Concert Commentary

 It has been a busy week.  I spent half my evenings sewing up an elephant bird costume.  This was for a hilarious dance/skit sequence that is being prepared for the eisteddfod next year.  It is based on part of the broadway production "Seussicle"  which adapts the Dr Seuss book "Horton Hatches the Egg".
I purchased new drafting software which had a more extensive range of leotard templates, but got the stretch factor wrong, so I ended up making a teeny weeny incy wincy leotard, and had to start over.  Hannah is enjoying the prototype though!
A similar thing happened with the feathery arms.  Here is the prototype.  It took me 2 hours to make a new set, because my sewing machine and I were not getting along very well.  Too many late nights, but a good final result.

This was Hannah's first concert.  Boy did she look cute in her little sequined jungle girl costume.

Yes, that is a real bone in her hair.  And I should have remembered that mascara doesn't last two minutes on anyone under 5 years of age.  She was fascinated with the whole makeup process.  I love how the older girls all flock around her.  At the stage rehearsals I sat her in the pram when she felt a bit tired, and then found her surrounded by a little flock of white ballerinas.  She loves all the attention, and they think she is very cute.

Hannah's dance was very simple, and she didn't really have to show many steps.  It has been fun seeing her skipping and side stepping when we are out and about.  After her little performance she got to sit in the front row and watch.  This worked well for a while, then she sat with Damien and I.

There was some difficulty with one of Leila's outfits.  They ran out of fabric at Spotlight, so a rush order was made to the USA for monkey costumes.  What we got were gorilla outfits, and they were HUGE.  Leila's gorilla legs were turned half inside out to shorten the legs, but the rubber belly sat at knee level (with her nipples somewhere near her belly button).  I was able to use pins to shorten the shoulders and make everything sit higher.  The feet and hands were massive too, I do not know how she managed to avoid tripping over.  The faces were the next problem.  It is very hard to see out of them, and in rehearsal nobody could tell who was who, so all the choreography fell apart until they put big name labels on everyone's back.
Worse still, the costumes smelled of awful rubber, and were incredibly HOT.  They were each stuffed with a pillow too.  Torture.  Leila is interested in flitting about in gossamer sparkles looking as feminine as possible so it was all a bit hard to take.  She did NOT want her photo taken.  Can you tell?

So here is another photo instead:  Her tap outfit (to Toy Story's "You've got a friend in me)".  It was a great number, but I have to confess that my favourite was definitely the gorilla item.  She was in the front row, looking incredibly short, and wow, did that girl dance!  It was unbelievably entertaining.  I couldn't stop laughing.  I laughed till I cried.  It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.  There is a fair streak of clown in Leila, so I could see her hamming it up in there.  I just cannot describe how funny it was.

I don't have any costumed pictures of Bethany I am afraid.  For her Bibbety Bobbety Boo jazz number she wore a yellow leotard with a white skirt,  braces frilly socks and white jazz shoes.  Bethany and Leila both demonstrated their ballet moves in white leotards with chiffon skirts and sequined Santa hats.  Beth wore all black with a waistcoat, hat and old fashioned driving goggles for a chitty-chitty tribute number, and then a very 80's black and purple outfit with leg warmers for a jazz finale.  The choreography was amazing, and we all loved it.
I like how Mrs J ties acts together: there was a whole sequence of jungle numbers, and then chitty-chitty bang bang numbers (toot sweets, the child catcher and the old bamboo included).  There were a couple from Toy Story, and then the Dr Seuss group too.  I think I might sneak her a copy of Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan sometime and see if she gets inspired...