The manic preparation for a dance show

My favourite photo of mairforth in I took from backstage.

It's come again.
A two year interval wasn't long enough for me! but was a year too long for my girls!
They all love performing and their bi annual dance show is this weekend in the large Venue Cymru.
Excitement is bordering on new levels, especially Mair.

 Naively I should have remembered how much work it is, but my mind has been elsewhere, a lot of elsewheres!
That is not to say they have been neglected.
I have bought granny knickers (twice) hairnets, bobbles, hair pins, grips, hairspray, flower bobbles galore, new tights, new dance shoes, new ballet shoes,customised a t shirt, and finally bought endless snacks, drinks and made up meals as they are in the theatre practising all day tomorrow and then all day Sunday performing in two separate shows.

Bella in yellow skirt second row 2010 show

All in all the three girls are in 12 dances!
God forbid we loose a costumes or part of one.
The headaches!
The twins!!!! they love nothing more than going through the bags and raiding.
Not a good idea as far as my sanity is concerned.

Bella behind the boy

I came home at 5pm from work (having gone out in my lunch hour and after work for stuff as well) fed the twins, went to the gym and then have spent now 5 hours preparing things, and I am not through yet.
Call me paranoid but Mair has instructions strapped to the suitcase!! I am not chaperoning this year because of the twins. I cannot yet fathom how my disorganised  just 6 year old will get changed into four separate outfits in the right order, or eat the right food without me there.

Bella on pointes behind the boy on the left

Over the years (shockingly now 21years!!!!) I have seen 6 of my 7 girls, start ballet at 3 years old. Apart from Abie who had any aspirations of dance cut short at the age of 6 when we sadly moved overseas, all have danced until their teens, the three teens now all dance at higher levels, ballet, modern jazz, major ballet (pointes) and street dance between them. It does not take a mathematical genius to work out how expensive this is.
In fact I soberingly sat down one day and worked out from when Abigail was three to when Anya will leave dance at 18 roughly how much I have spent. I didn't share this with Simon!!

Martha in Jai Ho in the middle in red

Is it frivolous?No. Ballet teaches so many things. Concentration, balance, discipline being a few as well as basic french!! Modern and jazz teach co ordination, rhythm, sequencing and much more. Pointe work is tough. Take a look at any professional dancers feet (my friend was a ballerina) and you can see how disfigured they are.

But my girls love dance. I would go as far as to say, if I had the money they would live at the dance school. They have all gone through the phases of wanting to make a career out of it, until they reached the higher levels and have been on a few courses run by dance academies then they rapidly changed their minds!

Martha in red in the middle

They get an enormous enjoyment out of it, as well as it being a very good hobby and one that keeps them all extremely healthy and fit. They help with the little ones as well from time to time which gives them a sense of responsibility, it also keeps them from getting bored.
When I watch the shows, despite the manic run ups, money spent and stress my heart overflows with pride at how utterly amazing they all are. My mother loved coming too and watching her girls dance. It will be the first year in 20 that she will not be there, and as always her presence and support are so badly missed.
So on Sunday this proud Mummy will be waiting at 6 pm for the curtain to pull up, and my little and not-so-little babies to enthral me and everyone else once again.

Bella in Black with all the little ones.