There are some people who shape not only who we become, but how we move through the world long after they’re gone.
Mother’s Day always makes me reflect on how lucky I was to have such an incredible mom. Next month marks two years since I lost her, and if I’m honest, Mother’s Day is full of feelings.
My mom was the original dance mom.
The early mornings. The costume sewing. The pep talks in parking lots. The endless encouragement from the audience. She was my biggest cheerleader before Reach For The Barres ever existed. Before there were studios, recitals, or leadership meetings, there was simply my mom believing in me.
She was my mentor, my coach, my safe place, and my witness.
And that’s the thing about losing a mother that’s hard to explain. You don’t just lose your mom. You lose the person who saw every version of you. The person who knew your story before anyone else did. The one who noticed the little wins, the quiet heartbreaks, the dreams you whispered out loud before the rest of the world ever saw them.
But grief has taught me something beautiful too.
Love doesn’t disappear.
I carry my mom with me every single day. Like invisible jewelry. Not everyone can see it, but I never take it off.
She lives in the way I encourage our dancers. In the way I cheer from the wings. In the way I believe deeply in childhood, confidence, and creating spaces where kids feel seen and supported. She is stitched into the fabric of this studio in more ways than most people realize.
And I know she’s still rooting for me.
To all the dance moms, grandmas, aunties, caregivers, and mother figures in our community: thank you. Thank you for the driving, the waiting, the listening, the supporting, the sacrificing, and the showing up again and again. What you do matters more than you know.
One day your dancer may look back and realize you were never “just” bringing them to class.
You were helping shape who they would become.
From my heart to yours, Happy Mother’s Day. 💛
And to my mom, forever my first dance teacher in life, thank you for everything.
Your Recital Dance Video Is Waiting for You
As recital approaches, we’ve had several families reaching out asking where they can find their dancer’s recital practice video.
Good news: it’s already waiting for you inside your Parent Portal!
We uploaded recital practice videos during Spring Break and shared reminders during Bring Your Person to Class Week, but we know this time of year gets busy and it’s easy for details to get lost among costumes, performances, and all the excitement leading up to recital.
Here’s how to find it:
Step 1: Log in to your Parent Portal.
Step 2: Click Files from the menu on the left-hand side.
Step 3: Select the Class Files tab.
Step 4: Click on your dancer’s class recital dance file.
That’s it! Your recital practice video, or class materials will be available there for easy access.
📸 See the image below for a visual walkthrough.
These videos are a wonderful tool for helping dancers feel confident, prepared, and excited as recital approaches. While there’s no expectation that dancers practice constantly at home, having the opportunity to review choreography, music, and performance details can be a great confidence booster.
As we head into recital week, we encourage families to take a few minutes to log in and make sure they’ve located their class materials. You might be surprised by what treasures are waiting inside your portal!
We can’t wait to celebrate all of your dancers on stage very soon. 💕
Keep reaching,
Team Reach
Screenshot
Elevate & Celebrate Our Final Week of Season 11
It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the final week of Season 11.
There’s a certain feeling that settles into the studio this time of year. The excitement is bigger, the hugs last a little longer, and everywhere you look, there are reminders of just how much growth has happened over the past nine months.
As we prepare for recital weekend, we’ve been reflecting on everything this season has held for our dancers and our studio community. So many firsts. So many breakthroughs. So many moments of courage, confidence, joy, and resilience that happened little by little inside our classrooms each week.
Our theme this season has been Elevate & Celebrate, and honestly, we can’t think of a better way to describe what this year has meant.
We’ve watched dancers elevate not only their technique, but their belief in themselves. We’ve watched children step into leadership, form meaningful friendships, work through challenges, and discover what they’re capable of through consistency, encouragement, and community. And alongside all of that growth, we’ve celebrated every bit of it together.
That’s what makes recital feel so special to us each year. It’s never just about the performance itself. It’s about honoring the journey that brought our dancers to this moment. The classes attended week after week. The courage to keep trying. The teachers who poured into them. The families who supported them. The memories made along the way.
As we close out our 11th season together, we just want to say thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your children, for believing in what we’re building here, and for continuing to make Reach For The Barres such a meaningful community to be part of.
We cannot wait to celebrate our dancers on stage this weekend and close out Season 11 together the best way we know how: by elevating, celebrating, and soaking in every magical moment. 💖
Go Team, Together!
There’s something incredibly special about seeing a season’s worth of hard work come together all in one room.
Our Season Eleven Pep Rally is one of those moments.
While many of our company dancers will perform throughout recital weekend, Pep Rally is the one night where all of our performing companies take the stage together, alongside our Spotlight Soloists, for a celebration of the season they’ve built side-by-side.
It’s part performance, part celebration, part community tradition.
For our dancers, Pep Rally is more than simply “another performance.”
It’s a chance to:
This year, proceeds from Pep Rally will support Dancers Against Cancer, an organization that means so much to the dance community and beyond. We’re incredibly proud that our dancers not only perform together, but also rally together around something bigger than themselves.
Families can also look forward to concessions, spirit boxes, and plenty of opportunities to cheer on their favorite dancers and teams throughout the evening. The energy inside the theatre every year is truly unmatched. 💖
And honestly, one of the most meaningful parts of Pep Rally is watching the connections between our dancers. Little dancers looking up to older company members. Teammates celebrating one another backstage. Seniors taking the stage alongside dancers just beginning their company journey.
It’s a reminder that our performing companies are about so much more than trophies, routines, or stage time.
They’re about belonging.
Leadership.
Growth.
Community.
And learning how to show up for one another.
We can’t wait to celebrate this season together.
From my heart to yours, Happy Mother’s Day.
There are some people who shape not only who we become, but how we move through the world long after they’re gone.
Mother’s Day always makes me reflect on how lucky I was to have such an incredible mom. Next month marks two years since I lost her, and if I’m honest, Mother’s Day is full of feelings.
My mom was the original dance mom.
The early mornings. The costume sewing. The pep talks in parking lots. The endless encouragement from the audience. She was my biggest cheerleader before Reach For The Barres ever existed. Before there were studios, recitals, or leadership meetings, there was simply my mom believing in me.
She was my mentor, my coach, my safe place, and my witness.
And that’s the thing about losing a mother that’s hard to explain. You don’t just lose your mom. You lose the person who saw every version of you. The person who knew your story before anyone else did. The one who noticed the little wins, the quiet heartbreaks, the dreams you whispered out loud before the rest of the world ever saw them.
But grief has taught me something beautiful too.
Love doesn’t disappear.
I carry my mom with me every single day. Like invisible jewelry. Not everyone can see it, but I never take it off.
She lives in the way I encourage our dancers. In the way I cheer from the wings. In the way I believe deeply in childhood, confidence, and creating spaces where kids feel seen and supported. She is stitched into the fabric of this studio in more ways than most people realize.
And I know she’s still rooting for me.
To all the dance moms, grandmas, aunties, caregivers, and mother figures in our community: thank you. Thank you for the driving, the waiting, the listening, the supporting, the sacrificing, and the showing up again and again. What you do matters more than you know.
One day your dancer may look back and realize you were never “just” bringing them to class.
You were helping shape who they would become.
From my heart to yours, Happy Mother’s Day. 💛
And to my mom, forever my first dance teacher in life, thank you for everything.