Of Prudes and Pliés

It's Dance Recital Season again, otherwise known as out of the (robotics) frying pan and into the (dancing) fire! As you can see from this first photo, Asa gets to perform in a ballet dance this year, which she is very excited about.

Every little girl should get to don at least one sugar plum fairy outfit and dance around a stage while the parents ooh and aah, and this has been her dream for lo these many years - ever since this first dance recital of hers at the Parks-n-Rec ballet class for toddlers (she's curtsying on the right):


We went up to Portland for the "Dance Magic" dance team competition this week as well. Boy did that event make me appreciate the woman who runs her studio even more than I already do! For one thing, I really appreciate her "no tummies showing" rule. All of our studio's dancers wear a leotard under their costumes, and in general their costumes are cute, cool, and not revealing of an undue amount of body parts. I've never really considered myself to be the prudish type, but there's something distinctly unnerving about tiny Jon-Benet Ramsey-lookalikes in leopard-skin bikini-top costumes shaking their booties at the audience. I have to admit I did get a little creeped out by some of the costumes and moves - things that look appropriate on an older teen just look so WRONG on an eight year old.

















But the girls from our studio had a terrific routine and they did simply great! Asa came off the stage beaming from ear to ear and saying that she has never felt so intense on stage, like she poured every little bit of her into her dancing (her words). She truly loved it, and it was great to watch her perform with her wonderful dance team. Now we've only got four more recitals to go before we hit the summer!