Yay for Ballet!

Hallie started ballet class today! She was so very excited about it. I picked her up from Miss Pattie's and she was ready to go put on her ballet shoes, tights, and leotard! :o) I was hoping I would be able to take some pictures/videos of her first day at ballet. Thankfully, I got lots of both! Unfortunately, the lighting inside the building was horrible, so it was really hard to get good pictures. A few of them are a little blurry, but I'm posting them anyway...even through the blur, I can remember the memory vividly!

Ballet was definitely a hit! She walked on her tip-toes to her "spot" and sat down like such a big girl, awaiting instruction. She followed directions pretty well, with only a few corrections when she got distracted. At one point, she stood beside Mrs. Korpi, like she was teaching the other little girls. Mrs. Korpi was very gentle with Hallie and picked her up, put her back on her spot and said that maybe she could help out in about 10 years. :o) Mrs. Korpi has two of her dance students (probably about 12 or so) help her out with the little ones. Very smart! The girls stretched, they twirled, they spun around on one foot. They jumped and pointed and galloped. They galloped in a circle, brought the circle in and then stretched it back out. It was a great experience. The class is on the skate floor of the local skating rink. It's a great set up and wonderful use of space...mirrors are rolled in so that the students can see themselves. Because the skating rink is obviously open, I was able to watch Hallie for her entire class! How exciting! There were a couple of times she called out "Mommy!!" with excitement...but Mrs. Korpi never missed a beat nor did she seem irritated by it. I wasn't the only parent snapping pictures and watching anxiously on the edge of their seat! :o)

So...as I said before, ballet was a hit. So much so that we left class with Hallie kicking and screaming "I want to ballet! I want to ballet!" So sweet! :o)

Now...a note from the Mommy. When Hallie tip-toed out to her little spot, my heart swelled with joy and pride for her. She was so big! (Even though Hallie is the youngest student in her class.) Memories of my days of ballet with "Miss Sheila" flooded my mind, and I honestly teared up. I hope Hallie has wonderful memories of ballet and dance just as I do! :o)

So excited to be heading to ballet! Don't worry,
I carried her to the car...no dirty ballet shoes here!

So big! Ooh...and oh-so-cute!

Waiting in line to begin ballet.
Check out that skating rink carpet. ;o)
Brings back even more memories! ha!

Mrs. Korpi saying hello to Hallie and telling
her which letter to walk to. The floor has
"Skate World" in big letters on it...it's perfect
for the little ones!

Sitting on her letter, waiting for class to begin.

I think they were walking in circles here.

Mrs. Korpi had them curl in a ball (as a flower seed) and
then sprinkled flower dust on them to make them grow.
Then she was a flower seed and the girls got to sprinkle
her. It was very cute!

This was one of the times Hallie had her own little
beat and traveled off on her own...one of the "helpers"
caught her and took her back to her place. :o)

The girls were put in partners to gallop across the floor.
This little girl just turned 3...she and Hallie were absolutely
adorable trying to gallop sideways across the floor!

The closing circle.

Daddy made it to the end of Hallie's class...he
tried to snap a picture, but Hallie was MAD at this point.
Why? Because she didn't want ballet class to end!