Madison Metschke: 'I Was Dancing For My Dad'

Nate Metschke always sat in the front row at his daughter’s dance recitals. On Saturday, he had the best seat in the house as 10-year-old Madison Metschke led Paulyn’s Dance Studio in a tribute to him nearly five months to the day he died.

“I was dancing for my dad,” Madison said. “Every single week we did that dance, I smiled to myself and thought, ‘I did that for my dad.’ I could feel him listening to the voices on the music. It was really cool.”

Metschke and the dancers from the Neligh studio performed a lyrical dance to “I Can Only Imagine” on Saturday. The song was also among those that played during Nate’s celebration of life, which was attended by more than 1,000 people at Neligh-Oakdale High School.

But the song has an even deeper spiritual connection to his wife, Darcy.

“As I was holding Nate’s hand and the doctor told me his heart had just stopped, those are the first words I spoke,” Darcy said. “I told him, ‘I can only imagine what it will be like.’ So that was the perfect song for this tribute dance.”

Nate Metschke, a long-time band teacher at Neligh-Oakdale, succumbed to cancer on Christmas Eve during a surgery to remove a mass from his liver. It was the next month that Madison’s instructor, Haiden Sullivan, suggested to Darcy that they perform a tribute to Nate during the May recital.

Darcy immediately loved the idea. but discussed it with Madison first. She jumped at the chance to perform for her father, who she said was one of her biggest fans. Until the final rehearsal on Saturday morning, Darcy had never seen Madison perform that particular dance.

Every week, Darcy said she would wait until some of the other parents exited the dance studio before she went inside to get Madison. That ensured she didn’t see any of the dance before the final rehearsal, where Darcy broke down as the dancers hoisted Madison high into the air for a perfect lift as she looked toward the heavens and then flipped over toward a wooden cross at the back of the stage.

“It was hard because everytime I looked at her, she was sobbing,” Madison said of her mother. “And then here comes my water works. I didn’t cry at the actual recital, though. My strategy was not to look at my family. I looked at the wall in the back and didn’t move my eyes.”

But during rehearsal, Madison’s mascara flowed down her cheeks. Despite the tears and raw emotion, Madison never missed a step of the dance. Everything was perfect.

“I’m so proud of her,” Darcy said. “She’s been dancing since she was three, so dancing is really her thing. Just to see her do that and express her emotions for her dad was just happy and sad and amazed all at the same time. It was a moment I will always treasure.”

After their first run through at rehearsals, Madison’s teacher wrapped her arms tightly around her and then all of the dancers embraced for a group hug. Madison said her dance family has offered tremendous support since her father’s death.

While the tears flowed after the performance, Madison’s eyes only sparkled as a smile spread across her face while talking about dancing for her dad.

“He would have loved it,” Madison said while beaming. “He would have been speechless and wouldn’t have believed they did that for him. I hadn’t cried about him for a long time, so this got a little bit of that out.”

Darcy said Nate was “a proud dance dad” and would have also been elated that Madison added a bit of humor to the dance. After all, Nate was as well known for his terrible jokes as he was for his support of the arts.

During Saturday’s performance, each dancer who new Nate well — led by Madison — had a brief dance solo while audio played with them talking about what they remembered of Nate. Madison’s included a jab at her father being unable to put a bun into her hair. 

“He couldn’t even put a ponytail in,” Madison said with a giggle. “He’d always break the rubber bands with his big, fat fingers. We kind of have the same hands.”

A moment Madison said she will never forget with her dad was at the ENG dance show in New Orleans last year. After competing at nationals, Madison said she went to find her parents and was shocked at her dad’s response.

“He was sobbing and was just so proud of me,” she said, smiling at the memory. “He hugged me for a long time. I know he was so proud of me.”

Madison said Nate didn’t like to watch her practice. He always wanted to be surprised during the recitals.

“Whenever I looked at him in the audience, he’d have a big old smile on his face,” Madison said. After a deep exhale and a moment to smile at the memory, she added, “My family always sits in the front row. I couldn’t find him during competition, but I always found him at the recitals.”

The tribute dance was the last song before a 10-minute intermission Saturday, which allowed the girls time to regroup emotionally. It also allowed Madison and Darcy to share a moment. Darcy gave her flowers and two special items.

“I asked her who it was from, and she said, ‘Me and dad,’” Madison said. “There was a square picture of Dad holding me at the New Orleans competition and a blue butterfly stuck to it. I think I’ll probably always keep that.”

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