Morning Dance Class

We have the best dance teacher for my daughter! She is kind and patient. She listens to the girls while encouraging them to be the best they can be.

Yesterday morning the girls got some more formal ballet training than they've ever received. They used the wooden storage structure as a barre. I bet all the girls were sore today!

Even so, there is something so picturesque about a row of little ballerinas. It seems to invoke a sense of well being for me, like it is a piece of the American Dream.

I suspect the reason is partly because ballet is a luxury--one never afforded me, which I am sure plays no small part in my romanticizing of it. When things are tough, ballet classes are often at the top of the list of things to go, and last on the list of things to resume. So seeing a whole row of girls working on plies gives me a sense that all is well--we can afford this both in time and money.

Another reason the vision is so wonderful might have something to do with the wonder and potential of childhood itself. There is a time when all the frills will be set aside for a combination of new frivolities and a sense of practicality. Tutus are replaced by posters of the hottest new singers, and ballet slippers make way for lipstick. The practicality comes into play when someone gets serious minded and decides that since a career is unlikely, there is no point in continuing.

And there is just something simple, pure and sweet about little girls in fluffy pink!