"It's not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters."
I love this quote. I think it sums up the important things quite well. Family, friends, teachers, mentors... those are the things that matter. Those who are there for us, cheer us on, love us, lead us, support us and guide us.
To The Pointe! Dance Academy in New Prague recently had their dance recital over the weekend of May 13-15. It was incredibly entertaining, from the littlest dancers to the most experienced dancers, and I was so happy my girls were a part of it! It was my Sweet Girl's third year so she knew what to expect, but it was my Little One's first year and it was so fun to see it all through fresh eyes. They were both so excited to get on that stage and give it their all!
It was a show filled with dedicated, hardworking dancers, pulled off by an amazing group of leaders and helpers. To be invited backstage and take photos was such a wonderful experience, and I got to take part in and witness all of the above at it's finest.
I could go on and on chattering, but I will let the pictures do most of the talking for me. (Because I included A LOT of pics in this post! It was hard to narrow them down to just a few.)
I loved this. I was told one of the girls mother is a police officer for special forces and was called off to an emergency before the show. This little girl had a friend who was willing (and incredibly able) to help her friend apply the show make-up. Seriously. I watched for like, 5 minutes and took tips from this kid. She was applying eyeliner like a pro! (Minutes earlier I was struggling and cursing under my breath as I applied that same type of liner on my own kiddo... yikes!)
Last minute touch-ups...
A little encouragement from mama. I mean... how precious is this picture? The tiniest group of all and this wee one was getting hugs and lots of mama love before going on stage. She kept leaning in to give her kisses and I was melting.
This little dude was handsome as could be! But sometimes little guys need help with shoe tying... Thank goodness for moms!!
Even big kids need their moms! Pictured here is Angela, owner of To The Pointe! Dance Academy in New Prague with her beautiful daughter, Sophia, right before the Production group went onstage and performed the first dance of the show, Seize The Day. This performance was choreographed by the super talented Ms. Kris AND won platinum, 1st place and the Outstanding Choreography Award at the Encore competition earlier this Spring.
This darling duo is dance dedicated 100%!
Don't forget about the dads! You can see how proud he is of his girl!
Kristie (one of the founders of To The Pointe! Dance Academy) with her mom and her daughters, Ellie & Maggie. I love this picture.
Would you believe me if I said dance brings siblings closer??!!! Well, it's the truth in this case! Caught this adorable brother & sister duo in the cutest hug!!
AND in this case as well! These sisters are the sweetest support to each other!
These next pictures are of my girls with their mentors. To The Pointe! Dance Academy has a mentorship program that is second to none. If you have children, you know how much they look up to the big kids who do what they love. The mentorship program pairs an older dancer with a younger one and they exchange letters of encouragement, support and it's the best to watch! My Sweet Girl was beyond thrilled that she had her mentor watching her from the side of the stage, cheering her on. I saw the moment she was on stage and she saw her mentor, Sydney, watching her because she got a HUGE smile on her face and those nerves seemed to just wipe away!
Here's my Sweet Girl and her mentor, Sydney.
Here she is again with another one of her mentors, Avery. My girls love to watch Avery dance! She is a powerhouse and a part of the dance group, Amaze, which won a bid to Nationals for their crazy awesome performance to the song, Dancing in September.
Here's my tiniest dancer with Miss Morgan. She adored Miss Morgan and stuck right by her side all year long in class. She was so happy to see her backstage and I had to snap a pic of this adorable pair.
Here's my oldest with Miss Kaitlyn. Miss Kaitlyn is a Senior this year and one of the hardest working dancers out there! She's not only a graceful dancer, but she is so full of grace and sweetness when it comes to these little ones that look up to her. She always takes the time to talk to the littles, give them hugs and encouragement and snap a pic at their request.
This has to be one of my favorite pics that I snapped this recital weekend. The bigs with the littles. Priceless. Ellen (holding my little blondie) is our babysitter and our girls can't get enough of her! She's incredibly sweet and she even yelled, "GO AVA!!" from the audience to cheer on my tiny dancer. Needless to say, it made Ava's night.
This is a scene that you find often backstage. These older girls act just like big sisters to the younger ones. They play with them, give them high-fives after they perform and just really cheer them on. It really is wonderful & heart-warming to watch.
My Sweet Girl getting a big hug from our neighbor Maddy. Maddy is AHH-MAZING to watch dance! Her dance group, Encore, took home first place at The One Nationals Competition this year in Chicago for their jazz routine to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. That whole group is crazy talented. They're going to be so much fun to watch as they grow and become even more incredible than they already are!
The fun backstage doesn't end!
I mean... these cuties could pretty much get away with anything.
The Encore group (National Champs) playing games between performances.
This close-knit group of cuties is the Show Choir group, and they go together like rama lamma lamma!
Last, but most certainly not least, is this extraordinary group of young women... the Seniors. Let me tell you, it was not an easy task to gather up these talented, busy beauties for a photo between all their performances and costume changes, but when I finally got them all together they were such a delightful dozen. I watched at the end of the night as they stood on stage with pictures of their childhood on big screen behind them. Memories of their pasts, snippets of their lives shared with us and plans for their bright futures. All intelligent. All beautiful. All so kind & talented. I have to admit, I got a bit teary eyed as I watched their proud parents join them on stage. Someday, God-willing, that will be me watching my girls as Seniors in High School, thinking of them as little as they are now, adoring how proud I am of the young ladies that have grown into, with dreams of what's to come.
They were a great example of poise, kindness, hard work and dedication... and leave the younger groups in good hands at To The Pointe! Dance Academy in New Prague!
Congrats, Seniors! And congrats to Angela and her team of teachers, volunteers and everyone who made this 2016 dance year and Spring Recital a successful one!
You are so talented!
ReplyDeleteWhat a compliment! Thank you so much, Tonya! You're a day-maker!
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