I love dance recital weekends. My two girls both danced in shows this weekend.   From the two days of dress rehearsals to the three different shows that they collectively performed in, it was a fun and memorable weekend.  ” Adventure Awaits”  was the theme of the recital shows and I think it was such a fitting theme.  Each dance tells a story with music and movement.   And, every good story is filled with adventure.

In honor of the weekend, I wrote a poem.

An Ode to Recital Weekends

The costumes, the make-up, the music, and  the smiles so big and so bright

The choreography, the artistry, the joy, and the radiant stage light

Trying to create the perfect ballet bun with hair nets, spray,  gel, and countless bobby pins

Endless hours of dedication and preparation so that each routine is a spinning succession of wins

Waiting in the wings and sitting in seats— anticipating the moment a dancer steps on that well scuffed and loved floor

Ushering in the spirit of excitement, beauty, creativity, and camaraderie as we open the theater door

Backstage bonding and memory making for dancers who have become dear, life-long  friends

Gathering parents together who have experienced the growth, the turns, the leaps, and the bends.

All of the hopes, dreams, and talent passionately displayed in a uniquely remarkable, rhythmic dance

Recital weekends will forever leave footprints on a dancer’s heart and their lives, in turn, will abundantly enhance. 

I am so grateful my girls love to dance and perform. I am so grateful we are part of a wonderful  studio (shout out to Momentum Dance and Performing Arts).  I am so thankful that my girls are learning about focus, hard work, grace, flexibility, team work, and building friendships from being involved in dance.  I hope we have many more dance recital weekends in our future.  It will indeed enhance my daughters’ lives and my life as well.

P.S. I still cannot do the perfect ballet bun.  And, I am never quite sure if I am using the three different shades of eyeshadow on the pallet to their utmost potential  on my daughters’ eyes, but that is not the ultimate point of the weekend.  Regardless of the perfect hair and make-up,  there is a confidence, beauty and grace that is attained when the luminous stage light beams down and the dancer begins to sway and shine.

So, keep dancing my friends and being brave on the narrows.