Better Late Than Never

Last Memorial Day, not the one that just passed, but the one in 2016, Kayla had a dance recital. That's how behind this post is - a whole year!

She did great with her recital the previous year - Coppeli - and I couldn't wait to see her shine again, and she didn't disappoint.

I didn't take any pictures of her dancing like I did before (it's easier to enjoy and actually watch her dance without concentrating on getting pictures). I did take a few before/after photos though - and her costume was so beautiful on her last year!



After her recital I posted this on Facebook:

"Proud mom tonight! Kayla may not be the most graceful dancer, she may be a step behind, or a beat ahead ... but she gives her all and she dances with joy. She dances with so much joy it radiates off her face.

At intermission someone came up to us to tell Kayla how well she did and that she told her husband that she just loves watching her dance because she smiles no matter what. The final dance production was a father-daughter dance and she had the best time. After the dance a lady came over to me and said that Kayla was her favorite of all the dancers during the father-daughter dance and it was such a joy to watch her dance.

Another lady came up to Kayla and asked if she could shake her hand - and said how great it was to watch her dance with such a big smile on her face the whole time.

On the way out a couple other people topped to say how precious she was dancing with her dad and how much they enjoyed watcher her dance because of how much fun she was having."

I had to keep my emotions (tears) in check because I know Kayla wasn't the best dancer - with her form or mechanics - but that's not what they noticed. They noticed her effort, her joy, and how much fun she was having just being up on stage dancing.



My mother-in-law took a couple of videos, but I don't know how to post them directly on my blog. She uploaded them directly to FB so I don't have a youtube link or anything to imbed on my blog and don't know how to get a video off FB. They videos are public, but I imagine you'd still need a FB account to view them.

Anyway, here they are:

First video of father-daughter dance

Second video of father-daughter dance

We took a break from dance classes this year, but yesterday we were reading one of the American Girl stories and the character takes ballet and Kayla said, "I like ballet best." I asked her if she missed going to ballet and wanted to take classes again. She said yes, but made it clear it was to happen AFTER camp - nothing stands in the way of her summer sleep-away camp!

Guess we will get back in to the dance routine after summer!

Coppeli Dance Recital

Kayla loves ballet. She loves the dance, the costumes, learning the routine, and performing on stage. When her class performed in the Christmas program she wanted to go backstage to dance on stage again. I'm thankful she's in a dance studio that didn't hesitate when I wanted to enroll her in classes. Kayla's experience isn't unique either - I've seen friends post pictures of their children who have Down syndrome in typical dance classes as well.

It is wonderful when places open their doors to children of all abilities and see the children first.

Kayla's recital was at the end of May and she had a blast. She's ready for another season of ballet.

Coppeli Ballet Recital

   

First Dance Recital

A couple of months ago Kayla started taking a dance class at the Y. This past weekend was the recital. I think she did pretty well for being her first time performing on stage (outside of singing with her class at school) and only being in this class for a couple of months.

She was so excited to get flowers from Lucas...and she wanted her moment in the spotlight. All the girls were sitting on the floor while the instructor was giving a speech and her own thank yous. Kayla decided to stand up right in the middle of that and say her own thank yous. She did that twice.

I think it's safe to say she has no problem performing on stage!

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