Ahhh.. The Sweet Sound of Success

Good Morning Friends!

I am here to report first hand on the success of this years recital week!

Our daughter Jacki has been dancing since she was 2 1/2. When her first recital arrived at the prime age of 3, she and her group of dancing cohorts dazzled us with a ballet rendition of "I'm A Little Teapot".

Through the years we have seen a tap number, a few ballet numbers and some jazz as well. About three years ago, we had decided that she had outgrown the typical park district one dance a year program and she was ready for something more. The we found the exciting world of competitive dance teams and Stacie the teacher.

Her first season under Stacie, Jacki competed in one dance and took lesson for two so in the recital she was in three dances. The second year, three competition dances, three lessons dances, six in the recital.

This year was the big daddy so far. This season she competed in 5 dances, had 6 lesson dances and filled in for one where a girl was unable to attend the recital for a whopping 12 dances in the recital!

Now aside from Jacki, dancing flirts with our other family members as well. Joey took jazz/tap when he was 5 and appeared in his first recital, the only boy in the group to a tap rendition of one of the popular 60's dance songs that I cannot think of right now. The lights scared him so we put him in some cool shades. He was the only boy in the recital that year and if I must say he, like my other children are just adorable! When the song started and he started to move, he was the hit of the show!

This year we had another family member bitten by the dancing bug. For the recital there was a "Dad's Dance". And my husband the brave soul he is agreed to participate. There were practices both at the studio and with Jacki, but the details of the dance and even the music were top secret. Ohhh.

The music was a mix of "Catwalk, I'm Too Sexy" and "Sexy Back" and the guys did all these moves and stripped off their shirts to reveal t-shirts that were air brushed with muscles on them. They were so good.

For the rest of the recital, I loved watching all the dances and the 12 that Jacki were in was superb! Her ballet dance featured the debut of dancing en pointe which is something that she has just learned this season and has taken to very well!

So after all the weeks of practicing, Thursday night pictures, Friday night full dress rehearsal and finally the recital yesterday, I can declare that this household is pooped, but well satisfied with the family's accomplishments!

So typical with anything in one breath we are glowing about the wonderful season and in the next we are planning for the next year. Jacki will be competing in 7 dances this next season, so that will mean 13 in the recital, Joey has decided to give hip-hop a whirl, Jonathan we are trying to convince that dance would be cool (he always dances at home) and Jim, well he is the remarkable story out of this years recital. He and his fellow dancers loved it so much, they have asked Stacie to organize an every other week men's dance so that they can practice during the whole year!

So that is the wrap of this year's season. We have two weeks off, 8 weeks of summer support classes and in late July the competition team starts it all starts again! It is funny, given Jim's background, we always thought we would be just a car family, but it seems that dance is a permanent resident in our household!