Analee was in love with her costume. So were her younger sisters. Gwendolen had to wear it to my parents' house the day following the recital, and Miriam had to wear it the day after that. The best part of Ana's dance was when they had to face the back and shake their hips; she made that little two-tiered skirt shake like nothing else.
The hair. THE HAIR. As I've mentioned before, this dance studio is extremely specific about how your dancer's hair has to be done. This year Ana's class had to have a high, curly ponytail. Analee wants to grow her hair out, but it's not that long yet; when she wears it in a low pony, the sides always fall out. So I had to come up with a way to help it stay in. My solution:
As I was falling asleep two days before the rehearsal/recital, this is what I came up with. Three French braids leading up to the crown of her head where the rest of the hair would be gathered into a ponytail. This way the wispies were forced to stay in place.
She did a terrific job at the recital and came home late that night, exhausted but happy.
Analee posing in the front yard before her recital.
To see more pictures from the dress rehearsal, start here.