A Mad Race to the Finish Line

Blog Post About June 2021

The girls and I planned our departure to the States after all the end-of-the-year dance performances; however, things kept being added that we weren't ready for.

Keira had two ballet performances at a local hotel arts and crafts fair. 

Karis also performed a solo.

June 18, 2021

The next morning (Saturday), I had a "goodbye" breakfast with two friends at one of their homes.

June 19, 2021

After breakfast, Doug and I had to rush Keira to another local hotel where the gymnastics class was invited to perform at a Kindergarten graduation??

This is one of those events we didn't plan for.

June 19, 2021

Then that Saturday afternoon, there was a "garden show" at the dance studio for the parents to attend. It was outside and smaller because of covid.

The girls repeated their performances from the day before and Keira added gymnastics.

June 19, 2021

When the show ended, Karis had to leave, and as Keira and I were getting ready to call a taxi, my friend who lives RIGHT ACROSS THE FENCE from the dance studio, called me and Keira over.

Her daughter was having a 16th birthday party in her garden with a few friends, and she wanted us to come.

It was a beautiful night! The teenagers gladly let Keira hang out with them, and I visited with the mom and aunt of the birthday girl, helped bring out the food, and became the official photographer of the group. After the food was set out, they spent FORTY-FIVE minutes taking pictures of the food and each other before we ate :)

We had a lot of fun, and I'm so glad this impromptu invite happened.

June 19, 2021

The next day (Sunday) at the same hotel as the kindergarten graduation, there was now another arts and crafts show where our girls performed (which we had not planned for either).

June 19, 2021

After the performances, we went home, showered, finished packing, left for the airport around midnight,  and flew out at 1:55 in the morning.

Keira didn't get to finish her last two weeks of school, but this is a picture of her 3rd grade class.

Whew!  Now on to America!

Dancing in the Cold

Blog About Fall 2020

The girls danced Friday night in the studio, and on the following day, and an exceptionally COLD day, the girls were scheduled to perform on an outside stage...in very little thin clothing (but at least they could take their masks off).

I was so proud of these girls. I definitely wouldn't have been tough enough to dance in the cold. They also had a fountain spraying in the small pond behind the stage, and the wind would blow sprinkles of ice water on the girls as they danced! 

Karis on the left

Keira on the left

Karis on the far right

A sweet coffee shop nearby provided hot chocolate for the ballerinas

 

Dancing in America

Grandparents take full advantage of birthdays when they see us, so when the girls were home this summer, my mom celebrated both of them simultaneously in a month that neither was born in.  

One advantage to living overseas.

When the girls go to ballet camp, they can't have any outside contact the first four days; however, I saw these pictures on facebook, and I spied Karis in them.

These were tryouts from their first full day there.

*Karis is in glasses on the left

*Karis is to the left of the instructor, looking right.

 When we did facetime, Karis was dressed up for a Saturday conditioning class.
(The theme was "musicals," and her group dressed up as lions from "The Lion King.")

Kylie and her friends posed outside during some off time, and she sent me some of their pictures.

On a side note, their summer dance intensive is put on by Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, Mississippi.  It is a faith-based camp where the girls not only learn skills and techniques of different styles of dance, but they also spend time studying the Word and learning to worship through dance.

I highly recommend it if you have a dancer in your family.

Some friends of mine in Mississippi went to see the girls and took pictures for me.

*Kylie

*Karis

*Kylie - front and center

 These are the girls and boys who attended the first two weeks of camp.

After camp, they had an opportunity to see friends.

Karis is so used to be the tallest girl among all of her classmates in our country, so it was nice for her to have a friend taller than she...but not by much. 

 I was also surprised to see that Texas is now selling 113 pound burgers! 😂

In the Land of Aladdin

We don't live in the land where Aladdin's story originated, but it seemed like a good theme for the past years' dance recital, so that's what the powers that be went with.

They did a good job with the Cave of Wonders; the Genie was blue and over-active, like he was supposed to be; the magic carpet was cute and bouncy; they did a wonderful job casting Jasmine and Aladdin; and they even had two men who made a very convincing camel!

But of course, my favorite part of the show were the dancing "dolls" in the marketplace and the "peacocks" that performed on the streets of Agraba.

Kylie and Karis were assistants on stage for Keira's class, so they dressed as marketplace people, hardly recognizable for their roles.

  And here's the dancing "doll."

The girls had to get them organized on stage.

And then they were ready!

When Prince Ali came to Agraba, he brought the peacocks with him.  

The first peacock to strut her feathers was Kylie.

Soon they were all out. 

Karis, Kylie, and another peacock strutting en pointe across the stage.

The finish!

The finale!  What a production!

The two girls with their teacher.

Fun night in Agraba