2017-2018 Dance Season at Utah Dance Artists

Another dance year at Utah Dance Artists, I believe the 10th to be exact. We stay where things are solid! I have always been impressed by the life skills they have gained at this studio, how the staff really loves them, the role models they have there, how organized it is, and how they grow as dancers.

Picture day is a big day…a big weekend! It is fun to see the recital pieces they have worked on and talked about for so long come to life a bit in costume. We do a lot of prep to get the girls into their pieces. One year it was on broadway shows so I made the girls watch movies of all the broadway shows available! For this year it was “Fun & Games” so whatever game matched the dance we got our hands on and played.

Reagan Games:Barrel of Monkies, Candyland, Angry Birds, Duck Duck Goose, Ring Around the Rosies & Hi Ho Cheerio

Shae’s Games: Make Believe, Memory Matching, Cobs & Robbers, Scrabble, Operation, Barrel of Monkeys & the Quiet Game.

Cameron’s Games: Make Believe, Dress Up, Cops and Robbers, Battleship, Barbies & Jump Rope

 

Abby’s Games: Royalty, Cops & Robbers, Make Believe, Diner Dash, Guess Who & Jumanji

 

Abby, Cameron, and Shae because they were on the STARS dance team were able to do some production dances together. It was a lot of fun to watch them all on stage together.

 

Recital Day or Rehearsal Day are a DREAM to me, I am just in awe of how brave my girls are and how hard they have worked. My mom loves it as much as I do which means so much to me and it is also helpful to have an extra hand. My car turns into an insane reality where you can just find the most obscure things in it.

This year we also got to watch my cute nephew perform which was adorable!

Abby got to watch her two classes she assistant taught for perform. She spent four girls assistant teaching and it was a really special growing experience for her.

I will explain in the last post but it was our last year at UDA which was extremely hard and emotional for all of us. So we made sure to take lots of pictures in their recital shirts and during the process of all of it.

At the end of recital we celebrate as a family by going to Ruth’s Diner up Emigration Canyon and eating on the patio. Also a sleepover at home with Ben & Jerrys.

This year we had an EXTRA SURPRISE to celebrate….Cameron was nominated in the program (you don’t find out who was nominated till you sit down at recital) for Most Improved Dancer and Abby was nominated for Dance of the Year. Being nominated is a HUGE accomplishment and was such a treat of a surprise. Abby had met with the dance studio owner to learn how to set goals, visualize them, attain them, gain self confidence, etc. throughout the year. I will forever be grateful for the time she gave to Abby because it was significant not just in dance but her entire life. Cameron really came out of her shell, worked so hard at dance, and improved leaps and bounds.

At the end of year dance party at Cowabunga Bay the winners are announced and the nominated girls are honored. It is a blast to run around the water park with your dance friends just in itself!

Cameron was recognized for her hard work. Abby won the Dancer of the Year and one of her best dance friends won Most Improved Dancer. This is from a studio that has over 1,000 kids and I could not have been more proud. Watching them beam and cry having this experience all together is etched on our hearts forever.

I am so thankful that my girls had Ms Heidi, Ms Leslie, Ms Brooke, Ms Sarah, Ms Brittany and Ms Marcia in their lives. Ms Sarah spent a lot of time with Abby doing private lessons and Abby really grew to trust her and love her. Ms Sarah to this day still sends Abby support and love which I am so grateful for.

I was thankful to ALL of the teachers I didn’t list, some that the girls had for years and some for only one year. Even notes like these warmed my heart and are so important for children to hear from people they look up to. I always have my girls twice a year write handwritten notes to each of their teachers to show that they really do appreciate them. This year we paired it with gifts from Jolleys.

 

It was hard to say goodbye to this studio during recital weekend and the Cowabunga Bay party. The girls’ dance team directors Heidi and Leslie decided to throw them a goodbye party. It helped to have one last night that was a bit less crazy to spend time with dance friends and be able to say goodbye.

Ms Leslie made this for us and had all their dance team members sign the back of it. It is framed in our house now so we can see it everyday.

MAN GUYS…when you find people that love your children that well, that help them work so hard, build confidence and are such beautiful role models. HOLD ON TIGHT AND ALWAYS TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM. What a wonderful decade with this studio.

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