When I was a 3 year old tiny-tot I joined my local Calisthenics Club. Brave and bold, I stood proud with my chest held high and feet spread in a wide spread V. I was taught to project my little voice to be heard at the back of the room and move my bendy body into all kinds of creative poses over the 7 years at the club, before I moved to a new town.
So in 1980, or ’81, for my first end-of year concert I stepped into my first character as ‘Shirley Temple’ with confidence and immense joy. I was also a not so happy or proud seal that year, as seen in this pic…
As years passed by my school friends joined me at the club and we worked on our own performances during play-time at school. These performances were reworked for my differing cast at family friends get-togethers, of which there were many, and to a crowd of varying sobriety.
Like thousands of creative little kids, I had always made up my own songs. At the age of around 7 my best friend Ali and I worked on our first collaborative piece, to the theme of “Bonnie & Clyde”, performing it with our air-guitars at the Nash Hotel while the ‘Boss’ was playing on the jukebox in the background.
Looking back, our audience (parents) may have been rocking out a little more to “Born in the USA” than to our remake of “Bonnie and Clyde”, but as far as we were concerned, we could both get used to this kind of thing. And inevitably we would, as Ali also went on to perform in her own successful band BEACHES.
No Comments