Don't let the smiley photos deceive you. I knew this year's recital schedule was going to be brutal. And it was. With two longer shows (now with intermission!) spaced further apart and dress rehearsals still the day of, it was a marathon dance Sunday that I couldn't wait to be done with. Not exactly the end of the year extravaganza I've looked forward to in years past. But it was also Elisa's turn to receive her fifth year of dance award and after watching friends receive theirs before her, she was psyched. So we made the best of it and I buckled up for a long day...
And really, in the end it was survivable. But not without alcohol and some gallows humor laughter with Nacho as we sunk into our seats for the second round. Hitting a nearby Mexican cafe in between was another saving grace, but I could tell the girls were a bit stir crazy and ready to be done with things. Elisa performed twice in both shows and Carolina danced for a total of 3 minutes in the first show only. So out of the near 10 hours we dedicated to it that day, the six year old spent 3 minutes engaged in the activity. Not exactly a good payout for all that time. I'm trying to understand how things got to this point and how we as parents can make it better. But I'm not that optimistic. So yeah, we'll see what next year brings. Right now, I'm just glad we made it out alive.
This year's dance recital for the girls was a bit different and I'm still trying to figure out if it was better or worse. In the last three years, it has been held on Father's Day itself which was always a bit of a bummer. Of course, Nacho didn't complain too much but it felt like we should be honoring him a different way. So this year, the studio announced it was holding the recital a weekend earlier which should have been terrific news. Except that it coincided with one of our favorite June traditions--the camp out at the park. And there was just no way the girls could do both. So I pretty much accepted that they wouldn't be able to sleep at the park. They could register to attend and then come home after the movie and that should have been fine. A good compromise, I guess. Nacho was actually somewhat relieved at having a reprieve from the sleepless night in the tent. But still the girls were a little sad when we had to pull them out of the park at 11pm to get ready for an all day dance marathon. And that's what I suppose I should call this. It's not just a recital. The dress rehearsal begins the morning of the show and this year, Elisa was set to perform her hip hop dance in both the 1:30 and 4:30 shows. Yet, Carolina only danced in the earlier show. So we would have to stay regardless and I wasn't loving that idea. Part of me just wanted to go and get on with the day. There is something so anti-climactic about coming back after the break to perform again. But seeing how much she loved it and knowing that Carolina could sit and watch the dancers during her rest was some consolation. In the end it didn't feel as long as it was. And we made it home to change and then to The Lowery for a bit of a celebratory dinner.
The girls are both completely fixated with earning their Five Year Dance Awards from the studio after seeing countless friends get theirs. Elisa will earn hers next year, and Carolina is already plotting her triump after three more years. It's the kind of thing you don't realize means so much to the kids but it really does. Like really, really. So for now, I wonder if they are motivated to take classes because they love expressing themselves through dance, or just because they want a stupid medal. I suppose it shouldn't matter the reason. But knowing how much they shine when they dance, I really hope it's the first. I've always felt that if they stop enjoying something, they should not have to keep it up. Elisa bolted from Girls Scouts after a little more than a year and I didn't blame her. Both have made comments about quitting dance after they get their awards. But for now, they seem to want to stick with it. The recital is really the highlight of the year, but it's such a long day to get through. I am always impressed that they do it so gracefully and really with moderate bickering. Carolina only cried because her ice cream was melting too fast. I mean, who can blame her? And Elisa was a champ with her knee braced up after falling at the school carnival the day before. I hadn't noticed it swelling up all through the camp out and by the time we were home and getting them to bed, it was too late to manage much. So I told her to go easy and she shouldn't dance if it hurt too bad. She limped around but gave a good performance anyway. Proud of her determination and her willingness to plod on. That is what I hope they're learning in all of this. Dance your heart out. Keep at it. Find your rhythm. Not bad life lessons when you think of it.
I'd love these girls even if they didn't take dance, but today they made me so proud. They survived their first recital together and so did I! To top it off, it was on Father's Day yet again (our third in a row spent at the Queens Theatre watching a recital). But you didn't hear Nacho complain. He knows how much they love it and that they really shine in the spotlight. I'm happy to say Carolina was as confident and strong as she always is and she stuck that routine like a pro. Elisa owned her hip hop dance like nobody's business. I wanted to burst. We had a rough day yesterday checking out a nature walk in Jamaica Bay. What I thought would be a carefree day out near the ocean was a miserable whinefest. So that they behaved and did such an outstanding job today was a much needed bit of joy. Thank you, girls. I love you and your enthusiasm for dance. I hope you have it always. It can carry you through so much. Keep dancing. I'll never stop watching.
Tonight was the observation night for Carolina's ballet class. After one semester of sending her off every Friday afternoon, it was finally my chance to sit in on the action and see what she's been learning. And from what I could see tonight, she's been really enjoying herself and learning the fundamentals of ballet movement. I think the class skews a bit young, so it's easy to spot long, lean Carolina at the top of the height chart. Somehow she's grown up and thinned out so much in the past few months of preschool. I saw it so much clearer tonight while watching her lithe limbs swoop gracefully around. And yes, she also got a bit distracted at times. But she was definitely in her element. I think ballet suits her for now and the teachers each asked her to demonstrate the exercises for the smaller girls. So lovely to see and I really can't wait to be at the recital in the spring for the rest of the story...
