The Wiggle and Juggle of Dance

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I am a "dance Mum!" It is a controlling and consuming occupation. Hours per day are swallowed indiscriminately by "training." Then the day of competition looms ever closer so normality and co. turn tail and run for the hills, screaming. Throw a birthday fortnight and school holidays into the mix and the result is an almost complete collapse of an already fragile mental state.

Ensuring the eldest has water bottle, dance shoes, dance outfit and sweatshirt in her bag ready the night before can take hours of juggling, yelling and searching. The constant reminders to put the smelly sweaty dance outfits into the washing basket, so that they make it into the washing machine on time, are met with sighs and eye rolls. Fitting a budget around ensuring the food vacuum, that recently emerged from a tweens bedroom, is kept satisfied and energised with a variety of healthy food is next to impossible. The ability to be in two places at once is a requirement, having a neighbour you can dumped the youngest on at the last minute is a blessing and a husband who does what he is told without question comes in handy too.  

For the last twelve weeks Mondays was Tumbling for Lollipop, Tuesday was Showcase rehearsal for both girls, which changed after the showcase to classes for Lollipop and training for Butterfly. Then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday was competition training for the Butterfly for anything from one to five hours. Let’s not forget to mention the extra times taking for costume or shoe fittings and make-up and hair styling practises! Seriously! Oh and the fundraising, meetings, email conversations and changes to the schedule that interrupted days off and caused late suppers. Of course this all has to happen between the everyday requirements of being a stay at home mum. Not forgetting of course the all-important play dates that the youngest arranges with her friends mothers before consulting her own mother. Then there is also the numerous other commitments the eldest has with school clubs and choirs, road patrol and student buddy programs, alter service and Catholic CafĂ© and not to mention piano practise and the ever growing social life.

Dance, sucks you in, chews you up and spits you out! The dancer, sweats for five hours or so a day, the dance Mum runs around in ever accelerating circles for twelve months.

Now that competition is over things have slowed down, but not for long! In two weeks the girls will be back in the studio working on performance pieces for a number of shows the dance company gets involved with. I will be back to juggling two schedules, fitting my life around dance and dragging a Mauritian by the ear to the places he is needed. There will be the inevitable moments of panic to find the right top to match the tights that were found under the bed. I am sure we will have last minute dashing to the clothing store to get something required for the new costumes. Of course at some point I will be scouring the shoe shops for yet another pair of suitable hip hop dance shoes.

There are days when I wish my kids were lazy!

But…

It’s not all bad!

Seeing the thrill on the Lollipops face when she lands successfully out of a cartwheel is up lifting. When the Butterfly gets home after a gruelling day of training and greets me with sass and enthusiasm, it’s worthwhile.

Never very shy, the Butterfly’s confidence in her own abilities is growing daily. Her hard work and perseverance when things got tough was rewarded with a successful competition that left the entire crew feeling like winners despite not placing.

Not good in large groups of people the Lollipop is slowly learning to participate and engage with people outside of her safety net. Never much of a team player, as the oldest and longest member in her crew, the Lollipop is learning that sometimes it’s okay to lead rather then follow.   

I am a "dance Mum!" It is a controlling and consuming occupation. But, watching the beaming faces of my children as they confidently cavort around a stage with sass and attitude has given me some of my proudest moments. It is those proud Mommy moments that makes the yearlong headless chicken boogie so worthwhile!

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