My Tiny Dancer

Today was Hana's very first Creative Movement dance class. She was super excited. (I was too!) She's either fighting off a cold or allergies, but we fought through it. There was no way we were going to miss her very first dance class. She still won't wear a "ponytail on the back of her head," as she says, but she will wear piggy tails. Check it out: her bangs are now long enough to be pulled back with the rest of her hair!

These are the best videos I was able to get as I sneaked peeks through the window in the door, which is the only window into the room. Darn!


And once again, she never ceases to amaze me. We arrived, took off her coat, put on her ballet slippers and she asked, "Can I go in now, Momma?" Why does this amaze me? Because the other new little girls were attached to their mom's legs and crying. A few of those moms had to go into the classroom and sit with their child so they could observe because they would not participate. Now please understand I'm not judging by any means. I feel like I should emphasize to you why exactly Hana's bravery and independence makes me so proud. It's because I was the total opposite when I was little. I would have been one of those shy, crying little girls, so even though she's been this way all her life, part of me always expects Hana to clam up. But she never does. So when I brag about how she just waltzed right in and made friends before class even began, well, I'm also envious of her ability to do that. I still cannot do that! She definitely gets it from her daddy. She even approached one of the crying girls and said hi in hopes of becoming friends. It's moments like that that make me gleam with pride. It actually occurs to her to try to comfort the upset ones and befriend them rather than isolate them even more.

She really enjoyed the class and talks a lot about the teacher's daughter who helps with the class. She made lots of new friends but doesn't know their names. We decided that next week she should probably ask their names. In this "creative movement" class they will do ballet and tap dance while using their imaginations and pretend to be different animals, creatures, etc. She was very excited that today they pretended to be butterflies, caterpillars and spiders. I don't think I could have found a more perfect class for her. How in the world did I manage to find a class that combines Hana's most favorite pastimes of dance and pretend play?! I think it's probably a safe bet that the teacher (who also created the class) has more than one daughter at home!