Ignite Evo 2012 — Jenny Noonan Dye

Ignite Evo 2012 – Jenny Eckton – powered by Happy Scribe

Next up is the very, very lovely and dancerly Jenny Eckton from formerlyphread at formerlyphread at www.formerlyphread.com.

Welcome her up.

Hi!

Evolution of a dream as the title of my presentation tonight, we all have dreams, things that we wanted to be when we were little and things that, let’s be honest, have been pushed to the back in our lives because we can’t do everything. I mean, am I right?

But the reality is that pursuing your dream doesn’t mean giving up the life that you’ve got in order to pursue your dream.

You don’t need to give up your career. You don’t need to change careers necessarily. All you to do is define your dream and then redefine it, sometimes continuously. When I was little, I wanted to be a lot of things.

I wanted to be Wonder Woman. Clearly, I wanted to be on Broadway. I wanted to be a rock star.

I wanted to be a mom and a lawyer and a music teacher and a million other things. Not all of those things have fit into my life. But in order to focus, I maybe should have paid attention to the Billboard number one song, The Week I Was Born, because it was Dancing Queen by ABBA.

I love to dance, but when I was little, we couldn’t afford dance lessons. Somehow, though, at age 14, I made my way to my friend’s grandmas dance studio and was able to take some lessons. I know, please. It’s too old to start. And I didn’t care how awkward it was because I loved performing. I love dancing in front of people. And my favorite way to dance was to learn dances from videos on MTV. This is my life right now.

This is what my life looks like when we’re dressed up and well-behaved. The reality of my life is that I drive around in my minivan a lot and I can make Kraft dinner with my eyes closed. And please don’t misunderstand me that part of my life is intentional. And and when I see my kids dance on stage, though, I that spark comes back and I’m like, I want to dance. I want to dance for people. And I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen.

Sorry, I’m a crybaby.

The first time I saw this skit on Saturday Night Live with these guys, I laughed so hard and I knew that was the dance I was going to learn. So I watched the single ladies video, which is beautiful and so artistically directed. But it’s fast and there are a lot of different camera angles and there is strobe lighting and it is hard to learn.

So I did the best I could, but then I did a little research and I found a group of comedians called the Dan Band and they also do a version of the single Ladies Dance, which is done in one take.

It is amazing and they are simplified moves and they are kid friendly.

And so guess what?

In my family room with YouTube in front of us, with my kids, these when we weren’t, you know, painting our faces and cleaning up all those eggs, we learned the single ladies dance. So now I know this dance. And what was I going to do with it? Where was I going to perform? Fast forward to 2010 when I began attending blogging conferences, a blogger in New York City on stage dancing with friends that I met at Everton.

We’re up there and we’re dancing on the stage. You guys remember this? Yeah. And we’re having a great time. And I’m like, oh, my gosh, this is it. I’m going to do the dance tonight. And I might only dance for one friend, but I’m going to do it. There was one thing standing in my way and that was I couldn’t control which song was played.

So you know what I did. This is critical. I went up to the deejay and I did not leave his side until he agreed to play single ladies. He gave me every excuse. I already played Beyonce. The party’s almost over. I didn’t care. I said, Will you play single ladies? And he said, yes. And I hopped off the stage and I got on the floor. And it turned out to be the very last song that night.

But you know what I did? I did that dance, you guys. And before I knew it, a circle had formed around me. And it was like I was in my own John Hughes movie and people were cheering for me. And afterwards people were like, are you professionally trained? And I said, no, I learned this in my family room. And then I went to another party and I did it again. And so much good has come from this for me, living out this dream, not the least of which was the best tweet of my life, which I still read over and over again.

Take a minute. That tweet makes me smile to this day, I’m not kidding when I am having a bad day, I pull that up and I read it because it makes my day. So what about you? What is your dream? I want you to define it and then redefine it until it fits in your life. Identify the people who can help you, who’s your who’s going to play your song, and then you have the courage to be proactive and make it happen.

Look, I am well beyond becoming a professional dancer, but my body cage is a soul that craves dance and so I can do it with my kids by my side and that’s what I do. So whether your dream, whether your dream is to become a baker or a fashion designer, I don’t care how ludicrous it seems. You can do it. I’m Jenny and my blog is formerly Red Dot Com. You can find me anywhere formally, Fred.

Thank you so much.

The Susan. The stars come. And all like. Is he on my you know. I’m glad you. The chance to spend, spend. You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me, and I decided, well, well, so let’s go somewhere no one else can see, you or me. The lights out now. Now I’ll let you have another drink. If you can spend a little time away away from so stay stay with me.

I can make you glad you came. So. This does No. Now, my. We’ll never be the same. Came. I’m glad you. You, the school still you give me a discount for me, for me and. Decided to play well. So let’s go someone no one else can see. The lights out now, now I’ll take you by the hand and you another drink if you can, can you spend the time? Time is slipping away away from us.

So stay safe with me. I can make you glad you came to say. The stars know. Never be the same. I’m glad you. I’m glad you came. The sun goes down and the stars come out and De La Cruz is here. I know my you. Will never be the same. I’m glad you came. I’m glad you came.