Tag: First Dance Recital

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’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!