Dancing divas

Having dedicated nearly every Thursday night of the past nine months to maxifords and shuffle/hop/steps Alena and Alivia made their tap dancing debut Saturday afternoon (with a repeat performance Sunday).

After the plastering of their hair into slick, tight buns and the tramping up of their faces with eyeshadow, cream blush and bright red lipstick they slap/stepped and ball/changed their way to applause.

Unfazed by the lights and packed auditorium, but totally relishing the hairspray and lipstick, they now wish to sign up for additional dance lessons, skipping straight to the costumes and stage. God help us all.

Alivia danced with a preschool tap class to "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and her red, white and blue costume was pixie perfect. While Alena was sure Alivia would cry on stage, there wasn't any way tears were getting past her huge, red smile. Kudos to a little tap dancer whose rhythm we're still looking for.

Alena danced with an elementary tap class to "Shining Star" from the Lizzie McGuire movie soundtrack, and her sequined costume met her hot momma standards. Having worried over the past couple of months about getting on stage (and at one point wondering if she even wanted to do it), she lined up and marched backstage without hesitation. After coming off stage she was all smiles and wanted to know when she could do it again.

While I suspect neither will end up dancing on Broadway, the experience of working toward a dance performance and then having the confidence to dance your little heart out on stage takes top billing.