I am a person who believes in childhood magic. I believe that there are things in this worlds that cannot be explained and that there are moments in our lives that have untold impact and will shape us in indescribable ways. As a young girl I had one of those moments while watching the musical Anne of Green Gables in Charlottetown. Matthew had died and I cried my eyes out not understanding that he was acting. At the curtain call, Matthew walked out and I was blown away by the miracle that occurred before me. Matthew wasn’t dead! It is a moment that has stuck with me for my entire life and heavily influenced my decision to go to university for theatre.

Now I have kids of my own, and I have to say I really want them to grow up to be people that believe in magic, in beauty, and in those moments that make your heart move. So, it was an easy decision for me to sign my son up for dance lessons. I had this awesome boy who loved to move, and who loved music. It was natural fit. His first class was a tap/ballet combo and at age four he got to be in his first Christmas concert at Pure. His first magic moment was being on stage while it started to snow. He reached up for those snowflakes in disbelief, and I proceeded to have full on “mom tears” in the audience.

The magic hasn’t stopped. Every year I get to watch my son grow more in love with dance, and improve in ways I would never have thought possible. His dance lessons are the highlight of his day. Once, last year he was having a full on rotten day at school. We were going to a lesson at Pure, and Charlie was down in the dumps. After his class, Charlie came out full of sunshine and beaming. The change in him was amazing, and I know it was his time dancing and hanging out with his teacher that made all the difference. He was confident and proud, and back to the boy that makes me smile.

And there are times when I see my kids transform. On stage and off – and it is magic to me. Two years ago my son was in a street dance class and it was the first time I really saw him perform. He threw himself into what he was doing and became a “dancer”, not just a kid that takes lessons. My daughter has started taking lessons this year, and while in class I have seen her change from a little girl that is reserved and shy to a little ballerina – serious in her effort and determined to try her best.

My kids are magic to me, and their experience at Pure has been magical to them. They have learned to work hard, to go for it, and that performance is a way to transform yourself. And for me, seeing them in class and on stage has convinced me even more that childhood is indeed magic.