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Once on the team, there is a follow-up check every six weeks.
So, members of the Strikers must maintain an all-around good
record to keep their spot. The stakes are high. Memphis is a
bright student taking honors classes (she made straight A’s on
her last report card) and has been invited to join MSA’s Advanced
Academic Academy. All of this in addition to early morning and
after school dance classes, rehearsals, and a recent Dance
Showcase is quite impressive.
Also, It helps, when your mother and grandmother co-own The
Hair Company, a Paul Mitchell salon, in West Bradenton and
one of the salon guests just happens to be a ballroom dance
instructor. Colton Gannon agreed to give Memphis some pointers
and some one-on-one practice time. “Colton is a great teacher.
He teaches kids with special needs to compete in ballroom
competitions,” Memphis explains.
“I am stiff when I’m nervous, so he kept saying ‘Don’t be so stiff!
Don’t be so stiff!’ He is SO patient with me.” Memphis’ mom
opened the salon for them after hours and even posted pictures
on Facebook of Memphis and Colton dancing across the open
��oor space which made a perfect practice area complete with
the mirrors usually reserved for viewing haircuts, color, and a
guest’s ��nished style.
To say Memphis’ parents are proud would be an understatement.
At a recent dance showcase, Memphis said she was admittedly
a little nervous on stage at ��rst, but once she got going, it was
a lot of fun. “At one point in the show,” Memphis recalls, “my
partner lifted me up and carried me across the stage. I could
hear my father’s voice in the audience! He was yelling so loud!”
And with a little eye roll she adds, “And later, there was a part in
the show where I could distinctly hear my mom yelling my name
over the music!”
When I asked how her parents found out she had made the
team, she grinned and said, “At ��rst I came home and told my
mom I didn’t make it. She was all, ‘That’s a shame, honey.’ Then I
told her the truth, and everyone was super excited!” Apparently,
Memphis likes the element of surprise. But it sounds like her
future plans are not going to be a surprise to anyone.
She says dancing is something she really enjoys, but she knows it
is very hard to make a living as a professional dancer. Her dream
is to perhaps own and run a dance school where she will enjoy
teaching young kids. But her full-time job will be as a psychologist.
Before saying goodbye to Memphis, I asked her what advice she
might offer to NextGen Family Magazine readers, young and old.
Her response, as I’ve learned in just the short time I spent with
her, is typical of this young ��recracker. She said, “If you think you
can’t, you won’t. Don’t give up on what you really want do, you
may discover you’re really good at it, just like I did.”