Dance Observation

At Samantha's dance class this week, parents were allowed to come and observe the little dancers during their scheduled dance time.  It is highly encouraged that we attend because it provides an audience, as well as giving the kids a chance to show us what they have learned in the last 5 weeks.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the dancers always do their stretches and warm-up.

Sam, doing her butterfly stretch:

Splits!

Doing her straddle:

Then, the dancers work on small dance routines that they practice first ... and then put to music.

Doing her "boogie" (part of one of the dance routines):

Towards the end, the dancers break up into three groups and take turns doing various tumbling exercises with the teachers.

Sam, practicing her backbend:

Starting a cartwheel:

Finishing her balance beam routine:

Perhaps the most exciting part for Samantha was the flashlight dance at the end!  The teachers turned out the lights, flipped on their flashlights and the kids got to dance to a Mickey Mouse song while being in the "spotlights."  Even the parents got to partake!

This dance class has been a very positive experience for Samantha.  She has made a lot of friends (one of them is even in her preschool class) and she seems to just thrive in this environment.  She looks forward to her class every week (only 45 minutes, one night a week) and comes home just as excited as she was when she left.  While I only paid for one 10 week term because I wasn't sure if she would like it, I plan to pay for the remaining two terms this calendar year and allow her to continue.  I really am happy that she enjoys it so much ...