It's a Beautiful Day for Ballet

Sage's recital was Saturday. What a fun time! It is so great to watch the progress from the beginning of the year until the end.

I try to make the days of rehearsal and recital as laid back, fun and stress-free as possible because I want her to be in a fresh, good mood when she has to perform. We make a big deal of fixing her hair, doing her "make-up," and getting dressed; these are wonderful, precious moments of togetherness that turn her recital into a special bonding event. We love ballet class and the recital is really the culmination of all of the hard work over the year; and I am not just speaking of the specific order of steps she does to the specific music of her routine. I am also talking about her spiritual, physical and emotional growth. I try to make all of our experiences instances of growth and adventure including school, ballet and gymnastics. We talk before and after class about being respectful, listening and following directions, acting lovingly towards teachers and peers and having fun! We incorporate things that happen at these classes into our discussions and work on brainstorming better ways she can handle herself when she hasn't been at her best. Ballet teaches discipline, respect for your body, respect for others, fun ways to expel energy, self-expression, love of music and exercise. These are all very important values I would like to instill in her so I find Ballet to be extremely beneficial.

So when she is on stage at the end of the year I am not just sitting in an auditorium watching my precious baby have fun while she performs a dance routine.  I see an unravelling of the year, I see glimpses of her at different classes along the way, and I see her grow in spirit as well as physical progression. I cry and I laugh in joy. I see her blossom. I feel grateful. I love Ballet!

Emily A. Filmore
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/