"The Land of Fairies & Wizards"

Show day! It is hard to believe that we have come to the end of another year at DanceArts Academy! This was Degen's first year in dance, and he LOVED it! This was Kyrie's second year, and I was so proud of all the hard work she put into paying attention and learning her dance this year! Dress rehearsal went well for both kids, especially Degen, but I got more & more nervous as we got closer to the auditorium for drop-off. Kyrie was not a bit nervous, but I had no idea how Degen would do. Drop-off back stage was touch & go. Degen did not want to be left with his teacher & class, but let me leave him after a few minutes of reassurance. I was on pins & needles after we found our seats.

All the students performing in this show are on stage for the entire show. We lucked out and got absolutely perfect seats in the center and close to the front. I was able to catch Kyrie's eye after a few minutes, but I could tell that Degen was VERY nervous, so much so that he kept his little head tucked into his friend's shoulder for most of the show. Seeing how nervous he was made me even more nervous for his turn to dance.

Kyrie's class performed first, and Degen's class performed towards the end. I have video of both kids, but I have had trouble trying to download it (to Facebook) because we have had some issues with our PC. I do not have photos of the kids performing because I took video instead. Let me just say that as nervous as you are, sitting in a dark auditorium with your spouse and watching your kids on stage is an absolutely wonderful thing! You have so much love & pride for them! This was Darren's first time seeing the kids' dances, and he just loved it. Really, every single performance was adorable!

Degen with his almost sad face before his class performed.

This was DanceArts' mini-show for the Kindergarten & younger classes. Kyrie's class danced to "LOVE" by Natalie Cole and Degen's class danced to "Daydream" by Art Garfunkel. This year's show was so CUTE! I loved all the songs and the costumes! Degen's class was the youngest and got the most chuckles from the audience. Degen was nerve-struck and kept his eyes on the friend next to him rather than the teacher. He sort of, kind of did the dance, but I have seen him perform it 100% better on other occasions. One, sweet girl in his class stood still the whole time, but joined the class in their final pose, which brought out smiles & applause from the audience! There were too many sweet moments to count!

We were so happy with the kids' performances! The teachers & staff at DanceArts do an absolutely fantastic job of putting the mini-show together! From dress rehearsal to drop-off, performance & pick-up, we could not ask for more! The length of the show is perfect (less than 1 hour) and the kids really enjoy getting to watch all the performances while they wait on stage. At the end of the show, happy parents with flowers & gifts pick up their kids from the stage. We got a few post-show pics in the lobby before we headed to our favorite ice cream shoppe for celebratory treats! It was a fantastic afternoon for our family!