This is James.
I met James after presenting a talk and performance at the Creative Church Conference in Boise, ID. We were hanging out in the arts studio on the campus when he asked to see me dance. I found a small piece of particle board that suited the purposes of a demonstration and went at it. The smile that came across James’ face once I finished will be emblazoned on my mind for years to come. His joy was contagious, and so I asked him if he wanted to try. He responded with a resounding “Yes!” Being in an arts studio we immediately went about finding materials to transform his sneakers into a suitable pair of tap dance shoes.
We were successful, and now with his brand new tap shoes he hopped up on the board began dancing. It was beautiful to see him explore tap dancing for the first time ever. I could see him learning the relationship between his movements and sounds they created. It was amazing. He even went back and adjusted his shoes (adding more tacks) so that he could create more sound. Then this happened:
Sometimes professional form needs a good kick in the butt from the freedom of a child 🙂
Do you want to transform your own shoes and try out some tap dancing? Come visit me at Make Happy’s Summer Street Spot on Saturday, August 9th – I’ll have some thumb tacks and some wood!!!
