My Ballerina

At the advice of a friend, we signed Natalie up for ballet lessons at Messiah Dance Theatre this fall. I'd never heard of this dance studio but it sounded like just what we were looking for - nothing overly competitive, modest costumes and music, and a good nurturing environment for young kids. We wanted something like we had at Eighth Street Studio before it closed.

And, boy, did we find it.

For one hour every Saturday Natalie learned her ballet positions and movements. As she pulled on her first pair of real ballet slippers (she danced modern before), she just transformed. It made me think of how Gavin just came alive during soccer. We started her in the intro class, but her instructor moved her up two more levels right away. Even better, she was now in the same class as her friends.

When they began practicing their dance for the Christmas recital, I wasn't sure how she'd hold up with the repetition. But Natalie seemed to thrive on it. Over and over they'd work through the piece and she loved every minute of it.

Then came the day of the recital - two performances, with a dress rehearsal the night before.

It was beautiful.