First we had to be there about two hours before the pageant for interviews. There were three judges and they each asked her two questions. They asked her about pets and her family.
The pageant is opened with all the girls (Friday night Minis and Littles, Saturday Jr. and Teen) dancing a production number in the same outfit. Each contestant is introduced with their name and number.
For her talent she performed a dance she learned with her dancing group at Devotion Dance Academy. It was a lyrical dance routine to Little Things by One Direction. We had to change a couple of movements since this was performed as a group. There was a section where they lifted a girl and rotated her. So some choreography was altered showing off some technique like leg lifts, straddles, and leaps. She was doing great on stage, she remembered the first two changes. Then she got ahead of the music, forgot one section and froze for about 5 seconds (which seemed like forever) quickly remembered and finished the song.
I met her backstage after her talent performance and she was crying and I was crying because I knew she'd be crying because she messed up. We talked with her dance teacher and choreographer backstage and she got us calmed down. We got her changed for the party dress portion. She wore the dress she got as a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. Each girl was walked out with an escort and walked to key points on the stage while information about the girls was read aloud. Information as in who her parents were, who her siblings are, and what her dreams and aspirations are.
After some entertainment while the judges calculate their scoring the girls are brought back on stage for the announcement of winners. There are four attendants and a queen for Minis, and four attendants and a queen for Littles. Chloe did not place. I didn't expect her to for her first time out. I don't think she expected to win either. Backstage there were girls crying because they didn't win. Chloe was just fine. She even commented to me in a sympathetic voice about how the girls were crying because they didn't win. Our only crying was in relation to her talent performance.
Overall, I think she had fun and it will be a memory she has for a while. We talked about her doing this again next year. She is up for it and hopes to perform better to even place.
