Dance! Something Old is New Again!

Last month Sydney started her fifth year of dance. In our house the beginning of dance is as exciting as the new school year and new school supplies. Five years...hard to believe but it's true.  This year she is back to the more traditional...meaning tap, ballet and jazz.  Last year she only wanted to do jazz and Hip Hop...begged me to take hip hop...and she hated it.  Hip Hop is really hard because the moves are not fluid, nor are they natural! Half way through the year she was really missing tap and ballet. Let's go through what is involved in taking dance classes shall we?

tights

ballet shoes

tap shoes...the girl loves her some tap shoes
jazz shoes
hair snood (don't ask...it's one of those bun cover thingys...she wanted one with rhinestones and was thrilled on the first night when the teacher called her out and told everyone that this is how a dancer should wear their hair! She was thrilled beyond belief and the next week several girls were sporting snoods)
dance bag...I have never bought one until now
leggings...seems a little eighties to me but oh well
new teacher this year
2 and a half hours of dance straight from 6:00 to 8:30.
let's not forget the arm and leg each month for tuition

A new dance year also means 2 performances...one at Christmas (usually at the mall) and a recital (many hours long) at the end of the year! Being backstage mom...really fun and challenging helping little sweaty girls into spandex tights and costumes sometimes up to 18 girls in 15 minutes.  Then there are the costumes...some years they are darling, other years they are very ugly! So far we have had...baby pink, red and black, purple and black, hot pink and neon orange for the "Just a Little Crush" dance last year...best dance ever! For the Christmas show they usually wear jazz pants and a Christmas sweatshirt, socks, and hairbows...nice considering it's cold and nobody wants their daughter in a typical dance costume running around the mall! This year Sydney has crystal rudolph earrings to wear...if I can ever get her back into earrings:)

How much does Sydney love dance? Well, she didn't quit when Taryn did, she was offered the chance to take gymnastics with Taryn and turned it down flat! The fact that she would turn down any chance to be with Taryn tells me how much she loves her dance.

The new teacher will be focusing on technique and vocabulary so she will be learning a lot and she is totally whipped when she gets out of class. Oh and there is homework nightly!  Mrs. Mindy told them to be sure to eat dinner and bring water and a snack or they will not make it through her class!  Sydney loves her classes and her new teacher...this is wonderful because there are dance teachers who are not nurturing at all.  Luckily her new teacher is the mother of 5 and loves dance with a passion and loves the kids!

All dressed for the first night

What a ham!

My favorite dance picture of all time...2 years ago backstage at recital