We went to SoCal a couple of weeks ago so that Abs could compete in a ginormous Irish step dance competition. This is where my induction in to the Stage Mom guild/club/cult and then my dramatic removal from the same guild/club/cult was made official.
We found out that Abby a problem with a ligament on her left foot about ten days before the competition. It sucked. She'd worked so hard. We had to take her off of the foot and she had to walk around in a horrible boot all day every day, except for the two hours of practice. I know, gasp, she still danced while injured. I'm a jerk. But, her PT said she could so I'm off the hook right?
As always, before any big competition, these girls are taken off of their feet for the week prior to the event. We took the week and headed to Cali early to Disney and beach for a few days. By the time the competition began, she was ready to dance again. That Friday she danced in the solo competition. Her hard shoe, which is always her best, felt slow and lacked her normal energy. But her soft shoe was perfection. The kind of dancing that takes your breath away. And, she knew it.
The next day the teams danced their 8 hand figures. These dances are crazy hard. The big girl team (top row below - 1 dancer) danced first and did so well. They placed 15th overall. The littles, Abby and her friends in front row below, danced a few dances later and looked amazing until the end where everything just sort of fell apart. But, they had no idea. They all thought they were amazing. That's kind of the point, right? No matter how it all went down, they thought they were perfect. Just look at them... they were!
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| Abby and her team (s). She's 4th from the left in the front row. |
During the team dances there was a mom standing in the aisle waving her arms at the team on the stage. I assume she was trying to tell them to move in to the center of the stage. She looked like an idiot. Even if they'd noticed her, it would have been a disaster for the team. I was so embarrassed for her and the poor girls that have to live with her insane behavior. But, then I realized that while Abby was dancing I had the urge to yell "stomp harder" a few times. And that was it. My days as an almost insane stage mom were over.
Abby, I promise that I will never be the mom that stands in the aisle waving my arms at you while you dance. I'll never watch with my head bobbing to make sure you hit every beat, stomped every stomp, clicked every heel or stood up high on every toe. I will never be the mom that makes you nervous or worried about how stiff the competition is. Pinky swear.
This dance thing is crazy. But, my Abby is an amazing dancer. This last year has been a miracle for her. She's in the 6th grade. Everything changes during these years. She's battling hormones and mean girls (wait for the post on that one.. it's a doozy) and suddenly feeling like boys are awesome and hating her siblings and the desire to sass me at every turn, oh, and the math battle is a fierce one this year. But, she has this dance thing that gives her confidence and courage and the best friends any little girl could ever have and teachers that love her and and make her work hard and teach her the importance of really earning something.
She earned her championship status this year. She earned her ranking. She earned every bit of time I spend in that car driving her to and from the studio and the time spent waiting for her and the insane amount it costs to keep this up. She earned it ten times over. I would do it again and again and again to see her smile like she did when she got off that stage after dancing the most beautiful soft shoe dance I have ever seen her do.
** Very special thinks to our Mel who hauled her cookies to watch her dance and run around Disneyland with us.
