Jacey's Ballet Recital

 

Look at all of those flowers!  One bonus to being close to family is lots of grandparents to be there for all of your special days!

Waiting with her dance friends for their turn dress rehearsal night.  Please don't judge me for her make-up.  It was required. :s

Our beautiful ballerina!

Saturday was Jacey's ballet recital.  I am so proud of that girl!  When we signed her up for dance in the fall, we had the option of signing her up with the 5&6 year olds or the 6-9 year olds.  Because she has a September birthday and always tends to be the oldest in her class when it came to preschool and Kindergarten, we decided to enroll her in the older class so it would be kind of a stretch for her.  And it was, but she did a wonderful job!  I know this sounds silly, but I always get a little teary eyed at her dance recitals.  I guess it's because I always remember the last one, and it amazes me how much more grown up she looks in one short year.  There were times during the year that I worried that she didn't enjoy her dance class as much as she used to.  Miss Lisa is pretty irreplacable, and she started out the year not knowing any of the other girls in her huge class. (I think they had 18 dancers.)  On top of that, with our move she missed about 8 months of dance.  When I would peek in the window from the lobby of her studio there were times when she was going with the flow and doing great, then there were times when I could tell she had to work a lot harder to do the things that some of the other girls had been doing for 3 years longer than her.  Then I began to get to know some of the other dancers  moms while  we were waiting in the lobby for class to get out.  Many of their daughters were in 3+ classes.  A couple of their daughters were Jr. Company dancers, meaning that they traveled at least 1 weekend out of the month (and by travel, I don't mean to Seattle.  I mean California, Nevada, etc.) for various competitions.  Their moms paid hundreds of dollars every month in tuition, costumes, and travel expenses.  Wow.  As I got to know them, it changed the way I watched Jacey dance.  I always want her to try her hardest, and I know she does.  But it makes me smile every time I see her turn the wrong way, drift just a little bit when she's supposed to be "spotting" or cringe when she's trying to get down into her splits.  I love those moments because it reminds me that she's 6, and while she LOVES to dance, she also loves to come home, ride her bike, have after school snacks while I hear the kindergarten drama for that day, play with the neighbors, and enjoy family dinner with us almost every night.
Monday was her run-through.  I was amazed.  I could tell Jacey had been working hard, because she hardly missed a step.  Then we had her dress rehearsal in the Puyallup High School Auditorium.  Jacey's jaw dropped the minute we walked in and she saw the huge stage, all the seats, and the balcony up above.  She was awestruck during their whole dance.  (You'll see.... it's great!  My favorite moment is when she taps her partner on the shoulder and pulls her over where she's supposed to be:)  She came home from that night a little nervous for the performance, but we think she did great!

Now, the miracle.... I finally took the time to figure out how to post video.  So here it is.... Jacey's dress rehearsal.  Sorry, no performance night video.  No videotaping allowed.  You want video?  You have to pay for the $45 DVD.  Pictures?  Nope, none of those either.  Nevermind that you already spent $40 just for you and your husband to come watch your daughter perform the things she spent the last 9 months learning while you paid tuition for her to be there on top of costume and recital fees. :)  Oh, how we miss you Lisa!  One final warning though-  I accidently uploaded the wrong video file.  I took the time to clip off the extra parts and clean it up a little bit, and then still uploaded the original file.  So just skip to 1:42 or so and you'll miss all of the dead space at the beginning where they played with the lighting.  There's a ton of dancers, but Jacey starts out in the back left circle and she's the only one not wearing a hair scrunchie.  I felt bad for forgetting, but it sure made spotting her easier!


Jacey's Ballet Recital from Jenni Sillito on Vimeo.