Tarah’s performing had reached its pinnacle of 60 times per year— where it would remain until she graduated High School.  She danced all around town (fairs, festivals, various city-sponsored events,etc). She even participated in her very first dance competition with a group Tap number, “Twelfth Street Rag,”--they won just second place…and only within the division.  She suspected she could do a bit better on her own, but she had never really tried, so had no basis for comparison.  In future competitions, technicalities (such as a vocalized “Woo” choreographed by the teacher as part of the routine), would lead to disqualifications, and bad form would lead to points off & lower scores. Ultimately, this is all understandably discouraging to youngsters and many of the girls ended the competitions in tears.  But with Tarah, it just wasn't that big of an emotional impact. For some reason, she never seemed to mind the downfall of an individual event. What mattered to her (even early on) was the overall picture and an increased focus on her next venture. Plus, she wasn’t entirely sure at this point what these competitions were all about anyway.  She was competing not for herself, but for her studio…and she didn’t even get to keep the trophy!           

         In Gymnastics, she was always competing as an individual, which made a lot more sense to her.  In her first sanctioned meet of the year, she made the score necessary to advance from level 5 to level 6.  At school, she decided to play the Harp and Violin, and had many more exciting ELP trips and adventures as well.  On one such occasion, she even rode a train for the very first time to Tucson, AZ, for a mock archeological excavation dig.                   

        ...This next chapter of Tarah’s life starts off with a very important name to remember.  Deanna Dillard.  She was hired as a dance teacher by Jeanne Wright at the studio, and would soon change Tarah’s life forever.  Seeing the talent and drive this young girl had in the Tap class she was about to take over as instructor, Deanna approached Tarah and her mom and asked if Tarah would like to study with her privately.  Deanna had much competition experience herself and could teach Tarah how to really push her limits--not just dance, but perform...& win!  And this time it would be by herself and for herself.  Tarah agreed, always up for a challenge (and a spotlight!), and began taking the private lessons necessary to make her a champion. Competitions came soon after, and this time in the form of dance solos. Indeed, these dances nearly always won.  (And not just their divisions, but the Entire Competitions!)  More often than not, she’d win the “highpoint” of the day... it happened over and over again.  Now, Tarah was beginning to build a name for herself among the dance community to go along with her knack for the sport.  The tricky part though was her aversion towards the long hours upon hours of practicing it took to get all her performances perfect for competition. No child really enjoys scrupulous repetition…but she did liked winning and so the decision was made. Tarah's path to become more intensive was the driving force that would continue to shape her future.

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