Alyssa has always been our creative one. She loves to imagine and create - from stories, to art, to music to dance. This week a note came home from dance (just a reminder note to all parents about behavior during dance). On the bottom half of it was a note about "Aly". Evidently Alyssa has opted to go by Aly in dance class. I'm ok with that. In fact, when Steve and I tried to think of a name for Alyssa, we both loved the nickname Aly. So, we looked at names that could be shortened to Aly. Alyssa is the one that stuck out to both of us ... so thus you have her name. But, she's never been Aly to us. She's always been Lyssa or Lys, but she's talked about going by it before. Guess now she is doing it. It shows how much she is asserting her independence and growing up. Anyway, the note from her teacher was this:
"Aly is a beautiful dancer. I would like for her to pay more attention to detail in ballet class - this will really help her expressiveness in all styles of dance. She also seems to have a talent for choreography. I would encourage her to make up and perform dances - perhaps for a school talent show or the Reflections contest."
I was very pleased for several reasons. One, that she really has become a beautiful dancer. Still coming into her own "grace" but she has come a long way. She loves dancing, no doubt. She is on a dance team this year, 4 hours of practice a week plus 3 competitions at the end of the season. She loves it. Second, I had to laugh at the comment about her attention to detail. Steve and I always have to remind Alyssa to focus on the details. She gets so distracted by her imagination and the next thing on her mind, that she forgets little things like keeping her plate and cup up right when she is putting them on the counter, or that she was sent upstairs to clean her room, not write a story. The details just slow her down, and not for a second does she want to slow down! The third reason I was pleased was the encouragement for her own choreography. The teacher has really picked up on the #1 reason Alyssa loves dance - to express herself. Doing the routines the way the teacher has taught them ... that's just boring. Creating her own ... now THAT is fun. She often creates routines for her and her sisters or friends. She just loves to choreograph and she really has a great memory and knack for finding the music. She had the same problem in piano though - she LOVED creating her own songs ... just not so much learning to play the ones on the pages that she was supposed to practice. For that, I finally had to stop lessons. She wasn't progressing as far as learning notes and how to read music and I didn't want her to hate music because of the practice requirements. Fortunately, she enjoys dance enough that she still loves all 4 hours of practice. Just hoping that she can focus in and do well at her competitions so she can feel that thrill of being on a team and doing her best. I remember that from when I was on a baton team when I was her age. It was the best! I want her to love that team feeling and then still excel at doing her own thing too! I'm proud of how much she has developed. I love her creativity and expressions of her creativity ... I just have to learn to not buttheads with it so often! :)
These are pictures from last May at her recital ... but unfortunately about the best I have of her in dance costumes. :) I love my creative dancer!!
Side note ... Taylor is a dancer too. And I love that little dancer too! BUT, she is the opposite of Alyssa when it comes to dancing. Taylor loves the dancing - not the creating! When they had free movement time in class last year, she always froze and then looked around the room and copied someone else. Taylor likes the structured routines, doing things on que at the right time. In fact, her Christmas routine this year, she was ahead of the rest of her class ... because she did it with the music from her memory and the rest of the class copied the teacher and so they were a second behind. It was cute! The difference in my dancers is always amazing to me, but I love them both! (Jess will start dance next year, if she wants).
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