Our beautiful ballerina baby!
We started to notice little things like her talking about the positions of dance at random times, most often after dance class, and also opening and closing "curtains" when playing. We started looking forward to her first dance recital early this spring when we signed up to participate. I'm sure they had been practicing for a long time their little routines for ballet and tap both. We were anxious to see her perform her dances on the stage with that big curtain!
Nora practicing her positions, and Janie doing all kinds of other crazy things...
Their personality differences are really apparent in this video!
We had rehearsal with full makeup and costume the week before the recital. It was my first experience with putting makeup on a toddler and I think it went... okay. The lipstick was the hardest to apply and also the hardest to stay put. Nora kept smacking her lips and it started to spread, but I think you could only tell when you looked real close up. I ended up getting a foam doughnut bun maker since Nora's hair is so fine. I found the smallest size and ordered it in the lightest color. I think it really helped make her bun look nice! They did professional pictures, which I am still anxious to see, and the girls did their little routines for us as a practice run. I should have done a better job with pictures and video at the dress rehearsal, but I thought I had the recital to get more...
Ready for pictures!
Kind of a blur, but look at the pretty lines!
Happy girl ready to tap...
Again blurry, but it is all I have of her performing.
Recital day came and we spent the whole morning getting everyone ready. I had a whole schedule planned out for hair, makeup, etc. We had to drop off Nora at 11:30 and my plan was to run out to grab flowers before the recital began. I wasn't sure how Nora was going to handle the recital, but I really wasn't prepared for the level of anxiety that she actually had...
On the way & happy!
Nora has always been nervous in new situations and a little unsure of what will come. I tried to prepare her as well as possible for what was going to happen at the recital without over-worrying her with details. I went in to drop her off and she began to get quite upset about me leaving. The lipstick became the least of my worries as she started crying and rubbing at her face. Long story short, I ended up having to stay back stage for the whole recital instead of sitting with Justin and Janie and watching all the girls dance. I was actually looking forward to seeing the dance recital in it's entirety! But, back stage it was.
We waited for our turn and kept the girls happy & entertained. When it was time to go for our ballet number, the girls got in line, but the closer we got to taking our turn, the more upset Nora got. I was able to escape to try & watch with the other stage moms. Her sweet dance teacher carried her on the stage crying and placed her on the mark. Nora did stand there for a bit, with her little hands in her mouth {what she does when she is nervous or crying} and she just cried until about half way through, when she decided to walk off the stage. It was heartbreaking yet still a little funny at the same time.
Cutie pie ballerinas!
The one and only picture of her on stage!
It's a blur, but Justin was filming so what do you expect!
{xoxo}
We calmed down & changed clothes to get ready for the tap routine. When it was time to go again, the same thing happened except this time, her teacher couldn't even get her to go on the stage. The funny thing is that after both routines, we came back and Nora's first question was, "When is the next dance?" almost like she was looking forward to it, but then just couldn't handle it when the time actually came. I was really hoping that when the daddy daughter dance happened, she would participate since Justin would be on the stage with her, but when the curtain opened and Justin was no where to be found I knew that it was a no-go.
I'm trying to tell myself that this happens. That is is normal for a three-year-old to get "stage fright" at her first dance recital. I actually know that it happens and that it's normal... I was just so wishing that it wasn't our little girl. Man, I wanted to see her dance!! We are really proud of her for trying. We have told her that a bunch. And after the recital was over, she was all smiles! We went for ice cream and her favorite spot, Yogurtland, and she got a little ballerina bunny & Angelina Ballerina book. {P.S. Bribing for treats and gifts for going on stage was not any more successful.}
We had a talk after the recital was way over. I wanted her to try to communicate her feelings about what happened at the recital. From what I can understand with the way she worded things, I believe it was the "big stage" that she was fearful of. She must have known about it before hand, which I think it what caused the anxiety before it even started. It was a new situation and she was apprehensive of what was to come. I think she was the only one at the recital to have this feeling, so I'm not sure what this says about her personality, but she did say that she likes to go to dance class. She specified the "little dance stage with the numbers on the door" as being where she likes to dance {which is the studio} and "not the big stage." Nora has chosen to take dance class again and we told her we can talk about the "big stage" later. We are hoping that another year and previous knowledge will help to improve her recital experience for next year.
Twirling after rehearsal!
We are so thankful for her dance teacher for being very patient with Nora all year, but especially at the recital. We hope that she understands that Nora's fears on this one day overshadowed her love for dance and that it is in no way a reflection of how much she loves to dance every other day or how much she has taught her this year. We will continue to practice our positions, open & close the curtain, & driveway dance {our new pastime} as often as we can!
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