I will never forget the night that my phone rang at midnight and the voice(s) on the other end were dear friends telling me my name had just been announced as an inductee into the Shagger's Hall Of Fame. The noise and excitement in the background, along with this news, broke my outer shell and I cried like a baby. Until last night, I thought that was the best phone call I had ever gotten.
At 10:02 last night my phone rang and as a mother I always think the worst, especially when I saw on the caller ID that it was my baby boy, Zack...now 30 years young. His voice was shaking and I knew right away it was going to be bad. It started with "Mom, I just got a phone call". My heart dropped into my gut and I prepared for what was coming. There was a familiar shake to his voice that I knew well...He was about to cry. Then it came..."I just got a phone call and they told me they just announced that I am going into the Keepers Of The Dance". There was silence from both of us for a few seconds, and what seemed a lot longer. I think both of us were thinking this was a cruel joke. News like this is meant to be shouted from the rooftops and we were both scared to shout!
After assuring me that Bob Myrick, himself, had gotten on the phone and verified this honor of honors, we both started crying. Now, THIS turned in to the best phone call I've ever gotten! Still, as I'm very protective of my children, I waited.....and waited.....
Social media can be so cruel and it can be so sweet. I sat at my desk and panned Facebook for ANY posts that would say in writing that what I had just heard was really true. You, see, I have seen my son's heart broken on many occasions. This is an honor that I know he never expected to get.
Zack was raised with boogie woogie in his bones. He danced in competition from the confines of my womb when I was pregnant with him. When his father and I taught dance classes he was always in the way, wanting to get in there with the grown ups and move his little feet like we were doing. At around 5 years old, dang if he wasn't doing a great basic and lovin' our music. I thought "what a strange little kid I have..he should be out playing with the other kids but all he wants to do is dance!"
Then, it finally came. Barbara Kiger had announced on Facebook that Zachary McDonald Smith and Ashley Shearin had been announced as the 2014 Keepers Of The Dance inductees! Once it sank in, I sat on my bed and cried....and my body shook all over. I'm crying all over again, just putting these feelings to words.
I went onto the web, and although I have looked at the bios posted for each of the Keepers many times, I read them once again. These beautiful children, who are now adults, have bios that Dun and Bradstreet would post as "gold". I know each and every one of them and have watched them grow up from the early days of Junior SOS into the adults they are today. What a fine group of honorees! Their bios are full of honors and dance championships. Some of them go on and on with their accomplishments, especially in competitive dance.
If anyone is to blame for Zack not having a long list of dance honors it's me. After a few contests where he either placed or didn't place I saw how seriously he took not winning 1st. Contrary to what a lot of folks think they know about Zack...he's a lot like his mother...we have a problem feeling like we "fit in" and our feelings are hurt very easily. So, I backed off. All he has ever wanted to do is dance...and dance he does! He's survived feeling like he's different from a lot of the other kids, but he's kept on dancing. It's what he loves and it makes him happy. As his mother I can say that I have given him hell on more than one occasion because he chose to go dancing rather than do something I thought he should be doing. I'm not going to apologize for this because I'm his mother and I wanted more than the beach life for my son. We've had our ups and downs and I must say I'm happy with him just the way he is. The path he has chosen in life has never hurt a soul...and it's made a lot of old women happy! LOL! Yes, he loves us old women..and he loves to dance with us. His first Junior SOS I was pushing, pushing, pushing him to ask some of the cute little girls to dance with him. We were at the Boulevard Grill on the last Sunday afternoon and he looked at me, then looked around the room. He walked up to Ellen Taylor (who he did NOT know or to my knowledge had ever seen before), looked up to her and said "Do you shag?" I was in terror! Elegant woman that she is she looked down at him, took his hand, and said "I'll do my best". As far as I'm concerned the rest is history. He was hooked like a bream on an earthworm. From that day on he always watched the dancers and would almost always go up to the women rather than the little girls and ask them to dance.
Zack is a street dancer....that's what I've always called it. The dance and the music are within him and when the music is right he has to dance....from his heart...and from his soul.
If he asks me to help him with his bio I can only say "he loves the dance and the music...and all of the wonderful women who gave of their time in the many years past to dance with a little boy who just wanted to dance". Ellen Taylor, Sandra Schwartz, Louise Hunsucker, Betty "Stick" Kennedy Kane, Jeannie Pack, Jackie Womble, Shelia Bodie, Judy Rodes, Joan Bassett, Leslie Cohen...the list of greats is endless. These women all played a special part instilling the love of our dance in my baby boy...and I am forever thankful for their kind words of encouragement and the many hours that they spent on the dance floor with him. Some of these women are no longer with us but I know that they will forever be in Zack's (and my) heart!
I know that there are photos out there somewhere of Zack with all of these great ladies...I just can't find them. I would especially like to have a photo of him and Louise Hunsucker...he loved her SO much!
Anyhoo, I just want to say how happy I am to see him recognized by his peers and he is going to be a Keeper Of The Dance. I'm very proud to see him included with so many great juniors that have grown up keeping our dance alive!
I love you, Zack...and you'll always be my baby boy! You and Ashley Shearin are in for a fabulous year...and I'm proud of you both!
Signing off for now....Just had to shout my happiness to the world.
Almost time for the music to start at the Pavilion! So...........Why don't we just get together and dance this thing out?
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