Hall of Fame Dance Challenge

It was a great first competition weekend for my girls. I'm so proud of them! Here are a few pictures of just some of their routines. It was such a busy weekend that I barely took any pictures.  Thankfully a few other moms did.

Julia & Gianna in "Clark Kent"...

I love how close they all are...such great friendships develop from growing up together at the dance studio...

Julia & Gianna in "Chaplin"...3rd Place Teen Large Group

Julia's lyrical acro "How Great Thou Art"...two dancers were sick (Alyssa & Jada) so the remaining seven did some quick re-choreographing and made it work to win first place for Teen Small Group!!

Julia & Gianna in "Tango"...one of my favorite dances from the weekend...won 1st Place Teen Large Group...

and Julia in senior acro "Titanic" which was amazing...

I loved the production "Traditions" too...such a fun dance...won 1st for Production...

Julia's jazz "Mai Oui" was so good too...that's one fancy hat...won 1st PLace for Senior Large Group...

At the award ceremony last night they announced all the overall teen awards and Julia and Gianna's jazz and tap, Gianna's lyric and Julia's acro all won Best in Category with the highest scores...

And last but not least...Julia won big for her jazz solo!  She scored a Grand Slam PLUS she won the Best in Category for Jazz with the highest scoring senior jazz solo!  She received a Platinum for Voices (which absolutely should have been a Grand Slam too). Both her solos were AMAZING!!  There were 63 solos.  

Julia's solo awards...

Senior Solo Results 

^#1   Katelyn Williams in First Love

THE PULSE PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

^#2   Emma Graveline in The Tempest

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#3    Alexis Callen in Broken

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#4   Paige Wassem in Thinking

THE PULSE PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

^#5   Julia Digiacomo in Dangerous

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#6   Sophia Pauline in I Wear You

THE PULSE PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

^#7   India Harris in Fading Away

NEW CANAAN DANCE ACADEMY

^#7   Kelly Peterson in Blackbird

THE PULSE PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO

^#8   Adriana Callen in Hip Hip Chin Chin

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#9   Gwen Mcgovern in Lovefool

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#9   Natalie Casertano in Rogues

DANCE 10 STUDIOS

^#9   Lilly Moreau in Machine

DANCE 10 STUDIOS

^#10   Brenna Minard in To Love You More

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#10   Catherine O'connor in Serenade

STEPHANIE KEMP'S NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

^#10   Angelise Roy in Don't Kill My Vibe

DANCE 10 STUDIOS

Yet another Sweet 16

Not sure how many this makes but I'm kind of jealous. She's having so much fun going to all these parties.  Tonight will be especially fun because it's all her high school friends and her boyfriend was invited to this one too.

Beautiful Unique Soul

"...we are different. We are meant to be different. When we can accept this, then there is no competition and no comparison. To try to be like another is to shrivel our soul. We have come to this planet to express who we are."

EPC - My Immortal

I don't know how I missed seeing all these pictures from Julia's solo last year, but I found them today and had to buy them...so beautiful...

Elite Performance Challenge pictures

DANGEROUS

VOICES

Elite Performance Challenge

Julia had an amazing day yesterday at her first solo competition of the year.  First time for her doing two solos...one jazz and one open.

Her open solo "Voices" came out on top today.  She outdid herself with the most beautiful performance.  I actually had goose bumps!  She is a performer through and through.  She won an Elite Platinum and placed 2nd overall!

Julia was so happy to have Ally and Andrae come along to support her.

Award Ceremony...this is a classic Julia picture standing with her feet turned in!! Look at the other dancers standing in fifth position!  That's my Julia...

Her boyfriend is just the sweetest.  He showed up with a bouquet of yellow flowers for her.  I keep telling Julia she's one lucky girl. He is so good to her.

And with Auntie Kerry...the brains and creative force behind the winning solo.  They make a great team!!

And then I was looking at the competition Facebook page and I saw this...

and this...

I can't believe I missed it when it was first posted back in October!  That's Julia from this same competition last year with her solo "My Immortal".  What a gorgeous picture!! 

Junior Operators

Now her best friend, Lizzie, has her license too!  But junior operators can't drive together for six months...so what do they do?  They both drive to Panera for some food and then they both drive to Target for a little shopping.

These two have literally grown up together.  So I insisted on a picture to document the day they both could drive...

Just not together...yet!

License...finally!

Julia finally got her license today!  It got postponed from last week due to a snow storm but today the roads were clear at 6:30 a.m. (so early I know) and she did it!! 

Take a look at that picture...there's a big "CONGRATULATIONS! You got your license!!"

and then the big warning..."THERE IS NO ESCAPING THE CONSEQUENCES!!"  

But hey...CONGRATULATIONS!!! That cracked me up.  Teenagers do need to be reminded constantly so I get it.  

Thoughts on a Saturday morning

I understand even more so today...than at any point in my life...that each day should never be taken for granted.  So every morning the first words out of my mouth are "Thank you God for this beautiful day" and then I read a few excerpts from a book about gratitude and positive happy affirmations.  

I am so grateful for my Daniel, my Nicholas, my Julia, my Gianna, my Mom, my sisters, my brother, my CeCe, my dear friends and my fur babies KoKo and Eli. 

As I sat around a table last night with five of my best friends from high school...one is a breast cancer survivor, one was just diagnosed with breast cancer and five years ago I had a lumpectomy for a precancerous cyst.  That is three out of five of us that have been touched by breast cancer.  And to top it off...my dear friend (and boss) is going to have surgery next week to remove a possible cancerous tumor (update: it was benign...phew!). 

I'm writing this not to be negative but as a positive reminder to myself...to not take life or my health for granted and to appreciate each day.  Be happy and be present for my loved ones around me.  Realize what is important...and let the stuff go that isn't important.  That's not easy for me as I'm a constant deep thinker...and I have to continually remind myself that I'm the only thinker in my mind.  I can change those thoughts in a second. I'm a work in progress.  

So if you're going to RISE each day...then why not SHINE?  

That's great advice.  

Happiest at home

Luke Perry

I am just devastated by the news of Luke Perry's passing.  If you know me...you know my favorite TV show of ALL time is Beverly Hills 90210...and Brenda & Dylan are my favorite couple of ALL time.

Such a talented actor gone way too soon...

First Snow Day & no license yet for Julia : (

We got our first big snow storm of the season and it's March!  That's quite unusual around here.  Usually by now we're on our 4th or 5th snow day for the kids.  But today is their first official snow day.  That's actually a good thing for them because it can get really hot around here in the spring and it's pretty miserable going to school at the end of June.  They should get out nice and early this year...fingers crossed!

It's so pretty when it snows...

And in other news...Julia was supposed to get her license this past Saturday but there was another snowstorm.  The RMV didn't want to cancel so they made all the kids (47 to be exact) and all their parents drive there in the snow and sit around for about two hours and then the RMV decided to cancel.  Ugh!!  Poor kids.  It really was frustrating as they should have just postponed to begin with and saved everyone the trouble and potential risk of driving all the way over there in the snow.  Hopefully she will be rescheduled this week.  Of course I will be a nervous wreck having a second teenage driver...but looking on the bright side...it will be super helpful!  She can actually drive herself (and Gianna) to dance!  Yay!!