The Stage

It was a Sunday, and we had already watched our weekly episode of Kids Incorporated. The premise: a band of kids who performed family friendly versions of pop songs while they danced around.  Exactly the type of show made to appeal to the 6-12 yr old demographic. My sister and I were loyal followers. In the age before DVR, repeated viewings were rare, so we attempted, unsuccessfully, to make voice recordings using our tape recorder, in a meek attempt to have their songs to sing along.
On a cloud after each episode, we would take our makeshift microphones, mine an attachment to the vacuum, hers a yellow drumstick, and sing and dance around our family room. She as Stacy, the younger blond headed sister who could belt out with the best of them, me as Renee, the older auburn locked sister who was known for the longing glances she would give to the camera.
The show gave me my first exposure to Rocky Horror Picture Show's Time Warp and Springsteen's Thunder Road, of course with lyrics appropriate for the under 12 crowd.
Clicking on the television those Sunday afternoons, we were transported to this surreal world where parents and other adults were rarely seen. The kids had the run of the Place, with fashionable wardrobes of neon and denim and songbooks a mile long.
Kids Incorporated gave my sister and I inspiration.
"Do you want to see Great Grandmom today?" my mom asked.
I looked to my sister, and we nodded in unison. A trip to the nursing home to dutifully pay our respects to our maternal great grandmother, also gave us access to the stage.
In the great room of the building, wooden tables dot the floor, with bright orange plastic chairs surrounding them. Wheelchairs and walkers pulled up table side, a room which offered a sense of community to its elderly residents.
  After giving our great grandmother a peck on her cheek, and a quick hello, to the stage we would race. Our daydreams of being famous singers and dancers would come alive, as we did our best to mirror what we had seen earlier on the day. Twirling and singing, the time on that stage was magical. While a stray clap was our only acknowledgement, we continued. The majority of our visit spent on that stage.
By this time Great Grandmom was quite old, her body beginning to show the effects of a well lived life. I cannot remember any true acknowledgement of our talents, however my mom and grandmother both agree that she loved our visits, just as most of the other residents.
It was here we were stars.


TV is something that people either watch a lot of or have definite feelings about. This week, we want you to think about tv show from your past. Maybe you watched it, maybe you didn't and it was just something that everyone else talked about.

What feelings does the show evoke? What memories does it trigger?
Keep it to 600 words and come back to link up on Tuesday, July 5th.