MARY POPPINS

This year the girls ballet/tap recital was Mary Poppins. It is always a very big deal. The show is performed at Kingsbury Hall. It is certainly professional quality. They have dancers from 3 years old on up to some really amazing ballerinas. It's always good, but I think this was my favorite year so far. It was REALLY good. The music, the costumes, the dance choreography - awesome.

This was Ava's first year dancing. To my utter shock and amazement she actually went into her first dance class back in September and stayed. She has gone running in every time since. She really likes dance and shows me all of her "dance moves" over and over again at home. Sooooooooooo, I thought she might like being in the big show. Yikes. We got to the dress rehearsal and she clung to me in a death grip. She wouldn't let me put her down and if I tried she screamed and cried. Why? Because she was terrified of the poor, little 16 year old girl playing Mary Poppins!! So, she didn't rehearse, but was all smiles as we walked out the door when Brie was done. This is Brielle's third "big show" and this is TOTALLY her thing. She loves everything about it - the dancing, the costumes, the make up, the friends, the audience! She was a little girl on the merry go round in the show and she did great. She knew her dance so well and even added a little bit of her own flare as well.

Pretending she is on a horse. Get it?
The big day came and I was so nervous all day. I played the music for Ava's dances for her. I had her watch the Penguin part in Mary Poppins. I explained exactly how things would go. I encouraged how fun it was going to be. And I let her know that if she decided not to dance, that would be okay. I even drove her up the canyon to put her to sleep for a nap. Well, I'm happy to say all of that work paid off when she easily went with the other girls back stage to wait for the show to start. Scott and I sat in our seats getting more and more nervous for her turn. And then . . . . . like she owned the stage, out came Ava and the other penguins and she did every bit of her dance with no problem!! Yes, there were tears, by us though. We were so proud of her for being brave. Brielle did a great job too. She was one step ahead of the other girls, kind of showing what came next. Again, this is totally her thing. Both girls were thrilled afterward to find me, Scott, Grandma, Papa, flowers and bubble gum!I'm so happy they had such a good night.