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Tiny Dancer

by Megan

My little girl just turned 3, and one of her presents was signing her up for ballet!

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Of course, she also got the pretty clothes that go along with taking a dance class.

We started with just a trial class, because I never know how she’s going to react in different situations.

Exhibit A:

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Exhibit B (literally the same week):

i hate you santa

She was really excited to go into the dance studio, and she walked right off with her teacher without a second look back at me!

She did everything the teacher asked, from running and jumping, to plies, to twirls.

Then she had a breakdown. They had these foam pieces, and she and another girl wanted the same one. Tears. Tantrum.

I watched from the window as she sat and cried for a minute or two. And then she got back up and kept on with the class! That’s my girl!

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Near the end of the hour, they started practicing their dance, “Beach Babies.”

They started the dance with various beach props, and again she got upset that she didn’t get what she wanted (even though the teacher gave her several options). She sat and cried again, watching the other girls practice the dance. Eventually she got up and started doing the dance with them, and she was fine for the rest of the class.

So for a first dance class with a temperamental little girl, I’d say she did pretty well! Hopefully this week she will be able to get through without any tears. Her teacher did a good job giving her space and alternately encouraging her to join in.

I also started dance when I was 3…and lasted exactly one class. My mother still cringes to think about how she heard the teacher saying, “Megan, nobody else is rolling around on the floor,” and how as soon as I left the studio, I loudly proclaimed, “I don’t think I want to come back again!”

I think I was just ahead of my time.

Fingers crossed for the right kind of “attitude” (see #4) this week!

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4 comments

Christina February 24, 2014 - 11:59pm

She looks so cute! My son was like this when I first signed him up for toddler music classes. One week he loved it, the next he hated it. It does get better though and it sounds like she did ok for her first time.

P.S. I love the word play you did there at the end. :)

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Christina Morley February 25, 2014 - 1:51am

What a cute little budding ballerina! It’s true that the emotional age of the child is important, and that’s why your experience to your daughter’s was very different. I was even older when I took my first ballet lessons and I also didn’t last. So, personality and gifting also play a factor. Now my two oldest daughters are taking ballet. I’ve just posted my Picture Perfect Party Linky if you would like to join at
http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com/2014/02/wildlife-pets-and-more.html

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Kate @ Songs Kate Sang February 25, 2014 - 9:58pm

Oh my goodness – She is just so adorable!

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Vanessa's First Dance Recital - Shaping Up To Be A Mom August 2, 2014 - 12:46pm

[…] in February, for a 3rd birthday present, I signed Vanessa up for a dance class. The studio is practically in our backyard, so it certainly was convenient! She absolutely loved […]

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