Next up is her level passing, and I will try to get video from that. It will be the last event (to my knowledge) before Nationals.
Showing posts with label Mini Match. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mini Match. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2017
First Event of 2017!
Well, it has definitely been a while since I've posted. It isn't that we haven't been busy. To the contrary, we have been almost overloaded. Tiny spent the summer after the last competition doing choreography for two community theater productions, which lasted into December. Additionally, she has been preparing for her level passing and Mini Match (she was able to get trial runs on all of her Latin opens) as a springboard for Nationals this April. We didn't take any accidental pictures this time, but here are the videos from this past Saturday:
Monday, February 22, 2016
Catching Up - Mini Match
Anyhow!
She started the day out with a swing with Matt, and then a cha cha.
He passed her to Daniel for a cha cha, then she was back with Matt for a rumba.
Daniel took over for four dances: a swing, a waltz, a tango, and a foxtrot. The tango with Daniel was her favorite, because while they were facing the judge, Craig swung his partner out for an open, and placed his hand on top of Shara's head. She said her facial expression was quite startled, but she laughs about it every time she watches the video.
After the foxtrot with Daniel, she was back with Matt for another tango and a swing.
Daniel got one last rumba, then she finished the day with Matt doing waltz, foxtrot and cha cha.
It was a little difficult taking any of them seriously in their over-the-top disco costumes, but everyone definitely had a lot of fun, even though it was a long day.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
January Show!
Yesterday was the big show! Things have been crazy, and I haven't been keeping the updates as current as I would like, for two reasons really. The first is that we have been SO busy, and the second is that other than rehearsing for last night, and our bi-yearly "team meeting" to plan for the next year and a half, Tiny hasn't really been up to much.
Yesterday was a long, long, long day for her. She got there at 10:45 for hair and makeup, and was really excited that they didn't have to make hair helmet for her this time, since it was an exhibition rather than a competition.
The dress rehearsal ran until about 4:30, and the show started at 6:30. It didn't end until a little after 11:30, and we just couldn't scrape up enough energy to make the after party, so we packed up the magical trunk of mystery (she got a rolling makeup case for Christmas) and snuck out.
By the way, a HUGE shot out to Heather, the Singing Seamstress, for not only her original work on the dress, the gorgeous additions to the dress, and all of the alterations to various costumes, but for the perfect last minute vest she put together for Tiny's partner, which really made them look extra professional on stage.
She looked like a doll that came to life! I didn't see many people with that level of matching costuming, and it really added a nice touch. He said it will definitely be nice to have, in case they need to match again in the future. (He even let me put some crystals on the lapels!)
The choreography was scary, and she may take a few days to heal the last of her bruises, but she did a fantastic job! We get a DVD once the company is finished processing them, and I'll post her performance on the private youtube channel as usual.
Yesterday was a long, long, long day for her. She got there at 10:45 for hair and makeup, and was really excited that they didn't have to make hair helmet for her this time, since it was an exhibition rather than a competition.
That's her bored face.
The dress rehearsal ran until about 4:30, and the show started at 6:30. It didn't end until a little after 11:30, and we just couldn't scrape up enough energy to make the after party, so we packed up the magical trunk of mystery (she got a rolling makeup case for Christmas) and snuck out.
By the way, a HUGE shot out to Heather, the Singing Seamstress, for not only her original work on the dress, the gorgeous additions to the dress, and all of the alterations to various costumes, but for the perfect last minute vest she put together for Tiny's partner, which really made them look extra professional on stage.
She looked like a doll that came to life! I didn't see many people with that level of matching costuming, and it really added a nice touch. He said it will definitely be nice to have, in case they need to match again in the future. (He even let me put some crystals on the lapels!)
The choreography was scary, and she may take a few days to heal the last of her bruises, but she did a fantastic job! We get a DVD once the company is finished processing them, and I'll post her performance on the private youtube channel as usual.
She got roses.
I know she's really excited to get back to focusing on her competitive Bronze steps tomorrow. There has been a new development at the studio with instructors, and so she will now get to rotate among three partners: Richard, her first instructor, Matt (the one from the above pictures, and two of her competitions), and Daniel (from the other competition back in May). Her next scheduled event is a Mini Match at the end of this month. After that, she has a Level Passing in February, Regional Team Match in April, probably a studio Starlight in June, Texarama Regional Competition in August, and the big star on the tree: Nationals in April of 2017.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Show Choreography and Mini Match
It has definitely been a busy week.
We got a call on Tuesday morning that we could come to the studio and watch the choreographer work on her solo. Of course we went! I have to be honest. As I watched, I felt a little like the Len Goodman in the room. I would have liked to see more Argentine Tango content, but what they put together will be really great when she learns it and they smooth it out. I think there are about five challenging lifts, though it may be more if we include the trust fall and the floor drag. I absolutely CANNOT post any early video since this is all proprietary stuff, but let me tell you how impressed I was at how challenging they made it for her. It will definitely be a growing experience for her.
I did get a fantastic picture of her face when she saw the first lift they were working on, and it was pretty humorous.
So fast forward a few days, and today was Mini Match.
Since we're putting most of our money towards Spotlight in October and her solo in January, she only danced each of her competitive dances once. I was so proud of how improved her Rumba was, and so disappointed that I pushed the wrong button and ended up with pictures instead of video of that dance! I have video of the other eight, and we should have her comment sheets later this week or next.
She actually thought it was really funny that I got an accidental picture with the camcorder that looks almost identical to one I accidentally took with Matt back in January.
Some of you might notice the bandage around poor Matt's head. Long story, and not really mine to tell, but suffice to say, he's mostly okay, and the studio named their themed super hero after him: Captain Calamity.
So, two exiting things - we pick up Shara's custom costume (shout out to The Singing Seamstress for all of her amazing work!) tomorrow, and the guys have agreed to let her try out three inch Latin heels. She really needs to start physical therapy to stretch the tendons in her feet, but we're having a disagreement with the insurance company, so it may be a little while before we start those. We pick up her smooth shoe inserts on Monday, so with those in the smooth and the slightly taller heel in the Latin, it may really help, though she definitely needs to make sure those tendons are expanding before she's old enough for them to settle. Anyhow! Exciting stuff - tall shoes and a new dress, so expect pictures tomorrow night!
We got a call on Tuesday morning that we could come to the studio and watch the choreographer work on her solo. Of course we went! I have to be honest. As I watched, I felt a little like the Len Goodman in the room. I would have liked to see more Argentine Tango content, but what they put together will be really great when she learns it and they smooth it out. I think there are about five challenging lifts, though it may be more if we include the trust fall and the floor drag. I absolutely CANNOT post any early video since this is all proprietary stuff, but let me tell you how impressed I was at how challenging they made it for her. It will definitely be a growing experience for her.
I did get a fantastic picture of her face when she saw the first lift they were working on, and it was pretty humorous.
So fast forward a few days, and today was Mini Match.
Since we're putting most of our money towards Spotlight in October and her solo in January, she only danced each of her competitive dances once. I was so proud of how improved her Rumba was, and so disappointed that I pushed the wrong button and ended up with pictures instead of video of that dance! I have video of the other eight, and we should have her comment sheets later this week or next.
She actually thought it was really funny that I got an accidental picture with the camcorder that looks almost identical to one I accidentally took with Matt back in January.
Tango!
Some of you might notice the bandage around poor Matt's head. Long story, and not really mine to tell, but suffice to say, he's mostly okay, and the studio named their themed super hero after him: Captain Calamity.
So, two exiting things - we pick up Shara's custom costume (shout out to The Singing Seamstress for all of her amazing work!) tomorrow, and the guys have agreed to let her try out three inch Latin heels. She really needs to start physical therapy to stretch the tendons in her feet, but we're having a disagreement with the insurance company, so it may be a little while before we start those. We pick up her smooth shoe inserts on Monday, so with those in the smooth and the slightly taller heel in the Latin, it may really help, though she definitely needs to make sure those tendons are expanding before she's old enough for them to settle. Anyhow! Exciting stuff - tall shoes and a new dress, so expect pictures tomorrow night!
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
The Journey of the First Year (Part 5 - January 2015)
After the exhilarating experience of becoming Regional Champion and Top Junior, she put the pedal to the metal with her training. She also got a lot more serious about her career path. As it was, we already knew she wanted to become a professional dancer, and we knew that her focus had abruptly shifted from contemporary to ballroom. The pros at the studio were leery of really aiming her in that direction until she had at least some competitive experience under her belt, so we had a big meeting with her coaches and the studio manager the week after the competition. She made it really clear that she hadn't changed her mind, and so we started planning for her to compete at the national level in November 2015. We drew up a financial plan that took a huge commitment from me (and the rest of the family). It required us to use our tax refund as a down payment, then pay the remainder of the payments out every month. Each payment would be what I was paying in rent at the time. Well, there was absolutely no way I could make that happen on my own. Even with assistance from my ex-husband's family, that was still a huge expense. I did a lot of talking and planning, and we made the decision to join households with my grandmother, keeping her from needing to leave her house, since it was too big for one person, and allowing us to try to help my daughter's dreams come true. The studio hinted that they were grooming her for a professional position within their organization, and did tell us that they looked into hiring her, but that we would have to wait until after she turns 16. So, one year down, two to go.
With this in mind, we made a huge decision.
We decided to take her out of school and homeschool instead. This wasn't an easy decision for me. There were a few relatives who did not support this choice. I told her I would let her take the college placement exams, and if she passed, we would talk about what happened next. When she passed (in eighth grade!), I made the commitment to her to allow her to try for the spring semester of 2015. We got her registered, and she got her college ID.
Whenever I asked her about regrets, and prom, she always told me that she has proms all the time, and at the ones she goes to, she can dress like a princess and everyone else can actually dance, unlike regular proms. I do worry about her social interactions, but she seems to have enough friends who have made the effort to keep in touch, that I worry less now.
Her uncle wanted to do a photo shoot for her and Greyson, and he got some really great photos.
She spend the rest of the Christmas and New Years holidays having extra rehearsals with Matt, and even just one month after her first competition, she was continuing to improve at a rabid pace, particularly considering that we could only afford six private lessons per month. The guys at the studio used every Friday night party as an opportunity to help her get in more practice following, and even going to far as to specifically work steps that she was weak in.
She also started work on her opens. In dance, she can compete in either closed categories or open categories. In closed categories, depending on which level a dancer competes at, there are certain approved moves, which can be danced in any order with whatever appropriate stylings (arm motions may differ between instructors, or independent schools, etc.). In open routines, there is generally more freedom of expression, and no set list of moves, though it can be difficult to balance demonstrating solid technique with adding flair. So far, they have only worked on two, tango and foxtrot, but the one she started working on with Richard in January was the tango open. At the time, they planned to have her learn opens in all of her regular dances (waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha cha, rumba, swing), and add her three additional dances that she would be competing in (Viennese waltz, mambo, bolero). This meant she would need to learn 9 closed routines and 9 open routines by the beginning of November, and we only had 54 lessons in which to learn and perfect all of them. Needless to say, she was feeling a little stressed, right from the beginning.
We threw in Mini Match along the way (January 31st, 2015). It was a casual event, set to be minimally competitive between our studio and the Pearland studio, which is also owned by the couple who owns our studio. She danced each of her competitive six dances (no Viennese, mambo or bolero yet) with each of her partners (Matt and Richard).
With this in mind, we made a huge decision.
We decided to take her out of school and homeschool instead. This wasn't an easy decision for me. There were a few relatives who did not support this choice. I told her I would let her take the college placement exams, and if she passed, we would talk about what happened next. When she passed (in eighth grade!), I made the commitment to her to allow her to try for the spring semester of 2015. We got her registered, and she got her college ID.
Whenever I asked her about regrets, and prom, she always told me that she has proms all the time, and at the ones she goes to, she can dress like a princess and everyone else can actually dance, unlike regular proms. I do worry about her social interactions, but she seems to have enough friends who have made the effort to keep in touch, that I worry less now.
Her uncle wanted to do a photo shoot for her and Greyson, and he got some really great photos.
She spend the rest of the Christmas and New Years holidays having extra rehearsals with Matt, and even just one month after her first competition, she was continuing to improve at a rabid pace, particularly considering that we could only afford six private lessons per month. The guys at the studio used every Friday night party as an opportunity to help her get in more practice following, and even going to far as to specifically work steps that she was weak in.She also started work on her opens. In dance, she can compete in either closed categories or open categories. In closed categories, depending on which level a dancer competes at, there are certain approved moves, which can be danced in any order with whatever appropriate stylings (arm motions may differ between instructors, or independent schools, etc.). In open routines, there is generally more freedom of expression, and no set list of moves, though it can be difficult to balance demonstrating solid technique with adding flair. So far, they have only worked on two, tango and foxtrot, but the one she started working on with Richard in January was the tango open. At the time, they planned to have her learn opens in all of her regular dances (waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha cha, rumba, swing), and add her three additional dances that she would be competing in (Viennese waltz, mambo, bolero). This meant she would need to learn 9 closed routines and 9 open routines by the beginning of November, and we only had 54 lessons in which to learn and perfect all of them. Needless to say, she was feeling a little stressed, right from the beginning.
We threw in Mini Match along the way (January 31st, 2015). It was a casual event, set to be minimally competitive between our studio and the Pearland studio, which is also owned by the couple who owns our studio. She danced each of her competitive six dances (no Viennese, mambo or bolero yet) with each of her partners (Matt and Richard).
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