<p>I know I am going to miss it. Every year when I see a routine for the last time–especially one I really loved–I get a pang of sadness. I never get tired of watching my daughter dance. I won’t miss the bobby pins everywhere, though. :)</p>
<p>For the RIcky Ubeda fans on the thread (I told you he was good!)–this is how I actually first heard of him. I was looking at college and high school dance team videos on YouTube and this one came up. His name was in the comments section.</p>
<p>Sally, just sent the clip to my D, the former HS dance team officer. </p>
<p>I know that set! (Only I experienced it as a cheer mom with the other D.)</p>
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<p>The other other day a song came on the radio that D’s company had danced to. It was the dance that had done the best in competition of any year she was in company. When the song came on the radio, I asked H how he felt when he heard the song…I said it was bittersweet for me. H acted like he had never heard the song before in his life. He was at all the competitions. I just don’t get it.</p>
<p>I know, missypie! And if I never see another sequin again, it will be too soon!</p>
<p>You guys will appreciate this. Like I said, D danced all through college recreationally, and there was no studio to handle costume ordering and coordination; the kids had to rustle up costumes on their own. So I was STILL Costume Mom, from 1500 miles away. Luckily, I saved every piece of every costume from when she was 3. The group did a big show at the end of every semester, so in mid-November and mid-April, I’d get texts like: “Will you send the black convertible tights, the ones with the big runs in them?” (!) “Send every flower from every costume.” “Send all boas.”</p>
<p>When she was a senior (and should have known better), at the very end of April she wrote; “Mom!! Will you send my nude leo? I didn’t know until dress rehearsal that I don’t have it!” The show was 4 days away, so like a good Costume Mom, I dug it out, laundered it, packed it up, rushed to the Post Office, and paid for Priority shipping because it was, you know, an emergency. After I left the Post Office, I texted her about the delivery date, as I always do. She responded, “Oh. Lol. I found my other one at the bottom of my makeup bag. I must have put it there after the show last semester and forgot about it. Sorry!”</p>
<p>Oh, you guys! We are the SAME!
My D danced in a pre-prefessional company for years–did the competition thing and all that. Even did a couple of shows just before and during college. Soon after she started college, though, she decided to go in a different direction (neuroscience???) but still loved dancing with the student run group on campus. She also did some pretty great choreography her last year, and I ended up MAKING costumes for all the dancers in her piece (Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate). She took measurements and I made and shipped the things from Atlanta to NYC. They looked pretty nifty, I must say. I loved it! Boy I miss seeing that girl dance….though I do NOT miss the stress of auditions!!!</p>
<p>This thread is making me so happy. I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE. </p>
<p>Seriously–the dance forum is so dormant on this site, and there are a few ballet parents here and there, but not that many in the competition world. </p>
<p>I could have written this:</p>
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<p>My D is really on the fence lately about how she wants to pursue dance in college. She goes from dance major to D1 dance team to a few classes near whatever college she goes to. All of a sudden it is really stressing me out, because I cannot imagine a world in which she is not a dancer and I am not a dance mom.</p>
<p>If any of your sons or daughters are in the S.F. Bay Area, my D is involved in a group called Fuse: San Francisco Fusion Dance Company. You can check it out on Facebook. </p>
<p>So, since it’s almost Wednesday, and I am shamelessly promoting Ricky…this just popped up in my YouTube feed. I hadn’t seen it before. Just wow. You know a dance is good when a competition audience full of teenage girls is completely silent during the entire performance! </p>
<p>In my opinion Ricky is just heads and shoulders above the rest and is probably one of the all time best contestants. I am looking forward to him dancing with the all-stars because I always felt he was on a completely different level than Valerie and had maybe who I consider the clunkiest female dancer. </p>
<p>Awesome dance. His All Star tonight is Lauren Froderman. Last time I saw her, she had put on a bit of weight. I hope he can lift her, if required. </p>
<p>She’s also not too petite. Why do they keep putting him with bigger/taller women? He’s kind of elfin, and needs someone similarly built, imo. </p>
<p>He’s a really good dancer, but the first half of that contemporary solo reminded me of how boring most contemporary solos are – the second half was a lot better. </p>
<p>Jakob Karr was pretty small, and his lifts always looked effortless. Ricky has been able to pull it off so far.</p>
<p>Maybe they are puting him with non-tiny women to prove a point…Is he too small/short to really “make it” in the world of professional dance that requires partners?</p>
<p>I stopped watching America’s Got Talent years ago (all those kid singers were getting to me) but I just discovered that Jakob Karr is part of the Bad Boys of Ballet that (as far as I can tell) is still alive on the show.</p>
<p>In my experience a lot of the best contemporary dancers ARE solidly built. At all the studios my daughter has danced at, the strongest girls have always had really muscular thighs and kind of a compact, athletic look overall. Look at some of the best college dance teams for more evidence of this–Minnesota, St. Thomas, St. Ben’s. </p>
<p>This is what I worry about for my daughter if she wants to try to make a college team. She has a ballerina’s build and doesn’t put on muscle easily.</p>
<p>I do not believe Jakob and his fellow Bad Boys made it past Judgement Week of AGT. Sadly some acts much less deserving went to Radio City Music Hall.</p>
<p>MommaJ, yes and no. Remember that the big prize on AGT is a show in Las Vegas (at least it was the last time I watched.) I can only think of one AGT winner who has made it big in Vegas (Terry Fator) but that shows it’s at least possible to launch a career that way.</p>