Leftover Post

I started writing this post exactly one month ago, July 20,2010.
I am going to the St. Louis Tap Festival next week. I've never been to a tap event like that sooo, I'll give it a try. I might totally humiliate myself, but I know it will be fun to be in the midst of so many accompished pros and students alike.I've been spending so much time developing our software that my tap skills have gotten a bit rusty. I am spending time each morning getting in a little practice but man the speed has gone! I could listen to and watch tap for hours but I need to dust off my feet and get back on the boards before I freeze up like the Tin Man.
Anyway, I am looking forward to spending time in my hometown. I grew up in University City, MO, but when I married a navy man, I discovered many new places in the U.S. from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FLA and several places in between before we settled in Virginia Beach.

Here I am, back from my travels and deep into August-time flies,etc.!
I must say that my first Tap Festival was so much fun. I actually took four, 1.5 hour classes the first day. I really enjoyed the classes and the challenge to get my feet moving again, and no side effects either. Amazing!The three block walk uphill, each day, from the parking garage to the hotel was good for me, too. At least the walk back was all downhill.
I loved seeing so many talented and accomplished tappers of all ages.  The best part was finding that my skills were not as rusty as I'd  imagined. I had the privelege of taking classes from  Professor Robert Reed (gave us in-depth technique on the riff), Germaine Salsberg (a real lady and crystal clear instruction), Miller & Ben (have you seen their line of tap shoes?Wow!) among others.. Each one had something special to offer. The staff were welcoming and helpful. I look forward to going again. I always say "Dance is my drug of choice" because I always feel such a sense of elation and joy when I am challenging myself through dance.

At the end of each day, I recorded what I had learned in each class using my Tappinese(R) software. I didn't bring my laptop to class this time but I noticed some people observed and took notes on each class. Next time I will just bring the laptop instead of a notebook and do real time note taking. This served to reinforce my belief that Tappinese is a useful, simple to use, timesaving tool. Maybe next time, I'll ask to set up a table and let people try the application.

I especially enjoyed spending time with my sister and my neices and nephews. Distance prevents us from getting together as often as we'd like. We had lots of fun and lots of ice cream.

My next challenge will be mastering the art of including photos in my blog-stay tuned, this should be good!
Let me know if you have been to any special tap events or festivals that I might check out. I'd love to hear about your experience.