Little Fran had her first ballet lesson on Monday. And yes it was so adorable and yes I was one of "those moms" with her camera in the window giggling. Take note that there were at least three of us doing that! This is the first time that I've signed her up for anything where I'm not required to be there too. It was so sweet to see her with the other little girls and doing such a good job of paying attention and trying to copy. I often think of her as my big girl because she is older than Adam, but seeing her from a distance she just looked like such a sweet-cheeked baby to me. All those little girls are such babies! Adorable.
Now, most of you know why I have this blog address as "dancing family" but some of you may not. Jason and I took a lot of dance lessons while we were dating. It was our Thursday night date. Well, one series of classes turned into another and then another and before you know it, we started getting pretty good! So then we started learning different dances, and then we even entered a few competitions. We've earned 3 first places in the Hustle (it's the only dance we ever competed in). We know how to West Coast Swing and Nightclub Two-Step and we can do a little Salsa and a little Country Western Two Step. Now, we aren't super-fabulous dancers or anything, but considering that the average person has no clue how to partner-dance, we look like we know what we're doing. Anyways, we don't go out dancing really anymore because family-stuff has shoved its way front and center into our lives, but we're still dancers at heart and always dance in the house.
So...that brings us to The Children. See, we have to live vicariously through them so we decided long ago that our children must learn to dance. They just have to. It's a family tradition now. So it is convenient that I had a girl and boy so that we have built-in partners.
The ultimate goal is that they learn to Hustle and West Coast Swing like good ol' Mom and Dad and Gramma Bobbie, but I have a secret hope that they take it a step further and actually get really good. I'd even be happy if they became ballroom dancers. Believe it or not I've already Googled where Benny Schwimmer's studio is in Redlands. He's Benji Schwimmer's dad (who, if you live in cave, won So You Think You Can Dance two years ago. Not the dad. Benji. Whatever!) I also found a YouTube video of Lacey Schwimmer (Benji's sister and another contestant on SYTYCD) dancing West Coast Swing as a little girl. She is so good!! And it is the cutest number.
If my kids are this good, I'll just die!
Anyways, for now we're just having fun with the kids and of course I don't take this 3 year old ballet stuff too seriously. I'm thinking of signing her up for Hula just because I think she'll look cute in the outfit and they have the kids dance to cute songs "She's a little brown girl, in a little grass skirt, in a little old shack, in Hawaii." We'll see. It all costs money, so we'll see. :)
4 comments:
How fun! It makes me miss teaching dance when I see the pictures from dance class. She is going to have so much fun! I think it is a great idea to have a "dancing family." Benji actually goes to my church. Sometimes when I see him, I just want to beg him for free lessons! Hope all is well - Natalie
P.S. - I would be happy to tell you my blog secrets, they are all really easy to do.
Jamie! I always wondered what the dancing part of your address referred to. How fun! Tim and I met dancing (swing) and have done some fun stuff with it as well(competition, music video, etc..). I started off with ballroom and LOVE the latin dances (I watch the ballroom championships on tv now and them and dream..lol).
Some of my first swing nights was at the Brandin' Iron (familliar with it?) where Benji spotlighted and his dad taught the lesson for the night. But Memories (know of that one either?) is where we were most nights out of the week and where we met.
ANyhow... would love to talk dance with you some time. Tim grabs me often to dance around the house too since we miss our good ol' club nights. Our girls love to dance as well, so we've taken them out. Kami more so. Tim has taken her to Bobby McGee's the Sunday afternoons they do swing (in Brea). It's addictive!!
Yay I found a dance friend! Jason and I used to go to Memories all the time!! I wish it was still open. I didn't know they did Swing at Bobby McGees (is that a restaurant?). We haven't really been out dancing in so long, but I think they do some swing at Montana's in San Dimas. Do you do East Coast or West Coast?
I think it's the 2nd and 4th Sunday from like 4-7p at Bobby McGee's. It's in the bar area where they have that lowered dance floor, and they have happy hour food out too. :)
Hmm.. East Coast or West Coast. lol I have not used those terms in so long I actually had to think about it. haha! I'd say east coast for familiarity purposes, but what we really do is lindy. It's 8 count. But most of the moves are 6 count. If you went to Memories then it's pretty much what everyone there did who did not do west coast. Camp Hollywood? That's all lindy based. We went to that a couple times. Monsters of Swing? Derby? Atomic Ballroom? Tijuanas (in Irvine)? Santa Monica Pier?Mostly lindy hoppers. Memories is still around, but he moved it to Whittier. Brothers owned it and they lost the building to the City (dumb El POllo Loco and Starbucks), and then the brothers themselves split on bad terms. One opened in Fullerton (and it crashed and burned) and John kept Memories and moved to WHittier. We've been a hand full of times, but it's far, and not the same.
Think Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, the movie Buck Privates has a good lindy clip. Oh the good ol' days......
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