Travel experiences have been a fantastic life journey for many of our dancers and their families. These experiences teach how to navigate airports, hotels, and itineraries as well as meet people and experience different cultures. Our travels have included Japan, Russia, Mexico, and Argentina. We have been to California eight times, New York City four times, and multiple trips to Disney World, Disneyland, and Nashville, just to name a few. Often these trips are funded through passionate fundraising and are only possible through the generosity of our friends, family, and community. We are grateful for every travel opportunity our students have earned and look forward to many more.
Experiencing the world through my students’ eyes has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. Our students have traveled by car, motor home, charter bus, and plane. For many of the dancers, our travel could be the first airplane ride, not just for them but often for other family members. The travels for our sportaerobic teams included so much international influence. They competed against athletes from all over the world, so the cultural impact and connections they made with these athletes were incredible. Travel can create chaos; there are many fun stories of events and situations everyone endures or overcomes on their quest to a location. Undoubtedly, travel has given our small-town girls an opportunity to explore large cities and cultures. You never really know the seeds that are planted from such experiences. I have enjoyed the good fortune of traveling abroad four times with dance-related events. Being in a country where they do not speak English is something everyone should experience. In Mexico, we came to appreciate all the regulations our government has that keep us safe, like temperature-regulated showers in hotels and street curbs of a stand size. I remember being scalded in the shower and nearly tripping from the curb size not being that which was of muscle memory to our country's standards. It’s the little things that you take away from some of these experiences. My favorite nuance in Mexico was the desserts at the event we attended, which were served in a dixie cup. Of course, to Americanize that notion, we had to take four cups. The world keeps changing, and traveling is a great way to enjoy it. I traveled a lot during the pandemic, most of the time by myself, to go see Morgan. In doing so, I had come to realize in all my travels just how much I was a follower because I learned a whole lot when it was totally up to me to get to and from point A to point B. I hope to always have travel as part of our studio features as well as my personal life.