Point & Shoot (Me)

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, who is a single mom, asked if I would attend her daughter's dance dress rehearsal so that while she assisted in costume changes, I could take photos of her daughter dancing. I said yes.

I sat in the theater that night as a single, scared twenty-something in a sea of tan, made up, styled, bejeweled, bedazzled women who all knew one another and sat together, gossiped together, hung out together, all while they decorated their small daughters to be the tanner, more made up, more styled, more bejeweled, more bedazzled versions of themselves. I took a deep breath, held on to the camera and snapped for dear life until Little A's "numbers" were all over. Then I fled from the sequins and I never looked back.

Until Wednesday. When the phone rang.

Me: Hey.
D: Will you do me a huge favor?
Me: Yes.
D: Thursday is L's dance dress rehearsal, Chris is taking the boys, but I need someone to videotape.

And, so, tonight, I sat in a sea of glitter and blue eyeshadow and videotaped a four year old stand on stage while three other four year old girls stood around her, attempting to follow the exaggerated prompts the dance teacher was making in front of the stage. Attempting.

And, there they were. Standing in their ballet flats on the same stage that Willie Nelson stood on. And David Byrne. And... other cool people I can't think of right now, but you get the point.

But really. They didn't even dance.

So, I videotaped the standing.

I'm a good, not at all tan, not bejeweled, not bedazzled, friend with a steady hand and an eye for dance photography.

Tell your friends.