Call Me Princess

With her buddies Abby and Orelia, waiting their turn to go on stage at the rehearsal.

Olivia has been taking dance lessons each Saturday since the start of winter.  Most days she has loved it.  A few took a little convincing because as she stated, "Dance is hard work mom!"  Well, the "hard work" paid off this weekend as the girls had their first ever dance recital.  While it was much more of a grand production than I would have rathered for her first experience, and I was quite overwhelmed myself, in the end it all went well.  Last Sunday we had her dress rehearsal which was fun for her to sit on my lap and watch all the other performances.  The dance company consists of little ones her age on up to seniors in high school.  It's amazing to see the progression of talent!

Friday night and Saturday afternoon the girls took their place in the school hallway with their group.  They kept busy with coloring and other activities while they waited for their turn on stage. 

Their performance went about as expected... They were super adorable, but didn't know the dance too well.  Still, for their age, they did great!  Just the guts to get up on that big stage (High School auditorium to the crowd of a few hundred people!) was super impressive to me!  I wish I could have photos or video of the actual dance, but that wasn't allowed. 

They did two dances:  Call Me Princess was ballet, and I Just Can't Wait to be King was their tap.

Friday night I realized what a big deal it is to give the dancers flowers after the show.  Since I'm so cheap, I found a beautiful peony from the yard to give to her.  When I gave it to her at the end, she clung to it like it was the best thing ever!  (And didn't let it out of her sight all night!)

Getting home from her Saturday show, she raced to the swing set!  With the shows all done, who was I to care if she played around in her dance outfit now?!

While I was so proud of her for doing her dances, I think I was the most proud of how she conducted herself with others giving instruction.  I've had a few volunteers and friends mention how they watched Olivia and were impressed with how she listened to directions, and was so well mannered and sweet.  That's the kind of thing that makes my heart swell with pride.  I just love that girl and the young lady she is becoming!