Anna Kate's First Official Dance Lesson

This is what she's been waiting for her whole life! I've been looking for an appropriate, affordable, and local program for years. The strict classical ballet programs were the most expensive and the Christian arts program was 40 minutes away, but I finally found this program at our local YMCA. Their recital piece this quarter is to a Twila Paris song from her lullaby CD.

Every morning since I told her that she was to finally begin her lessons, the first words out of her mouth each morning were: "Only three (two, one) more days til my ballet class!" Literally. I kid you not!

Her teacher told me that she did very well (she'd missed the first two classes) and Anna told me that the teacher had asked if she'd had lessons before, and how she knew the positions. Anna Kate told her that it was from princess movies!

This child spends nearly every day in a leotard and tights and practices positions and dance moves from the Barbie princess movies. I'm absolutely relieved to finally have her in a dance class where she can learn to do what she loves best.

She chose this black outfit. Originally she'd wanted a white leotard to go with her ballet shoes that she'd received at Christmas, but Walmart had only black and pink. She had this leotard already and chose to stay with black, so I got matching shoes, skirt, and tights. She pulled her black leggins over her tights to wear on the way to her lesson, wearing her Mary Janes and carrying her slippers in a cute bag. I tried to coax her into wearing a gorgeous turquoise rose in her hair, but she insisted on black there too.

Rose was wearing her Snow White dress, and I'm sure that in about six months we'll have to begin discussions on when to enroll our next dancing princess.