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| Kara |
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Saturday, was the culmination of another year of dance lessons. This year all three kids took a class on Saturday mornings. Normally, I would never give up a Saturday (at least not every Saturday for 9 months), but with Thomas gone, it seemed like it would be a good way to mark the time. The weekends were particularly long without him here, so it was nice to have the distraction.
The kids had their dress rehearsal on Friday. Jack was in a boy's tap class and they did a Transformers routine. He has tolerated the class, which consisted of him and one other boy (Eli) whose sister also takes lessons at the studio. During the rehearsal Jack had this awful look on his face and kept waving his arm angrily. We weren't sure whether that was part of the routine, but afterward he said, "didn't you see me telling you not to take my picture!?!?" During the recital, he did a fabulous job and refrained from angry gestures (maybe because we weren't allowed to take pictures?). I was impressed with how well he did the routine and followed the instructor.
The girls were in a class together, a tap/ballet combo. Anna has improved a lot this year. She smiled during the routine and did a great job remembering the routine. She had a fantastic attitude about everything and really seemed to enjoy taking the class.
Kara did not really enjoy dance and didn't particularly want to be in the recital. We told her that after the recital she would never have to dance again and she seemed to find that a good compromise. She also did a good job following the instructor and seemed to know the steps. We were very proud of all the kids. I admired their ability to get on stage in front of a crowded audience. After the recital, all three told us they want to keep dancing (before the recital, only Anna said she wanted to take lessons again next year). I am sure that will change a dozen times before the fall (we're definitely taking a break this summer).
Regarding the pictures, I took tons during the rehearsal. Some would have been very cute, but they are super blurry. I have come to the conclusion that it isn't me, it's time for a new camera.
Last year, Anna took lessons at Dreams Studio of Dance in Mechanicsville. There were a lot of things I liked about that studio--they had cameras in the waiting area so you could see what they were doing in class each week and it was very professionally run. In fact, one of the things I disliked was that it was a little too professional. There were a lot of rules and it was very rigid, especially when it came to the recital. My biggest problem was probably with the recital. It was very expensive in terms of tickets and costumes. And, it was over 3 hours long! Anna had to be there for 3 nights in a row (one night of rehearsal and two for the show) and it was too much for a 4-year-old (tack in an hour of driving too). However, my biggest complaint was that I did not find it age appropriate. There were routines where they actually had to bleep out lyrics. In my opinion (and, I know I stated this last year in my blog), if you have to bleep something out, it's not music you should be using for kids. If we hadn't moved, we may have stayed there, mainly because it was so convenient. Although they increased their prices by about 25%, so with 3 kids interested, maybe we would have driven to another studio even if we hadn't moved.
At the current studio (St. Mary's Dance Academy) it is a much more laid-back. It is a new studio; this is only their second year. They didn't care what the kids wore and didn't give you a hard time for missing a class. And, it was much less expensive than Dreams. They had a class that included both Anna and Kara's age group that coincided with the boys tap. That was the main reason we chose them. My biggest complaints were some of the teachers seemed young and inexperienced and the girls' class was too big. There is one teacher who had some routines that I thought were fabulous. If we stay there, it will only be if she teaches a class that coincides with our schedule. There was another teacher who taught a routine that was so bad that if my child had been in that class, we would have left and never looked back. I may have even demanded a refund for a year of wasted money. It was that bad. Our class was somewhere in between (closer to fabulous than awful) and I am not unhappy. I think it was a positive experience for the kids. The things I most appreciated: good prices for everything (recital fees, costumes, lessons, video, etc.) and the recital showcased age-appropriate routines, costumes and music.
Hmm, I am not sure why I went off on that tangent. Overall, I would say the year was a success. I loved seeing the kids dance and I was so proud of them. I think it is great that kids have the opportunity to go on stage and perform. I also like that it is a cumulative activity. They go all year to these classes that build up to a big recital, then they get to show off what they have learned. They get a trophy and it's a big deal. I hope they continue.
Anna just walked up and asked what I was doing. I told her I was writing about their recital and asked if she wanted to say anything. Below are direct quotes:
Anna: I liked it and I'm going to keep dancing until I get really good at it. I really liked it. It's my favorite thing to do. I'm clearly sure that my sister liked it. That's all I'd like to say... Oh. Bye. Anna Wilson.
Kara: I liked doing dance and I haven't figured out if I want to do it again. (Long pause, so I asked her if she liked being on stage.) I want to do dance again and be on stage again. I like all the songs. So, can I do it again as many times as I want? My name is Kare bear... what's my whole name again? (Anna answered) My name is Kara Wilson. I'm going to do dance again next year and be on stage. That's all. Bye.
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