Tiny Dancer

Sweet Natalie had her first real dance recital this weekend. How far she has come in a year! Last summer she took a little week-long dance camp. She enjoyed it, but on the final day when it came time to do a little 5-minute performance for the parents, she froze and just stood completely still while other dancers bumped into her. She told me afterward that she was "tired from practicing so much," but we knew it was stage fright. She can be so shy sometimes, and she can get quite self conscious - not even wanting to do her dance moves in front of her Daddy at home. But she's been taking this dance class since the Fall, and she seems to enjoy it a lot. Still...I was worried. This recital was going to be on a huge stage, one where real musicals and plays are performed, that can seat 3,400 people, complete with a balcony. Just the thought of it made my own stomach churn. I honestly don't think I ever could have been convinced to go on that stage.

Natalie did fantastic! They danced to an Ariel the Mermaid song, Under the Sea, and waved little ribbons like seaweed. She was bouncy and full of enthusiasm, and looked like she enjoyed herself so much. She said afterward that she couldn't see people at all, because of the lights, and that was probably a blessing. She heard the applause at the end though, and smiled from ear to ear when she was done. My sweet, tiny dancer.