...Kate's first dance competition. Kate loves to dance. I think we have made that clear over the last 4 years. A couple weeks ago she had her first contest and she did great. Now there were not very many girls in her age division and she was the youngest. In 100 years it will not matter. What matters is that she went out on the stage, and after a slight hesitation, as she looked cautiously around the room, she slowly put her hands on her hips and popped her knee out just like she was supposed to do. I think Michael, me, and my mom were all holding our breath as we waited to see if she would take her starting pose. She started her dance perfectly facing the judges who were seated on a tall podium. Then she glanced to the left and saw all the people (the front row full of the familiar faces of the older girls she knew from dance class). From that point on she thought that was the direction she was supposed to face, because, as I later clarified with her, that was the audience. She did it perfectly. We could not have been more proud.
Finally it was awards time. It was so cute to see the older girls take Kate on to the dance floor and sit with her, gently showing her the ropes. I am so thankful for Emma, Taysha, Libby, and the rest of the gang for being so incredibly sweet to Kate. Now, there was another little girl who was nearly 2 years older that was pretty darn good so we were certain Kate had been beat and would not get a trophy. To our surprise, however, there was a second place overall trophy. Once we realized she would receive a trophy my mom and I burst in to tears. We knew how badly Kate wanted a trophy. Her reaction did not disappoint!
I am so proud of Kate for getting out there and doing her dance to "Everybody Wants to be a Cat." She's a star in my book. I hope this helps build confidence in her like it did for someone else I once knew.
Like mother, like daughter
Posts
