Recital 2009!

It's that time of year again.....

After several months of hard work, the annual recital took place this weekend. My girls are dancing at two studios this year (don't ask - it's been a nightmare). Anyhoo, this was Liv's ballet recital. I should preface this by saying that Liv's dance instructors have been telling me for the past two years that she should continue studying ballet.

Because she's good.

She took ballet from an amazing instructor this year and it definitely was worth it.

BUT! I have to watch the whole recital in order to see my daughter's dance. Here are some of the highlights......

I am not a fan of tap. Just doesn't do anything for me. But this dance.....was amazing. I was in awe.....

This was cool. I don't really remember the dance too much but the colors and pictures were pretty wild....

Company dance (those girls that are really AWESOME at dance make Company). They were dancing in the aisles....

Bad picture, but you get the idea....

And here is Emma's dance - "Hakuna Matata". The costumes were out of this world and the girls were fabulous....

And finally....FINALLY....my Olivia.

Now, let me tell you that I took pictures throughout the show and so did my dad, as we have for the past 6 or 7 years. Obviously, we didn't use flash, nor were we the only ones snapping pictures. I probably have 40+ pictures of the recital up to this point. And Olivia's dance was one of the last ones.

And there she is, front and center....

I cried.

I always do, but watching my daughter dance, and seeing her up there on stage and seeing how easily it all comes to her....it took my breath away.....she was beautiful.

And then an usher came up to me and told me I couldn't take pictures.

I countered with "No FLASH pictures, as they said in the announcements. And I'm not using my flash"

She proceeded to argue with me.

I put my camera down - but dad kept snapping away.

And then another usher told him he couldn't take pictures.

At very nearly the end of the show.

After we and every other parent in the theater had been snapping (non-flash) pictures all evening.

In the middle of my daughter's dance.

The dance I had been waiting for ALL NIGHT.

And then this person made me miss part of my daughter's performance by arguing with me.

I almost knocked the bitch out.

Seriously.

But then I saw this gorgeous face after the show.

I mean, WOW right?

Not quite sure how she came from me.

Since she has to be backstage for the entire recital, she hangs out with the "big girls" who taught her some new moves which she demonstrated for us all.

And here they are....the Dynamic Duo! Buddies since birth - Emma and Livvie!!

Emma's still in her Zebra costume from her Hakuna Matata dance.

Usually the recital is in the afternoon and we all go back to my house for a cookout or we go out to eat to celebrate. This year, since she's older now, she was in the evening show, and it didn't end until about 10:00 p.m. Needless to say, she was nowhere near ready to go to bed when we got home, and, having been in quite a few plays and performances myself when I was younger, (a-HEM) I knew she was on an adrenaline high and she'd never go right to sleep. So, I let her stay up with me for a while. I think we finally went to bed around midnight. It's quite possibly the latest she's ever been up, but we had a great time, giggling, telling stories and (of course) snapping a few pictures.

She looks like a teenager in this photo - YIKES!!!

Her dad and I are so proud of her and so impressed with how far she's come with her dancing.

I can only hope she continues....