OK, I think we’re finally starting to get the hang of this dance team competition thing!
Things to expect include:
A long day with lots of sitting around and waiting with short bursts of activity when it’s time for the little ladies to dance.
Hauling around plenty of snacks, especially ones with protein for the moms.
Putting together a list of the costume details. Spreadsheets and screenshots will be involved!
Researching places to eat if you think you’ll be there for more than six hours.
Researching the parking situation before I get there.
Practicing hairstyles way ahead of time.
Comfortable shoes you can run in because you might need to sprint from the stage to the dressing room; quick-changes are no joke!
I’m thinking that if she’s in it for the long haul, I’m eventually bringing camping gear. I’m serious! At the last competition I saw a pop-up tent for changing and a handful of lightweight travel chairs and thought, “Well, that mom is a genius.”
The girls did really well! They had two dances, and they placed at a high gold for tap and a platinum for hip hop. (I’ve been told this is a good thing.)
Can I just say, it’s a trip to see Connor evolve as a dancer. Her confidence seems to grow with every routine, and I think her teachers notice it, too.
My hope is that she keeps at it for a while because dance seems to make her feel special outside of school. I grew up in a strict family where grades were the barometer that defined your worthiness, so school was the only thing that mattered. The only sanctioned non-school activities were quiet ones that seemed to make you even more studious, like playing piano. Never mind if you hated it! Dance or sports were generally viewed as something that would get in the way of your studies.
I don’t really think that’s the case, though. I think activities outside of school teach discipline, how to work with a team, how to express yourself and process emotions, how to handle disagreements with others and how to manage expectations – life skills that come in handy down the road.
Anyway, I’m happy that Connor still likes it!
Oh, and so this post is somewhat makeup related, she still absolutely refuses to let me put any eyeshadow on her, sigh.
She likes bright pink blush and red lipstick. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
