rebel heart: 2019 step up dance academy concert

there is nothing that makes me prouder than watching madeline dancing on stage. i actually can't believe how graceful she is (does not get that from me) and watching her knowing how much hard work and practice goes into it all, just makes it that much sweeter.

tonight was her dance schools end of year concert - this years theme was "rebel heart" and our sweet girl was in three dances this year

first up was her primary ballet class - who performed the spanish dance

complete with fans and all. so cute! i loved their red tutus.

some wonderful mums and dance teachers even posted some backstage shots, so we got to see it from all angles. haha

next up - her lyrical troupe. they did the same dance they performed at the april and october competitions - stand by me.

same dance meant same costumes, which was fine by me - one less costume we had to buy haha

our cute lyrical girls with their teacher miss georgia

finally - maddie was part of a large ensemble consisting of multiple ballet technique classes in together. we all looooved this costume, a white tutu with a coloured swirl around it, different ones depending on their level in the class - purple (junior), blue (senior) and gold (advanced/en pointe)

i take my hat off to whoever put this dance together - it had all kinds of elements and separate dances within it and somehow it all came together. i have to admit that even on stage rehearsal night i was a bit worried. for no reason apparently.

look at these cuties backstage - having a good time!

it was a great show and i loved it! seeing how much works goes into one evening is incredible and i am in awe of those who put it all together.

the only sad part was having to say goodbye to madeline's beautiful dance teacher miss georgia. she is moving to queensland next year to study and i know she will be so missed, not just by our girl, but so many of them. she has been such an incredible teacher and really nurtured madeline and believed in her, even selecting her to dance in the lyrical troupe. she taught her in ballet this year and last year and then in the lyrical as well this year. miss georgia we will miss you!

what an amazing year at dance. can't wait for the next one!

back to dancing

school went back this week... and so did dance classes. our maddie is now doing three classes a week, so fingers crossed it goes well and that she's so occupied that she has less energy for fighting with her mum! 

including:

-ballet (same as last year), 

-lyrical troupe - the class she was chosen for that will compete in the local dance festival, and 

-ballet technique, which is a necessary class for those who are a part of the lyrical troupe, to ensure their techniques are correct.

here she is, ready for her first lyrical class. she is so excited! i truly hope she finds as much joy in her dancing again this year, she did so well last year and we have been so proud of her. ♥

maddie at wa ballet

the incredible pinker family got madeline the most amazing christmas gift, a ticket to a day workshop at the west australian ballet, which she waited very impatiently for and finally got to use today. i had to stay home with the boys, but aunty dom was all over it and sent me plenty of pics of our little ballerina having the time of her life!

i love seeing pictures of madeline dancing, she is so madly in love with it and listens and watches so carefully to make sure she does it just right. i really hope she always loves it this much! especially seeing as she will be doing three dance classes a week in just a few weeks!

look at her go!

and i am super proud of her perfect posture here!

here she is with the guy who taught their workshop. she had the "best day ever!" and wanted to go back again tomorrow haha.

go girl. shoot for the moon! we are so proud of you and your dancing

and we are so grateful to the pinkers. who knows, maybe one day she will be dancing at uncle taui's work... the west australian ballet! ♥

costume check

today was maddie's dance school end of year concert costume check. oh my gosh. what an angel. doesn't she look beautiful?! she was happier than i have ever seen her dancing around in her tutu just  on top of the world.

a few months ago, the letters for the end of year concert went out and madeline didn't want to do it. she had stage fright and was terribly shy at the thought of being on stage in front of people. so we returned the form with "no" on it. for the next few weeks we had begging and pleading to change the form and she told us over and over she wanted to be in it. only the date for forms being handed in had passed. luckily to her delight, one of the teachers found doug when he picked her up after class one saturday, to ask if we would reconsider and allow her to be in the concert after all. apparently her dancing was very good and they didn't want her to miss out. so the second chance came and here we are!

watching her today in her tutu, showing their dance to the mums at costume check was something else. she had a look of perfect concentration on her face, carried herself beautifully and did her steps perfectly. she just looked so so happy and i am thrilled beyond words. she may be a pain sometimes (most of the time) but she has really found something she loves and somewhere she wants to be. let's hope she sticks to it and keeps trying her hardest ♥

birthday ballet outing

yesterday (which was madeline's actual birthday) she and joseph had to come to a midwife appointment with me. they were so well behaved and i was stoked... so afterwards we went to sherbert bakeshop and cafe for a treat

i love it when these two love each other. it's my favourite... i just wish it happened more often! this photo says it all though, it's times like this that make being a mum totally worth it.

it's someone's birthday somewhere? that someone is meeeeee!

after the cafe, we drove a little way up the road to turn around, and used the west australian ballet centre carpark. it was then i had the most wonderful idea. my friend taui works at the ballet centre and should be at work at that time... so i made a call, hoping he was available. to my absolute delight he was, and madeline got the best birthday present of all time, a private hour long tour of the west australian ballet!

we went into all the studios, where madeline was able to dance to her hearts content... not once did taui rush her, he was more than happy for her to dance her heart out and insisted his work could wait, as nothing was more important than madeline's birthday. what a love!

we even got to have a peek into the studio where all the costumes are made!! madeline was in ballet heaven. what a lucky, lucky girl!

posing with uncle taui before going home.

what an amazing gift. i absolutely cannot believe how lucky our girl is! it has just renewed her ballet obsession that much more and she is bursting with joy, telling everyone that it was the best birthday present (and best birthday!!) ever. oh it's great to be seven!

♥

i have no doubt this feisty little redhead is going places! 

tiny dancer

well, i did say it was going to be a year of firsts... just yesterday we enrolled madeline into the step up dance academy here in ellenbrook to do ballet lessons this year. she is so excited that we can't get her to take her outfit off and she keeps doing dance moves and jumps all around the house. it's so adorable! i just hope she loves it once she is doing lessons as much as she does now.

but seriously... how cute is she! ♥

a night at the ballet!

the is the face of the luckiest girl in the world, who straight after her school disco this evening did another costume change and headed back out the door to her first taste of a proper ballet production at none other than his majesty's theatre in perth city! 

we have a friend who works at the west australian ballet and he managed to get 6 free tickets to tonights show of "the great gatsby." probably not the most family friendly show there ever was, but let's be honest, when it's told as a ballet, how bad could it really be?

off we went with the pinker girls and had a great night. the ballet was wonderful and looked amazing... 

but 

please remember i took a 6 year old. this six year old was asked about 4 times prior to entry if she needed to use the bathroom. she said no. halfway through the first act, she (of course) needed to go. a lock out period applies, so we were forced to go and sit in the back row of the very top tier of the theatre. we could still see everything, but of course then she was upset because she wanted to sit with the pinkers.

after intermission we were admitted back to our seats, only for her to ask me question after question so i had to move my head a lot, then i had the guy behind me tell me quite sternly to sit still and stop moving his head or he wouldn't be able to see a thing. maddie chose this moment to tell me that she'd had enough and wanted to go home (fine by me!) so out into the foyer we went... only to see the lovely mermaid jessica pearl (so of course then maddie wanted to stay) who chatted with us until the end of the show and our friends came out again.

in a nutshell. the ballet was lovely, (however without having read the book, or seen the movie... and having any provided dialogue) but really i had no idea what was going on, especially when i had to go in and out more than one. apparently though, maddie did chose a great point in the show to exit... as the ending especially is not child friendly.

i am sure if we go and see something a little more suited to her age group she would enjoy it a lot more... maybe we will try again next year.

another first done.

ballet? check!

ballet!

guess who scored a vip ticket to the
wa ballet at the quarry last night?
well... me of course!
my gf anouck called me at 415 asking if i wanted to go - she works for woodside, one of the corporate sponsors. so vip it was!
drinks and nibbles before the ballet began...
and it was certainly interesting!
and i don't know if that's in a good way...
the dancers were good... the dances not so much.
a bit modern for my taste - i'm more into ballet that involves flowers and tutus, but that's just me!
we had a heap of fun though, and lots of laughs...
nothing like a free night out with a mate!
thanks chick xp.s. the quarry amphitheatre is freaking awesome.
check it out sometime!