This past winter though, she and Teena did a version of American Idol with their dolls. Genea had written her own song. She created the lyrics and melody from scratch. And y'all? It was good. Every bit.
All this time, I've thought she might be interested in acting but I didn't do much about that either. Not too many choices until she got to high school. However, I discovered in this bizarre little town exists a performing arts studio. Dancing, acting, singing, performing, back of house, piano, violin, guitar. The kids that go there do local commercials. The instructors occasionally take time off to perform on stage. Perfect!
See, I've always thought a person should use their strengths. Even if your strengths are not always what another person might consider positive. An example is a family member with severe OCD. It can take him hours to leave the house. However he is the equivalent of a rocket scientist and that perseverance has led to a highly successful career. So with that in mind, this is what I thought Genea could use to her benefit-
Screaming= projecting your voice to the back of the house
Constant attention seeking= being watched on stage
Hypervigilance= knowing all the lines and marks
Lying= pretending something is true with all your heart
Histrionic fits/tantrums etc= emoting with conviction
(side note: we asked her to show us some of it at home and she did a whole bunch but none of it was hers. She had the lines of every single other performer memorized. Not one of her own. Hypervigilance. Gold level.)
Last spring she took a class in performing- acting and singing. And at the 3 hour and 45 minute show (where I nearly died of butt rot from sitting all that time) for all the students, she had a 4 minute skit. It was amazing. She got on stage and I couldn't hear a word. I would have tried to lip read but she was facing away from the audience. Slowly, and I swear this is true, I could actually watch her gain confidence. Her voice got louder. She turned a little and faced the side. She stood up straighter. Then she faced the audience! And then she started acting! By the time it was over she was just as good as the kids who had been there for years!
And so now she has this. This thing, that she's good at. No matter what else happens in her life, she has this.
Awesome. I was hoping there was going to be a video of her at the end of this post. hint.hint. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! I wanted to really, but all the video I have has a bunch of other kids in it. I'll work on it though :)
DeleteExcellent. Great way to channel those things that are particularly hers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's probably a strange way to look at it, but turning a negative into a positive for her can only be a benefit. I hope.
DeleteThat's splendid. I think I've shared that I was a professional actress for a number of years; I contend it changed my life, gave me confidence, made me more fun. You end up humiliating yourself in so many ways, that the fear of that pretty much goes away - you learn - Hey, so what? That is helpful in school, at work, in social situations...it is great. Plus, that "thing" that overtakes you and makes you turn to the audience and be loud - it is pretty useful in other situations, too!
ReplyDeleteYep, I knew that about you! Genea's social phobia was so severe I used to practice expected conversations with her before we went somewhere. Even still, she would ask me to answer for her if she couldn't- having told me her answer during practice.
DeleteThe first time she was due to perform, cheerleading I think, I had to pull her a day before because she was incredibly regressed. I'm sure they loved me for that! (we didn't go back next session, ahem)
This is why Kaytee was an awesome cheerleader. Loud? yup Constant movement? yup Attention seeking? yup. Gotta love their strengths!
ReplyDeleteRIGHT! She loves it and so do I!
ReplyDelete