Jazz on Tap

 Eliza and I attended the Jazz on Tap Dance Convention in Marietta, Georgia.  This was our first time and we both really loved it.  The first night was a performance night, so Eliza performed 4 numbers, and I had 2 of my dances that I choreographed perform as well.  We started out with a rehearsal on stage about an hour and a half before the show.  Ms. Christine got this great shot of Eliza's group rehearsing their first dance for the show.

Pretty quickly after, the girls got ready to perform.  They were scattered about in a 43 number show.  It was pretty long but hopefully the audience was well entertained.  To get each group onstage it was a good little walk down the hall, down the stairs, through the commons area, down another hall to finally a hall that lead to backstage.  We did this all night, each teacher taking a group down, waiting, watching, performing and then back up.  I made the mistake of wearing boots with a heel.  Had I known!!!  

Here are my two classes that performed:
 "Wings" Teen Elite Jazz
 "When Can I See you Again"  Junior Force Jazz
Both groups did an awesome job!  I was especially proud of Force because they had shown the most improvement since the beginning of the year.  I was so happy.

Teen Elite

Junior Force

Tammy left Christine and I to handle the production number.  It was totally fine and we were glad to do it.  So this is how it went.  A production number by the way is a dance that involves all the company kids and a big prop and smaller props.  It's usually to several cuts of many songs and is longer than a typical dance.  Our prop was a boat, perfect for the theme and title, "Sea of Life."  Christine and I had to make sure all the kids were with us and with their group as we walked down, make sure they waited quietly in the hall and get them to their places on either side of the stage in the dark backstage.  Then in the complete dark, Christine and I dragged the huge boat and put the pieces together onstage.  Not quite sure why they didn't give us an ounce of light to do this in.  Good thing when the lights came on it was perfect.  We wouldn't know until then!  The girls did great and the audience loved it.  Here's a picture of the costume.  It was more than adorable.  All the girls loved it!

The red lipstick made the whole costume!  The production was the closing of the show, so after we got the girls back upstairs to their dressing room to meet their moms, got the dressing room cleaned up, raced to take a picture with the family and then down to the stage again to load the boat in the truck off the loading dock.  So glad Randy was there to help.  To make the evening even more exciting, everyone in the theater was pretty much gone and we couldn't find Randy's keys to the car.  Luckily after some searching and prayers, we found them.  Thank heavens!  We got home after 11:00 pm.  We were happy to go to bed. 

Day 2 for Master classes coming up next. :)

Zoo Atlanta in February

It's interesting that when you live somewhere for a long time, you don't take advantage of all your home town has to offer.  At least we don't.  I know other people that are so resourceful, always proactive in finding fun things to do.  We wait to go on vacation to see all the cool things about somewhere else instead of fully taking advantage of what we have right in front of us.  Our friends, the Moore's called and told us that if we checked out a specific Atlanta Zoo video at the library, they would give us 4 free tickets to the zoo upon our returning it.  Apparently, this is something that has always been in effect for a long time but we had no idea and it's hard to get the video because everyone is always trying to check it out.  Well, our friends had just returned it and now it was free to go and grab.  We felt super lucky and then planned our trip to the zoo with our friends.

We started off looking at these sweet little birds in the bird house.  Here is Tabitha and Emma Moore, Christiana and Eliza.

  

We saw so many amazing animals.  Most of them were out and easy to see.  

The gorillas were some of our favorite.  We sat and watched them for a long time.  They were so funny with so much personality.  One little one was playing with some grassy brush and wrapping it around his neck and putting it on his head like he was the king.  When it kept falling off his head, he decided to pull a root out of the ground (it took him a minute to get it out, but he kept trying) and then proceeded to swing it around like a sword.  He was so entertaining!  The big gorillas would carry the little ones on their backs and some of them just like to chill.  We could have watched them all day!

Our favorite was the panda.  He was so adorable.  He would just sit there and eat bamboo.  He was pretty close to the glass where we were watching him and seemed plenty comfortable with all those eyes just on him.  

I love this picture of all the girls lined up to take his picture.  I call it the Panda Paparazzi!

Emma came to the zoo when she was 8 years old, she was given permission to buy one souvenir and had picked out this cute stuffed panda.  Her mom Pricilla told her that she might want to keep looking and then decide for sure once the day was over.  Sure enough she still wanted the panda.  When they went back to get it, the store had closed.  I know Pricilla probably had to hear about it the rest of the  way home and for days maybe weeks to come.  So now at this zoo trip she finally got her panda!!!!!  Oh happy day!  Eliza LOVES pandas, but since she had so many stuffed pandas at home she decided on the little red panda since she was completely enamored with the live version.  It was our first time seeing one. They are absolutely precious.  Much smaller than a normal panda and with a little pointier ear and a long and fluffy tail like a raccoon.  When we saw him/her she was in a hammock up way high between a couple of trees.

The tiger was way cool!  He was huge.  An incredible animal!

If you look close, you can see the lions between Christiana and Tabitha.  Their manes were much shorter than we expected because they were young and their hair had not grown in fully.  We all thought someone chopped their manes off.  Haha!  Shows how much we know!

Lunchtime!  I don't know what it is, but walking around the zoo makes you really hungry.  Eliza and I were wanting everyone's leftover food!

I guess your never too old for a carousel ride.  They all wanted to do this before we left the zoo.

I

Great ways to finish up our winter break and perfect time to go to the zoo.  Not too cold and not too hot.  Thanks to the Moore's for a fun day at Zoo Atlanta.

On Point Competition

The weekend of this competition was definitely a busy one.  On the first day, Studio 4 was competing in several dances all day so just about anytime that we went we would be able to see some of our dances.  I decided it would be a fun opportunity for me and the girls so we took it.  The only downfall was that it was an hour away, but we went anyways since we didn't have anything going on and I was really looking forward to checking it out.  Also, I thought Eliza might want to see what competition is all about, to get a little taste of it.

There was a specific dance that I wanted to see, but we didn't quite make it there in time.  I tried not to stress as we were driving knowing we wouldn't make it in time.  I was a little bummed but it was ok.  I mostly wanted to see the Production number and we made it for that and then were able to see many of the solos.

 When we drove home, it was dark and I just followed the GPS.  Bad idea.  The GPS started to take me a totally different way than we came.  I really didn't like the way we were going, so I didn't follow it.  It kept rerouting over and over again and I decided to go the way I thought and not listen.  Once I was feeling like we were going in the right direction,  I asked the GPS to take me to the freeway.  It took me straight there, thankfully.  I was pretty irritated and then doubly irritated when I missed the exit, just because I wasn't paying attention.  It put us home pretty late and I was really frustrated and tired and my back was killing me.

 Previously, I had planned on for sure going the next day to see the girl I had choreographed for and trained for the competition.  I did not want to miss her, but I was seriously thinking of not going back since the drive was so far and my back really ached.  I didn't know how I would spend 2 more hours in the car and sitting at the competition.  I had other reasons too, but I decided to go again anyways.  I asked the girls if they wanted to stay home this time, and they really wanted to come again so that's what we did.  This time, I went the way that made sense to me and then got a little help from the GPS once we got closer.  On the way home, I did not follow it at all and relied on my own inner GPS.  It went a whole lot smoother.  But, anyways, it was so great to be there and I am so glad I went back.  When my dancer, Eden performed, she was so beautiful.  I looked back at her mom in the audience and she was crying.  At that point I knew whatever the judges gave her, it wouldn't matter.  She did amazing and her mom loved it.  What more could I ask for?  She ended up getting High Gold and I was so happy for her!

I learned a couple things from this experience.  One, is to never follow blindly.  Using what you already know and then to get help when you need it, is always the best way and Two, sometimes things can be hard, but are worth it in the end.  I'm glad we didn't miss this.

Valentine's Sunday

Our Valentine's Day was a little different this year.  First of all, we had no Daddy and second of all, it was on a Sunday.  We were in luck though because my dear sister in law, Wendi, invited us to dinner and it was delicious!   Here is the kids table.  Of course they are being goofy.  Starting with Eliza and moving to the left is Eliza, Colin, Christiana, Josie, Josie's friend Michael, and Chloe.

The adult table starting with Grandpa, Grandma, Rick, Wendi, and me.  We were missing Randy. :(

Wendi made this chocolate cake from scratch.  It was soooooo good, I saved a piece for Randy, wrapped it up really good and put it in the freezer until he gets home.  He will for sure thank me.





Christiana, Josie, Chloe, Eliza (she wears those glasses just for fun) and Colin

 I don't usually make that big of a deal over Valentine's.  Most of my scrapbooks have zero pictures, but we had a little fun this time.  I love sweets and the girls like Rice Krispie Treats so we added some food coloring made them into hearts and added sprinkles.  I also added a powdered sugar glaze, but I must have made it too runny because it just kind of disappeared into the treats.  I brought these to the dinner.

At church we celebrated too. Two of the ladies that help me with Young Women's made Texas Sheet cake for the girls, cupcakes, and cakepops.  Wish I had a picture of that!  So, I decided to get chocolate bars and add a cute candy wrapper for the adults!

After church I gave the girls a red bag with a few treats.  I only got a picture of Eliza, though.  It can never be just perfect, right?  That picture is a t-shirt I ordered for her and was coming in the mail the next day.  Christiana got a cute t-shirt too.  Hers is blue.  So, the best thing I could think of was to just print out a picture of them so they would know what they were getting.  They don't usually get much but this was just a fun special thing I wanted to do this year.  The shirts are cute with a southern girl theme. Born and raised in the south, I just love that!  Note: Eliza's silliness-

Holidays are fun!  Always something to look forward too. :)

I Love Costumes!!!!

Recital time is fast approaching.  All my jazz classes have already been choreographed so that they were able to perform at fall festivals early in the season.  It was quick trying to get them done so early but I have made a few adjustments to them for their next performance at Jazz on Tap, which will be the beginning of March.  The Mini group consists of mostly 8 year olds.  They are dancing to Fun, Fun, Fun by Pharrell.  This was one of the models at the costume show back in October.  This was not the original costume I chose, but when I saw it on this adorable girl, I fell in love with it.  It is perfect for their age, style of dance, and over all mood of having "fun!"  I especially love the bow in the back.

Mini Stars Jazz Costume

My Junior group has a variety of ages and dance levels.  It is a little tricky choreographing for a group like this, but I am really pleased with the way their dance turned out.  I have girls in this group as young as 4th grade and as old as 7th.  They are fun group of girls with lots of personality.  Their dance is to When Can I See You Again, by Owl City.  It's a great song, completely clean and it suits them well.  I wanted to find a costume that would be simple but beautiful for all ages.  The color is gorgeous and they look so lovely in it.  Can't wait till they perform in it for Jazz on Tap at Kennesaw State University in a couple of weeks.

Junior Force Jazz Costume


My Teen Elite group's dance is sassy just like they are.  They are dancing to Wings by Little Mix.  It's a girl power dance with plenty of sass.  I wanted to do a costume that was feminine and unique at the same time.  I found this way cute costume by Kelle and chose kelly green for something different but still stylish and fun.  I think the girls really liked it.

Teen Elite Jazz























My ballet dances are in progress right now.  I found each class music that I absolutely love!!!!! My first class is Prodigy Dolls.  They too have a variety of ages so I found this gorgeous costume with rich color to suit all ages.  They are dancing to Strong from the new Cinderella movie soundtrack.

My next class is Prodigy Stars and Force.  All my ballet classes are competition dancers.  This is a nice big group with a variety of ages too.  They are dancing to the Cello Song by The Piano Guys.  Their costume really suits the classic viola sound and looks great on all the girls.

The skirt looks a little short in this picture, but it's not.  It comes about right at the knee and the fitted mesh top is so flattering and classic looking.

My next class is Prodigy Elite.  They are dancing to an incredible song played by Jennifer Thomas.  It's called Etude for the Dreamer.  It is fast and intense.   This costume I chose looks really sweet in the picture, but when you take off the headband and I'm thinking of possibly taking off the belt, it fits this dance perfectly.  I am looking forward to the finished product.

My last is Pointe Level 2.  This is for girls that really love ballet, at least I know all these girls do.  They are willing to work hard and appreciate the beauty of pointe work.  I chose this costume because it is lyrical and just plain beautiful.  I am really enjoying choreographing this number and seeing it coming together.

I am looking forward to seeing all my dancers in full costume, hair, and makeup and performing onstage.  I will post the real dancers as soon as they perform.  What a blessing it is to be able to work with all these girls, performance and competition dancers.  They make my job such a pleasure.

Our Christmas Traditions

We have Christmas Eve at our house just about every year.  It's something we love to do.  Even though it can get a little stressful about 2 hours before everyone comes over, it is totally worth it.  All the family comes over and this is about how our night goes with a little variation each year.  We once tried to change it up a bit and the big kids rebelled; they were so used to our traditions.  So, we quickly went back to the normal routine.

We have a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.  We split up the meal, so none of us have to do too much.  Randy always makes the Macaroni Salad.  It is one of our favorites.  We have a ham, hashbrown potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni salad, rolls, corn and peas, a green salad, and desserts.

We have people seated in the dining room, kitchen, and also there are 3 tables set up in the basement.  usually in the dance room.  That's how many it takes to seat everyone.  We usually have the missionaries with us as well and sometimes an extra family.

We always get to hear from Rick, Randy, Robert, and Lauri.  They sing just about whatever we request.  We all have our Christmas favorites.

Then we have more musical numbers from whoever prepared that year.  This year we had some new ones.  Emmaline sang, Chloe played the violin, and Reagan sang.  I wish I could remember the songs, but they did a wonderful job.  I do remember Chloe's was an original!

Leah sang with Josie and then she sang with Aubrey.  They sounded beautiful!

Kirsten's husband Brad is an excellent pianist.  He played for us as well.  Alyssa is his official page turner.

I had never sung with my kids and Randy, so I thought I would give it a shot, just for fun.  We just practiced something that day.  They did a lot better than me! Ha!ha!

The cousins always act out the nativity while Grandpa reads from the Bible.  We used to have a lot more little ones, but everyone just keeps growing up!!!  The year before this last Christmas we did all the music and nativity in the basement.  It made for great acoustics and we set up a microphone for Dad so we could hear him better.  This year we decided not to make Grandma and Grandpa have to go down and back up the stairs.  They are pretty steep!

We had a sweet little extra cousin this year.  Aubrey's husband Chase has a little girl.  She is precious.  We are happy to have her as part of the family now.  She's the little one on the right in the white sweater.  This was our kids crew this year.  We were missing a few of the originals, (Spencer, Gabrielle and her husband Corey, Brayden, Blaze and his wife Savannah and baby Beckham)  but we have some husbands now in the mix too.  Our family is growing.  Look there are no babies either!  I guess we won't have anymore till our kids start having them.

Reagan, Colin, Emmaline, 

Brinley, Chloe, and Maddox

All elementary school age and younger.

All our teens!

Annelise, Eliza, Tanner, Zach, Logan

Alyssa

Christiana and Josie

All our young marrieds!

Kirsten and Brad

Aubrey and Chase

Leah and Eric

All of us parents

Robert and Sharon

Randy and me (Carrie)

Rick and Wendi

Lauri and Kinley

The original Krogh's who started this whole thing!

Oh, and we can't forget the cousin gift exchange.  If we are organized, they all draw names at Thanksgiving and then buy for eachother not usually spending more than $5.  They love to do this and it's always fun to see what everyone gave to each other.

It was a great Christmas Eve.  We really missed the ones who could not be with us, but they are always with us in our hearts.  Hoping to be with Spencer, Gabrielle and Corey next year.  We will look forward to that.