Ballet Recital for K MAE

In case you haven't been reading this blog (all 3 or 4 of you...), my little Kyleigh Mae has become a bona fide Ballerina. She really has enjoyed going to ballet classes Wednesday evenings. We would dress her up in her black leotard, pink tights and teeny tiny bun on the top of her head, load the car and meet Trent in the parking lot of the Dance studio. (Trent isn't a fan of Brenden sitting around a bunch of Dance moms and girls with pink all around, and since he doesn't get off work in time to meet us at the house before we need to be at the studio, he meets us there since it's halfway between work and our house...then they get a little dude time together before us girls come crash the party. Dinner is usually supposed to be ready...Wednesday is his day to cook since I'm at Ballet with Kyleigh, but more often than not, I came home to a house that was a little thrown around with the dude-time rough housin').

I don't think I was the only one who enjoyed this new recreation.

After attending weekly practice from September to May, Kyleigh joined her class at a local High School (the same one LeBron James attended-St Mary St Vincent) for the year-end Recital. This is the room the Preschoolers were given for their dressing room. (There is another recital the Studio does at the Civic Theatre downtown, but that one is longer and more expensive, and it's just Kyleigh's first recital, so an 1 1/2 hours was fine instead of the usual 3 for the main recital the following week).

Inside their theatre they have paintings of all the past plays the school has put on as well as the date performed. Neat idea.

The night before the recital, I took Kyleigh and watched the dress rehearsal. She looked a little unsure with all the loud music blasting and lights blaring and people behind her screamin for the finale.

I've been asked several times...."is Kyleigh the youngest one in her class?"...Yes, I believe she is. She barely makes the Preschool cut off and some of the girls in her Ballet class are also in Brenden's Kindergarten class. So, there's quite a range of age and she is at the young end. She isn't short for her age, but average, however here, she shrinks and becomes a little peanut again.

She learned all the proper names of all the ballet moves like Demi-Plié, Jete, Plié, Relévé, Grand Jeté...

For the most part, she looked as though she was really focusing on her teacher or some older girl to figure out how to really do the move right. It wasn't like she was just going through the motions, but actually wanted to make it as perfect as she could. (For the dress rehearsal, the teacher was hiding in the side curtain and Kyleigh would check her movement against the teachers).

And you'll have to excuse Kyleigh's extra large Ballet slippers. Trent and Brenden went on the Father/Son campout and took my car...where I stow Kyleigh's Ballet slippers so that I never forget them come Wednesday evening. Luckily they were only gone Friday night dress rehearsal and she had her normal ones for the actual recital on Saturday.

You should ask her to do a little dance for you and to bow afterward. Her bow is my favorite part. It's very slow and meaningful.

 Video of her first performance:

Trent kept B up a little late when they were camping the night before and Brenden barely made it to Kyleigh's number on stage before passing out at the Recital. Good thing Kyleigh's class was about # 3 in the program.

These were her first flowers and she was pretty pleased with them. Kept smelling them.

And was so excited about her Mom and Dad being so happy and praising her with how well she did...she just couldn't contain herself and started doing more Ballet moves in the car on the way home.

A very good night and great experience overall.