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Chapter 11. Dancing
- University of North Texas Press
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165 Dancing I know that it is not appropriate to repeatedly scream out in agony when one of my children is performing in a sold-out, standing-roomonly , high-school talent show. It could easily be misinterpreted as rude. Or as child abuse. I know this. That, however, doesn’t mean I haven’t done something like that. Or exactly that. I have. I am a middle-aged, overweight, perpetually dorky-acting, potty-mouthed woman who is often in pain, and sometimes, decency be damned, I slip. For weeks, Michael had been rehearsing for his coveted role in the annual talent show at Rocky Mountain High School in the spring of 2009. It was his junior year, and we had been perpetually listening to the soundtrack from School of Rock as Michael put his body through his original choreographic moves behind the closed door of his bedroom , in front of his full-length mirror. Jim and I watched a couple of his rehearsals—we sat on his twin bed, underneath the life-sized Luke Skywalker/Han Solo mural. Michael’s stage was the middle of his bedroom , and his music played from a boom-box on his nightstand. In typical Michael fashion, the choreography was . . . flexible—in other words, it was completely different each time. He went with the inspiration of the moment, and we oohed and aahed regardless of the exact steps. Michael had recently been propelled into a milieu that gave him a lot of inspiration. 166 ♦ Life with a Superhero Michael now had a girlfriend. Casey Ann Lord: The inspiration. Their romance began with a series of notes passed in class during his sophomore year and her senior year at Rocky. Casey also has Down syndrome. Her academic skills are solid. She can read and write well enough to navigate Harry Potter books and do research on Egypt and Russia, which are but two of her passions. She is beautiful. As in headturning beautiful. She has lovely brown eyes, silky dark hair, a petite yet curvy figure, and a mega-watt smile that showcases perfect teeth. She is a beauty. After a brief spell of match-making initiated by Casey and Michael’s teachers, Michael read Casey’s introductory note: “Would you be my boyfriend? Maybe we can kiss.” The actual note was longer. Much longer. Here are some snippets: An excerpt from the first love note written by Casey, which was a full page long What teenage boy in his right mind passes up the potential of getting to first base, right off the bat, with a beautiful girl? Not to mention the prospect of marriage? Michael replied with a simple and irrefutable, “Yes!” And so, that weekend, Jim and I met Casey’s mom, Cindy, at a practice for Dance Express, which is a local dance troupe that brings together dancers with challenges and typical dancers to rehearse and perform. Both Casey and Michael were members, so weekend trysts were already built into the deal. We set up their first date and they have been together ever since. Dancing ♦ 167 ♦ ♦ ♦ The night of Michael’s junior year talent show, I sat in the audience with Jim, Cindy, and Casey. James, Casey’s father, was in China on business. It was a typical high school talent show: guys on electric guitars living out rock star fantasies and girls at pianos channeling Alicia Keyes, agonizingly lame comedy routines, off-key renditions of Celine Dion songs, trumpet duets, and then . . . Michael. This was not Michael’s first talent show. His first foray into the world of dance performance for a public audience was during ninth grade at Blevins Junior High in their spring talent show. As Michael rehearsed for that talent show, Edie told me that I had better watch Michael’s routine before the day of the actual show. “Why?” I asked. “Because,” Edie replied looking at me like I was an alien, “He might take off his clothes.” That evening Jim and I watched Michael immediately begin a strip tease to the soundtrack of Happy Feet, the animated family movie featuring penguins. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Michael,” I sputtered out, while Jim left the room to try and contain his giggles. I should have seen this coming. Michael loved to watch MTV and BET where clothes did indeed come off during dancing. Jim re-entered and suggested, “How about you wear two shirts, and just take off one during your dance?” I am a very...