If you have young children you should be able to relate to the story of dancer Bree Hafen of McKinney, Texas, who decided to put her dreams of becoming a professional dancer on the back burner when her two kids were born.
But after she’d given birth to her two kids, Luke, 5, and Stella, 2, Hafen knew it was time to focus on her dreams once more. So in 2012, she auditioned for “So You Think You Can Dance”‘s ninth season. But while she was there to show off her incredible dancing talent, she didn’t expect that her children would be a part of the process too. The judges were just as impressed with Hafen’s adorable children as they were with her dancing.
During her appearance on the show, Hafen revealed a little about her backstory. She said
“When you become a mother, you want to just give your whole life to your kids. And when you ever feel like doing something for yourself, you have to deal with a little bit of the guilt involved because you want to give all of your time to your children.”
She said that the decision to get back into dance was a struggle where she wondered if she was good enough to warrant the time away from her family. But she admitted she wasn’t ready to give up on her dream just yet.
During her live audition, she stood on the stage in front of the judges including head judge Nigel Lythgoe. After she introduced herself she mentioned that her kids were in the audience before she added, “Stella, by the way, is a phenomenal little dancer.”
After Hafen made it known that her children were in the audience, Lythgoe seized on the opportunity to get to know the family a little more and asked for the children to head to the stage. Once they arrived, Lythgoe got up and let them take his seat on the judging panel. That’s when Hafen began her audition performance.
From the moment she began to dance, it was clear that Hafen was incredibly talented. The way she moved around the floor was something that only an experienced dancer could do. This revelation made it all the more emotional when Hafen explained that she gave up on her own dreams of onstage success in favor of caring for her children.
This time, luck was finally on her side and after her performance, her kids handed her a ticket to the next round of the competition. Following her audition, Lythgoe praised Hafen’s performance and told her:
“Apart from all the sugary sweet things with the kids and everything, I’ve gotta say that at the end of it, you’re a very very good dancer.”
Hafen was incredibly humbled by Lythgoe’s comment. He then asked her why she’d left it until that moment to audition for the show. That’s when she told her story about giving up her dreams as a dancer to care for her kids. But she did reveal that they were just as responsible for giving her the confidence she needed to audition in the first place. After she won a place in the next round, Hafen celebrated onstage with her two children and explained she had been given the confidence to return to the stage and her love of dancing because of the support of her husband and kids.
As she discussed what it meant for her to make her way to the next round of the show, Stella repeated, “My turn! My turn!” as if she knew that her mom’s moment in the spotlight was over and now it was hers. Once Lythgoe saw that the 2-year-old wanted to perform on the same stage as her mom, he asked for her to be left on stage and cued the music one more time.
Your heart will melt when you see how this adorable 2-year-old attempted to copy the moves that won her mom a place in the next round of “So You Think You Can Dance.” Stella’s ballet performance was absolutely adorable and stole the show. The audience and the judges were absolutely enthralled with her moves and she even received a standing ovation.
The internet seems to have fallen in love with her too since the video has now been viewed over 7 million times. People in the comments also loved it. One wrote:
“That little kid made my heart melt! Omg! She is gonna be just as good as her mom!”
Meanwhile, others pointed out how much they loved Hafen’s audition and complimented her excellent dancing skills. It’s not clear how far Hafen went on the show but she wasn’t a finalist, however, she is still dancing these days. She has a Facebook page with over 1,500 followers and an Instagram with over 5,000 followers. Her Facebook says that she is a dance teacher/choreographer.
Hafen’s story is a testament to never giving up on what you love, even if there are two things you love such as family and your passion. Her story proves that it’s possible to have both if you prioritize your time.