Mia the Ladybug

I dropped by Camille's house the morning of April 28, 2015, on my way to Mia's dance concert.  Mia came out of her bedroom wearing red cowboy boots with her ladybug costume.  "These match," she told Camille. "Of course they match," Jamie Calder later agreed, as I related the story.  Jamie's Lulu was in Mia's dance class.  The ladybug costume was adorable--shiny red and black, with wings and fuzzy antennae tucked into her hair.  I was sent ahead to Camille's ward house to reserve front row seats, while Camille rolled Mia's hair into a bun and added a touch of makeup. 

I took nonstop photos of the first number, as twenty or so ladybugs danced around the stage.  "Is that all?" I asked Camille after the first dance finished.  "Oh, no," Camille said.  "Each dance class has its own, one-hour program."  The little girls did modern dance moves, ballet moves, and then they tap danced.  The highlight was when each girl did a "solo"--whatever she chose.  Mia was especially graceful, with a gymnast-perfect one-handed cartwheel and a sweet curtsey.

At the end of the program, Mia's teacher announced that the girls could have ladybug cookies--"what they've been looking forward to all year." 

 Grant Calder's daughter, Lulu, was a ladybug, too, so we chatted with Grant, Jean, Jamie, and Jamie's mother as Lulu and her little sister, Marlowe, posed for photos.

Miss Mimi, Mia's teacher, gave Mia a hug.  Miss Mimi reserved the ward house for the whole day, as each of her dance classes presented its program.  This is American entrepreneurialism/culture-consciousness/enthusiastic-parenting at its grass roots best!