IT'S SHOWTIME!!

Dancing… the dance world… being a dancer…  It looks so beautiful and so glamorous!  The beautiful costumes, and their hair and make-up, and jewelry!  Their shoes!  Ballerinas, ballroom dancers, swing dancers!  Or maybe you like the jazz routines or the latin ballroom or even hip-hop!  So much fun!  But wait… those girls and guys work their butts off!  I NEVER knew all the work put into this sport!  Epsom Salt?  oh…that'll help her sore bones.  Wait… your feet….  eesh!  ouch!  Rolled ankles, torn hamstrings, bloody toes, it's all there.  

Competition team.  Your first thought, I know, is Dance Moms.  Drama, oh yah, there's drama! The nerves are unbelievable.  Now this I can speak from experience.  As a mom, when you are helping your daughter get ready for competition and she is snapping at you and short with you, and you really don't want to get mad at her because you know that she is just so nervous… terrified… about going out their to perform the routine.  But her makeup, her makeup must look perfect!  How do you do this bun??  "OUCH!  the bobby pins are hurting my head!"  "It's too tight!", "It's not tight enough!"  "Let ME put my lipstick on!"  I hear it all (from my own daughter!).  She's sick to her stomach, about to cry.  She says "we're not ready for this".  But I can't let her see my nerves!  I try and stay calm for her sake, and I try to make her calm down.  I talk to her in the calmest most rational voice I can muster up!  

She looks beautiful.  My little girl.  My little dancer, who is now in her 3rd year of competing.  I'm so excited for her and her team!  I watch them walk away to go backstage and be ready when they are called on.  Oh the butterflies are swarming in my stomach and I am trembling!  "Come on baby, you can do it" is what is going through my mind!  


It's time… here they come.  Their walk on looks great!  Cue the music… and here we go!  2 minutes of a pure rush of nerves, excitement, joy, and pride!  They look amazing!  First time performing this routine.  Ok, her leap could've been better, but her turns looked good!  she's smiling, having a great time!  Cheers from all of the moms and dads supporting them can be heard throughout the room!  It's over!  They did it!  It was amazing!  I am beaming with excitement and pride for all of them!  

We see them immediately afterwards with hugs and congratulatory remarks all around!  We are ALL beaming with pride and the girls are smiling and so excited about their performance being done!  It's a natural high and we are all riding it!  And now it's time to wait for the award ceremony.  

About 45 minutes later all the dancers are back on stage waiting to hear how they've done.  The nerves are back again…  We wait, we listen…  Results are in!


And we will do it all again next month.