We are in year three of my girl dancing competitively and yet I have never posted any pictures of her on the blog before.  Today is the day! She has come such a long way as a dancer and I couldn’t be more proud of her for pursuing her love of dance so passionately.   She truly is an inspiration to this momma!  Her dedication and responsibility when it comes to her commitments and her teammates is something to be admired.  She pushes herself through doubt, through pain, through the trials of being a 13 year old, and she does it so eloquently and beautifully.   It is not an easy path for sure and sometimes I think that the art and sport of dance just isn’t recognized enough for how much effort must be put in.  Ever since Emily could walk, she has been dancing.  She still prefers dancing over walking, she twirls around the house and leaps through the aisles in the grocery store.  You have to be careful around the house because you just may have a foot come flying toward your face at any given moment!  I remember when she was about two years old how we would just watch her doing what we called her “interpretive dancing”, it was somehow magical, odd and interesting all at the same time, but that girl was moving her body in a way that spoke to her soul.  It’s a part of who she is, she can’t deny it, and I hope it always stays a part of her in some way throughout her life.

There is so so much more that is gained along with learning dance technique and choreography, she has learned to be a part of a team, to push through defeats, to lift others up, and to dry her tears when she is disappointed or just can’t live up to her own expectations.  She has learned that dreams require hard work, and that it doesn’t matter how well you can or can’t dance, that being kind and loving is more important than anything. She has learned long ago that the judges score does NOT define her, that a score doesn’t even matter.  She has learned that all that matters is that she is loving well, serving others, and sharing her beautiful gift with the world.  When I see my girl shine on stage performing a beautiful arabesque, I know that as she learned that, she was also learning perseverance.  When I see her do a pirouette, she has learned to be considerate. When I see that hard earned perfect releve, I also see compassion.  When my girl gracefully leaps across the stage in a beautiful grand jete, I see encouragement, determination and respect.

Being on stage makes her absolutely light up! It’s where she finds herself and loses herself all at the same time. Baby girl, I HOPE YOU DANCE.

UPDATE: This song she dances to is “God Help the Outcasts”, which is from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  After the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, this dance has taken on a whole new meaning.

I did not take these pictures, copyright of ©DancemakersInc.com

Much Love,