Dads and Daughters Dance and Dazzle at Beloved Bellaire Event

By Karen Vine Fuller, Contributing writer | February 10, 2020

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These dads and daughters are ready for their close-ups. Pictured are (from left): Jeff and Sydney Pasternak, Dave and Sophie Garibaldi, Julian and Sydney Cran.
The annual Bellaire Daddy/Daughter dance was a big hit with these Condit dads and daughters. Pictured are (from top) Ryan Knape, Bernie Edwards, Claire Knape, Myles Rose, Nitin Sud, Lillian Sud, Sophia Edwards, Jason Roth, Ellie Roth, Kendall Rose, Garth Beinart, Savannah Beinart, Emerson Sud, Sophie Efron and Eric Efron.
Dave and Sophie Garibaldi had a fantastic time at the dance.
These dads and daughters got a thrill out of playing with the mysterious blue lights. Pictured are (back row, from left) Riley Tackett, Mark Tackett, Matt Hogan; (in front, from left) Eloise Tackett, Gabriella Hogan.
This year was the eighth Daddy Daughter dance that Scarlett, Ken and Lily Schmitt have attended. It’s become one of their favorite traditions.
Sydney and Julian Cran enjoyed dancing the night away with all the other fun dads and daughters at the dance.
Elisa Adams, Riley Tackett, Ainsley Pinkerton still love spending special time with their dads.
Gabriella Hogan and Eloise Tackett having fun getting all “tatted up” at the tattoo station.

It was a magical February evening. Neighborhood restaurants were full of tables of adorable, smiling couples. The giggling ladies glowed in sparkly, twirly dresses. They took sniffs of their sweet-smelling flowery wrist corsages. The gentlemen looked dashing in their pressed suits and sharp ties. They stared lovingly into their dates’ eyes.

No, it wasn’t Valentine’s Day. It was the 20th annual City of Bellaire’s Daddy Daughter Dance, which took place at the new Bellaire Civic Center for the first time on Feb. 1.

Cheryl Bright, Community Relations Administrator for the City Manager’s Office, was part of the recreation center team that helped coordinate the launch of the dance back in February 2000.

“For many years, the Recreation Center had a popular Daddy Daughter Tea but it was only for 3-5 year olds. We decided we wanted to open the event up to more ages so the dance was born,” Cheryl shared. “The dance was a hit and has continued to grow every year. There are about 110 dads and 150 children. We actually sell out.”

Victoria Arevalo, Recreation Supervisor for Bellaire Parks, Recreation & Facilities, has coordinated the dance for the last eight years. Every year, new surprises are added. This year’s theme was Frozen – the “Snow Sisters” made a surprise visit and did a sing-a-long to “Let it Go” and other popular Frozen songs. There was also a DJ, a light show, Chick-Fil-A nuggets and carrot sticks, a cookie-decorating bar and a photo booth. Victoria said, “The dads and their princesses got to enjoy a magical evening. At the end of the night, the daughters received a special keepsake to take home to remember the evening.”

The good news is that daughters of all ages are welcome to come now. Cheryl was happy to enjoy that age range and one of her favorite dances was the year her own dad accompanied her to the dance. They had a wonderful time on the dance floor and he even bought her a corsage

Over the years, the dance organizers have heard so much positive feedback from the dads and how special it is for them. Ken Schmitt is one of those dads. “I’ve been taking the girls [daughters Lily and Scarlett] since they were four and five. Now they are 11 and 12. The tradition is that we always eat at Auntie Pasto’s beforehand, which is a popular Daddy Daughter Dance spot.”

Cheryl shared one stand-out dance memory: "The Limbo was always really a hit on the dance floor but we had to discontinue it as too many dads were getting hurt!”

The 2021 Daddy Daughter Dance date will be announced here.

These dads and daughters are ready for their close-ups. Pictured are (from left): Jeff and Sydney Pasternak, Dave and Sophie Garibaldi, Julian and Sydney Cran.

The annual Bellaire Daddy/Daughter dance was a big hit with these Condit dads and daughters. Pictured are (from top) Ryan Knape, Bernie Edwards, Claire Knape, Myles Rose, Nitin Sud, Lillian Sud, Sophia Edwards, Jason Roth, Ellie Roth, Kendall Rose, Garth Beinart, Savannah Beinart, Emerson Sud, Sophie Efron and Eric Efron.

Dave and Sophie Garibaldi had a fantastic time at the dance.

These dads and daughters got a thrill out of playing with the mysterious blue lights. Pictured are (back row, from left) Riley Tackett, Mark Tackett, Matt Hogan; (in front, from left) Eloise Tackett, Gabriella Hogan.