Little Red Gets Down

It's the end of the semester at Drew Charter School, and subsequently the end of this round of After School Program classes. Have I mentioned these classes? They are awesome like a hotdog. Kate took Fairy Tale Theater, Puppetry and Dance all semester long and from what I can tell, she loved them all more than anything else about school. I love the After School Program for easing my working-mother guilt feelings...and for making Kate happy.

Last Tuesday the ASP kids put on a super spectacular showcase for all us parents and their friends to let us know what they've been up to lo these past months. It was delightful. Jeremiah, Sarah (see how happy she is to be at Kate's show? When Kate spotted her in the crowd from stage she waved and blew her kisses), Steve and I were all in attendance (Joy had to take Stelle to the vet and was stuck there, causing her to miss the show. Stelle is now fine.) It took awhile to get things going, but once they did we were impressed. As I watched class after class strut their stuff the thing that struck me most was that all the kids - pre-K to 8th grade - were just thrilled to be up doing their thing. No one seemed overcome by nerves or awkwardness. These kids were poised and smiling and in some cases (Kate's), bouncing off the walls.

Fairytale Theatre did a very Greek version of Red Riding Hood in which the majority of the kids were the funky chorus, dressed as forest animals and occasionally chanting "Little. Red. Riding Hood. Girl, you know that wolf's no good!" Kate was Red Riding Hood. Aunt Jo Jo made her a red, lined hood. Little Red is spoiled. There was a narrator (good thing) and most importantly, Kate got to karate-chop the wolf, then grandma came out of the closet (literally, not the other way) and also karate-chopped him. No woodsman. Girl power. Kate was beaming.After martial arts, etiquette (I know, right?), break dancing, step, and crocheting was Kate's other class, dance. A huge class for all ages, these kids did the grand finale, a tribute to Michael Jackson. Some of the kids even learned to moonwalk. The whole thing made the girls late getting to bed and us starving, but it was worth it. Two hundred kids in the ASP. All cute. How does that even happen? Check out how Kate is always doing something slightly different from the other dancers...that's my girl.