Dance Shows 2011

After a week of dress rehearsals for both the
Jazz show and the Ballet, the girls did a
fabulous job at the performances on Friday and
Saturday nights. We weren't allowed to record
during the actual performances, so I had to
make sure I was at the rehearsals at the right
times to film them. Unfortunately, because they
are rehearsals, you can hear babies crying and
the directors telling them to smile and a
choreographer's hand come in the the picture, she
was right in the way and I was trying to film
around her. Anyway, The girls are just getting
so much better and they are so fun to watch!


Paris went through a period of not loving ballet for
a while. She has been telling me her feet hurt. I got
her new ballet shoes, but it didn't help much. I'm
thinking we may need to see a podiatrist, she
walks a little funny and complains about her
feel every now and then. Anyway, but as soon as
she knew what her classes part was in the ballet and
what their costumes were going to look like, she got
really excited and loved ballet again.  Her costumes
were a huge mess, and long story, short, the beautiful
midnight blue ones ordered for them were given to a
different class on accident and then problems upon
problems later, her class received the leftovers of many
other classes. I know this because I was a seamstress
this year and was given these random tutus the day
before rehearsal to sew and make semi pretty and matching.
They ended up not looking too bad on stage mostly
because the wings made them all match. Paris' costume
was one of the prettier ones and thankfully her favorite color,
so she was happy!

Again, this is a rehearsal, so the lighting wasn't right and
they didn't have up the really pretty woodland set.


I got to see Evey dance her ballet, but not sure why I didn't get it on
film, but just know she was beautiful!!  She can't wait for September,
when she is 11 1/2 and they will evaluate her for pointe shoes. She is
confident they will let her, it's all up to her own little body. We have
to take her to the dr to make sure she is at 90% of her adult height,
and that the bones in her foot are formed enough to put them through
the torture of pointe! She's not going to be a tall girl, so hopefully she
has a little growth spurt this summer, so she'll be ready!

Paris loved her Jazz/tap class!! When it came time for choreographing
the number they would do her teacher held a vote in the class on
weather they would do a tap  or a jazz dance. She said it was tied, but
one girl was missing that day, so her vote would be the deciding vote.
So obviously that girl chose tap.  Paris had voted jazz, but was still
happy, especially because she really likes the song.  It makes me laugh
though because in both of her dances, Paris knew the steps, but
because the teacher stands off stage and does the dance for those that
may forget, she looks over there, and misses steps sometimes.  She did
it perfectly at the show and didn't even glance at the teacher! We will
get a DVD from the show later down the road.




This is Evey's company (JDC) dance. I have loved her teacher and
the choreography she does, it is very beautiful and Evey loves her too.
Evey is hoping to move up to the next level company, CDC, at auditions
in August.  CDC does more dances per show and Evey is so ready for
that! But you have to be 11, so this is just her year as far as advancing in
dance!




I hadn't seen any of the girls dances until the rehearsal. I just drop them
off and pick them up. Evey's teacher had told me a while ago that she
had a special part for Evey in her Jazz piece. This is the same teacher
as JDC, Emily, and Evey said that Emily had told her she choereographed
this piece with Evey in mind as the featured dancer. So when I saw this,
I was crying like a baby. I would say it is from pregnancy hormones,
but I'm not sure I can shrug this off on that this time! I was just so proud.
She dances really well and had such a pretty smile! I think all of the other
video taping mommies there at rehearsal thought I was crazy, bawling my
eyes out.  Hey but it wasn't bad enough that you can hear me on the video,
so that's good!! Wink!
Evey also got recognition from "the star" dancer at the show on Friday.
We had left our makeup bag and  hair straightener at the Covey center
and when we found the bag on Friday, the straightener was gone, so I
couldn't curl Evey's hair, so we had to go in the big girls dressing room
to use one of theirs. When Angel (this is the most featured dancer in the
whole studio!) saw Evey she said "oh, I love you!!" I think it was a great
boost of Evey's confidence, but she is just so wonderful and humble,
she didn't let it go to her head....I guess it went to mine!!

HOPE OF AMERICA

This is Evey's second year performing in this awesome show!
Last year I had just had Winter and decided I wouldn't chaperon,
but I got to this year and it was so fun!!

Hope of America is just a part in the huge effort that is
America's Freedom Festival here in Utah, that ends
with the Stadium of Fire. It was so awesome to be a part
in something so patriotic. I was telling Jon that, at the
rehearsal I would just cry through most of the songs,
mostly in the ones about our service men and women

and the military and they always have incredible videos
playing on the huge screens in the arena. Trying not to cry
as I write this!! I did okay in the actual performance though!!
Other songs were about MLK I Have a Dream, Declaration
 of Independence, Bill of Rights , Constitution, VOTE, and
Utah. It is just awesome how it's such a learning experience
for the kids too. They know all these lyrics and so can recite
portions of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence
and Bill of Rights.  It's amazing too, how much knowledge is
retained learning things through song!



Off on a little tangent My kids love to watch School House Rocks.

Old and silly I know, but they really do learn stuff, like, even Lex
knows some multiplication facts, or they know what adverbs are
silly stuff like that, but that comes in handy in school. The kids
can also tell you all of the States in alphabetical order, because of
a song Jon taught them. Anyway, hurray for learning through music!!

So back to Hope of America, since I was in the flag with Evey,

Jon had the other 3 on his onsies.  Apparently they were awesome,
except on the last song, Winter got mad so that is why it is cut off,
but only seconds. The video is just 3 songs including the Star
Spangled Banner. We performed in in sign language, but I failed
to mention that to Jon and so he didn't zoom at all. But oh well it is
just so amazing anyway. If you are in the Utah county area, I would
suggest going next year. It's free and just too fun. They have a little
pre show and a few acts in between songs and the cutie Old lady line
dancers!!

Okay another tangent these ladies are sooo cute! Jean's Golden Girls
are all between the ages of 50 and 94 and they dance so amazing!!
There are about 50-75 women in this group and they boast in their
introduction  that between them all they have something like 500
children, 1500 grand children and at least 200 great grand children!!
The founder of the group, Jean, is 94 and is as limber as any dancer
I've ever seen. She always does a little solo where she does amazing
high kicks and splits. It's so fun to watch! She has even been on
The Tonight Show. Okay here's a video of them, this isn't at the
Hope of America, obviously, but this is the routine they did.
The kids were really into it singing along with the music...
You have to watch this!!

If you watch some of the other videos that it shows after this video, 

there are a few others of Jean's golden Girls, 

but if you click on the "92 year old dancer!" 

one it also shows more Hope of America, 

and the WAVE that the whole arena does. 

I forgot to have Jon tape that one, it's pretty fun!

Okay really this time, here's a few songs from Hope of America!

Monster Concert

Evey had a District Orchestra concert in March.
It was a crazy ordeal. Mostly because I wasn't
informed of the details until the day before and so Jon wasn't
able to arrange getting the night off to help me.

You see,
Evey had dance from 4:15 to 6:15, Paris had a soccer
game at 5:30 and Evey was supposed to be at the
concert at 5:45. Yikes! Most of Paris' games have been
during Evey's dance, so we drop her off ,in Springville
(only a 15 minute drive on the freeway, but I like to complain)
then drive back to Provo for Paris' game then go back
to Springville to get Evey. Why didn't Evey just skip
dance this day you ask. Well, This class on Tuesday
is JDC, the company in which she has a contract with
and is required to be at. But the class after is just a jazz
class so she did miss that.

So, here's how it went...
We drove to Springville and Evey went to JDC while
we grabbed fast food dinner. Then Evey skipped her
second class and we took Paris to her game, dropped
her off with her friends and then headed across town
to get Evey to Timpview High School for the concert.
Normally getting across the city isn't that big of a deal,
even with the massive amount of construction that is
going on right now. But, on this particular day when I
needed to get across town and back quickly, they had
shut down a major artery, so we had to take an extra
long round about way, and for some reason there were
A MILLION people out. Okay it was rush hour!
Anyway, I got Evey to the school, ran in with her and
the 2 other kids to save a seat, and then got back on the
van to get Paris from her game. It took me the whole
hour of her game to get across town and back, so I
missed seeing her play and her sweet friends mom had
to wait a few minutes after the game for me. Then it
was back across town to the concert. But by this time
the home bound rushers were mostly off the road, so
we made it before 7, happened to find a decent parking
spot (there were 12 elementary schools, 2 middle
schools and 2 high schools orchestras worth of parents
and cars)and went in to our pre saved seat
(oh so glad I did that!!) and sat down right as the lights
went down. Whew!! So after all of that here is all of the
  elementary's orchestras together.

After their songs they got off stage and the middle
schools went up and played a few and then switched
again with the high schools who were amazing!!
They played an awesome arrangement of the
Pirates of the Caribbean. I recorded it for Jon
and Evey but won't post it here.

* Why don't I make it easier on myself and car pool??!!
Paris' friend at soccer, even has an older sister who is in
orchestra with Evey, and believe me I did try to make
an arrangement, but they had 2 parents and one other
kid in something else, and so it didn't work this time.
But I tried, I tried! And, I have to give my lovlies Paris
and Lex and Winter some credit because they are always
so good and let me record the concerts with little
interruption!! Love my babies!!