journey
 

/ˈjərnē/

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noun

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1. an act of traveling from one place to another, especially when they are far apart

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1. a set of experiences that someone has over a period of time

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I love a good road trip to…anywhere. When I was a child both of my grandfathers, though wildly different human beings, loved Pontiac Bonneville station wagons. They were enormous cars with a third row of seats where a kid could ride backward and watch the miles fall behind them. As a teenager in the 1970s I drove what was left of Route 66 at that time with my mother, all the way to Los Angeles. Twice. I loved every minute and every mile of that road. I’m still a frequent visitor to a short stretch of that famous road between I-57 and I-55 in Illinois, the signs say IL-53, but it will always be Route 66 to me.

There are probably not many in our audience that remember the little red car Zoe Jane Blocker drew for our program cover and that Josh Rybicki built for our stage this year. It was a 1985 Renault Alliance convertible, one of only 2400 ever built, special ordered by my mother just a few short months before I made her a grandmother for the first time and that I sadly sold this year. Miss Connie loved to put the top down and go on a journey. She believed in enjoying the ride.

The dance year is a kind of journey, forgive me the use of cliché. We traveled together and learned new things while we made the old ones better. Some of the Pink Panthers you’ll see today started their dance journey more than 30 years ago when they were only as old as the kitty cats they’ll appear on stage with. We’ll start on Route 66 and end on a mountain top with lots of fun stops along the way. Our dancers will do their best to entertain you, to bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye and to put some happiness into your afternoon. They’ve worked hard and come far and had some fun along the way. Today is about enjoying the ride.

Miss Connie’s vision for all of us was, “A lifetime of dance” and we know she is smiling down as we continue on that road. Sixty-six years and counting…the journey isn’t over.
 

“Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal.” ~Tim Cook