One thing i did manage to achieve on Thursday was getting costumes for the big 2 for their Mad Hatters Tea Party, which was no mean feat as every non-branded, brightly coloured thing seemed to be sold out. Ended up with a green t-shirt with waistcoat printed on it for Fran and some mad tights and a pair of black and white checked trousers, black and white striped t-shirt and a size 8 black waistcoat for Maddy. (Just been buying outfits again for Brownie Camp; Fran being Victorian maid, Maddy wanted to be a boy urchin, so i have obliged. *looks rueful* ) Friday passed in a bit of a blur, i think Max had the kids and did loads of “real life” maths and science, while i had a needed break at work. Then came the hectic ferrying of people to dancing lessons and so on.
This year F&M (my dad has started referring to them as Fraddy!) were in all 3 of the shows the dancing school were doing at the Peterborough Broadway Theatre as they are in an Jazz/Theatre Dance class that was part of a biggish set piece, rather than just being part of the rotation of kids doing all the other dances. So they had to be dropped off in time for a dress rehearsal at 2 and were there till gone 8, having done a lot of waiting around and general silliness, so far as i could see (Max and i felt the ‘ladies did protest too much’ at the dreadfulness of the boy they shared a dressing room with! 🙄 I counted every shoe and bit of costume into their bags as they left, so how Fran still came to be dancing barefoot 24 hours later, i’ll never know 🙄 While they were there we took A and J to Notcutts for a bit of winter shopping jollity. Bought a few Xmas pressies, thereby officially starting our purchasing.
Sunday the big girls went out at 2pm again and then we took Ams along at 5.30pm so she could join in for the last show. She was particularly thrilled to discover she had a special ‘quick change’ chair and her own dresser and later all of them giggled helplessly telling us about Amelie being held at head height by whoever it was and whisked through the crowds from one side of the stage to the other 😆
The show was really excellent this year; Fran and Amelie were in a tap dance together, the Oyster Tap and Amelie was at least as good as Fran, in fact Fran generously said she was probably better, then they were all in the Mad Hatters Tea Party and Amelie was a slightly bewildered white rose being painted red with her ballet class. The Alice bit was very good in general, we really enjoyed it, though i got hugely annoyed by the 2 women nattering behind us and letting their kids talk, wrestle and kick the seats. I HATE bad theatre behaviour. Oh and HOW cute was the tiny who ran on dressed as a rabbit, took one look at the audience and ran straight back off again!?!?! Bless.
In the second half F&M were in a really excellent montage of The Lion King as baby lions. Maddy still looks like a cute but slightly oblivious little girl on stage but Fran is really beginning to be a reasonably accomplished dancer and looked great. She is so fit and strong, i’m always just so impressed by what she can do. This bit probably got the biggest applause of the evening and the rest of the half was excellent too. Both big girls were also in “Toot Sweet” with their ballet class and did a sweet dance for that (albeit with one of them barefoot); as i predicted, the teachers had half inched the “Old Bamboo” dance from last summers show for themselves!!!
Monday we mainly tried to stop people weeping with tiredness, read, drew, did lots of Education City, bits of English and stuff, chilled in the afternoon and then had to rush out for Jazz class and then on to gym. Maddy and Amelie passed their badge 4 and Fran came home looking absolutely exhausted from a practise competition.
Much applauding from us!!