Tutu twirls!

Our budding ballerina practiced her whirls and twirls for many weeks in preparation for her dance class's Christmas recital. They performed the Nutcracker, which is Summer's most esteemed and favorite music. She has watched four different versions of the ballet and even saw it live and in person, so she is a seasoned veteran when it comes to the Tchaikovsky classic. The performance day arrived, and Summer was so excited for her big day! I gathered her hair into a bun, applied her stage make-up, dressed her in her leotard, ballet slippers, and tights, and away we went to the show! We first shot some pictures of her onstage with the Christmas decor.


Jerald and I sat perched on the edge of our seats with proud and dorky smiles adorning our faces, while clutching our camera and camcorder to capture every minute. The most comical moment of the performance came when the group flitted offstage to change into pink frothy tutus and out came little pirouetting Summer, whose skirt immediately fell down. Her waist is so tiny, that it couldn't stay on! We watched, laughing, as she was quickly hoisted backstage to have it pinned and then was rushed out again as if nothing had happened.

Here is Summer posing with her dance teacher, Ms. Linell.

After the performance, Jerald presented Summer with a charming bouquet of red roses for a job well done. He surprised me with a bouquet also! What a man. Even though my dancing, lately, has been limited to foxtrots and frolics in the kitchen whilst preparing meals, I accepted the bouquet with gratitude, blowing kisses to my imaginary audience. Anyway, we could not have been more proud of Summer at her first-ever recital. Prima ballerina!