Tag: Dance Recital

Abby, The Recital Veteran

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Ellie’s first recital has now come and gone and now its time for Abby’s turn! Abby can now call herself a “recital veteran” as this is her second recital. She is just as excited though and this time I don’t think she is quite as anxious about it.
So, just like Ellie we spent the morning at stage rehearsal where Abby practiced her dances and enjoyed time with her friends. She did a wonderful job too. Its amazing how much she has grown and changed over the last year. She is so confident and proud of all of the things that she accomplishes and you can see it on her face. 
A beautiful arabesque at stage rehearsal.  So serious and intense!

After rehearsal we headed home for some lunch and rest. We sat and laughed and giggled as Abby worked on getting her hair done. Both she and Ellie opened recital presents from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor as well as Auntie Fran. Pretty soon it was time to leave and head back to the theater. It was showtime!

What a gorgeous girl. All prepped and now its time to just wait for the curls to set.
“Dumb Dog, Why are you following me?”
Telling Sandy no with a little bit of attitude. That’s my girl!
Abby was having so much fun up there!
“Let’s Go Fly a Kite” Both girls sure love to jump!
What a dancer! Abby was so proud of her “big girl arabesque”.
Another perfect arabesque and a beautiful look on her face!
Having fun even sitting and clapping along for the finale. I think at this point she was looking for us in the audience.

Abby and Ellie’s classes each did the same dance, so Abby proudly danced to “Dumb Dog” from Annie and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from Mary Poppins. Being that this will be her last recital at Bobbie’s I thought it was very fitting that she had the chance to dance to a song from one of her favorite movies. Made my heart melt. Abby did such a wonderful job with her dances. She did such a great job of remembering them and dancing on her own. Shaun and I are so proud of her. What a very special night.

Of course after the show was over, Abby was happy to be the center of attention and receive flowers from us and her grandparents. She took pictures with her teachers, family and friends and would have stayed all night talking and running around with them if she could.

Abby and her wonderful teacher, Miss Elizabeth. We are going to miss her so much next year!
Abby with Miss Elizabeth and Miss Jess. I think she was getting a little bit shy with all of the picture taking.
Abby and Miss Jess. I guess she had enough energy to smile for one more picture!
Abby and her little friend Lilah. These two were thick as thieves all year long. Such cuties!
Abby and her very proud Auntie Jillian.
During Ellie’s class on Saturdays, Abby made friends with a few of the big girls who were waiting for their rehearsals. They loved Abby and always let her sit and talk with them while she was there. One of the girls I have known since she was only two years old. Boy how time flies fast!
Sharing a few hugs and smiles with Daddy. We are so proud of you!
Enjoying a dancer of her own on an empty stage.

Leaving the theater tonight was bittersweet. I was so proud of Abby and the beautiful dancing she had done. I couldn’t have been happier. At the same time I had a feeling of sadness. This would be the last time that we danced at Bobbie’s. It was almost like the end of an era. Between dancing there myself, watching my sister dance too, working there and then watching Abby and Ellie dance there too, there was a lot of history and fond memories. We wont be gone for good and I know that we will visit when we are in town, but it wont be the same. I only hope that we can find a dance studio in Seattle that they love just as much but there will always be a little something missing.

Despite the sadness, I was also happy to be moving toward something new and exciting. All moves away from the familiar are bittersweet and you are always leaving something behind but the unknown will also be exciting and full of new beginnings and new memories. So as we packed our beautiful little dancer into the car and watched her smile as she held her flowers I knew that she would always have these great memories as well as new ones in the future. All that mattered was that she was happy. A perfect night.

Ellie – Dumb Dog

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Ellie’s still little and with that comes the element of complete surprise. Stage rehearsals can go horribly for some little dancers and then they are wonderful for the recital. The exact opposite can happen as well. A little one can really enjoy and love being on stage at rehearsal but then meltdown completely when it comes to having a full audience, brighter lights and all the things that might overwhelm a child. 
Because of this, I took video of Ellie at rehearsal and for the actual show, just in case. Lucky for us she was wonderful for both occasions, so I thought I would share both of them with you. As you can probably tell, the top video is from stage rehearsal and the bottom is from recital. Hope you enjoy!

Ellie – Let’s Go Fly A Kite

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Ellie’s still little and with that comes the element of complete surprise. Stage rehearsals can go horribly for some little dancers and then they are wonderful for the recital. The exact opposite can happen as well. A little one can really enjoy and love being on stage at rehearsal but then meltdown completely when it comes to having a full audience, brighter lights and all the things that might overwhelm a child. 
Because of this, I took video of Ellie at rehearsal and for the actual show, just in case. Lucky for us she was wonderful for both occasions, so I thought I would share both of them with you. As you can probably tell, the top video is from stage rehearsal and the bottom is from recital. Hope you enjoy!

Ellie’s First Recital

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Today was the big day! It’s Ellie’s first recital! She was so excited when she woke up this morning and so ready for recital. We still had a full day to get through. In the morning, Ellie had stage rehearsal. This allows the dancers, especially the young ones, get a feel for what its like to be on stage and dance. Ellie got up there and did a great job. She may have been a little shy and quiet but she soon warmed up to it and had a great time. It was a great sign for the evening ahead!
Ellie practicing her “Dumb Dog” dance at stage rehearsal.

After a successful stage rehearsal we headed home for lunch and a nap. Lunch happened, nap did not. That had me worried that a meltdown could potentially happen before, during or after the show or at all three moments. My fingers were crossed and I think I was holding my breath. She was so excited for the night that I didn’t want it sullied by not having a nap.

Ellie is all dressed and ready for her very first recital! Shaun is a great daddy for carrying Ellie’s costume bag, but I think we already knew that. It may not look like it here, but Ellie was ready to get the show on the road.
My beautiful little Ellie doing her Fly A Kite dance. She was having fun with her little friends. It makes my heart soar to know that she enjoyed it.
Beautiful arabesque!
Jumping and jumping over and over again. This was her favorite part of the dance to do!
“Dumb Dog, Why are you following me?” Nice big shuffles.
She actually sat down during this part of the dance! Usually she just stands there. I guess she didn’t like that part and for those who know Ellie, she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. My stubborn little girl.
My cute little cupcake. She loved this dance the most because of the costume. While the dance was to Dumb Dog from the musical Annie, she called it her “Minnie costume. She looked adorable!

Luckily the lack of a nap didn’t create any issues. Ellie was great and we even got a few smiles out of her on stage. Even though she seems so serious on stage its because Ellie loves to soak everything in. I know she was having fun though, because at one point in her ballet dance she spotted Shaun and myself in the audience. I waved at her and she waved right back with such an excited look. So lucky to have caught it on video too!

Ellie is all smiles with one of her teachers, Miss Jess. Thank you for such a wonderful year!
Smiles, hugs and flowers from Daddy! What a special night for both of them. 
Mommy and Ellie are all smiles after the best first recital ever. So proud of you Ellie!
Ellie with her teacher, Miss Elizabeth. Ellie adores her! What an amazing young lady and teacher. She really has a gift with kids and as we saw tonight she is also a very gifted and talented choreographer. I think we will see a lot from Miss Elizabeth in the future!
The little dancer and her flowers. She didn’t want to put them down or have anyone hold them!

Ellie had one heck of a night and felt so special. Hugs and pictures with family and of course her teachers and then flowers from several people. She was all smiles afterwards and you couldn’t get her to stop talking about her wonderful night. We are so proud of you Ellie Belly! What a wonderful night for everyone! A little bittersweet but wonderful nonetheless. Love you Ellie!

Abby and Ellie’s Christmas Show

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As the girls grow older there are more things that you get to enjoy as a parent. Now that both Abby and Ellie are in dance we get to enjoy even the small things that his has to offer, like Christmas performances  The classes don’t spend too much time working on the Christmas dances and it takes place at the studio as opposed to a performing arts center like recital but its fun to watch! 
I have included both videos below for you to enjoy. They are a little choppy, so I apologize but it was a tight fit and I didn’t have the best seat in the house. They sure looked cute though and made mommy and daddy very proud. Ellie did a great job for her first performance too. She didn’t dance the whole time but she also didn’t burst into tears. Every little step is a good one.
In the end the night was a fun one. The girls had a great time and so did Shaun and I. They are growing up so fast but we are loving every minute of it. Now that I have seen all of this, I cannot wait for the recital!

Abby’s First Dance Recital!

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As I sit here writing this, I cannot help but smile. I think I am beaming from ear to ear. Tonight was Abby’s very first dance recital and I don’t think Shaun and I could be more proud of our little girl! She did an amazing job and even though I had my doubts this morning at stage rehearsal about whether or not she would dance at all, she did!
Grandma Denise, Granpa Jerry, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Pat, Grandma Zoe, myself and Shaun were all there to cheer her on. When I dropped her off backstage with her class and the babysitters she started to get upset that I was leaving but soon calmed down and then ran off to play, saying goodbye as an after thought. Looking back I think she got upset at first because one of the younger little dancers in her class was crying. I took my seat with the family and waited anxiously to see just what would happen. We caught a glimpse of Abby in the show opener and then had to wait until her dances came along. Lucky for us, Jason and Lisa (our cousins) had their daughters dancing that night. We had the chance to see Kayla and Lily dance and boy have they grown. Both girls are very talented and I see dance in their future.
Abby’s ballet dance, “Ballerina Kisses” was first and she was so cute. Before they came on stage, Abby and her friend Victoria could be seen peaking out from the curtains. I honestly think they were looking for all of us, assuming all of our families would be in the same spot watching just like we do at the studio. When it was time to dance, Abby did a fantastic job and danced every step. It cane be hard to tell with Abby, but I could see that she was having a great time, which made me smile the most.

Later in the show Abby did her tap dance, “Six Little Ducks”… what a riot! For many years at Bobbie’s, the youngest dancers at the studio were ducks for recital. It was like a rite of passage. I was so happy to see that Abby had the chance to be a duck too and she did a perfect job. She really knew what she was doing and had a lot of fun doing it. I think all of us were laughing and smiling at our cute little duck on stage.

Ballerina Kisses

Showing off her basket of kisses

Quacking like a duck

“Six Little Ducks that I once knew, fat ones, skinny ones, cute ones too!”

Keep on Quackin’!

Taking a final bow during the finale! Its a great shot because Kayla is standing just behind Abby!

So cute

A very proud daddy with a super cute ducky!
Abby with her teacher Miss Elizabeth.

Abby and Bobbie. Bobbie is the owner of the studio and someone very special to me, my family and now my children.

When the show was over Abby was spoiled with lots of hugs, kisses and more flowers then I have seen in a long time. She was so excited and very proud of how she danced. I learned from Bobbie, Judith and some of the backstage babysitters that each time Abby came off of stage she wanted to know when she could go back on. I think someone likes the spotlight! She would have also been happy just sitting in the wings watching the dances. And here I was worried that they would be able to get her out on stage!

No matter what, the evening was perfect and we are so proud of Abby. From what I can tell, she cant wait until next year to do it all again!