The Evolution Of A Thing...

 On Saturday my wife and I attended an event, a culmination of hours and hours of work and dedication to a craft. We've been attending these events for about a decade--ten years of paying (very little...) to get in, sitting for many hours on uncomfortable seats, taking multiple hours of video and hundreds of photographs of the performers.

In those years, I've noticed many things, one of which is the evolution of the ballroom dance company.

When our children were performers, there were so many dancers. From teenie-tiny dancers to experts, team after team would take the floor. We'd wait patiently for our children to perform and applaud more vigorously when they did. I remember the printed programs listed dance after dance after dance.

They were long, long, events.

Time passed...things change.

In many ways Saturday's program reminded me of those past recitals, the energy from both audience and dancers, the amazing performances, the uncomfortable chairs. But, the line-up had shrunk. It makes sense, in a way. Those in charge are older and--like me--have less energy to do pretty much anything. Also, to continue for this type of business, you need new blood and lots of it. With all the things vying for a child's interest, I think it's more difficult to recruit dancers. So much has changed even in the past decade.

Businesses grow and shrink, they have successes and the opposite. Sitting in the venue watching the children dance, I saw an evolution of a thing. It's been a great thing. I wonder what its future will bring.