Last year, at around this time, I wrote a post that ended with me being doomed. This was a result of Julianna successfully performing in her first recital.
I was correct.
Today she performed in her second recital. Here’s how it all went down:
September, 2011. Weekly ballet class begins.
Same teacher as last year. Different classroom. Different group of girls. Different song (this year the song is Here comes the sun by The Beatles. Same routine (essentially):
Here comes the sun. [do do do do]
[Hands to the left]
This year she had 3 things working in her favor: 1. She’s already done the routine on stage in front of and auditorium filled with what must be thousands of people (not good at estimation). 2. She has three friends from her school in the class with her. 3. She is a year older.
Here comes the sun. [do do do do]
[Hands to the right]
Classes are fun. She’s an old pro. Nothing fazes her…except occasionally (regularly) having to leave class in the middle for a potty break (didn’t have to deal with that last year)…oh no…what if she has a pee accident during the show in May…
It’s all right…
[Hands over head and do the spin thing]
The months go on. Rehearsals are oddly similar to last year…they say repetition repetition repetition. They don’t say repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition but it certainly feels that way to me after what was literally 9 months of this routine followed by 3.5 months off followed by 9 more months of the same routine to a different song.
Little darling, its been a long cold lonely winter.
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here.
[Toe point thing and letter ‘P’ leg move x 2]
See? Ain’t that the truth. Meanwhile, she’s having the time of her life. If I remember correctly, there was a significant part of last year’s “cycle” when we’d have to be in the room with her during class. Times when she didn’t want to go in at all. Now she’s putting her ballet shoes on…running into class on her own.
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right…
[Hands to the left]
You know, maybe she’s having a great time and it just doesn’t matter that its exactly the same thing as last year.
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here.
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right…
[Hands to the right]
The spring rolls around. The new outrageously expensive costume that we justified last year because we’d use it as a play costume after and never did gets ordered again. The StubHub-priced ticket purchases happen to get the collection of relatives, cousins, and broadway scouts in for the recital.
The seats in the same auditorium are found.
The curtain in the same auditorium is closed.
The lights in the same auditorium go out.
The curtain in the same auditorium opens.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.
[Big giant circle with everyone holding hands and chasse moves] – yup, I googled the spelling.
The crowd starts applauding wildly for the circle move. The girls are all smiling ear to ear. But will they be able to get back to their spots and finish the dance…
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting.
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear.
Here comes the sun.
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right.
[Back to spots for a final hands to the left and right]
I don’t know what next year’s routine will bring (but I have a sneaky suspicion) and I suppose it doesn’t really matter. It was awesome again. She had fun. She got on stage again, this time with zero apprehension. She smiled. She didn’t cover her ears. She did the routine. She didn’t have a pee accident.
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right.
It’s all right.
[Walk off stage to thunderous applause]
It is. It is ALL right.