Miss Vicky on holidays

With the Ballet concert over for the year, there are no more dance classes to attend. This morning, we had quite a leisurely Monday morning compared to the rush to get to dance lessons during the school term.

"Why is Ms Vicky on holidays? Why does she need a break?" inquired my Preshooler.

Fortunately, I was prepared for this moment and pulled out the Ballet conditioning DVD I bought at an opportunity shop.

We - my toddler, my preschooler and myself - all stood in front of the TV - in our pyjamas and barefoot (as recommended by Elise - the ballerina on the cover) and attempted some of the exercises. 

The pace was slow -  hence ideal for our purposes and I personally found it quite a good workout and enjoyed the ballet context of the exercises. I tried all the exercises and my Preschooler attempted the ones she had done in class with her teacher - as well as others I thought were safe and appropriate.

Our preschooler was impressed that the ballerina on TV was doing the same things as Ms Vicky; and the moves were performed nearly as well as her.

And my toddler loved attempting the arabesque.

So we may well be seeing Miss Elise on DVD every Monday morning.

Sugar Plum Fairy

We have our first Ballet Concert this Sunday.

Hair bun nets, bobby pins, stage and lighting rehearsals - it is all new to us and very exciting.

But, I noticed a few weeks ago some reluctance from our preschooler to attend Ballet classes. After some probing, I discovered that while the majority of the lesson was appealing, the rehearsal of the dance routine to be performed at the concert was putting her off. Remembering it all was overwhelming.

So, thanks to a very understanding dance teacher and the 'record' button on our camera, we have overcome this obstacle.

With the routine recorded and downloaded onto the home laptop, we have been able to learn the dance in small bite sized sessions spread across the day. We first focused on just the feet movements, then the arm actions and then finally, listening to the music for the cues.

It has been fun embracing this event as a family. Our preschooler is looking forward to the concert with more confidence now, our toddler son runs around with a tutu on, I can do a tondu - and even dadda knows a few of the dance moves.