Hey Merritt,

Believe it or not, we are totally in sync on this one (or at least I was in dread on the first child’s mom’s skit). However, it was actually a blast, and I met a ton of moms (mostly the moms of boys) that I had never gotten to know in my 5 years at UP. It’s funny how total humiliation is a bonding experience.

Our “skit” was what I thought a very complicated hip hop routine (although my daughter and her friends taught us the moves, and they assured me that it was as simple as they come … so thanks Preston Center Dance). My group seemed to be comprised of all former drill teamers/cheerleaders and then there was me, the kid that got booted from ballet class at age 4, aerobics class at 15 and finally, yoga after one class for laughing and disrupting the mood. At weddings, I get to dance with the kids (yet many other video moments not for youtube). If only they had let me spin a basketball or juggle a soccer ball. We had so many practices, and quite frankly, they were a blast. My little guys know every word to Who Let the Dogs Out and my now 5 year old still does the dance PERFECTLY. I think there must have been 20+ practices for our group (all for the remedial one in the group), and then they realized they could “hide” me on the back row. We were not the best, but certainly not the worst either.
Good news is that every 4th grader absolutely loves it, and every child seems equally embarrassed no matter the skill of the “performer”. Other good news is that our fearless leaders this year have simplified the suggested practice schedules and requirements.
As to your questions:
1. No singing required because your group designs the 2-3 minute skit, and the audience is so loud that singing is not heard anyway. Simpler is better. We threw out candy and squirted the audience with water guns (although we did not clear that in advance with the skit leaders). We could have just stood there, and the kids would have been thrilled.
2. I have never seen a skit with flips, but I feel certain the school has insurance for that sort of thing.
3. Mr. Kenyon taped ours a few years ago, and I bet he’s up for it again. Let me know if you want to view a copy (I am pretty certain we can edit my group out before any distribution) and of course, no “youtube” appearances.
4. Everyone gets a role. Unlike the SMU Pi Phis that justifiably hid me in the back on wall songs and never let me near any rush skits, this is the time to really shine. As I tell my kids, if you embarrass me, I can always do my 4th grade skit dance.