Grace danced in her first formal dance recital last weekend. It was complete with all the bells and whistles - professional costumes, lighting, big nice auditorium, reserved seating, and awards at the end.
Grace is the youngest and smallest in her dance class. She was so amazing. I couldn't believe what a good job she did at getting up and trying really hard to do her steps and not goof off onstage. She had the best time and I think that's what is most important. There were several little girls backstage with their "stage moms" who cried for much of the recital. Not Grace - she loved every aspect of it except for the waiting time to go onstage. The only thing that was stressful for me was the dress rehearsal and pictures on Friday. I had Hattie with me and it was a 2 hour ordeal. The recital was a breeze in comparison.
I danced as a little girl and so did all my sisters. Even after I quit taking dance lessons, I have always liked to go out dancing and to watch dancing. It is so fun to have a little girl to take to dance class and to watch her perform. I have to say too, that the recital was pretty fun to watch as a whole. The other dance numbers were entertaining and the older girls were quite good.
When Grace came onto the stage in her ballet costume, I seriously started crying. She is so beautiful and I am so proud to be her mom. Her tap number was really cute too. She had the job of picking up birthday present props one by one and passing them out to the dancers as the dance started. I was really surprised at how much coreography the kids had learned along with their dance steps.
At the end, we gave Grace the traditional dancer flower bouquet. She got one at her little Christmas recital and now knows that it is what she should get. She asked if she might get one this time too. She was also given a pink ribbon at the awards ceremony. That was pretty cool for her too.
The evening was also a new experiment with Harriet. Since the recital didn't start until 7pm, we decided we just couldn't take her without real fear of her crying through the whole thing to go to bed. So, I hired my first teen-age baby sitter ever. She reported that Harriet was perfect and went right to bed and never cried or fussed. I was so relieved that it worked out. Now I have someone that I know I can leave Harriet with at night. We use to take Grace out when she was a baby because she would fall asleep anywhere and didn't go to bed until late anyway. Not Hattie - she goes to bed promptly at 8pm and really likes to do it in her crib!
I am really glad that Grace has done dance this year. She has learned so much. She has really grown into a big girl and dance has been part of that. She has also made some great little friends and so have I in the process. We will be sad to leave dance for the summer.
1 comment:
Gracie is beautiful!
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