I Love Being a Ballerina's Dad

I love being a ballerina's dad. 

Last weekend, my daughter’s dance company performed their spring ballet and repertoire.  For two weeks dance has consumed the life of our family:  extra trips to the dance studio for run-thrus; long nights in the theater for tech, dress, and photos; early, exhausted mornings trying to get off to school and work.  In the middle of this stress, my wife and I often pass each in the house with a knowing look, “Is all of this worth it?”

Then – I see my daughter dance and my heart sings.  The beauty of her movement matched with the dazzle of the costumes, staging and lights draws me into the experience.  Emotion exudes through each leap, pirouette, and note.  It takes my breath away.  In that moment – life surges and I celebrate my Creator who invites us all to dance. 

There are more moments too that capture my attention:

I love the moments in the dance carpool:  girls tying buns, eating supper, checking their Instagram likes of their latest posted arabesque, and discussing the ballerinas around the world they follow – all at the same time. 

I love the Degas-esque picture of a hallway full of classically dressed, leotard wearing ballerinas in all stages of training, chatting, eating, doing homework, and stretching just before the teacher calls them to class.

I love the chaos of volunteers pulling off a run of ballet performances for the community:  the stage mothers marking time with the youngest dancers charged with keeping costumes clean and dancers on stage on time, the grandmother ushers seating the public to get more glimpses of their little dancers, the beautiful gifts for sale in the lobby, the flood of patrons at the concession tables, and the panic of dancers in the wings quickly moving from one dance to the next.

I love watching my ballerina never stop moving – from demonstrating the latest dance moves from class in the kitchen to her personal, choreographed dances in the playroom, to her pirouettes from room to room on any given day. 

I love being a ballerina's dad.