Baby Remember My Name

As I lay here in my pjs recovering from what I am pretty sure is the flu, I have been watching episode after episode of "Fame" from the 1980s. You see, this was one of my favorite tv shows as a kid.

It just so happens, I was a dancer. Don't laugh - I really, really was. People knew me as a dancer. I took classes several days a week and I performed. I started young and kept going as long as my toes would allow me.

I was also a theater kid. BIG time. I find it ironic that my family is still involved with all of that stuff. My sister is known to be the "theater" buff - but honestly, she was a behind-the-scenes sort of girl. I was the performer.

I performed in dozens of shows as a kid/teen/young adult. I would act, dance and sing my way across middle Georgia. I probably would have stayed with it had I not gotten so caught up in other things. I really enjoyed acting and was fairly good at it.

That's where "Fame" comes in. As a kid I dreamed of moving to NYC and going to the High School of Performing Arts. Oh how I wanted to be "famous." LOL I laugh now, but as a kid it was a serious "obsession."

Watching the episodes, it reminded me of my summers at theater camp as a teenager. Oh yes, I would spend weeks at theater camp - studying theater and dance. All day we would be learning new techniques and creating amazing vignettes or theatrical productions. One summer in particular, I took lessons from a former Atlanta Ballet Dancer and was in the best shape of my life. It was hard, it was intense - but soooo worth it.

I miss that atmosphere some days. Some of the kids I was in theater camp with went on to do amazing things. Carrie Preston, for one, is now seen on True Blood, and the others - a few went to Los Angeles and are pursuing different avenues (a few have popped up here and there on commercials, or as small bit parts in movies) then there are a few that took off to NYC and are performing off Broadway.. hoping to make it to the big time.

Sometimes I think I should audition for a play at a local theater in town. Then again, it has been so long, I am not sure if I would have the time. And there is the other idea, that it is fun to remember the past and keep it there. My friends (now) have NO idea about my "performing" past and would probably not be able to even imagine it. But alas, it was a major part of who I was from 6 until my early 20s.

Memories...