Look at that posture! I'm so proud. ♥
On Monday, ten tiny ballerinas took the stage during the dress rehearsal for their big show the following day. Don't they look lovely? Chloë showed a tremendous improvement in Ballet over the previous year, and I was beaming watching her. I decided she will continue in Ballet II in the Fall, and she decided she will try Hip-Hop classes, too. No Tap or Jazz; I'd love to put her in all four, but the money for it just doesn't exist in the budget. Especially not if Sophia's to do gymnastics and Jack, karate.
While Miss Sally blocked the dancers in their routine onstage, the two blondie babies shenaniganized next to me. I didn't get any crocheting done; instead, I coaxed them into being quiet with ice-cream bribes for lunch. I did manage to start reading my Daisy Leader book. I'll probably read it four more times. I have lots to do for that, but this post isn't the place to go into it.
Act The Second: Jazz. After the wee ones and I went out to feed the meter and have a spot of lunch, we came back to find Chloë and her Jazz classmates on stage again. She's little, but in this number, she has big attitude. Big. And I loved watching it.
This time, Miss Darlene did the stage blocking, and Chloë was on the other end. We forgot to buy her black camisole, like the other girls have, so we had to run to Target that evening for it and some pink tights for Ballet (also forgotten - what kind of mother am I?). I couldn't find a black camisole anywhere on the racks, until I happened to spot some in just her size on a clearance rack, for $1.74. Score!
Attitude. They have it. Yes, they do.
Immediately after the girls exited the stage after the run-through, Jack, Sophia and I high-tailed it out of the balcony where we were nestled and ran to get Miss Chlo. She was full of admonishments for me about the missing camisole, the missing tights, the missing black socks (which we STILL forgot for Tuesday night, and which she had to borrow from another girl... whoops), the lack of bobby pins holding down her curls... I'm sorry, but she's the only girl in her classes with crazy curly hair, and do you KNOW how hard it is to tame those sproingy coils? They want them plastered straight down to her head, and I just can't manage it. Oh, maybe for five minutes... but then she gets hot, and sweaty, and the combination makes them bounce right back up again. Maybe in Hip-Hop, she'll be allowed to let her freak flag fly.
Fast-forward to Tuesday night, the night of the big show. Chloë was dropped off backstage at 1730, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves until showtime at 1900. We dropped Rob off at the florist to pick out some posies for his sweet girl, and then I drove 'round and 'round to find a parking spot that wouldn't cost me eleventeen dollars. I finally found one just across from the theater, just down from the florist, and parked. Badly, but I got in there. The Littles were sound asleep. I left them in the car - yes, I did, beat me with a wet noodle if you want - with the doors open to give them some air, while I ran into the adjacent restaurant for a couple dollars' worth of change for the meter. I had my eyes on the van the entire time. When I came out, I woke them, and they helped me feed the meter. It was only afterward that I noticed that parking was free after 1800 - a mere 25¢ would have done the trick. Sigh. I hate waste.
You just can't hide that Hurricane pride! Love it!!!
While Chloë was backstage getting dressed and doing whatever she does back there, with her little girly friends, we were busy having a little dinner and ice cream (none for me this time, thanks) at A Latté Cafe on Granby Street in Norfolk, right across from the theater. It was the same place I took the kids for lunch and ice cream the day before; it was good enough to warrant a repeat trip.
This little guy got lots of attention from my little guy and gal.
The cafe is cool and completely at home in the artsy section of Norfolk where we were. There is free wi-fi, and the walls are plastered with works from local artists. Some have price tags on them, and some have "sold" tags on them, which I loved to see. There are shelves full of books and tables full of magazines, games on the coffee tables and comfy, overstuffed couches and chairs. Neil and Melissa, the married owners, are warm and genuine people, and the food is good. If you're in town, stop in for a visit and a look around.
Finally, it was showtime, and we headed into the theater. Sophia and Jack behaved more or less okay; I have realized that Sophia absolutely can not - can NOT - is competely incapable of, holding still for two seconds back-to-back, so I just did my best to keep her from distracting the rest of the audience. No one glared or shushed us, so I guess we did okay.
Chloë did great, and Sophia called out, "Yay, Chloë!!!" after both of her dances. We were in the balcony again, though, and she didn't hear us. She was off quite a bit during the Jazz number, but I realized after talking to her later that it was because her friend V from Ballet was now sitting in the front row, and she was paying too much attention to that. She didn't lose her Attitude-with-a-capital-A, though, and she still knocked my socks off.
So, another year has come to an end. School is out, dance is over, and the pool is open. Summer is here.
Fin.
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