And, she's off!

AND......WE ARE NERVOUS!!

Back in October, I took Kai and her friends to the first NYCDA city of the year. It was in Mobile, AL. She won a Triple Threat award that automatically qualified her to attend the NYCDA Summer intensive for 16 days. When we came home, I casually mentioned it to Buddy. A few weeks later, I found all of the paperwork in his office.

When I asked him about it, he said. "I think she should go." "I think it would be good for her." Wow, are you sure? That's a long time, and it's far away. He said "Yes, I think it will help her a lot." So, this was October, and really August seemed so far away. We kept the idea in the back of our mind. Fast Forward to March, I went online to download all of the applications. The first page that printed said that the program was for 14 to 18 year old. Well, that doesn't work, she is still 13, and she will still be 13 during the intensive. I decided to send a quick e-mail to Joe Lanteri, the Executive Director for NYCDA. I explained that she was only 13 and could she still go? When he e-mailed me back, it said to go ahead and submit her application along with an audition video. That because she was younger, he would want to see it and determine whether or not she would be able to do it. I was happy that he was at least honest with me. I had one week from the time of his e-mail to work on the paperwork, and make an audition video.

I had to get letters of recommendation from two of her dance teachers, her head shot, her resume, her birth certificate, she had to write a letter stating what she planned on doing when she graduated that involved dance. Her ballet teacher Natalia wrote one letter, and Holly her jazz, technique, ballet and solo teacher wrote the other. We quickly put together a video and sent it all in.

I honestly did not think that she would get in due to her age. Over the weekend, we had competed at NYCDA Phoenix and I looked through the Summer Intensive album. So many talented kids have gone through this program. Travis Wall, Danny Tidwell, Jeanine Mason, Jacob Karr, and our very own Cory Barnett from TDA (who also happened to get into Juliard for the fall) to name a few. Last Monday, we came home and sitting in the mail box, was her acceptance into the program.

That is when the nerves started setting in. For both me and Buddy. The fact that we are sending our 13 year old to NYC for 16 days without either one of us is scary. She will be staying in dorms, and then she will be taking class at Laguardia School of the Performing Arts. The very school that the movie FAME was based on. Her classes will be with amazing teachers, and she will also be taking voice lessons. She will be going on field trips to tour the inside of Broadway theaters and watching shows and meeting the cast. They have so many fun things planned, I almost wish I was going. Fortunately, another TDA alum also got into the program and they will be traveling together on the same flights. Vicki is an amazing dancer, and she is 16 years old, so that makes us feel a lot better.

It will be a very busy but exciting Summer for Kai. First we both leave to NYC in June for Nationals. We will be there for 10 days, and then we come back. She will be here for a few weeks, then she goes back again. Buddy thinks we need to have an emergency fund ready just in case she gets home sick and one of us has to fly back and get her. I have a feeling that it won't happen. Many times I slept with the phone close by when she was at sleepovers waiting for the 2 a.m phone call. The call that most parents get that says "I want to go home, can you pick me up?" I never once got that call. I'd be pretty mad if she decided to do it now when she will be 3000 miles away.

Here is the quickie audition video that we had to put together.