Happy Mother’s Day!
Veteran mama, new mama, mama-to-be – we celebrate you on this Mother’s Day!
Enjoy this mix of stories, links, and articles all about dance and motherhood.
Still my baby
We shared this brief story from a dance mom on Dance Advantage on Mother’s Day 2009. It sums up the mix of pride and joy and bittersweet emotions all moms experience as we watch our little ones grow.
“Last night I was watching my daughter’s ballet class (from the window so she couldn’t see me). They had learned a new combination, and she was waiting for her turn to go across the floor. As each girl went across, my daughter was watching and marking it from her place in line. About halfway through her wait, she let loose with a huuuuuge yawn which reminded me so much of how she used to yawn when she was 2 years old. So cute! But what cracked me up was that she just kept right on marking all the way through this gigantic yawn. It was the contrast of advanced-level semi-bored robo-ballerina vs. sleepy-head little girl ready for bed. After I got done laughing, I just wanted to hug her.
She’s officially a senior in high school as of today, but if I watch carefully I can still see my baby once in a while.”
Great Expectations
- Baby on Board — Teaching While Pregnant
- Pas de Deux: Two Career Dancers On Pregnancy
- More Dancer Pregnancy Tips from The Body Series
- Dancing for Good Health During Pregnancy and Why Pregnant Women Should Dance (Parents.com)
Dancing With Children
- Role Of A Lifetime: Returning To Dance As A Mom
- The Busy Mom/Dancepreneur’s Secret to Success
- Working Mother: Ballerina Jenifer Ringer
- Baby Steps: Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre Company Member Dances Into Motherhood (in her own words)
- Stage Moms: Balancing Motherhood and a Career, Part I and Part II
The Dance Mom Diaries
- Confessions of a Busy Dance Mom
- Life as a Dance Mom – Finding the Balance Between Friend and Fanatic
- Who Are These Boys Who Choose Dance?
- Choosing a Dance Program for my Young Son
My Mother, The Dancer
- Hold The Glitter: A studio owner’s non-dancing daughter tells all (Dance Studio Life)
- Denise Wall on Raising Dancing Boys
- Mother and Child Reunion: Dual-generation teams share a unique bond through dance (Dance Studio Life)
ABT soloist Daniil Simkin talks about his private training with his mother, how coming from a ballet family has affected his career, and the importance of work-life balance as a professional ballet dancer.
Extras:
Unifying Women and Mothers Through Dance – Movement and dance are used to help integrate refugees in Scotland.
Got Stress? 10 Manageable Relievers For Women (and Men) – Some tips for anyone, including moms!
The Dance of Independence (pdf) – A one-page primer for new dance parents who may have concerns about their young child’s shyness, participation, or tears in class.
Share Your Mom Stories
Have a great story about your dancing children? Your dancing mom? Dance moms at your studio?
Share it below in the comments!
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
