Little Dancer

I had mentioned before how I want the girls to take ballet lessons. They have every right to say they don't like it, but at least they will have the opportunity to experience dance while they are young and flexible. I didn't take my first dance classes until I was 27, and I really wish I hadn't waited so long. Dance gives you a confidence... in what your body can do, what limits you can stretch. A movement or task that seemed so hard last month suddenly comes together after all of the practice you put into it: perseverance. I could have used those traits when I was a child.




I hesitated about enrolling Rosemary in ballet due to her hypermobility (the reason she wears orthotics on her feet). Our pediatrician thought dance was a great idea for strengthening her leg muscles and improving her condition. I still had doubts about the negative repercussions of dance, so I waited to ask the neurologist what her thoughts were, and surprise! the neurologist liked the idea, too. Rosemary loved seeing the other girls dance at an open house for the studio I had chosen, so all of the checkmarks were in place. We signed her up for the 6 week summer session.




At this age, the dance class is a half hour of tap followed by a half hour of ballet. We didn't have tap shoes for Rosemary's first class, and while the teacher didn't care (the dance studio had even recommended not jumping into buying shoes in the event that Rosemary wouldn't like it), it definitely held Rosemary back to not have her feet make the same noise as the other girls. She kept slamming her slippered foot into the ground, trying to get the same effect, and she was seriously confused as to why her footfalls were silent. I took her shoe shopping the next day.


First tap class... shoeless.


Trying out her new tap shoes in the practice space Daddy made for her.


Giving the mirror some sass.


Next tap class... rocking it!


The ballet part is taught by another teacher. She is a highly competent dancer who could use a hand wrangling five 3 and 4 year olds. I was thrilled when the tap teacher got an aide later in the season.


Ballet's half hour is mostly spent stretching.


Learning first position.


Once again, stretching.


The summer session is over now; tonight was the last class. We had some bumps along the way, but Rosemary still loves to go to dance class, and I love watching her abilities blossom. I can't wait to sign her up for the fall session.

The Nutcracker

Everything is too sad these days. I try to go on Facebook for my usual stress relief, but instead I find myself quickly scrolling past posts before I can read too much into them. You know what I'm talking about. It all breaks my heart. Generally speaking, I can't watch the news. I am super-sensitive to tragedy. I don't have the wall other people seem to have that prevents them from feeling too much. Other people say, "Oh, that's so sad," and then go on with what they were doing before they had been bothered with bad news. Me, I collapse into tears and then ruminate on the pain for days. That's why, on a daily basis, I don't watch the news (unless it's political, and even that can hit sore spots). So for me, right now, I'm a mess. I don't admit it to myself because I have to go on taking care of my kids, keeping the house together, keeping myself in working order. But when the kids go to bed and I've had my fill of chores for the day, I have to find something to fill the void. Yesterday it was catching the end of "White Christmas" on AMC. Senpai fell asleep snuggled up next to me on the couch. Today, Senpai wants to watch the new X-Men series, and that doesn't work for me. I used to watch the X-Men animated series back in the 90's, and yes, I am usually interested in such things, but not today. With only one TV in the house, it's difficult to have conflicting interests. Usually it's not a problem. If Senpai wants to watch something I don't want to see I just surf the 'net, or vice versa. But like I said, Facebook, my usual refuge, is not safe right now. Blogger, too. I was at a loss: what to do to soften the pain for a bit? I wanted something happy and Christmas-y. I searched Youtube until I found my solace in "The Nutcracker."

I remember being a kid and watching Mikhail Baryshnikov's Nutcracker every year. There are many other Nutcracker versions to choose from today, but for me, there's no other Clara but Gelsey Kirkland. Just like her name implies, she's a little Gelfling: tiny, elfin, and ephemeral. I was glad to find the complete show on Youtube, but it just isn't the same without the PBS pledge drives in between scenes. I used to take advantage of those pledge drive breaks to go into another room where no one could see me and practice the beautiful ballet steps and jumps I had seen. Then I would return to the living room when the pledge drive was over and pretend like I hadn't just made a fool of myself trying to do things I had no place doing.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize I wanted to be a ballerina until it was too late. I had missed the prime practice time of my early youth and I was rigid and clumsy. That's why I want to get my girls into ballet lessons while they are little. They may not like it, and they have every right to say they don't want to do it, but at least they tried, and then we can say without a doubt that ballet wasn't for them. It's tricky to say if ballet is a good idea for Rosemary because of her need for orthotics. On the one hand, hyper-flexibility certainly helps with dancing, on the other, you don't want to over-stress the joints. So I'm still wondering what to do for Rosemary. She turns three next March and you can bet this is often on my mind. All things considered (her temperament especially), she probably won't take to it. But she might. I would just hate to not have given her the chance.

Well, if you'll excuse me, the nutcracker just turned into a handsome(?) prince, and I want to get back to seeing the adventures he shares with his beautiful princess. The Chinese dance is my favorite.