Clara the dancer

Back in January, Clara requested ballet clothing and gear for her fourteenth birthday. I reminded her that it wasn't likely that we could find a beginning class at her age, but she wanted them anyway and was happy with the leotard, etc. we got her. However, to find ballet slippers I felt we should go to a dance studio to make sure we got the right size. At the studio, I felt embarrassed by Clara's behavior as we tried on several pairs of slippers to find the right size and couldn't find one that felt comfortable. In an attempt to explain, I mentioned we were looking for an adaptive dance class, and the employee mentioned that they had one there. Surprised, we looked into it and it was a wonderful fit for Clara. She absolutely loved going each week. After her first dance class, she exclaimed happily, "I LOVED it! I felt like I could just dance away all my problems." It brought Michael and I so much joy to see her feel so happy.


I got to go into one of the dress rehearsals in class with Miss Elayna, who was the sweetest teacher and is now a special ed teacher in Northern Virginia.

That smile!

Clara with Taylor and Alissa.

 I was proud of Clara for getting up on that stage all by herself with these two girls! They danced to Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York." (This pic was taken during dress rehearsal, hence the empty seats.)

 Clara did a wonderful job and I can't wait to see what she does next year.