This Night Was Sparkling

A full story and behind the scenes of my Pop Princess Singalong & Dance Party Taylor Swift Fundraiser for everyone who couldn’t be there or needs planning ideas.

I am no stranger to the spotlight or the stage. In fact, performing has always been my happy place. My stage debut was at age 6 when I performed on The Princess Theater Stage as a bumble bee in “The Jungle Book”. While this role seems small and inconsequential it was actually very challenging for a newly 6 year old because the director decided to keep a majority of children on stage the whole time to represent the “jungle”! For almost the entire show I stood there under the bright lights with all 677 seats able to see me. I was immediately hooked. In kindergarten there was a school project of what you wanted to be when you grow up. Of course I made a “pop star”. I continued performing on that stage and several others until my Princess career took up all of my weekends.

After I was no longer able to perform on the Princess’s stage I was still involved with the theatre. In the 2017-2018 I school year was an assistant teacher for a homeschool theatre class. I even graduated at The Princess Theatre. I gave our class speech on that stage and later that evening walked across it to receive my high school diploma. 

Now I get to work with the Princess promoting upcoming shows by interviewing artists and performers. 
Not quite 2 decades of history lead up to where this Taylor Event all started, April 2024. I was contacted by the Princess to potentially host a fundraiser. Originally I turned them down because I’m always incredibly busy and I didn’t have a fundraiser idea that I felt was worth hosting. After posting photos in my replica Taylor Swift costume I had so many comments from locals asking if I was going to be performing somewhere. Well at the time I didn’t have a show so I knew I had to create one! After pitching my idea to the team at The Princess Theatre (and them approving it) it was time to get to work! I only had 78 days to pull all this together!

The first step was creating a fun pop kid-friendly Taylor Swift setlist. While I wish I could have done so many more songs I didn’t want to lose the little’s attention so I kept it to 13 songs. One of the hardest parts was creating choreography to all 13 songs. I knew I wanted it to be high energy and exciting. If you had asked me a few years ago if I was a dancer I would have told you absolutely not. I’ve taken ballet, once for a few months at age 6 then again for a year at age 11. I took jazz for a few months when I was 7. I performed many musical theatre numbers over the years and I learned Hannah Montana’s “Hoedown Throwdown” in the summer of 2008 but that was the extent of my dance history. I wouldn’t have considered myself coordinated (it took me years to learn how to skip) until spring of 2019 when I began to offer JoJo Siwa for birthday parties. I spent hours learning the choreography to her music videos. If I can dance to JoJo I can dance to anything! 

I created choreography and routines to each song by watching Taylor’s back up dancers from corresponding Eras Tour performances, dancers on Tiktok and YouTube videos of various dance companies and dance competitions. I’d take different moves here and there and piece them all together. I had to be intentional with the moves I kept because my right hand would always be holding a microphone and I also have to sing through all of it. For weeks I focused on putting together high energy and fun routines that I was happy with. 

Once I had all the moves down it was time to start putting it all together and practicing the full show. I did this 5 days a week for 2 months. At first I could barely sing through the first set without my face getting all red and gasping for air, then I could make it through the whole set but collapsed immediately after and lay on the floor unable to breathe and then it wasn’t so hard anymore. I practiced in my room, in the living room, on my church’s stage and on the Princess Theatre’s stage. I practiced often in my shoes and often with the wig on. I practiced until I could do every step in my sleep. 

I had a setlist and choreography but I needed to add the finishing touches. I love a good costume change and shout out to my Mom for encouraging me to add new costumes to the show! Taylor Swift debuted her TTPD set on the Eras Tour on May 9th and I ordered my “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” costume that night. I also ordered a gorgeous purple layered tulle high low dress for my Speak Now set and my Red Era costume. I spent hours rhinestoning and glittering each outfit and matching microphones!

An Eras themed event isn’t complete without a fun photo area and a light up bracelet! 

This was the first time I’ve ever attempted a balloon arch and THANK goodness I had amazing balloon arch expert helpers who sat for over 2 hours blowing up balloons and creating the arch with minimal help from me!

If you’re looking for these items check out this Amazon list of everything I bought from backdrops and balloons to costumes and rhinestones and everything in between. 

It takes a village to make a show. Thankfully I had talented, kind and wonderful people who willingly jumped into this mess with me and volunteered their time. Madeline and Anna Kate got the party started greeting guests and kept the energy alive performing on the stage while I was off stage changing costumes! My favorite thing they did was acting in the skit for “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”. They pulled me off the floor and changed my costume on stage. They sat me down and brushed my hair, put on my necklace and forced me to perform. 

One of my ride or dies Katie volunteered (and roped Lauren into it as well) to be part of this special night and they popped the confetti wands. 

A local photographer Carolyn Bild heard about my show and reached out to me and volunteered her time and talents to take all of the stunning photos of the show. These captured moments are something I’m going to cherish and look back on often! Another talented photographer Juergen Beck attended the show and got incredible shots!

Hannah was the GOAT of the evening being the music starter, backstage manager, prop master, disaster avoider and costume changer. If it wasn’t for Hannah this show couldn’t have happened! She got me dressed like a Barbie doll every time I came off stage panting and trying to drink as much water as I could. She accomplished a 28 second costume change that I thought was impossible and never did I miss a cue. Her husband Jesse made and constructed my balloon arch and her children Lillie, Tucker and Truett were my biggest cheerleaders. 

The one who was in this with me from the very first second I came up with the idea to the moment I came home after the show on a performance high, was my Mom. From listening to me obsess over details and planning to crying every time she watched me perform “Long Live” (which was a lot because she liked watching me practice). She was the one who had taken me to audition almost two decades ago to be a little bumble bee on stage, she was the one who gave me my diploma on the Princess’ stage and she was the first face I looked for in the crowd that night.

Looking back the actual show is a blur of screaming children, sparkles, bright lights, costumes flying and adrenaline rushes. I’ve been on stage countless times, I’ve performed as characters almost every week for 9 years and I’ve even performed as Taylor many times but there was nothing like 250 people singing and cheering just for me. Under the bright lights I could feel it all; all the dreams I had of being a “pop star” when I was little, all the over dramatic YouTube videos I made and all the moments I stood on that stage in various plays wishing to “make it” one day. I could feel it all. I wished I could tell little me how amazing this was. No I didn’t exactly “make it big” and it wasn’t exactly how I had dreamed, but she would’ve been so proud of us. 

The performance play by play:

I took the stage to “Shake It Off” then performed “…Ready For It?”, “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Blank Space”. I then left the stage to change while Madeline and Anna Kate pumped up the crowd with jumbo beach balls. I entered in my Red outfit for “22” and gave away the 22 hat then transitioned into “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “Anti-Hero” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together”. After that I collapsed to the ground while Madeline and Anna Kate brought out the set and props and we did our skit. I then performed “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” and exited the stage. As I changed for the next set Madeline and Anna Kate danced to the first half of “Fearless” and I came on to finish out the song and perform “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me”. I rushed off stage and after a 28 second costume change I closed the show with “Long Live” and confetti. 

After the show ended I changed into my 1989 Eras Tour Movie costume and went out to the lobby for the meet and greet and photos. 

All of this to say, Thank you Taylor Swift for sharing your shine so we all can sparkle.