It is no secret that the girls have had a love for reading, music and dancing since they were born. Really. They both love to look at books (and for being so little they are really attentive to them), they sing and talk to themselves all the time (especially Lilly), and they are constantly (and I mean constantly) moving. Some of their favorite shows to watch in prime time this past spring were American Idol and Dancing with the Stars...they also liked So You Think You Can Dance once it started. A few months ago Lilly began to tell us that she wanted to take a dance class. I think she saw a segment on Sesame Street one day (thank you PBS) that took place in a dance class, and so the obsession began. Steve and I talked about it and decided if we could find someplace that had a class for her age we'd let her give it a shot. Most places required that she be three before the classes began in September, but one studio wrote me back and said that they have had some success in the past with 'almost threes' and they'd be willing to let her try it out with not obligation if she wasn't ready. Lilly was so excited...I can't stress how excited she was. It was really all she could talk about from the time we went to size her for her first pair of ballet shoes. I finally had to show her on a calendar how many more days we had before her first class so she would stop obsessing and asking me about it fifteen times a day.
Monday was her first official Pre-Ballet Class. Lilly couldn't wait to get dressed in her new leotard and tights. We got a matching set for Clara (along with her very own 'ballet shoes') so she wouldn't feel left out. They are quite adorable, I must say. Lilly even sat still for about thirty minutes while I tried ten different ways to get her hair to stay in a bun (lots of clips and hairspray people!). We had a long talk about how she needed to listen to the dance teacher and watch the dance teacher. 'We are not supposed to look at ourselves in the mirror, Lilly. You have to watch the teacher so you can learn the dance moves.' Okay, Mommy! This was my biggest fear along the lines of her not being ready for a formal class. She is quite obsessed with watching herself in mirrors, and with being in a room surrounded by them I figured it was sure to be an issue. The sermon was over, the hair was perfect, and we were off. There was a two-way mirror at the studio so we could see in from the waiting room, but the kids couldn't see us. Watching 12 three year olds attempts plies and the different positions was quite hilarious. (I'm sure just as funny was the 12 mothers crowed around a two foot by one foot window peering in.) I think Lilly's favorite part was the 'ballet run' and apparently there was something along the lines of 'bunny hops' as well. I think she did pretty good for the most part from the few minutes I watched. She was watching herself in the mirrors quite a bit (although she did try really hard to do it out of the corner of her eye) and walked away from the group a handful of times (guess she wanted to do a solo!). But I didn't honestly didn't see her doing anything that others in the class weren't doing too. After we had dinner that evening I asked her if she would show my camera some of the things she learned at class that day. She was pretty eager (as was Clara) to show me her stuff. Enjoy!
