I am so far behind on blogs from the fall because we have had so much going on. With remote learning, dance three nights a week, soccer, holidays, a baby and work, life has been a bit crazy. But instead of skipping, I’ll just post late because it’s fun looking back at the pictures.
The girls are already almost halfway through the current season of dance. They are both in Mini Company this year and love their new dances. They both are doing ballet and tumbling this year too! But I want to look back at the last dance season. What a crazy season it was! Between having contractions during a competition downtown to a complete COVID lockdown, the season was the most exciting to date! We love our PDC family and in one of the craziest years so far, they were there for us in so many ways and we are forever grateful for everyone!
Dance Photos
Last year was the first year that the girls did not have a class together, but they didn’t seem to mind. Sienna loved having her special dance class with her bestie, Ms. Keli and Bailey enjoyed doing Mini Company with a lot more girls this year and her tap class with her Ms. Holly! They loved their costumes this year and loved to show them off!
Warm Up
Speaking of dance costumes, the girls love wearing dance costumes all day, every day. Sienna pretty much lived in a tutu most of the year and Bailey liked to try out new outfits. They love to show off for the camera so I was able to snap a few photos before classes.
Parent Show
The Parent Show is one of our favorite performances of the year. We didn’t realize it would be one of the last times to be in a theater to watch all of the performances, so it made it even more special. The competition dances were the only ones performing so Sienna didn’t have a dance, but Bailey and her Cupcakes were ready. Sienna had a blast watching all the other dances and we ended up staying a lot longer than we planned. We loved watching the big company performance of Mary Poppins!
Competition 1 – Starpower
Starpower was scheduled the last weekend of February which coincided with my due date with Hunter. We had joked about my water breaking during the performance and since I had been having contractions for a week leading up to the competition, it didn’t seem like that far off of an idea. Of course the competition was in downtown KCK, about 50 minutes away from the hospital and at Municipal which is full of ramps and stairs. Since I had taken a tumble down the stairs and was in a walking boot, super pregnant and having contractions, I was a sight to see. The dressing room for the girls was at the very top of the building so we had to climb like 10 ramps, get down to the stage (about 6 down) and go back and forth several times. I was sure I was going to walk the baby out and when we left to go get lunch, I wasn’t sure we would be making it back to the theatre, but little boy held on.
Bailey and the rest of the Cupcakes did a wonderful job! It was the first competition for a lot of the girls so there were a lot of nerves, but they had a lot of fun. We even came back for the awards and both Bailey and Sienna got to get on stage to hang out with the older girls and party with the other companies. We were so glad both sets of grandparents were there to help out with Sienna and watch Miss Bailey do her thing!
Covid = At Home Classes
Little did we know the week we welcomed Hunter into our family, the world would be rocked by a pandemic. Everything shut down – schools, offices, restaurants, etc. which also meant that dance classes were put on hold. As we enjoyed the extra family time, the girls were itching to get back to some routine. Perception did an amazing job working hard to put together our first Zoom Dance Classes with all of our other friends. Ms. Keli was amazingly patient with the Candy Shoppe girls and the Cupcakes got right back into their routines. It was nice to see familiar faces again and to share some time with friends, even though it was online. It was really chaotic and at times super challenging, but we all got through it together. Plus baby Hunter got a chance to see his big sisters in action. Oh, and Dad got a chance to practice with the girls too!
Perception Palooza
When it comes to planning a dance recital, it is hard enough to schedule 100+ dances. But to have to pull something together in the midst of a pandemic is something truly remarkable. That is exactly what Perception did for the dancers and their families and we could not be more grateful. These dancers and their teachers work tirelessly all year long, perfecting their dances and honing their skills. Many of the Company dancers, including the seniors spend almost every day at the studio, pushing themselves and their bodies. We were so glad that Perception had decided to keep the recital so that all the girls could show off their hard work. The held the event in June at Cedar Valley Ranch and the girls had a blast seeing all of their friends and watching all the dances. It was a beautiful day that we were so fortunate to celebrate in such a crazy year. The girls danced the night away with all their friends during the glow party. It definitely was one of the highlights this summer!
Competition 2 – Hall of Fame
We weren’t sure if the second competition was going to happen with COVID. Luckily in May we found out that they were going to move forward with a competition in July. We were a little hesitant at first since it would be indoors, but once we learned about the protocols put in place, we were excited to see Bailey and the Cupcakes dance again.
They held the Hall of Fame competition down at the Kansas City Expo Center and had it split out so that only our company was allowed, masks were required, hand sanitizer everywhere and there was a huge space with socially distanced seating and a big open area that you could walk around. Sienna stayed with Grandma for the afternoon and Brian and I took Bailey and Hunter. Bailey had so much fun dancing around with her friends and watching all of the other dancers. They did so great and ended up getting a special award – the “Too Too Sweet” award along with High Gold. I am so glad we were able to see them dance one more time for the season.
We are so proud of our little dancers. They worked so hard and preserved through a very challenging year. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful group of dancers, parents and company staff that bent over backwards to pull off an amazing year. We love being in the PDC Family!
