All Things B, As In Ballet Recital.

Oh, after weeks, no months of rehearsal finally the day of Recital was upon us all. Backstage was it's usual "multi-colored dream coat spectacular" of frenzied mothers and carefully coralled performers. Fortunately, the Grand Sierra Hotel's Grand Theater has a gigantic backstage area. Think hangar sized. It's a beautiful thing.

And then it was performance time. Apparently, I had absorbed all of Bella's separation anxiety because as I sat nursing a margarita, she hit the stage. And in spite of what we will label "The Pinching Incident" where some girl in line accidentally pinched her shoulder right as they took the stage, she hit the boards with no tears and all smiles.



She and the other "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" dancers blew kisses -

...and danced their little hearts out for everyone on a simply enormous stage -

We all sat back to watch the other performances which were truly well choreographed thanks to the creative staff at the Nevada Dance Academy. Before we knew it, our very own professional took the stage.


It's her fifth recital and she's only six years old.



She had a complicated tambourine dance to the "Tarantella". We held our breath as she came through the arch to hit the tambourine on a 6/8 count. But she did it, yes, right on beat.



Backstage, our little Diva - Miss Kata, turned around and said in a voice that could shake loose plaster, "Where is Alex with my flowers?" Demanding, yes. Loved, certainly.

When she turned around, he was there, proudly holding them out. Well, maybe not proudly, but willingly. He even chose the flower color to match their costumes.


Never to be forgotten or outdone, Bella declared, "Well, where are MY flowers?"

I know you can see the exhaustion in my eyes as I changed them into their Nevada Dance Academy t-shirts. It was over. And we didn't break a leg. Life was, once again, good.

Wishing you a Break A Leg moment. Go on hit that mark underneath the spotlight.

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All Things Recital.

So we're a little bleary from last night's recital...it started at 7 pm (actually 7:20) and by the time we got all our things, headed home and tucked ourselves in...it was 1:15 am. Our kids have ::NEVER:: stayed up that late. But it was so worth it. Look at Grandma Sandi with Bella and Alex, all fashionably attired, need I add.

Kata was in a really good mood. Stayed backstage and played nicely with the other girls. It was the first time I saw what her preschool teachers told me about...she does play well with others. Wow, our little diva can do it. They waited their turn, playing with Polly Pockets, their Uno cards and eating their snacks.

And then it was their turn...I'll write less and just let the pictures do the talking. I know they're blurry...the darn mice move too fast for my lil' ol' camera and the low lighting of that big, ol' , very professional Grand Sierra Resort stage (click on the link and you'll see the set up...and then think of the place...packed with friends and family...there, you've got the image now).






And she executed the quick change from a mouse into a magic fairy with perfection...all by herself...and hit her mark on time. What a pro. It was as she kept mentioning her ::FOURTH:: recital after all. Pretty good for a 5 year old.

The big surprise of the night??? Uncle Ricky drove in from Fallon, where he's doing that Navy Thing again...and saw Kata in all her glory. What a guy to do that. Works hard. Defends our country. Drives one hour 10 minutes, one way, to see an amateur production. We just love him.

Wishing you a moment in the spotlight where you can perform like a pro. We're going to take a loooong nap today!

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All Things Recital Picture Day.

Bella's been having a tough time at ballet class, lately. Sometime a few months ago, she decided to experience separation anxiety. Suddenly, there was a lot of crying even when Ken or I were there inside the room watching her. Her wonderful ballet instructor, the saintly Ms. Diane, reassured us that this was just part of the process, well at least sometimes.

So we've stuck it out. And now, it's time for Recital. I know, I hear the choruses of "break a leg" from all of you and trust me, they are very appreciated.

Kata, of course, is the resident veteran of recitals. She is six years old and has been in five recitals to date. Pretty impressive dance resume, wouldn't you say? She's taken on the unofficial role as Bella's coach. Here are some snippets of conversation between the two sisters, all incidentally one sided - "Bella, you get to wear tons of make up. And your hair is in a special hair-do. You wear a pretty costume. And you get flowers at the end. It's so fun. I can hardly wait until next year's recital." Let's try and survive this year's, please.

So here they are on Picture Day, with gobs of make up on as advertised and all fluffed out in lovely costumes -

There was a moment of tears but we soon got over it -

The sainted younger Ms. Hayley (yes, there are two Hayleys, at least) talked Bella out of whimpering.


And Kata held Bella's hand as she took her over to the Picture Taking Room. Parents were not allowed in there and surprise, there were no tears shed at all.


Three hours later, we had at least two pictures taken of the girls. Hundreds of wipes ready to take off that stage make-up. One tired brother who exhibited ultimate patience while waiting through all the girly moments. And two pleased parents.

Wishing you a coaching moment. You can be on either side -the student or the coach. Try it and see what happens.

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All Things Showtime.

The day of the big recital is here and as usual, I breathe a sigh of relief that this only occurs once a year. This year Maka and Baka were both here and that was quite a treat for all of us.

Backstage reaches a level of organized chaos that I have only seen in well orchestrated military invasions on CNN. Truly, there's a hum and an excitement and by that time everyone knows their roles.

And then it's time to hit the stage. This year, Bella's class tap-danced to "Papa Loves Mambo".

It was hysterical to watch the littlest girls perform. But Bella nailed it. And look at her?? She loved every minute of it. Even the moment she realized that the girl next to her somehow lost her maracas. I love Bella's expression of "no way". We kept telling her that the show must go on and indeed, it did.

Now let me take a second to tell you about the venue. It's at the Grand Theater inside the Grand Sierra Resort. The stage is HUGE. It's even billed as the "World's Largest Indoor Stage". Somehow, Ms. Diane and the other ballet instructors manage to choreograph for the entire stage so to see the final shows is quite wonderful, especially when the older (high school age) dancers perform.

Kata is in Level 1-2, which means she's just a level above Bella. They're still part of the Little Ones. The music was "Music Box Dancer" and I don't have a link to it. But the recital's theme was The Toy Shop, so I know you can now picture it for yourself.

Do you remember your recitals? And that feeling right before the music starts and before the spotlights hit you? I can still recall it; can you?

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All Things Échappé.

Because over sixty of the studio's students were involved in various holiday productions around town, Ms. Diane decided to eschew the Holiday Recital this year. Instead, she choreographed their classes around a holiday theme.

Bella tapped happily with tambourines and maracas to a semi frantic holiday samba alongside her favorite partner, Charlie. He's the little boy who does his best to ignore all of the girls in pink leotards. I don't blame him. I would ignore their frothy, little, over excited presence as well, if I were a four year old boy.

And then it was Kata's turn. They stretched carefully catching snowflakes on their noses.

And did an interpretation of the Spanish Dance from the Nutcracker.

And then a lovely candy cane inspired dance...

Which ended in professional curtsies for the audience.

What's not to love about a well thought out ballet class? After all it is a chance to practice our Échappés.

Échappé - noun, plural é⋅chap⋅pés; Fr. [ey-sha-peyz, ey-shap-eyz; Fr. ey-sha-pey] ptp of échapper - to escape. A ballet movement in which the dancer jumps from the fifth position and lands on the toes or the balls of the feet in the second position.

It's Kata's favorite ballet move and I have to admit a love of the word's origin - to escape. We all need to practice Échappés in our life and I for one promise this time, that I will practice what I suggest...whether it's in dance or in song or in attitude...I promise, I will escape for a little while today. You should, too. Go...do it...Échappé!

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