Her Night on the Big Stage

Around this time last year, Hazeline started dance classes.  At first all went swimmingly (dancingly? waltzingly? whatever) well.  She loved all the frills on her tutu, every minute of class, and adored her teachers.  I was so, so happy that she finally got an activity of her very own.

Photo Courtesy of Entertainment Photography Specialists

But as toddlers tend to do, she had a change of heart somewhere around February or March.  Actually, that would be an understatement.  In all reality, she did a 180.  She no longer wanted to so much as get out of bed for dance class on Saturday mornings.  She’d scream, “No!  No! NO!” when I reminded her how much she loved dance and fought to put her in her tutu.  She’d be okay once she got to class, but it was a fight to get her there.

For weeks I debated whether to let her quit.  I went around and around in my head about it a million times.  I mean, she’s 3.  Why force something as silly as dance class at 3?  Besides, we were paying for this weekly torture.  But there’s something about quitting that just didn’t sit quite right with me.  And in the end, it was the hefty recital fee that was charged to my credit card that pushed me to say, “No, we’re doing this.  You have to make it until recital”.

Photo courtesy of Entertainment Photography Specialists

Deep down, though, I questioned if we really would make it…

But when that curtain went up on the recital stage last weekend, she was there – stage right (second from the end on the left).

And she even remembered most of her steps.  Okay, some of her steps.

Honestly, I’m not sure if making her continue dance was the right thing to do or if she’ll ever take dance again, but I do know that being on the “Big Stage” is all that she’s talked about since her recital – she wants to be back on the big stage, dance on the big stage, have people clap for her on the big stage.  I all but had to tackle her from storming the stage at Greenleigh’s recital this weekend.  I think I’ve created a monster.