Lily the Ballerina

Lily had her ballet concert tonight and it was just lovely. It followed a long afternoon (for her) which she coped with really well. First the parents dropped the kids off at the Octogone theatre at 1.30pm for rehearsal. This is where we found out parents didn't need to stay. All the girls were backstage...we had to come in throught the artistes door! We were told to return at 4pm. This was perfect for me as I came home and started work on the Apricot and Coconut Balls (managed to roll out 120) but I wondered how Lily would find it. Well, she was in good spirits when I picked her up (no doubt helped by being fed cookies) but didn't say much about what they'd done. Bought her home, I kept baking then fed the girls an early dinner. We had to return to the Octogone at 5.30pm (lucky it's such a short walk) so there wasn't much time. Left Lily again backstage (after helping her out of her clothes where underneath was her regular ballet outfit - and seeing her get into her costume on top of it...a white tutu and lurid green top). Then I queued with many other parents and relatives/friends waiting to get inside. Michael and Charlotte arrived and I was able to get us a seat close to the front, on the right hand side as I'd been tipped off to do. Lily's group was on second, and they entered from the back of the theatre walking down the right hand side aisle. They were coming single file, following a proper ballerina and they were all carrying flowers (fake). The dance was called Le Margueritte (sp?) which apparently is a flower, possibly a daisy? Anyway, they all came down the aisle and walked up on stage to music. Then I think they one by one put their flowers down then one by one picked them up again and then that was it. I'd been told the whole thing would only last a minute and a half and they weren't wrong! MK videotaped it, plus we'll see the proper DVD that was recorded to recall all the action. Afterwards the girls came down the front to watch the other performances, until it was time to go backstage again for the finale when all the students came on stage.

Charlotte really enjoyed the whole evening, firstly sitting quietly on our laps then getting closer to watch. So close, at one stage, she was up on stage. It stressed MK out of his brain but she's so damn cute that you had to laugh. But she only really got right up on stage once, and that was when Madame Danailova was giving her little speech. Charlotte got a few laughs (not from Daddy).

We got home around 8pm and hustled the girls into bed. It was late, so cold outside, they are both coughing something shocking and it was time for bed. Lily wanted to put her ballet shoes back on and leave her ballet outfit on but there was no chance. It had been a big day for a little girl.