Mixed Feelings

I both love and hate the girls' dance class.

It's a tap/ballet/tumbling class, and I love that they are learning how to follow directions, to take turns, all those good citizen type of skills. I love that they actually learn some real dance steps, even at this age, and that they learn cute little dance routines that we can trot out whenever the occasion arises (like at the church talent show). I also like going to recitals and the little shows they put on at the spring and fall festivals and random other places.

What I don't like is that this studio is not at all like the one where I took ballet. It seems to cater more towards pageant hopefuls or future cheer dancers than ballerinas. Instead of having all the girls wear the typical black leotard/pink tights combination that I equate with more serious studios, this is an anything-goes-in-apparel kind of school, which among a certain group of students seems to be more about what they're wearing in class than how they're dancing. Or behaving.

What I REALLY have issue with though, is the costumes. Some of the costumes in this year's 80's themed recital were beautiful. I would have been happy to have the girls wearing those. They were either more traditional tutus or floaty little fairy type outfits.

For "Stray Cat Strut", their tap number, we ended up with tiny Playboy Bunnies (cats)

I'm REALLY glad that they had their hair up for the recital, because I was very distressed about how they looked on class picture day.
You should have seen them swing their tails.


Then for "Tomorrow", their ballet number, we ended up with this:

Here I don't object to the dresses so much as I object to how grown up they look when you combine the dresses with the required gobs of makeup.

Not the best pictures, but here's Elizabeth on the way to recital:

She has massively long eyelashes, and coating them with mascara just made her look totally fake.

And here's Lilli:
She's 3 and she looks completely jaded with life.

I have been asked why the girls don't have any makeup to play with in their dress up bin, and the answer should be obvious.

I CAN ONLY HANDLE IT ONCE A YEAR.

Ok, twice counting dress rehearsal.

And maybe on Halloween.

BUT THAT IS ALL.