I'm a 22 year old student hoping to get a place on a midwifery university course in September, I have a daughter who has just turned 2 and a boyfriend who I don't currently live with since it's much easier to get a council place if we don't live together.
I've always loved ballet, it's beautiful and captivating, but like most I was under the impression that you could only do ballet if you started when you learned to walk. I have a memory of being about 13 and a friend of mine showing me her pointe ballet shoes which she had in her school bag since her class was right after school. Oh my, so jealous! She told me how she took lessons several times a week and sometimes it made her toes bleed, still jealous. It kind of confirmed to me that you had to start young, she started when she 4 or something, so I had no hope. I forgot all about it, watched ballet on the telly and Black Swan but that was about it, I almost made it to a performance but didn't book my ticket early enough and it sold out.
So my daughter very recently turned 2, she doesn't see other kids very much and I wanted to get her involved in some kind of group or activity. She already has playgroup once a week so wanted something maybe sports related so she turns into the ever elusive 'well rounded child' all parents strive for. It was tough, all sports classes start at 4 or 5, someone mentioned a dance school near us that did toddler dance class. I thought cool, she loves shaking her booty, I'll check it out. After an email to the dance school it turns out that for 3-5 year olds they only offer ballet and tap, so she's too young and I wasn't sure how she'd feel about ballet and tap. Anyway they said if I thought she could follow a class to bring her for a trial and we will go from there. So how do you find out if a 2 year old want's to go to ballet? It's not easy. I found the episodes of Peppa Pig and Dora The Explorer that have ballet in then asked her 'Would you like to go to ballet class, to learn the pretty dancing?' after a moments deliberation she asks 'Dance like fairy princess?' I reply 'Yes, like a fairy princess.' to which she replies 'Yes, go dancing, go dancing!' Ok, ballet it is.
She actually did really well at ballet class and seemed to enjoy herself, the teacher was impressed with her ability to follow the class since she was so young, the youngest they've had. They advised me to get her the ballet gear and bring her back once a week, so off I went to spend the £40 it took to kit her out with a leotard, cardigan, socks and shoes for class. Over the course of the week I was surprised at how often she wanted to show off her ballet, she would practice pointing her toes, doing a sort of plié and little jumps.
Over the week I had been looking at ways to encourage her, ordered some books off the internet and stumbled on a website for a dance school in the city that did 'Adult Beginner Ballet'. What!? They do that!? I emailed my daughters dance school to ask if they offered these classes but no, they don't have the demand for it. So I emailed the city dance school and they said to just drop in when I can, wear leggins and a tight fit comfortable top and socks, £5 a lesson. That was it, dreams of wanting to dance came flooding back and I decided that next Monday I'll go to the class.
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