We did it! We officially survived our first year of having two girls in dance. Over the past month, it felt like we lived and breathed dance, but watching Lexie and Lily dance at their recital was worth every minute (and every single penny)!
For the past nine months, every Tuesday and Thursday evening was spent at the dance studio. We had to juggle our schedules at times, but we made it work. Thanks to Grant leaving the office early on Tuesdays, and my parents watching the rest of my crew on Thursdays, I didn't have to drag my other kids to the studio twice a week. I also had a dear friend step in to take Lily several times when I had other commitments.
Overall, it was a great year, and my girls had a lot of fun! Lexie was in the tween hip hop class, and Lily learned tap, ballet, jazz and acro. Lexie just dances as a recreation, and this was Lily's first year. Let me just say I have a feeling that I'm going to log in many years at the dance studio!
The dance recital is a HUGE deal where the girls dance. I'm talking major production. The studio has an award winning competitive team, and several "stars" danced at that studio (think Dance Moms fame). People actually drive from out of state each week to dance there!
The girls opted to do the recital finale, in addition to their regular dances, so they had a lot of rehearsals leading up to the recital. They spent two entire weekends before the recital learning the dance for the finale, and on Friday, they had a full dress rehearsal. Each dance had a time slot to take the stage, but of course Lexie and Lily's times didn't coincide in any way! I ended up taking Lily for her two rehearsal times in early afternoon, then returning with Lexie in the evening for several hours.
I learned a few important lessons at dress rehearsal!
- Buy a portable clothing rack for next year.
- Do hair and makeup BEFORE arriving.
- Buy hairspray and bobby pins in bulk.
- If you think you are applying too much makeup, you really aren't.
- Find an empty spot when you arrive and stake claim IMMEDIATELY.
- Make sure the girls pee before they put on their leotards.
- Get close to the stage and take all the action photos while they are onstage during the dress rehearsal.
- Don't bother taking video, because you are just going to order the full DVD anyway!
So...we survived the dance year and we survived the dress rehearsal. We were exhausted by the time we arrived home that evening, but we still had the recital ahead of us!
Because the studio that my girls dance at is very big and very popular, the recital was split into two times. Thankfully, both Lexie and Lily ended up in the 1:00 show. And thank goodness it was split, because their show lasted 3 1/2 hours!
The girls were a bundle of nerves when we arrived at the auditorium, but also very excited! I let Grant and Dylan find the perfect seats while I went backstage with the girls to help them get ready. (We opted to leave Liam with our awesome "framily" for the recital since we knew it was going to be a long afternoon.)
I think I was just as nervous as the girls! It was incredibly stressful trying to fix two heads of hair and apply makeup to two faces, plus make sure they were wearing everything they needed for their first numbers. I have tons of personal experience with performing, but I'm not quite sure I'm cut out to be one of those dance moms!
Somehow, I pulled it together and had them ready 10 minutes before showtime. I even managed to snap a few pictures first. They looked so cute!
I wasn't sure if I should stay backstage since Lily is so young, but I knew Lexie would be with her most of the time, and I really wanted to watch the show. I decided that Miss Independent would be perfectly fine, so I kissed them goodbye and left them near Lily's dance teacher at the stage entrance.
(They were fine! Lexie said Lily got a bit weepy when they were lining up, but as soon as she stepped onstage, she turned back into a little ham!)
Apparently, things were just as chaotic and cutthroat in the auditorium! Grant said his seven saved seats in the perfect location were almost stolen several times in the 10 minutes before our family arrived!
By the time I got to my seat just before curtain, he was already overwhelmed, and had no idea what to expect since he had never been to a dance recital. He had only been to the dance studio twice before. He was completely impressed after the first 30 seconds of the opening number! (The teachers and dancers are incredibly talented.) This year's recital theme was Pop Royalty, featuring songs from Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, and many more!
Lily was the first of our girls to take the stage for her tap number! I'm not going to lie. My hormones were in full force and I was practically sobbing! She looked so sweet up on stage!
Lexie took the stage next. I was so impressed with her confidence and stage presence! She even missed 6 weeks of dance due to her broken wrist, and it wasn't even noticeable!
The entire first half was amazing and I was able to watch the entire thing! As soon as the lights came on during intermission, I raced back to the dressing rooms to get Lily changed for the second half. I was very surprised to see the girls already dressed for the second half! Lexie got Lily completely ready, and they were sitting on the floor eating snacks, putting on makeup and watching the recital on the TV.
Lexie and Lily said they loved dancing onstage, and they couldn't wait for the second half! When I left them to return to my seat for the second time, I didn't feel the least bit guilty!
Lily performed her ballet/jazz number during the second half! It was so sweet, and made me cry even harder than the first dance!
After her dance was over, I raced back through the dark auditorium, to get her changed for the finale, then returned to my seat. The girls were energized, excited and ready to perform!
Lexie and Lily's first dance recital was fantastic! The excitement on their faces during the finale brought tears to my eyes, especially when they released the confetti over the stage. They were caught up in the excitement and so thrilled to be a part of something so special. They were both bitten by the dance bug that afternoon!
As for what the future holds, I'm not sure! Lexie was completely certain that she was giving up dance in the Fall for soccer, but now she wants to dance again. Lily will be starting Summer dance on July 3rd, then taking a few classes during the regular season. After that, she can decide whether she want to join the competitive team or not. I may not be the "perfect" dance mom, but I will do what makes them happy! And it looks like dancing does just that!
I ran back to get the girls, and help them gather the tutu and glitter explosion, as soon as the curtain closed. We rushed back to the lobby so my mom and dad could congratulate them on a great performance. (Grant's mom and nannie left immediately after Lily's second dance, but I'm so glad they got to see most of the show.)
We were blown away by the dance recital and so proud of our two dancing queens! I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of our girls!
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