A Daughter’s First Dance Recital

A Brooklyn mother shares the preparation, excitement, and joy of her daughter’s first dance recital experience in an In Pictures photo essay.

She hardly talked about anything else for months. My 5-year-old daughter, Beatrice, was looking forward to her very first dance recital with anticipation normally reserved for her birthday or Christmas. She and her friends had been practicing as hard as their little feet would carry them, learning step after step: The chassé, skip, passé, jété, all set to “Sparky,” a peppy instrumental track with an exotic vibe. When The Big Night finally arrived, I was surprised at how emotional I was. My beaming little beauty…jété-ing!

hands with ballet slippers


Fancy Footwork
Beatrice loved her ballerina slippers. At last, it’s time to put them on for the ‘real’ performance.

 

ballerina stretching


Warm Up Routine
Just as her teacher, Miss Sarah, had taught her, Beatrice remembers to stretch before dancing…every time.

 

mother fixing daughters ballet slipper


Oh, Stylist! I Mean, Mom…
Her able assistant (me) solving a slipper crisis: The sparkly rose adorning her braid was her idea, but I did her hair.

 

mother applying lip gloss on daughter


Really? I Get to Wear Makeup?
What’s more exciting than blush on a fat brush? Getting to wear mommy’s lip gloss!

 

two ballerina friends


Stage Left
All dolled up (and quite happy with the results), Beatrice and her best pal, Iris, await their cue.

 

girl at dance recital

Crisis Averted
A flicker of pre-show jitters set in, but Beatrice’s stage fright quickly passed (whew!).

 

ballerinas listening to teacher


Attention!
The anxious girls listen as Miss Sarah gives them last-minute reminders and instructions before their performance.

 

ballerinas waiting to dance


The Long Wait
Beatrice bides her time before her turn to bask in the spotlight. Moments later, her solo consisted of the chasse, which in French means “to chase”—it’s a gliding, step-together-step move, her favorite!

 

friends dancing together


Quite a Pair
A moment for friends to shine together—it’s always more fun that way

 

young ballernina eating pizza


For me?!
My starlet couldn’t decide which after-show surprise was better, her favorite food or the pretty posies. A girl could get used to this!

 

Marc Goldberg is a newborn and family photographer based in Brooklyn. View his work at marcgoldbergphotography.com.

All photographs by Marc Goldberg