go, dog go!

the girls & i enjoyed another super fun performance at the rose last friday evening.

go, dog go!

the girls thought it was hysterical!  of course, talking animals are high on their list of "things that make us laugh"!

we are preparing for this week of halloween festivities...and in that theme, enjoy the hoodlums girls in their UL "trick-or-treat" shirts I made for them.

saying good-bye...

...to the ballet at the rose theater.

the current ballet, "the rainforest", will be the last ballet to perform at the rose. the girls & i will miss the ballet there. one of the best things about taking dance lessons through the rose...is that the girls got to see their teacher on stage! they loved that! and, at the end of the dance year, their showcase is held at the rose...and they get to dance on the same stage! totally awesome!

luckily, the ballet is not gone from omaha...

bowing out...

this will be the farewell season of the omaha ballet company. hard economic times. sad ballerina times. you see, my girls are both OBC ballerinas. we enrolled wren last year because we wanted her to have a dance class that was instructional and educational, but also fun. we wanted her to participate in a recital that was not hours upon hours long, did not include dance routines that were inappropriate to the age groups dancing, or costumes that were revealing or provocative. we also loved that she could see her teacher dance in some of the ballets at the rose...especially "confetti" - which is held in a very intimate setting and absolutely wren's favorite of last year! basically, we wanted her to enjoy being a 3-yr-old ballerina. her sister waited patiently as she watched her big sister all last year at class. and then the pinnacle of the year: getting to dance on the ROSE STAGE! wren's excitement made my heart burst! and due to "technical and music difficulties" during the first portion of the recital...she got to perform her "cat" routine TWICE! beyond overjoyed was she! and all summer linnea and wren "played" dance class. and recital. and anxiously awaited their class to start. and meet their new teacher. and finally...september 8th got here! but, now just 4 classes into this year...the OBC is done. finish out the year and it is done. i am sad. not only are my girls, and countless others, losing their dance class...but our community is losing Nebraska’s only resident professional dance company! and the "nutcracker"! we were going to wait one more year to attend the "nutcracker" so that linnea would be just one more year older. however, we will be attending it this year. it's last year.

and, next fall? well...we will not be shopping around for a dance studio. we will move to ms. robin's new dance studio. this new school will be housed in a new facility and will offer the same classes, syllabus, levels, and many of the same teachers that we already know. she'll continue already-existing programs such as the student company and spring showcase (recital) — while adding lots of fun new classes, an in-house concert series, and potential performances with the omaha symphony.

because if there is one thing i know...these two girls gotta DANCE!

wren, the happy ballerina after her 1st recital!

wren showing off her "great job!" flowers!

wren on the rose stage!

wren and her classmates taking another bow!

wren at the end of the recital!

wren getting ready to bow!

wren at rehearsal for the showcase - on the rose stage!

wren and her best friend, bailey, waiting to perform!

wren waiting patiently to perform! wren, hamming it up at the rose!

linnea, the happy ballerina!

linnea, the ballerina!