Dad of a Dancer

DOAD #28: A superb spring dance concert

Hello friends! We just wrapped Atticus’s first year at performing arts high school with a three-night spring dance show, and I’ve got a few highlights to share. 🎭 The lead-up: * 🎶 Atticus choreographed his own solo with help from his dance consultant — my wife and I mostly just got out of the way and let them cook * 🎧 I got to be on the audio production side — he had a 5-minute orchestral piece he wanted cut down to ~2 minutes, so we spent hours in GarageBand surgically stitching transitions until they blended like butter * ✨ One of my favorite things about this school: kids get hands-on with all of it — choreography, music edits, costume choices, lighting palettes, even backdrops. Makes for way more versatile dancers Show night: * ✈️ I caught the red-eye home from a work trip Saturday morning to make it * 🪑 Front-row seat — my toes were literally butting up against the marley floor * 📱 Photo/video was discouraged, so I may or may not have filmed it ninja-style by holding my program up as a decoy with my phone tucked behind it. (Sorry, not sorry.) * 👀 I did a terrible videography job because I kept forgetting to follow him with the camera — too busy watching with my actual eyes The moments that got me: * 🤸 A giant sideways scissor-kick leap and a set of turns that seemed to last forever — the crowd around me was audibly losing it (”Oh I see you! You brought it tonight!”) * 👏 Hearing strangers — moms, dads, grandparents — react in real time to his solo is a special kind of proud-papa treat What’s next: * 🩰 Three weeks in Phoenix at Master Ballet Academy * 🏛️ Then off to Massachusetts for the CLI Conservatory * 🎙️ Lots more to share with you soon 👉 Visit dadofadancer.com and subscribe so you never miss an episode — new ones drop every Wednesday! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com [https://www.dadofadancer.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

DOAD #27: Are dance parents the absolute worst?

Hello dance friends! A fellow dance parent sent me a clip from The Jason Show [https://www.fox9.com/shows/jason] where the host, Jason Matheson, shared some feedback from staff at Disney World where the theme was essentially “Dance and cheer parents are the worst.” I’ve clocked many hours at dance conventions and competitions, and after seeing and interacting with many dance parents…in some cases I agree with Jason 100%. Check out today’s episode and then let me know…what do you think? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com [https://www.dadofadancer.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

DOAD #26: I Wanna Dance with Calum Scott

Hello friends! This week we’re coming off a serious post-concert high — we got to see Calum Scott live at the Fillmore in downtown Minneapolis, and I had to share some highlights about the experience. 🎤 How we ended up there: * 🎟️ Atticus has been begging for a big concert (Bruno Mars is the dream, but those tickets are $250–$300 a seat — yikes!) * 👀 My wife spotted Calum Scott at the Fillmore for $60. Sold! Only bad news is the tickets were for standing room only — cue lots of pre-show knee bends and stretches from me and my wife * 🏰 We scored a tucked-away corner spot with a support beam to lean on (genius move on my wife’s behalf) The moment that got me: * 💛 Mid-set, Calum came out into the crowd to sing I Love You No Matter What [http://youtube.com/watch?v=kBIhqNT5gsE] — a song about family loving you no matter who you are or what you’ve done. I got misty-eyed — because that’s exactly the parent I want to be for Atticus in a dance world that doesn’t always make space for boys who dance. * 🩰 Bonus: he played one of the songs Atticus has a solo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br8prOQBVs8] to — extra goosebumps for me * 🙌 (Yes, my wife grabbed his shoulder. Yes, I got a consensual fist bump. We’re not proud. Okay, a little proud.) What stuck with me: * 🎶 Calum is sincere, appreciative, and an incredible entertainer * 👯 He closed with a Whitney Houston duet of I Wanna Dance with Somebody [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHg8Kdt18kw] — reportedly the first artist in years approved by her estate to use her voice (don’t quote me, but wow) * 💌 We’re officially on the Fillmore mailing list (but next time we’re springing for a balcony seat!) 👉 Visit dadofadancer.com and subscribe so you never miss an episode — new ones drop every Wednesday! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com [https://www.dadofadancer.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

DOAD #25: REVEL revelations and a big announcement!

Hi friends, two big updates for you in today’s episode: * Did Atti get accepted into the Master Ballet Academy [https://www.masterballetacademy.com/]? * He competed at REVEL Phoenix [https://www.dancerevel.com/phoenix] and had, well…a little “wrinkle” in his choreography This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com [https://www.dadofadancer.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

DOAD #24: A big week of competitions and auditions - part 2

Hello friends! We're back — and this time I brought Atticus with me! 🙌 Last week I teased you about our big week of competitions and auditions, and oh BOY did we have a week. Let's get into it: The competition — aka the night his music cut out mid-solo: * 🎭 Atticus hadn’t competed in two years — and he came back with a solo he choreographed himself * 😬 Before he even got on stage, they called the wrong number and sent another dancer out first * 🔇 About 15 seconds in, the music cut out and the whole room went completely silent * 💪 He didn’t stop, didn’t look at the sound booth, didn’t apologize — he just kept going and improvised through it * 🏆 The judges noticed — several called out his composure in their critiques, and he pulled off a great score! The Zoom audition for a professional ballet academy: * 🩰 He auditioned one-on-one over Zoom with the head of Master Ballet Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona * ⚡ Dealing with mirror delays, glitchy audio, and counting off music in your head — not easy * 📬 We’re anxiously refreshing our email waiting to hear back if he was accepted to the academy — send those good vibes! If he gets in, he’s headed to Scottsdale this summer for intensive training. Did I mention dance is expensive? 💸 👉 Follow along at dadofadancer.com and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Wednesday! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com [https://www.dadofadancer.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]