So when my girls showed an interest in wanting to dance, my anxiety level rose ten-fold. How would I navigate being a "Stage Mom?"
Finding a studio for my girls to learn the beauty and art of dance was very difficult actually. Sometimes it's a bad thing that I know so much about dance. It took trying three different studios before I found the right one for me and my girls. And the main point of that last sentence is the right studio for ME. I had to feel comfortable there. And it had to feel like the right environment for them to grow and explore the art of dance. I wanted it to be about the art and the discipline. I LOVE my girl's dance studio. It reminds me of the studios on the East Coast where I learned classical technique. It feels like home.
So I watch from the wings, and I help back stage, and I try not to correct them...which is really hard at times. I leave the corrections to their teachers who are very well trained. I sometimes participate if they need me. I appreciate that they let me be involved.
As the music soars through the air and the little ones are lined up ready to go on stage with their frilly costumes and cute little bows in their hair, I watch from the wings as my daughters dance with joy and passion for the audience. It is an indescribable feeling...almost like magic. I'm glad that I am able to be there. And yes, that makes me a "Stage Mom." <big sigh>
Angie waiting backstage for her big entrance.
Gwen and her classmates getting the jitters out behind the curtain.
