People, it's dance recital time of year again. I love this time of year. The kids work so hard from August until now and they finally get to show it off on the big stage. Boy do they love the big stage. I have lots of pictures to show you today, but this is a just small fraction of the costume photo shoot. Enjoy!
Heather really pulled her tricks out of the bag this year. She was finally able to do a back handspring without a spot. Funny this is that for the last two years the only real spot she was getting was a couple of fingers placed on her back. She didn't have the confidence, even though she had the skill, to pull it off by herself.
Oddly enough, the thing that gave her that last boost of confidence was learning how to do an aerial cartwheel a week and a half before the show.
That's right, you heard me.
She had been having half an hour extra practice a week to get this back handspring down. One night, just a week and a half ago, her regular teacher wasn't there and a guy who sometimes fills in was helping her. Because she was getting so frustrated, he redirected her energies by taking her to the trampoline to begin to teach her an aerial and some other moves. She was really getting it on the trampoline that night. The next day she said, "Mommy, watch" and busts out an aerial on the ground. I got a little light headed watching her! The transfer of tricks from trampoline to terra firma is not always so smooth. But this time, she nailed it. At her dress rehearsal I told her teacher what happened and she excitedly exclaimed, "It's in the show!"
And doing that back handspring without a spot ~ piece of cake. Go figure.
Stephanie and Heather take their gymnastics class together, so they always have one costume in common.
Stephanie is a little jealous of Heather's aerial. That's ok ~ sometimes a little jealousy spurns the desire to do more. I'm wondering who might be doing an aerial next year!
I know I've said this before, but even though I watch them all throughout the year, I am always awestruck seeing their final performance. I can only imagine what it is like at recital time for the rest of the family and friends who don't the journey to their final product.
I will admit, though, that I don't always watch them very closely in gymnastics. I peek in here and there because it makes me kinda nervous when they are learning new tricks. It's just better if I don't see all the trips and almost falls on the way to a mastered trick.
Stephanie was in intermediate ballet this year. Ballet is her thing. Like last year, her class combined with the advanced class for the recital. They wear different costumes and do a dance that ends up reading like a conversation between to the two sets of girls. It's really sweet to watch.
Stephanie is one of the youngest in her class (one other girl is her age) and certainly the smallest in her class. Size and age doesn't stop this girl. She is equally matched in talent and skill with the older girls in class.
Heather took intermediate tap/jazz class again this year. Tap is her thing. She loves this class and loves her teacher. Normally, they do one number ~ either tap or jazz, but this year they did one of each for the show.
And her aerial was incorporated into the jazz number at the last minute instead of a different running trick. Her teacher tends to have one part of the dance where each girl is showcased doing something different. This year she showed off her backbend walkover, coffee grinder, and aerial.
At the end of the recital, they are always a little sad that it's over. They'd do it all again on stage tomorrow if they could. Don't worry girls, classes start up again in August.
After the recital and dinner out, the kids wanted to play with Greg's camera. He did *ghost* pictures with them.
Then it appears that Heather had another photo shoot. Earlier in the day we kept telling her to do another pose, not just stand there. She kept saying she didn't know what to do.
Apparently this was practice for next time.
I'm thinking that Stephanie hogged the camera, because there was only one post of Stephanie.
Me? Well I cozied up with a book while they goofed off.
What a good day!
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