Last Dance

After 4 years, 14 pairs of shoes, a shelf full of trophies and a closet full of expensive, glittery costumes she's only worn once, The Ocho took her final bow last night.

She's hanging up her dancin' shoes.

Since none of her close friends are taking dance anymore and we have less time to devote with my work schedule and her increased school work, we decided in January this would be it. Her heart just wasn't in it, and too much of our wallet was.

So last night was her last dance recital. Handiman, the entourage and I endured for the last time the 2 1/2 hour program complete with adorable 5 year olds in pink tutus abandoning every move they'd learn to wave to their moms and 14 year old girls dressed in black spandex doing highly inappropriate moves to even more inappropriate music (I'm talkin' "Shake Your Tailfeather" if you care to know.). Seriously, during one of the hip-hop numbers I spent the entire length of the routine staring at my program. In the pitch-black darkness. Because I was to embarrassed to watch these girls dance like that in front of a room full of grandparents. But I won't jump on that soap box today. (If you're wondering, however, why we're pulling the Ocho out now, that's yet another reason. She'll NOT be graduating to the the Hip-Hop Hoochiemama class while she's living under my roof. No sir.)

Speaking of The Ocho, she went out like a star. I thought it was awesome that she tapped to "Walkin' on Sunshine" and did ballet to "Music Box Dancer". I remember listening to both of those songs on the radio when I was in high school. She seemed horrified to learn that Aly & AJ were not the original artists for the former.

Her favorite number of the night was her jazz routine to "Fabulous" from HSM 2. I suppose it was fitting that she went out swinging her hips to a Sharpay song since she came in doing pirouettes to "Baby Mine". There couldn't be a more perfect example of how much she's changed over the past 4 years.

She remembered her moves and smiled non-stop everytime she hit the stage and at the end received the 2 things she'd came there for, a bouquet of flowers from her Daddy and her golden trophy. It was a beautiful end to a short and glorious career.