As I mentioned a couple of months ago, Jason and I recently achieved unprecedented dancing fame and by “unprecedented dancing fame” I mean fame that is not satisfied until unprecedented amounts of dancing have occurred. Our most recent performance was at the Festival of Trees, an annual fundraising event for Primary Children’s Hospital. Here are all the twists and twirls of that affair.

In addition to the significant stints spent at our regular dance class, our group of twelve performers practiced almost ten extra hours to perfect our routine. Although these rehearsals sucked up so much time that it seemed like all Jason and I did everyday was go to work and prance about, preparing for FoT was tremendously fun. Laughter and banter erupted so frequently at our practices that they felt more like hangouts than workouts.

Our show at FoT was half an hour long and included nine different songs. We had a few wardrobe malfunctions, namely flying shoes and falling pantaloons, but our on-stage romping proceeded relatively smoothly otherwise. The crowd of onlookers started pretty small but it grew throughout our segment.

For me, the greatest challenge of this recital was my costume. My proper 1860s attire included a corset and a hoop skirt that was nearly as wide as I am tall. I can’t convey how preposterous trying to dance is when you have a five-foot girth and are bound up tighter than a mummy. Leaping Jehoshaphat! After our performance, Jason and I walked around the exhibit hall where I was constantly bombarded by children (mostly girls) that wanted to talk to or have their picture taken with a princess. Yes, that “princess” was me with my excessive skirt. My royal ascension was unexpected but amusing.

I suspect that Jason and I will be prancing around town more frequently in the future. Our Festival of Trees premier was so enjoyable that I’d even willingly submit to hoop-skirt ungainliness again for a chance to repeat the experience.

A couple of years ago, a Regency ball that Jason and I went to with a few friends introduced us to Old Glory Vintage Dancers. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with old-school dancing and Jason’s discovered that he doesn’t totally hate it. This September we stepped our era-appropriate feet up publicly and on the air. Allow me to share our timeless tale of old-timey fame.

Jason and I have been attending vintage dance classes ever since we discovered that they existed, long enough that we know all of the regulars and most of the dances now. Basically, our skills have reached that “you don’t suck” level. Hence, the demand for our footwork is currently at an all-time high…the orders are trickling in.

Our first performance in September was at the South Town Farmers Market. Our dance teacher was asked to organize a vintage flash mob for this agricultural gathering and we were one of the couples invited to participate. The rest of the performers just blended in with the crowd but Jason and I were selected to wear period attire, specifically Regency, and begin the flash along with our teacher. Mobbing turned out to be a lot of fun even though our last dance got pretty jumbled due to one confused flasher.

Our next public appearance was only a couple of days later and on live television. KSL AM was doing a few segments on the Highclere Castle Edwardian Ball, a Downton-Abbey-themed party that our teacher was putting on, and they needed some demonstration dancers. Jason and I were one of four couples involved in that step exposition. We had to dance three different pieces, which we were only somewhat familiar with…I did mention that this was live didn’t I? Shockingly, the twinkle toeing went very smoothly. However, the reporter, Jenn Hardman, decided to interview Jason and me and, although she prepped us a few minutes beforehand, she un-prepped us by asking completely different questions than those she had primed us for. The result? Some stammering and nervous looks dispensed publicly and preserved on camera. But what’s live media without a wee bit of embarrassment?

Jason and I attended the Highclere Castle Edwardian Ball itself, not just the advertisement for it, and got another chance to Castle Walk and Briar Gavotte. It was a nostalgic evening with charm aplenty.

I’m keen on moving my feet. For me, smiles and giggles are unavoidable when twirling and hopping on the dance floor. Getting an opportunity to wear antique apparel just adds another layer of glee to something already joyful. Good thing because Jason and I have two more performances scheduled in December.