When Isla was a baby, one of the only things that would soothe her to sleep was Elton John’s song, “Tiny Dancer”. It was no surprise that this twirling, pink-loving girly-girl would be begging to be in dance class when she reached the age to get started.
Becoming Dancers
Unfortunately, Mama missed sign-ups when “Beatsy” (Isla’s nickname because she’s always moving to a beat) was three and four. Whomp. Then when the time came for enrolling a five-year-old, Mama paused and remembered how things went with Arianna in gymnastics at that age (not so awesome for both kiddo and parents). Isla promised that she would stay in dance and that she’d love it, so she was enrolled in a class with a friend from church – a motivator to make sure she was ready to go every week for rehearsal.
If there was something good about COVID and the restrictions, Mama is not afraid to admit that the fact that our dance studio didn’t allow parents in during classes was a BLESSING. Isla was very happy to keep her dance moves secret and have an hour of “independence” each week.
After the fall soccer season, Ava felt like she was missing out on being involved in “stuff” and asked if she could dance with Isla. Again, a kiddo promised to give it her all and catch up with the routines. Thanks to a discount at the dance studio, Mama willingly said sure and the twinnies were officially all in.
Our dancers loved their Danskin Now leotards for rehearsals. Their ballet shoes were extremely cheap and wore throughout the season but at $9 a pair, they felt like a steal! Tap shoes were another must have and while we had a tough time matching their shoe sizes, the twins ended up with these shoes for jazz. We did give these ones from Amazon a try, but they literally fell apart at Isla’s first rehearsal!
Spring Recital Day
The twins kept their tiny dancer moves a secret until recital day – not even letting anyone “spy” on them when classes had to go virtual for a few weeks. Even on photo day they weren’t so happy to show us their outfits, but did pause for a cute photo for Dad before hamming it up with their dance team.
Recital day was one of the most exciting days for these two. They had three songs to perform and were all about it. Ava was a little nervous but Mama and the Bigs assured her that it would be all good. We teased her that if all else failed just “shake ya booty” but she said everyone would be watching and laugh. We tried to tell her that was the point, to make it fun, but she said NO WAY and kept the booty shaking to bouts at home (ha!).
Due to the pandemic restrictions, their recital was outdoors and nicely done by the dance studio. The twins stayed in place under their group tent and danced their hearts out when the music came on. Their smiles were HUGE and they have been talking about the evening for days.
Our family is so grateful that we gave these girlies a shot at finding something they love. Looking forward to fall classes already.
While Mama gave dance a few seasons as a kid, these two just might be dancers for life like their Daddy. Bring on the glitters and feathers everywhere, right?
Tell us: What is your favorite way to keep your body moving?