Chapter 12

2013 arrived, finally!
March was on the horizon which meant Nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year we turn fourteen, (Me on 6/28, Claire on 6/23) and thus became Junior II competitors.

Technically, there is not a fourteen-year-old category for Nationals, but there is a Category called ‘Rising Stars,’ which we could enter — We met the standards.

We were told that usually only seventeen-year-olds and older compete in this event each year. There were no hard-and-fast rules against fourteen-year olds competing. Apparently, nobody that young had ever ... tried it before.

That became Claire and my motivation. We had six awesome routines ready needing only five to compete. We arrived in Utah, one day in advance.

All told Claire, Annie, Jimmy, Sarah, Brian, Susan, Kalista and I traveled over twenty-five hours with Sarah, Annie and Jimmy sharing the driving. We only stopped for food, the privy, and gas.

Claire and I had three new outfits all complementary. Jimmy was paying for everyone who came, much to Annie and Sarah’s surprise.

Here’s how it goes:

Thirty-two sets of partners started. With each dance, the field would be cut in half to sixteen, eight, and four until a concluding ‘head to head’ dance on the fifth and final day.

In round one, we picked our Quickstep, having recently added to it a set of moves called Flicks and Kicks. We were last in this first round with the crowds milling about just waiting for it to be over, so the results would be announced.

The Announcer came on:
“Lastly tonight, is a young couple who have shattered the NDCA record book with ten consecutive Junior I First Places before starting at a new junior high school last year.”

Some people were laughing at that.

Let them laugh!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, performing a Quickstep to ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance,’ are Charles Newman and Claire McArthur.” (The Nat King Cole version!)

Our crowd yelled loudly in support, and the rest of the people quieted down. Claire gave me our ‘kiss,’ and the music began.

Here we go — we got going ... really gliding around the floor, now dancing chest to chest and slowly but surely the crowd got into us clapping along with the music. Claire was smiling looking right into my face, and I gaped back at her.

Our running moves went wonderfully, and we were setting up for our finish, doing a few quick spins in place. The crowd was getting with us, watching, and paying attention to us. Claire did a hair flip that was simple but magnificent.

The final steps were coming. We hit the end together, perfectly!

We danced at Nationals. We danced at Nationals. We danced at Fucking Nationals!

I can’t believe it ... We danced at Nationals and the crowd who could have cared less about us three minutes and eighteen seconds ago were now screaming out our names. We waved to everyone as we went off to Sarah, Annie, and Kalista, who were waiting for us.

Kalista was applauding so fast I thought she would hurt her hands. Claire and Kalista hugged while Annie and I were crying in each other’s arms.

My mother whispered in my ear, “I am so proud of you, no matter what.”

Sarah got hold of me and said with the adult version of the smile I see from my girl, “You really are everything my daughter says about you. I can’t wait to have a real dancer in the family!” I wanted a kiss, but she didn’t, darn!

They called all thirty-two pairs of us back to the dance floor and started the announcements:

“Going on to the next round are...”

Claire was holding my hand so hard I thought she was going to crush it. We looked at each other and realized how much fun we were having. We just danced in a National Competition together.

“CHARLES NEWMAN and CLAIRE MCARTHUR!”

What was that? Did they say we had moved on, or were they telling us to leave the floor? The crowd was stunned and started to applaud very loudly. I guess that meant ... We made the cut!

We waved back to the crowd, and Claire took me by my collar and kissed me in front of everybody there.

I knew this was likely to come back on me, but I responded and kissed her back causing the other dancers around us to start applauding as well. We broke up both equally embarrassed, but happy as can be — we made the cut — thirteen-year-olds had never made the cut!

Before we left for the night, we were asked our preference for dancing placement. We deferred until the other fifteen couples had made their selections.

I asked if we were allowed to inquire what the other dancers were performing? The young man at the table didn’t see why not and told us that they were all doing either the Samba or the Quickstep.

Claire and I talked for a moment and then told him we would be doing a Traditional Slow Waltz. We wanted to be last if that was OK and asked if could we give them our music first thing in the morning? He said nobody ever asked that before. After making a call, we were told we needed to get the music to them two hours before the competition started.

We thanked him and went back to the hotel, and I had asked Jimmy if I could use his laptop to find a new Waltz number. He shook his head ‘Yes,’ and just looked at me like I was crazy to change our dance music the night before a competition.

I also asked him if he’d brought any empty CD’s that I could burn a new song on? Fortunately, Jimmy followed the Boy Scout tradition of Being Prepared, and again answered ‘Yes.’

Claire turned to me and said, “Charles. You have got that look in your eye. Why don’t we just perform ‘Sunrise Sunset?’”

“Because we have gotten better than that piece of music can demonstrate. Do you trust me, Claire-Bear?” I asked.

“Absotively, Posilutely, X.”

I started to feverishly listen to songs using iTunes maybe a little over eighty songs before I found ... it.

It was a song I heard recently in an elevator. I knew it was from an old movie about a car race from New York to Paris ... THE GREAT RACE!

The song was in the middle of this comedy racing farce, and it was called ‘The Sweetheart Tree.” Now to find the perfect version of it!

Unbelievably, there were almost fifty covers, so I listened to all of them and, of course, the next to last one was a beautiful, but simple version sung by a barbershop quartet called the Golden Staters, recorded back in 1972. That made me wonder if they were still around or not?

I listened to the entire song and was crying by the time it was over being exactly 3:14. I played it for everybody, and they loved it as well.

I pulled Claire up and said, “Are you ready to win this whole damn thing, Gorgeous? I want to win a National Championship with you. We will get through this round because everyone else will knock each other out with their Quicksteps and Sambas, and we will slick right past them all. Are you ready to learn a whole new Slow Waltz routine?”

We will be using the Hesitation Step a lot, but this version calls for it.

I had her in my arms, and she whispered, “I can learn any dance to any song you want to teach me, Loverboy.”

I kissed her, and we went to work on the routine with Jimmy giving us some ideas due to the subtle rhythm changes a barbershop quartet is likely to give a song like this.

Everybody was wanting to watch us. I had asked that only Jimmy or Annie give suggestions, and everyone respected that wish.

While we were learning this, Jimmy burned two separate CD’s, in case of emergency. About an hour later we had a brand-new Traditional Slow Waltz routine.

We all went to bed with the boys in one room and the girls in the other. It was the most economical way to do it. I don’t know what the girl’s arrangement was, but Jimmy got one bed and Brian and I shared the other ... it was like camping, but on a double bed, and without the sound of crickets!

The next morning, we all met up together and Claire and I went over the routine a few more times. We all thought it was going to be a nice change of pace from all the other dancer’s high-energy routines.

I was secretly holding out that if we got to the finals, we would get to do our Jive to “Footloose.”

Sarah, Claire, Annie, Kalista and I went down and handed them our music in plenty of time. They confirmed we were going last when things started later in the day. Sarah probably shouldn’t have, but she gave us a ‘Good Luck,’ before we left.

[Traditionally, the expression is ‘Break a Leg’ prior to a performance]

“Claire, what would you like to do today while we are waiting for our competition?” I asked.

“Could we go watch the Adult Dancers? Maybe one or two of the dances?” she asked sweetly.

“Sure Claire,” Annie said. “Let’s all go and see them. You two will be dancing against them before you know it. You two can dance in the adult category as soon as you turn fifteen, and we get approval by the NDCA, which I found out they just about always give.”

We walked over to a different pavilion and watched the dancers preparing. Everyone was so tall ... They were all over six feet tall, and girls were all five-eight or taller. None of the ladies were terribly busty. It made me wonder!

We just stood and watched them warming up. Some were talking to themselves maybe a kind of positive mantra or something. Most were talking only to their own partners seemingly avoiding eye contact with their competition. I guess they focus on themselves and don’t have any time for friends or compassion for their peers.

At this level, they are all told what dance to perform in advance, so the judges have specific things they’re looking for. We heard that they were all doing the Paso Doble. This could give us a lot of information about what the judges will be looking for when it’s our turn in a couple more years.

A young lady with her parents walked up to us and asked, “Are you Charles & Claire?” We both blushed a little and said, “Yes” together.

I looked over to Annie, Sarah, and Kalista, who was jumping in place over this.

“Could I have your autograph, please? My parents and I think you are gonna be really famous dancers someday, so we would like you to autograph a program, please?”

I looked over at Claire whose eyes were moistening, and I said, “Sure. I will sign for both of us if that’s all right. What’s your name?”

“Oh, thank you so very much. My name is Haillee Payne. I am only fourteen years old just like you and I practice dance every day. My parents and I are visiting from Colorado Springs.”

“Thank you, Haillee ... That’s awfully sweet of you. What Claire and I would like to suggest is that you find a Cotillion in your area and then make really good friends with the people who run it. That’s what we have done, and he’s now our Sponsor, OK?”

I heard Annie’s snort.

“Thank you, Charles, that’s really good advice.” She looked at her program where I wrote, ‘Good Luck — Hailee, from Charles & Claire. Dancing is Fun, So Have Fun Dancing – March 2013!”

Her mother mouthed the words, ‘thank you’ as Claire was coming back to join me. Claire came up close to me and hugged me whispering, “Oh, Charles ... That was so sweet of you. I heard most of what you said to her. You are really good at this, aren’t you?”

As they left, a face I recognized from TV walked up, and said, with her million-dollar smile, long lavish blond hair, and english accent, “Hello, my name is Cat Deeley, I have been following you two.”

I took her hand and kissed it making her giggle, then said, “I watch ‘So, You Think You Can Dance,’ every chance I can.”

“A few of our contestant dancers have come directly from these National Events. Have you thought ahead enough to possible come on the show?”

You could’ve knocked me over with a feather, before I said, “Honestly, Cat, I know I haven’t thought that far our out. My partner Claire and I have been keeping things close and focused. We will have to think about it, OK?”

She pulled a card from her little purse and handed it to me. Claire was being very silent but was keeping a close arm on me.

After Cat said, “Toodles,” my girl said, “That was Cat Deeley. That was amazing, Charles. She is skinnier in person, don’t you think?”

“Claire-Bear, nobody is as pretty as you are, OK?”

Our posse joined up, with Special K amazed.

After a kiss from Claire, the dancing was beginning.

When it was over, two lovely ladies walked over to us, introducing themselves as Alice Guthrie and Janice Forrester. They were Annie’s age and both very pretty.

“Excuse us, we are unable to stay to watch you all five days, but could we get an autograph, please?” Janice had asked.

Mom and Sarah came forward.

Alice saw this and said, “We left my daughter and her son to come to this event, not knowing it was six days long. We are from Vincennes, Indiana and couldn’t resist coming to see the two of you.”

I gladly gave an autograph for each of these lovely ladies.

Suddenly, my mother said, “Did you used to sing professionally?” to Janice, who answered in the affirmative.

“That was a long time ago, but yes, I did?”

“Can I get your autograph?”

In a matter of moments, they became friends, exchanging phone numbers in the process.

They gave us a ‘Break a leg,’ and walked away. What nice ladies!

We watched a few couples dance the Paso Doble. Granted we haven’t spent that much time on it ourselves, but they are quite good. Claire and I are watching these couples with all their fancy outfits — but we did realize that we have those skills. They just haven’t yet been honed and polished.

After watching a few of them, Claire and I along with Annie, Sarah, and Kalista were walking back to our pavilion when a bevy of teenage girls came up to us.

One of them stepped forward and said, “Charles & Claire — we loved your dance. We think Charles is just the most adorable dancer at this whole competition, don’t we, ladies?” They all tittered.

I felt Claire’s hand become something of a death grip, so I turned to her and said, “Show them your ring, Baby Doll?” Claire smiled a great big grin and flashed her promise ring in front of their faces.

The girl who had been speaking took Claire’s hand, “Damn girls — that’s a real stone in there!”

“We want you to win. These stuffy older people don’t understand what we teenagers want to see. What are you dancing to in the next round?”

I replied, “Ladies, you will have to watch to find out. I will tell you at some point in this competition we may just ‘Cut loose.’”

That caused the girls to make a group noise that sounded like a pack of hyenas, at least what I had remembered from the Discovery Channel. Maybe from THE LION KING!

We walked away from them with my girl saying, “Charles, my knight is shining armor ... Come here.” Claire gave me a kiss on the end of my nose and then, quickly wiped it off.

Kalista laughed and said, “Wait until you win, then see how many people want your autograph?”

That made us all laugh, although I suspect K may be right on the nose about that.

I pulled Claire aside telling Annie we would catch up.

“Claire?”

“Yes, Charles?”

“I love you!”