This is our 7th dance recital. I’ve been wondering all these years if my girls would REALLY ever be able to dance. I can tell you without hesitation that their performances were so inspiring that I could barely believe it. We finally see the fruits of all those years of practice. They’re really good. Stevie got verklempt more than once during the recital and the only reason I didn’t get verklempt was because I was running back and forth between backstage and the auditorium helping them change costumes and forcing them to breathe and drink water—-all the while, trying to capture the moments on camera and video. I still haven’t recovered. 🙂
Emme is 11 and takes ballet (mostly with 14 and 15 year olds), jazz, irish, tap, clogging and progressions. She has blossomed this year and has such grace while she dances, making it look effortless. She’s always had a certain purposeful restraint in her dancing but is full of poise and has natural perfect posture. We are so proud of her for all her hard work and practice. She is such a joy to watch!
She’s also amazing with hair and makeup and though I can claim no credit for her dancing ability, I like to think she gets her knack for the girlish arts from her mother.
The girls are in several classes together—which makes recitals fun and a little stressful. I think I’m gonna hire a clone of myself next year so I can just sit in the audience and enjoy.
This clogging number is soooo fast, hence the flying ponytails!
It was probably my favorite dance of the night. So high energy and such fast foot work.
This is their 3rd year to take Irish and it’s so much fun to watch.
I love the traditional costumes.
And the traditional Irish music.
And then there’s my little Elea, the hip-hopper. Girl has some moves and does not lack in the spirit department.
Taylor and Caiti got such a kick out of watching this one. She’s got it going on.
That we have such high quality instruction in such a small town is nothing short of amazing. Stevie came to the 2p show and called me later that afternoon to say how wonderful he thought it was. He sometimes grumbles about the time they spend away from home in the evenings but I think after seeing their skill level and their deepening commitment and passion, he sees the value. Teaching them to do something difficult, over months and years, to the point of excellence is a great gift to give a child. They have persevered and their/our investment is now paying off. I love that they are doing one thing and learning to do it well. I love that they love it so much. They can’t NOT dance. They dance every waking hour of the day. They sashay to the kitchen and jete to the schoolroom and releve nearly everywhere. They are dancers, in the fullest sense of the word. But, I think having passion and pursuing excellence in something is most certainly worth the sacrifice of time and money.
They make one proud momma outta me!
A big heartfelt thank you to the teachers at Lakeway School of Ballet and Dance. You are such a blessing to our family!
‘Dance for Life’ clogging video—my girls start out on the ends!
What a great opportunity for your girls!! They look wonderful. It is a blessing to see them grow through their hard work.
Ruth
Love the passion! The pictures are so great. Wish I could see a video clip!
Edie..LOVE it!!! Loved it when I was young too…Would have adored the Irish dancing!
Your girls look amazing! Wish We could’ve seen the show!!! Yes. I clip or tow would be great! ( in ALL
Of your spare time..) hee.
I love the pictures and discussion of passion and teaching kids to persevere to excellence. I do so wish that you would include video of the fast clogging number–sounds fun!
What a wonderful event : ) I always dreamed of having a little girl to take to ballet. I hope God gives me one someday. Your girls are absolutely darling.
Beautiful! My daughter is also 11 and really seemed to blossom this year in dance. Every waking move is a dance. Her recital was the 23rd and I haven’t recovered enough to post about it.
What type of camera do you have and what do you set it on for recital pics????
Ashley,
It’s a Nikon d7000 and I was shooting in manual (no flash) with the ISO set to 1200, aperture at 2.8 (that’s my widest setting with the lens I was using so that the most light would get through) with a shutter speed of 400 for most of the photos. This camera takes really good shots even at high ISO and I think that’s the key to these pics! Thanks for asking 🙂
just posted our dancer too…love to watch her dance…i cry every time!!
LOVE it Edie! What beautiful girls you have! And you can tell by their faces they LOVE what they are doing! Madelyn is 3 (turning 4) in July and soooo wants to start dance! I think in the fall we will! However she has fallen in love with horses (like her mama and brothers!) but I think she is going to want to do both, lol! 🙂 I just posted pics of her at the Saratoga Horse Show, it was her second show and that was it! She’s hooked! 🙂
xoxo
love it!!!
they are so talented.
caroline would be fast friends with them 🙂
It looks like a great recital. And I agree with you, Lakeway is a great school. My daughter, Elizabeth, has dance with Ashley in the Nutcracker for the past 2 years and he has helped her so much in her dance. Your girls look like they were having a great time. I know you’re proud.
That’s so cool Michelle! Surely we’ll manage to meet each other one of these days! The girls want to do Nutcracker again this year, so maybe?!
Hope y’all are having a good summer so far 🙂
xoxo,
edie
Isn’t it fun to see all those long hours and hard work come together and see your girls make something beautiful and shine!!
Congrats to you and the girls!
Very cool!!! Talented girls you have. 🙂
Wow! Absolutely Lovely! We do Irish dance as a family. We’ve only been doing it for two years but it’s amazing how much the kids, and us, have progressed. We had our first competition this weekend.
Great job! It’s a wonderful thing to sit and watch our children excel in things they love. You make me miss the days of Rebekah dancing around the house, in the yard, and even in the van! She still breaks out in ballet movements at times. Enjoy it all!
P.S. Am I missing the video of you clogging here somewhere? 😉
Not me clogging, dear! Just the girls. I took the class until March or so and then life got too busy 🙂
Hope y’all are doing well!
Love the video-your girls can dance up a storm! Way to go!
As the mom of 4 boys this is the closest I’ve gotten to a dance recital & I LOVED it!! Oh my gosh, that was SO much fun to watch!! Now I must clarify to that I AM aware that boys do dance recitals too. I have caught an episode or two of So You Think You Can Dance 🙂 Give your girls a cyper high five from me for such a GREAT job!!
THanks so much, Kim and I will give them that high five!
xo,
edie
🙂
You girls look adorable! My 3 year old just had her first ballet recital and her first cello recital. She was so adorable! She likes both so we are keeping them up. There is an Irish league near me and a clogging class, which I might out her in when older.
That was AWESOME! My sister and I took dance for our whole childhoods & it was definitely an invaluable gift (it also made use really good at sports in high school). The joy your girls show when they dance is infectious 😉 Thank you for sharing this post, it made my heart smile.
If you ever have the opportunity to take the girls to see a performance by Ballet Magnificat! (www.balletmagnificat.com to check their schedule), I bet they would really love it. They are a Christian dance company, and they design each piece in their productions to glorify the Lord and share His name. It is amazing to experience the Holy Spirit moving in such a way during a dance performance! I have a friend that was homeschooled and excelled in dance, especially ballet, she then went through their program and was accepted into the company, which is how I was introduced to them. I have seen them twice, and both times I was moved to tears. Anyway, your girls are beautiful, and the way you describe their love of dancing, Ballet Magnificat! came to mind and I though I would share.
angels, I tell ya.