Ballet/Tap

I took Soapy to her first ever dance class tonight. It was a ballet/tap class for 2-3 year olds. The idea of a ballet/tap class is kind of interesting in and of itself. How do you combine those two? Tapping tutus? I actually wanted to get her in a tumbling class. She is pretty awesome at throwing herself down on the floor and howling, and I figured that is how tumbling starts...minus the howling. But for 2 year olds they only had this class. The first session is free so we decided to check it out.

I really tried to be ready on time. I did her hair, wiped her face,and changed her into what I felt were the most dance appropriate clothing she had. But we got there a couple minutes late. Soapy pulled her hair band off and was devoted to wearing her floppy sun hat. She had also found a cracker in the car to smear over her face. Her nose had run and dried into crustiness, but was running again, so it was collecting in a way that kind of reminds me of how stalagmites and stalactites form. Also, the dance appropriate clothing she was wearing were her yoga pants. A good choice for comfort but these pants kind of have an attitude.

There were two other girls in her class. They looked almost four, a good head taller than Sophie. They were twins, one in pink and one in purple leotards, tights, and tutus. They looked like the girls you imagine take ballet, kind of professional.

This picture doesn't reflect what they looked like, but it does reflect the feeling I got from them:



And here is the feeling that Soapy was kind of projecting...




Except she wasn't wearing a tutu, she was wearing these exact pants...



(a caveat: Soapy was easily the most beautiful kid there. She is in fact the most beautiful 2 year old kid in the world. The above comments should not make any reader think otherwise. She just looked like a fish out of water.)

She had an awesome time in the class. She cried when we had to leave. The teacher came out afterward and said she thought Soapy might be a little young, but you can't tell after the first class, and especially not compared to the 3 year old twin primadonnas. So she said Sophie could come to the next three classes for free, and that Saturday classes might be better because she had some two year olds in that class.

I really wish I could have watched her. Apparently they have the girls hold balls and hula hoops to learn the arm positions. They also have little, flat, rubber circles they put on the floor to teach the girls...something. Anyway, I have been working hard at teaching Soapy to kick balls, and there are spots on the floor in the local CVS that Soapy loves to pick up and rearrange so I can just imagine how Soapy would respond to those props.

I really liked the little studio. It was tiny and there were girls of all ages hanging around. They all knew each other and I shamelessly eavesdropped to them talking amongst each other. They were good girls and I liked to think of my daughter hanging around a place like this, learning physical discipline, and sweet moves. I think she is a little young; I don't think we'll sign her up for more classes. But I do think that when she is three or four we will get her in some kind of class like this.