There they were ? a ragtag line of 4-year-olds performing their hearts out at their dance recital. The surroundings were less than glorious: a high school auditorium in Baltimore County. The place was mobbed with parents, siblings and grandparents. My stepdaughter, husband and I sat together, beaming like every other family member, but also pretty much dying of laughter.
We watched as our granddaughter performed all kinds of steps that we?ll generously call ballet and tap.
These movements were interspersed with long moments when she stared at her tutu or was just generally deep in thought.
Not one kid on stage did the same thing at the same time. It was hilariously cute.
As 5 million children performed for hours (OK, it?s an exaggeration, but that?s what it felt like), it was clear that one move, above all others, was guaranteed a huge round of applause.
When the kids got in a line and started to kick, it brought the house down.
In the entertainment industry this is known as “The Chorus Line Phenomenon.” Like its sister phenomenon, ?The Split,? it?s a sure way to get an ovation.
Most of the time, you don?t even have to start kicking. Just the act of forming a line gets the audience clapping. It?s the human version of Pavlov?s dog.
While the Rockettes could probably talk your ear off about it, my husband and I wouldn?t have made this discovery if we hadn?t seen a lot of chorus lines lately: at the dance recital, at VegasNight at the Meyerhoff, even at a musical on Broadway.
Clearly, it doesn?t matter who?s in the line. The dancers can be young or old, talented or untalented, at Radio City Music Hall or in a high school auditorium. You want applause? Get in line, baby.
Luckily for our granddaughter and all the other kids who performed that Sunday afternoon, family members are a pretty appreciative audience, no matter what. Even kids who weren?t in a chorus line got a standing ovation at the end.
And pictures. And flowers. And a good dose of adoration.
Let?s face it. When your child or grandchild is on stage, it doesn?t get any better than that.
Deborah Stone spent 15 years as a reporter and anchor at WJZ-TV and is currently a freelance writer.
