*: Dance Recital

At the end of May Ainsleigh had her first dance recital. She has been in a weekly pre-ballet class since September. It was a class of 3-4 year olds but she was the youngest in the class, and in fact two of the girls turned 5 over the course of the year. The first several classes (OK, several months) Ainsleigh spent running around the studio and the teacher was constantly telling me she needed to stand "on her square." But she has a remarkable memory so when it came time to learn the routine she had it down very fast. The question was if she would do the routine as instructed, or if she would bust out with her own choreography in the middle. Honestly, I think she just got bored of doing the same thing over and over again.

The lead up to the recital was a bit ridiculous, with all these rehearsals at strange hours. Finally, we made it to the dress rehearsal. This was the first time she got to wear her costume as well as dance on a stage, so she was very excited! The costume was something else. They were supposed to be magical flowers. We are fairly anti-pink and definitely anti-girly girl, so this was WAY over the top.

The next morning, before the recital. Some of the kids were pretty nervous and clingy, but not Ainsleigh. She did her usual "bye Mom" at the door and was ready for the show.

The recital! She did great--one impromptu twirl during a dead spot that got a giggle from the audience. We have video, and although this picture is blurry, I love the look on Ainsleigh's face (second from the right):