The rest of Starpower Nationals

What a competition!!! So many top scoring amazing routines from our studio...but most importantly the girls had a blast performing and being with their friends and teammates.

Gianna in her "Devil Went Down to Georgia" costume...

Julia and Alyssa won 2nd place for their duo (out of 49 duo/trios)!!!  And they only missed 1st place by 4 tenths of a point!  They were amazing!!  Let me tell you...that was an extremely HARD category with the best of the best dancers paired up in duos and trios. Julia and Alyssa were near perfect! 

Julia and her "Boyz" jazz group...love how my girl ends the dance! : )

Julia and her "Vienna" teammates...

They won 1st place!!

Julia being silly in the candy store...this face cracks me up...

Julia's acro team "Glory" won 1st place at the competition and 1st place in the battle...they got a perfect score and a standing ovation!!

This is her team right before they performed...I love how they come together like this before they compete...

Gianna got to re-compete "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Big Noise" for the Battle of the Stars.  Julia got to re-compete "Glory", "Vienna", "Can Can" and "Where Have All the Children Gone".  The show was broadcast on the web and these two guys (below) were the hosts. Just for fun I kept walking right behind them when they were talking so my sister at home could see me...haha!!!

Big Noise...

Vienna...

Devil...

Can Can...

Winning their 1st place trophy for Can Can...

Big Noise won 1st place in the competition and the battle!!!

winning their trophy...

One of the girls is leaving the team after this year and they were so emotional hugging her goodbye...

Julia and her graduating friend Nicole...Julia has known her since she was little and was so sad to say goodbye...

Winning their trophy for Glory...

 

 2016 Champions...so well deserved!!!

Starpower Nationals

Yesterday was Day One of Starpower Nationals at Mohegan Sun and what a day it was!!!

Gianna and Victoria had one of their best performances of their duo "Ol' Bamboo"!  They were fantastic and scored 4 3/4 stars out of 5!!  

Then Julia performed her junior small group "Where Have All the Children Gone".  They came in the top five and will be dancing in the Battle of the Stars on Friday! 

The talent at this competition is crazy good.  What a story though. I watched the group dance through a door that was adjoining the solo room.  So while she was dancing on stage...the award ceremony was taking place for the teen solos next door.  I asked one of her teammates to grab her medal for her and never thought it would be more than that. 

There were 182 solos yesterday in the 12-14 teen category...yes 182!!!  They had broken it down into 3 sessions.  Julia was in the third session.  First, for her division (13 year old open solos...there were 12 of them) she won 2nd place!! I was so thrilled for her because there was such amazing talent.  But then...they announced the top 20 (out of all 182 solos)...and Julia placed 7th overall!!!!  What an amazing accomplishment for her!  She had the performance of a lifetime and just gave it her all!!  Only one other girl from our studio placed and she was 17th (Angela).  And sad to say, Julia missed the award ceremony!  She walked in to see her teammate holding a 7th place plaque and assumed she had won...until I ran up to her and told her that she actually won!  She was so happy!!  Yay Julia!!

Look at her sandwiched between all the Studio L girls...they are a fantastic studio with incredible talent...

Recital

Well, I survived another dance recital. This year I had 5 costume changes in the afternoon recital and 12 costume changes in the evening recital.  And there were lots of very, very quick costume changes!

Gianna stretching on stage with friends...

Candy Shop...

Tiger Rag...

Julia receiving her 10 year award...

Julia and Alyssa with their 10 year awards...

In the blink of an eye...ten years have come and gone...just...like...that...

Note to self for next year:  See?  You CAN do it!!!

Nicholas' graduation from Middle School

Boy oh boy it was an emotional day yesterday.  First Gianna graduated from elementary school and then we had Nicholas' graduation from middle school. Time is just flying by and my babies are growing up before my eyes.

My incredibly handsome boy...

Proud Mom and Dad...look how tall he is!!

Three years have come and gone...just like that...

Out celebrating after...who needs fancy restaurants when you can go to a trailer in downtown Attleboro for the best hot dogs around?

That's where he wanted to go so that's where we went!  And they were delicious!!

Congratulations Nicholas!  We're hoping there are a lot of great things in store for you in high school!!