son thoroughly enjoy himself. The dance school itself is incredibly welcoming and Bryan has found his niche there. Bryan has made some genuinely decent friends; the dressing room rings with the sound of laughter every day. They are all pushed to dance well and give their best, and that absolutely reflects on stage.
I’m watching the show on Sunday (again, it’s possible I’ll be there as this is published), along with my mum and dad; family pride will be out in force. I like to watch on the last day if I can; it’s something to look forward to, and my parents love watching their grandson on the stage. I’ve seen snippets from the side of the stage over the past few days, but seeing it from the audience’s perspective is a lot of fun.
I’ve tried to keep our day times clear this week, to give Bryan the chance to rest. It’s Saturday morning as I write this, and he’s talking to his siblings – even more laughter to be had. I like to hear that sound.
The summer holidays are now upon us, hence the ability to devote time to the dance show. I’ve got a couple of weeks off during the next five weeks, and we’re going to spend some time with Bryan’s siblings during the holiday – as well as spending some time just with each other. I’ve got some vague plans which I’ll firm up in the next few days, but for the most part, I’m looking forward to having some relaxed time at home. I’ll obviously be working during the next few weeks as well, but given I’m part-time, I’ll still get some quality time with my lad.
Trying to juggle everything during the holidays can be complicated. I have a filled-up calendar telling me where I need to be on particular days – work, Bryan’s dance show, home – so I can be confident that I’m not missing anything important. It does take some serious organisation and forward planning, which I have no problem doing. But I do then enjoy leaving days in the diary when there aren’t any plans. Over-planning and over-organising can be too much; having down-time to just enjoy the little things at home and with each other is important for us during the holidays. For me, these days are just important as the days when we’re active and busy – like this week, for instance,
I need to start thinking about lunch now, so we’ve got enough energy to get through the show later. But if you could bottle and use excitement as a fuel, Bryan would be self-sustaining for the entire week.