Ballet Is Hard: Adorable Beginning Ballerina Struggles With First Position [VIDEO]
The tragedy of first position.
I’m still struggling with whether or not I want my daughter to take dance lessons.
Where I live it is THE thing to do for little girls. Sign ‘em up, pay boat loads of money for the class and outfits that look like something Joan Collins would wear on Dallas or Knots Landing or whatever eighties drama in which she reigned supreme. And the make up! On the littlest girls. I know it’s all in fun but it’s treading a little too close to those Toddler & Tiara beauty pageants for my liking. Or you’ve got something like this on your hands and I don’t know which is worse.
And what if she turned into one of those girls who lives for her dance class? Then she’s probably going to be a cheerleader in high school and I know I should think that’s the greatest thing but I don’t want my daughter to be a cheerleader. I know that seems odd and maybe you were a cheerleader and had the best time but I hate the whole world I experienced that comes with that territory. I quit cheerleading, incidentally. But if my daughter wants to be a cheerleader I assure you I will sit the front row of every game. Even though it’s possibly the most dangerous sport for girls
All this is a long way of introducing to you the cutest viral video clip ever. The video is sweeping the internet and even has me thinking I’m being a big whiny helicopter parent for not wanting my daughter to take dance classes. A beginning ballerina struggles to get first position just right. I’ve got to figure that after seeing the little sweetheart attempt first position mom and teacher collaborated to get the video. Best home video ever:
Video after the jump.
Photo: flickr.com/rmansoorian
Aww! I started ballet when I was 16 because my parents couldn’t afford it. I don’t think the recitals are anything close to a beauty pageant. The makeup the kids wear is common stage make up, it’s meant not so much for “beauty” as it is to make the kids’ faces visible from the stage. She might enjoy it, but odds are her interests are going to be the same no matter what you are willing or able to sign her up for. If she wants to be a dancer or a cheerleader she’ll do it. And if she finds out she has no interest in it you can move on to art classes.
I danced from age 3 to age 18. It was my life! Taught me all kinds of worthwhile things like dependibility, responsibility, grace under pressure, stage presence. I taught dance to little girls from age 13 to age 18. I loved it and those little girls loved dance class. Enroll her! Every little girl deserve to own one sequined tutu!
I can understand where you’re coming from! When my 7-year-old daughter first expressed that she wanted to participate in Irish dance at school, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I happen to think that Irish dancing is beautiful, so it wasn’t the actual activity that I had a problem with, but perhaps it was more that she chose Irish dance over Mexican folkloric dance. I grew up watching Mexican dancing and had always hoped that my children would want to participate in it. My daughter has seen both types of dances performed at school functions and church festivals, so I guess I was just disappointed that she had only expressed interest in Irish dance. I was also concerned that my daughter wouldn’t fit in because she’s half Caucasian, half Mexican. But to my surprise, her school’s dance group is very diverse! I soon realized I was probably over-thinking things…
My husband and I decided to let her partake in Irish dancing and she’s been doing it now for about 6 months and absolutely loves it! I realized through this experience that I want to let my children explore their interests and will support them in whatever activities they want to pursue, as long as they are positive activities that build their self esteem, encourage them to work hard, and are of course fun. Oh, and by the way, my 4-year-old daughter has only expressed interest in ballet and has been taking classes for the last few months. She loves it (especially her pink tutu and ballet shoes!)!
http://vidacoco.com
Adorable!
That video is adorable!
Personally, I opted not to introduce my daughter to ballet until she wanted it. She took a couple classes of a mixed dance class (ballet/tap) when she was 5 or 6 but didn’t love it. I was relieved. I danced from 4 years old until I was 19. It isn’t the recitals that disturb me, it is the huge quantity of time spent in skin tight clothing, surrounded by mirrors and the twisted body image and self worth issues that arose for me and so many of my peers.
Both my kids do martial arts now and I love it – they are learning the same strength & body awareness I value from my years dancing and I like the message of personal power and emphasis on action over image.
My girls both dance & love it. The make up is more about the stage lighting vs. what beauty pageants do. If you daughter wants to dance let her, if not then don’t. My girls have learned a lot more from dance then just dancing. They have learned grace, poise, respect, teamwork and much more!
If you don’t want to enroll them and they’re not asking, don’t worry about it. If your child wants to dance, let them. My daughter has been dancing in some sort of class since she was 2 and adores it. She’s never going to be a true ballerina, but she loves it!
Let her choose! if she’s clamoring for lessons, let her have ‘em. If not, don’t worry about it. When I was little, I longed for ballet classes, but I only got to go for a few weeks before my parents got tired of taking me. And 20+ years later I’m still annoyed with them! Let your child follow her muse.
I took ballet and tap lessons from age 5 through high school, then again for a while after college, now I’m back in ballet many years and two children later. Dance is fun, great exercise, and it requires loads of discipline. My three-year-old daughter can’t wait until the fall when she starts ballet, too. And for the record, I was never a cheerleader or anything like what you described above. I listened to punk and got tattoos….