Jewelia Starts a New Dance Class

While Jewelia was doing well at the local dance class for her first try at dance, we decided since it didn't work out for Micah, that we would take her to dance at the studio where Micah actually enjoyed dancing. So, not a big deal, but a little frustrating

trying to get things organized.

Jewelia didn't care so much. She mostly just loved having different princess dance outfits to wear.

We started her in a new class in January of 2009. It was a much smaller class with only about 6 girls.

It was probably better that it was small, as these girls mostly just stared or cried during class, as you can see from some of the following videos.

As you see here, she is the only one dancing! I think it is hilarious!

They started learning a dance routine for the spring recital, and Jewelia picked it up really well. We were glad she wasn't shy about dancing!

First Christmas Recital

December 2008, Micah was 8 years old and almost been dancing for a year. He got to perform in his first Christmas dance recital.

He was to dress up like snowman and dance to "Frosty the Snowman" for tap class.

And he would be dressed up as a reindeer to dance to "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".
Sorry, no pictures of him in his reindeer costume, but it was similar to his classmates costume in the picture below.

He did alright, although during the reindeer dance his antlers broke off and were hanging there like dog ears, so that posed as a bit of a distraction.

Trying Out a New Dance Place

Micah was doing pretty well dancing at the studio he was at, but we wondered if we could find something a little more local. But, at the same time, we didn't want to give up his place in the studio he was at, so we decided to do double-time. He stayed in his old dance classes, but on Fridays, he began going to a local dance studio to see if it was as good.

Well, this place was a little picky, and they wouldn't allow him to be in any class except for very beginning dance because he had never danced with them before. So, he did, but he already was far advanced and pretty bored. They didn't care though. They decided to do some sort of country line dance for their Christmas recital, which wasn't really ballet or tap.

Micah tried hard, but it was hard to be in 2 dance studios. There was one day that he had to miss class and the new studio decided to change around his whole routine the day before the recital and it left Micah in a mess. Here he had worked so hard and then they changed everything on him the night before recital and there was no way for him to figure it out with only a dress rehearsal left. He was so upset for the recital although he did the best he could with what they had done to change all his parts.

So, anyway, so sad we couldn't find something local, but Micah ended his short trial with the community dance place and went back to the old. He did look cute in his sparkly sequenced vest though.

Jewelia's Dancing

Jewelia was loving her first dance class. She loved to be a princess ballerina, and she loved to tap. Here are a few thoughts and dance moves from Jewelia:

Micah's First Formal Dance Training

While Micah's first dance class was kind of a fun class for kids age 5-7 to figure out what kind of dancing they liked, in the fall of 2008, he began his first formal dance classes specifically in tap and ballet. This time there were 2 separate classes for each dance instruction. Here he began learning more distinct moves in both his ballet and tap.

Again, he was the only boy, yet it never seemed to matter to Micah. He still loved to dance. While he was quite shaky at first, he was learning. Somehow he would figure out how these other kids kept their balance and kept so coordinated.

Here is Micah in his level 1 ballet dance class:

He even began learning some small jumps:



In tap he began practicing for an upcoming Christmas recital:



He still had a lot to master, but he was having a lot of fun!

Jewelia Begins Dance

Jewelia, as a little 2 year old, had watched her big brother start dance and be in a recital and she wanted a part of it too.

She wasn't old enough for dance yet, but when she turned 3, we found a little dance class and signed her up. She absolutely loved it!

I think mostly she just loved the princess ballet dance clothes that she got to wear.

It wasn't much, but she got to do a little bit of dancing. She wasn't so clueless as the other kids, as she had a big brother to watch.

Here are a few videos of Jewelia's first dance experience:

This first one is for tap,

And then a little Princess ballet:

Dance Lessons for a Boy?

Micah was about 7 years old when he first came to me asking about dance classes. He was a different kid. We had put him in sports but he didn't seem to like them. We tried gymnastics, t-ball, and soccer, and he didn't want to have anything to do with them.

When he was in 1st grade, he went on a field trip to see the Ballet West Nutcracker at Christmas time, and then after that it was all he talked about. He wanted to dance too, and not just any kind of dance, he wanted to dance ballet!

Micah had a thing where he walked mostly on the tips of his toes. It was a bad habit, and we had fought to correct it, but nothing much was working. I suppose he already looked like a ballet dancer the way he could prance around on his toes without much thought, but maybe we could stick him in tap classes as well and he would be forced to hit those heels down. Hmmm.....

We looked around and we found a dance class that offered kids from 5 to 8 ballet, jazz, and tap all in one. So, our little Micah boy went to learn to dance.

Here is a video of his first dance experience. This was during the tap section. (Sorry it is sideways!)

I thought how cute for a little boy to be in a dance class. Not so sure what my husband thought, but he was very tolerable and wanted to give Micah a chance to try something new that he wanted to do, so he allowed it. Cute Micah was the only boy in the whole dance studio, but he seemed so happy and enjoyed it.

We started him in dance in April of 2007 when he was 8 years old, and he was able to perform in his first dance recital 2 months later. He looked so cute in his little yellow suspenders and bow tie!

Here he is performing "Banana Phone":