Idaho Clogging Competition Videos

We had a fun weekend in Pocatello, Idaho at the Idaho State Championships clogging competition.
Very late nights at the competition, but fun times with friends.
The kids look forward to the opportunity to travel with their friends to a competition and stay overnight.

I love watching my kids and the dancers from our studio get up there on stage and perform.

I was able to record almost all of my kids dances. I missed 1 of Isabelle's & part of Zach's freestyle because they were happening at the same time in different theaters, but hopefully I can record them next time.


Claire dancing to We Like to Move It.
She is on the end on the right.
This is her first year on a competition team and her 2nd time performing at a competition.
I think they did great!

Zoe dancing to Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend.
This is their first time doing this dance on stage.
Zoe is in the front on the far right.
Yes, that's her being lifted in the air on the right partway through the dance.

Zoe dancing to Friend in Me.
I love the cape work!
Again, she is in front on the right.

Isabelle dancing to Disco.
She starts in the back on the right side.
They look so sharp!
I missed her other dance. :(

Zachary was super busy with his dances on Sat. night.
He is on a boys team and two mixed teams so he had back to back dances and costume changes.
This is his last year on teams so it's bittersweet to watch him at each competition.

Zach dancing to Back in Time.
This is a fun dance and was a big crowd-pleaser.
Zach is on the far right.

Zach dancing to Beatles.

His wig didn't get enough bobby pins in it. :)
He starts out 2nd from the left.

Zach's mixed team Precision dance.

A fun, traditional dance. He starts out in the back on the right.

Zach in Sing, Sing.
He starts out on the far left.
I love all the swing moves.

Zach in Hoedown.
He starts out the 2nd couple from the right.
The class only finished learning the dance 2 days before the competition and it the first time they did it on stage. Pretty impressive in my opinion.

The last part of Zach's freestyle. The cloggers all come forward at the same time (this is called a 'rise & shine') to do their freestyle (everyone does something different) and then they come forward again solo, then they come forward for a last rise & shine. I only made it there for the last rise & shine.

And last, sometime after 10:30 p.m. after all his other dances and then standing outside in the cold for 30 minutes after someone pulled the fire alarm, Zach did his duet. This is another dance that was only finished 2 days before the performance.

Dance Pictures 2012

 Jazz- "Fame" by David Bowie

Lyrical- "Pretty" by The Cranberries

We are missing the copy of Isabelle's clogging photo, but I will add it when I get it.

Isabelle took a break from jazz for a couple of years, but gave it a try again this year and really enjoyed it.

Ballet- "When You Wish Upon a Star"

Clogging- "Splish Splash, I Was Taking a Bath"

Tumbling- "ABC"

Emma did so well at the recital this year. She went on stage without any problems and was very serious about doing her dances.

Ballet- "Send in the Clowns"

Tumbling- "We Like to Party"

Jazz- "Heaven Hop"

Clogging- "You've Got a Friend in Me" Spanish version (Toy Story 3)

Zoe is great about smiling both when she is on stage and for her pictures.

Tumbling- "We Like to Party"

Ballet- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

Clogging- "Old Time Rock n' Roll"

Claire gets very excited about any upcoming events, including our recital. She has her own calendar that she uses to count down to every event.

These are the many faces of Zachary. He acts like he doesn't like getting his picture taken, but he really does, as you can see by his posing here. His favorite photos are the ones with his female dance partners, but I didn't post those here.

Ballroom- "Jewish Town"

Ballroom- "Mercy"

Clogging- "Precision"

Clogging- "Sing, Sing, Sing"

This year our recital theme was "Dancing Through the Decades." We started with the 1900s and went through the last century with music from every decade. It was a fun recital with lots of variety and it turned out fantastic.

Dance Photos

Dance photos are in!  Have fun viewing! 

 Ballet. Where Do All the Butterflies Go.

 

 Tumbling. Here on Who for a Dr. Seuss theme dance. 

Ballet. Hedwig's Theme (Harry Potter)

Apparently mom was distracted and didn't realize a hair touch up was in order before this photo was taken. 

Claire also was in clogging. She danced to I Love Rock n Roll. I do not have the photo yet, but will add it when I get it.

Tumbling. Zoe was Thing 8 for her Dr. Seuss routine.

Clogging. Cowboy Sweetheart.

Ballet. Where the Wild Things Are.

Jazz. Weird Science.

Yep. Zoe was ambitious this year and did four styles of dance. 

We still don't know what her favorite is yet.

Clogging. Sold aka Grundy County Auction.

Isabelle stuck with her favorite this year and just did clogging.

Ballroom. Footloose.

This is my new favorite photo of Zach.

Clogging. Soul Man.

An explanation on Zach on Isabelle's clogging teams. Each year they compete two (or three) routines. They compete the routine they learned the previous year plus a new routine they learn the current year. They were each in several other dances this year, but we only take photos of the new routine each year. Zach also dances on a couples team, but I am not posting those photos to protect the privacy of his dance partners.

You may have noticed we are missing some photos of Emma. She took ballet and clogging, but she choose not to participate in picture day this year. Or recital for that matter. Actually at picture day she did the class photo (just for ballet) but wouldn't take an individual photo. Our photographer made her ballet photo from the class picture. At both events she put on her first costume and was super excited and then wouldn't cooperate when the time came.  I guess we have some cute dress up clothes now...

What I Love About Recital

After the Starz Unlimited dance recital on Wednesday my sister asked me what I liked best about the recital. I was stumped because I couldn’t think of any one thing that would answer that question. I said I liked it all. But now I can explain my answer. 

What I love best about the recital is seeing it all come together. When you get to the night of the recital, it isn’t just another performance. It is so much more. When I am at the recital, this is what I see and feel-

I see nine months of preparation by the dancers as they learn technique and choreography through hard work and dedication.

I am inspired by how far each dancer has come during the year.

I see dancers developing self-confidence by going on stage and performing.

I admire and am grateful for the talents of the instructors who teach each student and choreograph each dance.

I witness the friendships that develop throughout the year and see the dancers cheer for one another, help one another and work together.

I feel the excitement of family and friends in the audience who are so proud of their dancers.

I recognize the many people behind the scenes who worked to make everything come together.

Seeing the dancers, music, costumes and choreography all come together make a magical evening that I am always excited to be a part of. While preparing for recital can be a lot of work, the outcome is always worth it.