So, here’s the thing about me. I have a thousand thoughts in my head at one time, get bored easily and hate the thought that I would ever bore others. Those little factoids made it difficult for me to acquiesce when my daughter asked that I give a speech at her wedding. I initially protested, believing that the intensity with which I would express deep sentiments about my one and only child might make her cry but would most certainly put the rest of the 300+ guests to sleep. What could I do, I pondered, that would be poignant yet fun for our guests too?
What I came up with began as a vision that, quite frankly, could have gone crazy corny. I ran my vision by some of my favorite people – thank you, thank you, to my forever love John and “are you sure you’re not my sister, Kelsie?!!!” – and because of their reactions I decided to forge ahead.
Ok, I’m getting to the point here, I promise.
I am a huge fan of the Broadway Show, A Chorus Line. Consequently, my daughter became one too, by default. When she was a baby, swinging away in one of those electric swings, I would pop on the Chorus Line CD and scoop her up out of that swing, singing and dancing around the room with her. (And no, I did not miss my calling, trust me.)
Katherine knew all the words to every song from that show by the time she was in junior high. We even got a chance to see the show on Broadway when she was in high school. Needless to say, A Chorus Line holds a very special place in our hearts.
So, with that as a starting point, I got to work searching for a professional dance company to do a surprise performance of “One” as part of my wedding speech to Katherine. For weeks I had her thinking that I was dreading giving a speech, so she had no idea what was coming. To say she was blown away would be an understatement (just watch her shocked expressions in the video below). :)
Thank you, thank you to the amazingly talented Giordano Dance Chicago for bringing my vision to life! Nan, Cesar and each and every one of the dancers knocked it out of the park, even keeping their cool and continuing when one slightly inebriated guest joined their line on the floor. Please know you all have a forever fan in me.
Thank you, too, to Shaun at the Drake for helping me orchestrate this, to my dear friend and patient sounding-board, Kelsie Kiley, for getting the bridal party in on the fun and to John and the amazing folks at Coastline Studios! You captured this special moment in the most magical of ways!
Without further ado here is the link to the performance:
