Grace and Ella have their dance recitals tomorrow. There is always that child in all the preschool routines that just doesn’t dance. Some even get so comfortable as to sit down while everyone else dances around them. Some are petrified, guided stiffly out on stage and then have a doe-in-headlight look for the entire performance. Others are simply not that interested in what’s going on. The bow on their shoe has suddenly become wildly captivating. Others just wave at grandma or grandpa the whole time. Whatever they do it’s pretty cute because they are pretty cute.
My preschooler, Ella is finishing her second full year in dance. She takes a tap, jazz, ballet combo. She loves to dance. At the practice recital in January she was the non-dancer. She is not shy. She doesn’t get stage fright and she was not distracted. The morning of the recital she was fine until I pulled out her costume. “I have to wear that!”, she shrieked. She said this as though she was unaware until that very moment what this dance costume was for. It had been hanging on her door all week. “It’s itchy!”, she cried. She burst into tears and hysterics.
I found something else for her to wear. I explained that she would have to put on the costume before her performance. Why did I think it would be better to have this meltdown in a public place? At some point in her life she will need to realize there is so much uncomfortableness in the world of women’s fashion. I guess I felt 4 was too young for this all too real reality.
I fought her clothes onto her in a public restroom and she pouted her way to her dance group. When they came out I knew, there would be no dancing from that frowny face. She stood there looking down with her finger in her mouth the whole time. When she returned to her seat her grandmother asked her what was wrong. She declared,”it’s itchy”, as though everyone knows this renders you immobile.
It would be nice if she dances tomorrow but not a big deal if she doesn’t. We’ll just see what happens. It is noteworthy that the costume is the same from January and with her last growth spurt I can barely close the back. So now, tight AND itchy! What are the odds she’ll dance? What do you think?