Put on Your Dancing Shoes

Harper started taking a weekly dance class when she was in first grade. Last year, because it occurred on the same day, we let her take ballet and jazz. And then, in the spring, she was invited to audition for the competition group at her studio and, wonder of wonders, was asked to join them. 

Competitors at Harper's level (the very, very beginning) take class three hours a week. Although sometimes we have up to five hours a week when they rehearse their "production" routine on the weekends. 

It works out, thankfully, for Matt's mom to take Harper to jazz class on Wednesdays, so Michael and I go with her to ballet/contemporary on Mondays. It occurred to me that if we were going to sit in the studio for ninety minutes it might be smart to see if there was a class Michael could take to kill part of the time. 

And so we now have a tapper in our midst...

It is visitors' week so I was able to sit in on the kids' classes and take some photos.

Oh, Michael. What he lacks in coordination (er, quite a bit), he more than makes up for with enthusiasm.

There he is, this giant boy, in a room full of dainty girls in leotards and I believe he is the least self-conscious one in the room. Every week he tells me how much he likes his tap class. God bless him, he's going to mess up all those careful girls during their recital...

And then there's this girl:

We watched the first half hour of her class and it was all barre! So even at the very most basic end of the competition spectrum, they are so serious. I'm totally in love with the discipline that ballet is teaching her, although I will admit the attitude of jazz is more suited to her personality. 

Harper's Aunt Meaghan is quite a dancer and so this whole world of dance competition is familiar to her and to Harper's grandmother (and dad, and grandfather...) but it is completely new to me. We'll see how this year goes. It is a large time and financial commitment. But it is also something Harper absolutely loves.

This isn't necessarily something I'd ever envisioned. I definitely pictured myself more as a sports mom than a dance mom. For now we are taking it one year at a time. When/if Harper moves up to the next level it will be almost impossible for her participate in any other activities. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

For now we'll be pirouetting and shuffle-ball-stepping most afternoons in the kitchen or living room. Feel free to put on your dancing shoes and join us!