Dance Class

Last winter we were looking for a fun weekend activity to replace swimming classes during the off-season so we signed Beatrice up for a dance class through Burbank Parks and Recreation.

The class wasn't quite what I had expected. I assumed a dance class for 2-4 year olds would consist of an instructor playing recorded music to a room full of giddy toddlers hopping and twirling around as they pleased, but instead the teacher is a rather severe woman who runs a real dance class, complete with stretches and steps and foot positions and professional photographers and the totally misplaced belief that two-year-olds can tell their right from their left, all culminating in a recital with ridiculous patriotic costumes.

The teacher, very obnoxiously, refuses to allow photography in her classroom, so I took a few pictures of Beatrice outside of the rec center wearing her ballet clothes.

I was going to look for a different, less structured class, but Beatrice seemed to like it - and now on June 2, she will face the culmination of her rigorous six months of training, the dance recital*.  And the best part of all? It's a parent-child class, which means she will be dancing in the recital with Dev, her class dancing partner.

 Beatrice and Dev in line to be photographed

 Three older girls wait their turn for professional photos

Modeling her recital costume

Now that swimming season is back I don't think we'll continue with dancing, at least for now, but it did make for a fun new experience for Beatrice - and for Dev.

*And I defy anyone to try and stop me from taking photos and videos of Dev dancing with Beatrice in a ballet recital.