31.5.19

Iconic | Dance Recital 2019

After months of dance classes two days a week, recital day finally came.  Sometimes the nights are long waiting on her, but I'm always reminded at the recital how quickly it went.  This was Hannah Kate's eighth year of dancing.  She again took two ballet classes, jazz and lyrical.  The theme for this year's recital was Iconic.  So every dance represented something or someone "iconic."  Let's just say it was iconic in more ways than one . . .

Abbie has only two years of dancing before she graduates.  I'm not sure how that happened either.

I usually don't take pictures during the dances because they just don't turn out.  But this year's recital was in a different venue because they are renovating the theater.  There were so many things I liked much better this year, and I even got a decent picture or two. Hannah Kate's first dance was ballet.  She is on the far left.

Their ballet dance was a polka.  Mrs. Katherine really challenged Hannah Kate this year.  She has grown so much as a dancer . . . poise, grace . . . and I know that's a direct result of Mrs. Katherine's ballet classes.  Her classes are always beautifully choreographed and technically excellent.  This one was no exception.  We love Mrs. Katherine!

Hannah Kate enters from stage left.  She is the first dance in the second group of girls and ends up in the center group.  I actually filmed this at the dress rehearsal.

I loved Hannah Kate's lyrical costume this year.  I was hoping she would have her dance picture taken in it, but she chose a different costume.  As hard as it is sometimes, I generally let her make all of her clothing choices, even when I would rather something different.  

Her lyrical dance represented World Wars.  It was a beautiful dance, and she always loves lyrical.  This was a really big class this year so you'll have to look hard to catch her.  She is the first one on the front row to enter stage left after the four girls dance.  She pushes to the back for the first sequence and then her group moves off stage.  When her group comes back on stage, she ends up on the front row second from the right.  This, too, was filmed at the dress rehearsal.

And then there was the moment we've all been waiting for since October . . . the Daddy Daughter Dance!  I still can't believe her class was chosen for this, as usually the youngest classes are chosen.  She danced with her Daddy her very first year.  So this was his second time on the big stage.  We had so much fun - and a lot of giggles - with this one.  But here they are recital ready (except now that I'm looking at this, her jazz shoes are missing, and her tights are rolled up).  

This dance represented American Bandstand.  It was a sock hop Danny and Sandy style.  Much to my dismay, Seth had never seen Grease before and didn't even know who Danny and Sandy are.  So we had to watch a few YouTube videos.  They did the hand jive.  The dads did Greased Lightenin (yes, they had their own solo part).  And they brought down the house!  Seriously, it was the most entertaining dance of the entire recital, and the audience loved it.  Miss Jordan did a great job with the choreography.  It was just so much fun!  

I did take a video of the rehearsal (Hannah Kate's facial expressions are priceless!), but the dads weren't in costume.  And we had to come home and work on Greased Lightenin a bit more.  So I'm not going to post it here.  But here are some still shots from the recital.  Hannah Kate is on the front row in the center.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this dance was watching Hannah Kate interact with her Daddy.  I didn't capture that at all with these pics, but the video is priceless.  Once the recital video is finished, I'll post it here.

And then, just like that, after all those months of dance classes and rehearsals and hair and makeup and costumes . . . it was over and we were headed home.

I've said it before.  My mama really wanted me to take dance, but I begged and begged to take piano lessons instead.  I didn't like dancing.  But Mama took piano lessons briefly when she was a child, and she didn't like it.  She finally agreed to let me take piano lessons instead so my ballet slippers were retired after only two years.  I'm so glad though that Hannah Kate loves to dance!  Recital day is always one of my favorite days of the year!