It's International Ballet Day

I love to dance. I love to put on my favorite tutu and twirl around the room. In fact, I love BALLET so much I wrote a poem about it -

I Love to Dance

It gives my mind a chance

To wake up and say

I am ready to face the DAY

I Love to Dance

To twirl and SWAY

I love to Leap 

To POSE and keep

I Love to Dance

Soar across the floor

Pretend I'm a BIRD

Who can ask for MORE?

I love to Dance

To SWAY to and fro

Pretend I'm a FLOWER

Beginning to grow

I Love to Dance

It makes me so HAPPY

I can express myself

Without being SAPPY

Busy Ballerina

I am pretty sure - well at least I hope - that you noticed I have not been around much over the last couple of weeks. Well it is that time of year when the ballet studio Mommy #1 attends has its annual showcase. We all get very involved with the show - we do everything from sort costumes to helping with the sets. I also help backstage as the official reminderPUG not to RUN. . . not to TALK. . . not to chew GUM. . . and that kind of thing. It is amazing what a little pug can accomplish.

It is also a crazy time of very little sleep, light meals on the run, and nonstop activity. It is tiring - but I LOVE it so much. Nothing makes me happier than standing on the stage and looking out at the seats. Really! It is the ONLY time I am not too afraid of shadows.

So this year, the theme was THE STORYTELLER. The character, The Storyteller, weaves a tale of fun and intrigue as it all unfolds onstage. I played the small village girl who alerts the Princess to trouble. It was so fun.

Here I am preparing to go onstage for the next to the last dance of the show. The last dance has all the sets put back onstage.

Then we stay to STRIKE the stage. This is when we younguns get to jump on and smash the paper sets. It is a gas and a good way to let off all that tension you build during the show.

Yesterday we took a day off of school and work to just sleep, snuggle, and catch up on movies. It is such a fun time - I cannot wait until next year.

Keeping My Eye On YOU, Mommy!

I think someone forgot to lock the legs!

My Mommys got BUSY over the weekend. Seriously! They went to LOWES and bought a buncha stuff NONE of which was dog related. Then they laid it all out on the front porch, popped on some TUNES and got busy making a ballet barre. I was lonely in the house so I asked if I could SUPERVISE the activity. Much to my surprise, Mommy #2 said YES!

I'll just relax while you work

It was kinda warm, though, so they needed to create the right place for me - shaded, strapped to the porch rail, and comfy. Mommy #1 rigged this above up using the traveling gear from our car, Pugsley.

I must say it was kinda fun to be included and I gave it my all! By the end of the day (reality check: it took under 30 minutes to build the barre), my Mommys were done and had a very nice barre on which to practice ballet.

The finished project

HAPPY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Being involved in a project is great for creating a feeling of camaraderie.

Chaînés, Brisé , Pirouette, and Assemblé

Excuse me! Pardon me! If you could. . . just let me through this curtain here. . . Excuse me, Danseuse coming through.

Hi, It's me, Noodles the Ballerina Pug. I have been away these many days dancing my way INTO the Holiday Season. I love to dance, really.

Right after Thanksgiving my Mommys and me were at the stage making sets, adding lights and practicing our dances. That was a lot of work, too. It took all day Friday and all day Saturday to make the magic happen for 3 shows on Sunday.

The above picture is of the opening number. It was so lovely and ethereal AND WINTERY! And by Wintery I mean it was kinda Christmas-y or Hanukkah-y  because when it was over everyone was in such a Holiday mood!

There were a couple of cute dances to "Polar Express" and the costumes were of gingerbread people, candy canes, elves, and so on. I really wanted to be in one of these dances but the DIRECTOR AUNTIE D said there was NO PLACE for a pug in those dances. Harrrrumph. They made me hungry with all the candy, cookie and hot chocolate accessories.

When it was all over we were all really really TIRED and a lot SAD. The showcase is hard work but so rewarding. I love it.

Mommys and me took ALL DAY Monday off and sat on the couch watching Christmas movies and sipping hot cocoa (not me, sigh). It was the perfect ending to a perfect show.