Name:  High School Musical Film Festival
Date:  Saturday October 18, 2008 through Thursday October 23, 2008
Where:  On My Couch in Front of My TV
Time:  Usually around 8:00 P.M. sometimes 10:00 A.M.
What:  High School Musical I and High School Musical II
Admission:  Free!

Okay, so pretty much all of us in the dance world know something about High School Musical by now. And I have to say, I'm shocked, shocked when I come across someone who doesn't know what it is let alone hasn't heard of it. I'm like, huh? Are you kidding me? Have you been to the store in the last three years? Have you seen the recent cover of People magazine?

But, whatever, there are some human forms out there (my mom was one of them, yes, shocked I was. She's now enlightened.) who have not heard of High School Musical, let alone its acronym, HSM.

A funny thing happened to me the other day while I was driving my minivan. I saw a soccer mom and we began chatting about things like carpools, homework, schedules and the like between our big gulps of coffee, when somehow the topic of High School Musical came up. I told her with great enthusiasm that I would be there on October 24, 2008. I said, "I'm going!" She laughed and told me that her soccer-coach husband (read: jock) loved HSM. What???  Is he Troy? Is he a Troy? OMG.

Why do we like High School Musical? Is it the dancing? Yes, some of us like the dancing, some of us love it, some of us feel the pressure to learn it for reasons like studio teaching, or just to keep abreast of the market, let alone just for fun. My guess is that there are some choreography critics out there as well. Is it the singing? I'm sure some love it and know every lyric, even those of us over the age of 12. Is it the Broadway "Musicale" feeling, as Ms. Darbus refers to it, in the magnificent "thee-uh-truh?" I'm sure the big Broadway fans out there get a chuckle and a tad smell of the grease paint. But I think it's more than that. Just one person's take, anyhoo.

I think it is the upbeat music, the fun and high-energy dancing, the songs, the colors, the photography, Ryan's hats, Chad's hair and total dude-best buddy enthusiasm, the emotional lyrics that touch some of us at times, the sense of "first love" and/or "true love," the innocence, the awesome basketball dribbling dance. Still, I think it goes deeper:  it's the storyline, the everyone of us that is in High School Musical in some form and face it, we are. The geek, the jock, the cheerleader, the freak, the Goths, the brainiacs, the nobodies, the wannabes, the band members, the creme brulee makers. It's everyday people wrapped up and packaged into a colorful, high-energy, heartfelt, contemporary upbeat Disney Broadway-style movie musical with great costumes, characters, choreography, music and more. Toodles for now! I'll see you on October 24th, 2008 in the "thee-uh-truh!"