Maddie's Dance Recital

Okay, so when we signed up for dance, I had no idea how big of an ordeal it is when it gets time for the recital! Wow, is it a BIG DEAL!!! Being a new mom to the dance world, I was just going into this thinking the girls would have a good time and we would get to watch them do a little performance at the end. Boy, was I wrong!

First of all, we ended up dropping Ashlyn out of dance at Christmastime due to the fact that the teacher told me every time after practice that Ashlyn wasn't really into it and was just sitting during practice instead of dancing. After we talked with her, we determined that Ashlyn's attention span isn't long enough to focus on dancing - plus she really has to work on her "listening and obeying" skills. (This seems to be a work in progress, but we're getting there.)

Anyways, so Maddie was the only one that continued dance and her recital was this Saturday. She had two dances this year...one for tap and one for ballet. She did such an awesome job!!! I was SO PROUD of her for knowing her routine and getting up there and performing it! Way to go Maddie!

So here is what I learned about the process and the BIG DEAL I was referring to...

First, Maddie came home from dance practice a few weeks ago with this package of papers.
One was for professional pictures...which we had to do last week and I had to buy a few of each outfit! One was for purchasing a DVD of the dance recital...which I had to do since Chris and a couple grandparents weren't able to attend the actual recital! And one was for ordering a bouquet of flowers...which I had to do because I didn't want to be the only loser mom that didn't have flowers to give to her daughter.

So, as you can see, it is a conspiracy as to how they lure you into spending tons of money on this one event! PLUS, I had to buy two costumes, new dance shoes (that were tan), the correct ballet shoes (not the cheap walmart ones) and tights! So, I'm sure you can relate to why I am so thankful that Maddie is enjoying it and wants to continue - considering I've spent all this money on stuff that I really don't want to use once! But, I shouldn't complain... the costumes are pretty cute and the girls will have fun playing dress up in them at home! The other process is getting ready for it. We had to do hair and makeup (yes, I said MAKEUP...which Maddie extremely enjoyed putting on and this time not just for 'play') We also had to curl Maddie's hair, which a big 'THANKS' goes out to Aunt Mindy for coming over beforehand and helping us get Maddie all prim and proper! I think that might have been Maddie's favorite part!

So, to get on to the good stuff.... I have posted both of her routines below. Remember, these are from rehearsal night since you cannot take pictures or video tape during the recital (you know, cause they want us to purchase the DVD). In the first one, Maddie is on the far right. The second one, she is on the far left. Enjoy!