Dance Recital '11

Tessa sure has grown alot since last year's dance recital. I guess I knew that but it was certainly evident by her excitement and maturity this year (I hesitate to use the word maturity, but you know what I mean). She knew exactly what to do and she was excited to do it!

Jeremy and I had a tag-team strategy this year where I sat in the audience and watched the tap section and then we switched for ballet. He had a little too much fun being stage-Dad. I actually had to force him to his seat at intermission.

Like last year the recital had two parts, tap and ballet. The theme of the tap section was 'Back the Future' featuring songs from both the 80's and 50's. You know, like the movie. Tessa's song was 'Personality'

Tessa was the line leader!

Recognize another blog regular dancing right beside Tessa?

That move is apparently called a 'boogi oogie'.

The ballet was Beauty and the Beast and Tessa was a snowbird in the snowy section of the story. You know, where they dance around and fall in love. I had never seen that movie before this past Christmas and now I know it by heart. That's the pace things move with small children I guess.

The snowbirds danced with Belle, then took a seat and admired her solo.

I didn't see it from offstage but apparently Tessa bit the dust pretty hard. But Jeremy reported no tears were shed, she went on with the show!

The whole cast onstage. The studio rotates through 5 casts throughout the course of the weekend (with the featured older dancers remaining the same). Someone said that equals to about 800 kids total, which I can totally see. It's a big production!

I was the gift bag moms. Meaning other moms in our class gave me trinkets and treats and I threw them all in pretty pink beachbags from the Target dollar spot. Hard job. The girls went bananas for them.

Tessa's favorite dance partner.

Are you wondering how Tessa's short hair suddenly became long enough for the required ponytail? It's fake! That's right Tessa had a beautiful hairpiece in place, along with 75% of the cast. Fake hair everywhere.

What a great picture. I would say this could be our Christmas card except for two problems...1) We are missing a kid. 2) The heat and humidity of backstage made unruly things happen to my hair.

The missing kid was with his favorite babysitter, a girl from our church. But next year you will see him in the recital right along Tessa. After some debate and thought we decided to sign Charley up to join Tessa in the preschool dance class next year. Yes there are boys in some classes, no they don't wear tutus or hairpieces. And given his consistent desire to run out and join his sister during weekly dance classes, I know he's going to love it.