Dance Mom...You're Fired!

Last Saturday, I took Heather and her friend Hannah to Groove, a dance competition in Pittsbugh. They were there to compete with their dance company, Studio 7. Our day started at 4:00. Yes, that would be in the morning.

On arrival at Fox Chapel Area High School, I was transformed into "Dance Mom", which is similar to a "Soccer Mom", but with makeup and curling iron wisdom. ( It soon became obvious that both of these skills were lacking in my bag of tricks.) As we carried in our two duffel bags with costumes, makeup and hair things, we were passed by other mothers wheeling in garment racks with neatly organized rows of sequins, tulle, spandex, and feather adorned costumes.

That's right, garment racks. I bagan to wonder if I was on a reality show about Dance Moms. I glanced around nervously for the TV crew.

If this was a reality show, I would be portrayed as the scattered, a little unorganized, novice mother who was only at her second ever competition. I would be the mother trying to help her girls put on the required   flashy, bold, not-your-normal-teenage makeup, and not really succeeding.

In fact, I put on Heather's eyeliner, something I never use, and burst out laughing hysterically, at her.
Not with her, mind you, but at her. This was not a special mother-daughter bonding moment. Quite the opposite actually, as I could hear the bonds between us snapping like old rubber bands as I laughed. I don't know why I laughed like that, except she looked a little like Cleopatra, I was stressed out at wanting to do this right, and I was going on about 6 hours of sleep since Thursday morning. I think it was a way of stress relief for me, but it did nothing to help the stress level of my daughter.

I began to apologize profusely as I began swiping at the eyeliner, hoping to rub it off. Why did they have to make it so waterproof?! Somehow, Heather managed to fix my eyeliner fiasco, and I noticed Hannah didn't ask me to help with hers. Go figure.

Then, as they are trying to help each other with makeup, I am doing their hair with the required "spiderweb" type pattern that requires a jillion tiny rubber bands. This goes back so far, where you then pull the remainder up into a ponytail which then gets curled into saucy ringlets.

Or so they say.

In a room packed with glittered and sequined girls, along with their mothers, the costume racks, duffel bags, purses, and coolers, the outlets were at a premium and we couldn't get to one. I resorted to twisting and pinning their hair unto an odd version of an up-do. A jillion bobby pins were used and somehow their hair held up all day.

Hair...check.
Makeup...check.
Costumes...check.

Lights,
Camara,
Action!

That's Heather, in the middle on the right. Smiling, once again.
Disco Inferno!

Heather, in the middle of the front row, still smiling...

All the Studio 7 young ladies who went to competition.
Classy Ladies!

The day was long, the girls worked hard and danced well. All this, in spite of a mother who didn't know what she was doing! We smiled, and we even laughed together, instead of at each other. I think Heather forgave me and my "not-good" mother moment. Next year, I think we'll practice ahead of time. 

I am proud of you Heather! You are a beautiful dancer, inside and out, and I love you.

Love,
Dance Mom