Busy started ballet lessons on Saturday morning. A family friend who dances was very excited when we told her the week before and she gave Busy a special tutu her Oma ( German grandma) had made her when she was 4. Busy's eye lit up like fireworks when she saw it we had to try it on immediately. She of course wore it to her first lesson.
At the end I was taken aside and it was explained to me"little girls are to wear either light blue or pink leotards, a simple plain ballet skirt and ballet slippers. Their hair is to be in a bun."
I just looked at the teacher and said, by way of explanation "She is 4."
( in my head thinking all kinds of LIGHTEN UP BALLET TEACHER type phrases)
I think she looks magnificent and really what she lacks in coordination she makes up for in Frou Frou!
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she looks fantastic! self expression is the essence of dance ;) xo
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, who wants to look like everyone else!?!
ReplyDeleteIt's ridiculous isn't it? My girls start a new dance school tomorrow. I already have leotards from when we lived in Sydney but alas they are the wrong colour. I now have to spend a small fortune on new goodies. I would have appreciated to be told about this "policy" before I paid. Grrrr!
ReplyDeleteYour little one looks fabulous! x
Busy looks gorgeous! I had the good luck of having wonderfully relaxed ballet lessons as a kid, and wish I could find somewhere similar, but don't like my luck! Hope she had fun regardless
ReplyDeleteOh Cath.
ReplyDeleteWe went to ballet sign ups last thursday and Gretta insisted on wearing a hot pink tutu, black leotard, sparkly shoes and a gigantic bow in her hair.
Fortunately for me, our ballet teacher thought she looked like she was ready to have fun! I think Busy looks just as a 4 year old should look. Happy. Full stop.
Is there anything else that really matters?
She looks divine!!
ReplyDeleteI've just had a big long talk to Jazzy who is 7 about why she doesn't want to do ballet this year and it turns ouyt the reason is the costume. She wants to go back to creative dance where they can dress as they like. After all, what is the point of ballet if you can't wear a big poufy tutu????
I gave up ballet not long after I was told I had to wear a leotard, no tu-tu, no blocks, no ballet for me!
ReplyDeleteAfter that I turned to jazz dance. THEY let you wear leg-warmers and plaited headbands across your forehead like Olivia Newton John!!!!
HAPPY DAYS!!!
P.S. I hope Busy sticks with it. I regret my impulsive choice to quit. But mostly I hope she has fun :)
Well said. She is only 4 and beautiful indeed! Well done mumma! xx
ReplyDeleteI think its a gorgeous costume and she looks adorable. I agree, half the fun at 4 (or really any age) is choosing your own costume. That's part of the joy of being with 4 year olds, their ability to dream and enjoy life for what it is. At least she'll be able to practice at home in it. I think I'd have a tough time with that teacher too!
ReplyDeleteShe looks wonderful and tell the teacher that dancing is a form of self expression and that goes for the dance costume also!
ReplyDeleteHow cute. Light blue and pink leotards and buns are over-rated if you ask me. Pah to the rules. It should be fun!
ReplyDeleteSomeone so needs to start a ballet school where kids can wear the frou froufiest twirliest skirts they like..
ReplyDeleteBah to the 'rules'.
She looks beautiful.
x
OH well done! Yes Ms.ballet teacher person relax please! I think she looks just wonderful and dressing up is half the fun of ballet. Go the frou frou!!!
ReplyDeleteIf I were the kind of person who compiled a Best Dressed list, Busy would be right at the top. She looks wonderful, as usual.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful gift, and every little girls dream ballet outfit. Enjoy every minute of being 4 Miss Busy
ReplyDeletedo you read Catherine Newmans Bringing Up Ben and Birdy? No longer posts but all archived somewhere in internet land. Worth ploughing through them (all - gut wrenching and beautiful and honest and funny articles about parenting) but there is a specific post that comes to mind about her taking Birdy (her daughter) along to dance classes and having a similar experience. Catherine Newman also wrote a book called Waiting for Birdy I think
ReplyDeletePS and HOW does said ballet teacher think you are going to get Busys hair into a bun???
PPS there are some classes around that are just ballet for fun not for real. May be worth looking for if thats what you want
How fabulous! It should be all about expressing yourself and having fun dancing at that age. Of course they learn amazing things along the way like co-ordination and control of movement etc but it can still be fun I think. My big girl started at a 'serious' ballet school when she was four... by the time she was 6 we'd moved to another school where the expectations of wanting to train for the Australian Ballet were replaced by a mantra of having fun and enjoying yourself ;) Hope Busy's school is the latter (unless of course she does want to be in the Aus Ballet one day!) :) Kx
ReplyDeleteThis stuff makes me so mad. Four! Come on! Can't they just strut their stuff free of all that ballet crap for a few years before the bulimia and the bleeding toes and the psychosis kicks in?
ReplyDeleteI remember at the same age having lovely pink ribbons on my ballet slippers that laced up my legs like a real dancer, and having to cut them off after the first lesson!
ReplyDeleteI think I had the same ballet teacher.... and they wonder why the kids don't want to go to ballet lessons!
ReplyDeleteWow - she looks so so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI stopped ballet when I was younger as I was told I was too big. (I think they must have meant tall!)
That sounds way too serious for a 4 year old class!x
I am even more glad to have found a local dance school now. We also started this week and I wasn't sure what the attire was so just had a leotard(8 bucks at Kmart) and some old leggings on her.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher said until the next level, about seven years, they can wear anything. We had a bride and a little girl so desperate to wear a rather large snow white that her Mum just had it all in a rubber band at the back.
Popps has never been happier, and it was only $7.50 a class.
Welcome to the world of ballet. So beautiful, so many damn rules!! ESPECIALLY when they're four.
ReplyDeleteShe looks fabulous. Love the green beads carefully chosen to 'match'. Gorgeous. x
I hope you frame that picture. It is so classical. What a beautiful little girl! Cherrie
ReplyDeleteJust wait for the end-of-year-ballet-concert-extravaganza!! Very little girls made up in matching costumes, with buns in their hair so perfect the gel companies squeal with delight and with make-up (red lipstick thanks very much) so they "can be seen on the stage" but actually look like miniature trollops.
ReplyDeleteOh sorry ... did I forget to talk about YOUR child for a minute? Can you tell I'm a little jaded?
Me? never!!!!!
Your little miss looks just perfect the way she is. The main problem I can see is that all the other little girls will want a dress just like it!
She looks GORGEOUS!!!
ReplyDeleteOma did an amazing job making the tutu.
And really who cares what a 4y old wears to Ballet classes?
VIVA LE TUTU!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous picture of 4-year-old exuberence. Why do they want to crush that? (Ok, ok, ballet is al about conforming to the art.... BUT SHE'S FOUR!!!!)
why on earth would you wear a plain leotard when you could wear THAT!
ReplyDeleteserious jealousy happening over here!
i'm sure she makes a wonderful dancer!
xo
wow, really really 'lighten up ballet teacher'!! It's how you look and how you feel that's going to make ballet fun.
ReplyDeleteoh gosh oh gosh OH MY GOSH!
ReplyDeleteCan you change ballet schools????
Gulpng at the thought that ballet classes at four is like this -
lost for words!
I aso meant to say she is stunning. I so wish I had one of those when I was her age. She is SO LUCKY.
ReplyDeleteShe looks beautiful. Such a shame that sone people have to take it so seriously - yes when they are older but at 4, if it isn't fun, who is going to want to do it?
ReplyDeleteShe looks wonderful. I say let her rock that awesome tutu - she's only 4 for such a short amount of time, let kids be kids and have fun! Who wants to be so freaking uptight?
ReplyDeleteNOT ME! NOT BUSY. Screw the authorities!
Ballet teachers, as a rule, scare the living daylights out of me. 'Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteBAAAA!!! hahahahaha!!! Somebody needs to clench a little less.
ReplyDeleteGive her an afro next week and watch the old bag hyperventilate :)
xB
I just stumbled across your blog, not sure how (Saturday night internet wanderings!) and laughed so loud at your introduction that I had to keep reading :)
ReplyDeleteYour daughter looks gorgeous, I hope she enjoys her ballet lessons!
She looks beautiful! I remember all the ballet rules, we had to use a ton of gel to tame my curly hair, so much gel that I actually had hair loss...
ReplyDeleteThat's dancing for you! I have 5 girls , 4 who still dance, and we've been with the same dance school for nearly 15 yrs. I still get amazed at the insular nature of dancing, be it teachers, the owner, judges or "dance parents" (a subset of stage parents!
ReplyDeleteOh well if you can stand it, you and she will get years of enjoyment, enough anecdotes to write a book and a wardrobe full of costumes!
E wanted to do ballet and his father was about to sign him up to a dance school before I stepped in... having been to ballet classes myself as a little tike I know how up tight they can be so I said no way - for now anyhow. There is a community dance group that we've found but at the moment there is a conflict in our schedules - once that clears up we'll send E on his merry dancing way.
ReplyDeleteBusy looks just gorgeous!