Dance Camp

I asked Abby to pick between a gymnastics camp or a dance camp this summer. She chose the dance camp and waited patiently all summer for it to begin!!

 

She went to MJ's Academy of Dance last week, every morning from 8-12 pm. Luckily, one of her besties from school, Indya, was able to join her. It was a "Tights & Tiaras" camp, with about 8 girls who were aged 4-6. They were all beginners, and were told to wear the whole ballet get-up....leotard, tutu, tights, ballet shoes, etc. I think that's the part Abby was most excited about - the "costumes!" :)

 

The first day, she was ready to go by 7:30 and I struggled to get her hair in a bun. So, we opted for pigtails! Abby was thrilled regardless, and insisted on a photo shoot.

One of her besties, Indya

Day 2 went well too. She showed me a few "moves" she learned at Camp and I was less than impressed. (I didn't tell her that of course!) But at least she was having fun, making friends, enjoying the snack & games, and especially loving playing with the Barbies in the morning after drop-off. (Awesome, I was trying to avoid those things for like....ever.)

 Day 3 she insisted on wearing a long-sleeve leotard because it was so cold inside the studio. And I started to get better at fixing a ponytail in her hair :)

 Day 4 she was done. And done. She didn't want to wake up early, didn't want to be cold in the studio, didn't want her picture taken, didn't want to do ballet ever again. Nice.

 

Day 5 she decided to finish strong and was excited to go the last day. Nate and I went to her "recital" later that morning, and were greeted by this cutie pie:

 All the little girls lined up in front of the mirror and the parents were told to sit behind them against the wall. Not the best view, but whatever.

 They started with their daily warm-up song, "Happy." This is one of Abby's all-time favorite songs, so I was expecting her to really break it down and have fun with it. Um, nope. She walked around in a circle a few times. Click here if you want to watch the thrilling video. (And if you're wondering, the 3 really tall girls were all 10 year olds that were "helpers" all week.) It's by far the longest video - like 3 minutes; you've been warned.

 Then they moved into the "Princess Song," which they learned the first day. This was probably my favorite "performance" :) Click here to view that video.

 

 Again, a bit underwhelming. I think it was a lot for all of them to take in, learning a new song/dance every day. After each song, they would close their eyes, put their hands behind their back, and see what color ribbon they got. (Duh, they all got blue every time!)

 For some reason, when Abby is pretending to be shy or embarrassed, she sticks her tongue in the inside of her cheek, or she sticks it out completely. This drives.me.crazy b/c she looks like a weirdo! :) Well, she was at it again for most of this recital. Perfect example:

And I say "pretending" to be shy, b/c we all know she does not have a shy bone in her body. Usually she is pretty out there actually! More like this:

Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Anyways, here are the rest of her "performances:"

Click here for song #2 - Happy 2.0

Click here for song #3 - Broadway Babies

Click here for song #4 - From Peter Pan

Click here for song #5 - From Mary Poppins

The whole gang

Plus teachers

 I was really glad Indya was able to join Abby for Dance Camp. I'm actually not sure Abby would have gone all 5 days if she hadn't been there! Funny story: Indya's mom told me that on Thursday, Indya picked out a new Barbie and asked that it be a "light-skinned one with yellow hair like Abby." Too cute!! Here they are, showing off their goody bags and awards. Abby got the "Cutie Patootie" award.

 They both insisted on taking off their "ugly blue shirts" and wanted some real pictures, lol. These two are a trip.

 

Indya is going to continue taking dance in the Fall, and I asked Abby if she wanted to join her. She said, "No, I'm done with that. I'm gonna do soccer." This girl is all over the place!!!