The Stage - A Place to Shine

Aug 28, 2023

Since my younger son, Carsten was born, he hasn’t stopped moving. Even as a baby, he was not content to sit still. He hated the baby swing or being left alone even for a few minutes. When he was about six months old, my mom said, “When he can move on his own, he will be much happier.” He started walking at eleven months old and showed great athleticism as a toddler.

Iowa State Fair, 2023 Photo by Nicki Ness Michels

When he was three, I signed him up for gymnastics classes at The Little Gym. He had the strength to pull himself up and over the bars. As a preschooler, he would jump off playground equipment to the ground and land on his feet as I held my breath. Today no amusement park ride is too tall or too fast for him. He is fearless.

At age five, Carsten took his first dance class through West Des Moines Parks and Rec. It was then he donned his first pair of tap shoes. He also began gymnastics classes at Chow’s Gymnastics and loved to swing on the bars and jump into the foam pit. He was always in motion, always moving fast. When he was young, it was hard to keep him home. He needed places to run and play. We spent lots of time at local parks.

Carsten is now a seventh grader and is still on the move. He’s been taking dance and acrobatics classes at Betty Hill Dance in West Des Moines and Windsor Heights since he was in second grade. Every spring, he looks forward to trying on his costumes and rehearsing for his studio’s recital at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines. The stage is normally reserved for Broadway musicals and musical artists, but for one weekend in June, Betty Hill dancers take the stage in glittering costumes and dance under the lights.

Dance Recital, 2023 Photo by Nicki Ness Michel

My weeknights are filled with lots of driving and eating dinner on the go. Carsten looks forward to seeing his friends at dance practice at the studio. His endless energy has always amazed me. At Betty Hill Dance, he takes tap, jazz, acro, and hip-hop classes. He’s also part of the Boys Club that performs a special routine at the recital. This year, the boys showcased an Elvis Presley medley. Carsten’s age group danced to “Blue Suede Shoes” complete with blue jumpsuits and white scarves.

A year ago, Carsten asked for an inflatable tumbling mat for the backyard. He really wanted to learn to do a round-off back handspring combination. I agreed and when it arrived, Carsten figured out how to inflate it and was practicing within minutes. Every day he would ask me to come outside to stand on the deck to watch him. He studied YouTube videos and practiced very hard. Within a week, he got it. He twisted in the air and landed on the mat. Since then, he’s learned to do a double back handspring, a back tuck, and a back flip. Carsten flips wherever we go. He will even flip on pavement and grass, much to my chagrin.

Midair at the Civic Center Photo by Nicki Ness Michels

This year at the Iowa State Fair, he and his fellow dancers danced and tumbled across the Anne and Bill Riley Stage. He was so excited to finally dance at 11 a.m. for a larger crowd instead of 9 a.m. with the younger kids. During the “State Fair” number by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carsten and some other dancers did nine dizzying cartwheels in a row. Carsten nailed all of his tumbling moves including an aerial (a no-handed cartwheel) and two back flips. He also performed a tap solo wearing a monogrammed letterman’s jacket to a song entitled, “Lay Back and Be Cool.”

No stage is too big for Carsten. I love to watch him grow as a performer as much as I love to watch him perform. His energy lights up the stage. My wish for him is to continue to learn and grow doing what he loves and to shine as bright as the stars along the way.