Dance is the hidden language of the soul
~Martha Graham
This time of year
when I hear lovely
bits and refrains of
the Nutcracker Ballet
I find myself wishing
that I could find an
adult ballet class
nearby and channel
my inner Sugar Plum
Fairy.
As a child I never had
ballet lessons or dipped
my toes into this
magical
world.
When I was grown
I asked my mom why
this was and she simply
replied, You didn't seem
like the ballet type.
{I guess she didn't see
my inner Sugar Plum trying
to burst forth!}
Naturally, when I had a
little girl of my own
I was determined that
she would have the lessons
that I did not.
So, at three and a half,
she donned her first
leotard and ballet shoes
and off we went to
dance school.
She enjoyed all of it ~
The camaraderie,
the giggles,
the music
the different positions,
steps and pirouettes...
The studio had a door
with a tiny window,
so the parents had to
take turns peeking in
to admire our budding
ballerinas.
They were so cute!
One day I received a
phone call from the
instructor. She said there
was a PROBLEM with
my daughter. Surprised,
I asked her to elaborate.
Apparently, my little
dancer liked to create
her own dance steps....
And the other girls liked
them, too....and followed
her lead, rather than
the teacher's.
She wasn't amused.
The teacher requested
permission to give my
wee one a time out
when this happened.
 |
could time herself out ~
We wouldn't be back.
What a kill-joy!
My girl did pick up
dancing, again, at the
end of kindergarten and
took lessons through
the third grade. She
eventually lost interest
when she discovered
horses.
{Darn it.}
A few years ago I was
taking a cycling class at
a nearby gym. One day
I entered the studio and
heard someone say
There's our ballerina, now.
Oooh...a ballerina?
I looked back at the
door to see if I
could catch a glimpse.
Laughing, my fellow
spinners shared their
secret: that was their
nickname for.....ME!
{Mom, I guess I am the
ballet type, after all.}
But I still need to find
that class.....
Did you take dance
lessons as a child?
Or, did you wish
that you had?
Grab a cup of tea
and let's talk; I'd
love to hear
your
story.
xx
Suzanne
[Images 1-9 from Flickr.
Click on the images
for attribution.
Images 10 & 11
46 comments:
Once again, you leave me smiling. Yes, I took ballet from grade school up through college as an elective and have fond memories. If you are considering joining a class, I say go for it. You will never know unless you try. And who knows, you may have a few "new moves" too if it runs in the family, tee-hee. Isn't it funny though, how we see people as being one "type" of another.
-Rene
-Rene
i can't talk dance with you. i never took any classes and don't think i ever wanted to. until now that is, i would love to take some lessons from Max on DWTS.
Suzanne, this is a spot on post for me! I find myself in "dance like' exercise classes today and have been asked by the instructors if I was a dancer. I was not. Never took a class. My mother says she asked me when I was 6 if I wanted to take piano or ballet and I said piano (I'm pretty sure that was the answer she encouraged) and that was it.
I have been thinking lately of finding an adult class but don't want to look silly. Now, just righting that....I'm being silly.
Too bad we're not closer or I would say, LET"S GO!!!
I think I would have a been a pretty good dancer - smile!
xoxo Elizabeth
What a cute post! I took ballet for 15 years starting at age three. I still have my first pair of little ballet shoes!
Hugs, Sherry
Good morning Giselle! WOman, your stature speaks BALLET. I danced you know, for YEARS. I was born with the legs and the spirit and I danced my way on a USO tour of Asia and did many things. TO this day, it shapes the way I move and even think. YOU CAN STILL FIND THAT CLASS SOMEWHERE AND ENJOY the benefits of all the exercises and to do them to the likes of Chopin, Debussey and other giants in the field. DANCE ON MY FRIEND, it is NEVER, EVER TOO LATE!!! Ahhh, that was a splendid cuppa with you. Anita
This is such a sweet post. I wish we all could have followed our childhood dreams...maybe we would all be better people if we had. I didn't dream of dancing, as Marilyn Monroe said, I just wanted to be wonderful!
In my early 20's I took dance aerobics and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think you would have a ball if you signed up for some classes. Go for it! :-)
XO,
Jane
Good morning, Suzanne! Another post to adore...loved every word!
I remember taking ballet when I was very young...I must not have been enrolled for very long, because I only remember one particular class...
We were each given a piece of very bright cellophane paper, which we were to crunch into as tiny a ball as we could, then we would do some kind of move and slowly open our hands, and the cellophane would open up slowly....I loved that!
Isn't it funny the memories that stick with you?!
With three daughters, dance classes HAD to be taken! Instead of ballet for my oldest daughter, it was Irish step...I remember that tiny window in the door I could peep through...
Interestingly, I got a similar call from the teacher. I gave a similiar response. I was so sad that my exuberant little one was trying to be squashed in any way--especially creatively!
Later, it was Highland dance lessons for my girls (we ARE Campbells, after all!)
Sorry for such a long comment...you just got me thinking this morning!
As always, my friend, I hope your day is filled with every beautiful thing...thank-you for all the beauty you share with us.
Julie
I always wanted to take ballet lessons but I had to make a choice between piano and ballet and I chose piano. We didn't have much money and I think my Mom was secretly glad that she didn't have to pay for costumes, etc.
But I've always had a secret wish to be a dancer - not a ballet dancer - but a Broadway dancer. To be part of a big tap number would be incredible.
I love that you quickly took your daughter out of a situation that would have squashed her creativity.
xo
Claudia
I actually didn't. It's funny but now that i think about it, i can't see my mom toting me to ballet class. As an adult i wish i did... it's so elegant! and having 3 daughters they haven't been inclined, and i never pushed it... i now wonder if they'll wish i did one day... but like you said, it's never to late to begin... who cares about age i say!!!
xo,
LuLu
Yes, I took ballet and loved every minute of it. And every year my mother and I got all dressed up and went to see the Nutcracker. Those actually are some of the best memories I have of my childhood. I remember those days like they were yesterday.
I was not a good dancer but I loved all the dreaminess of the ballet.
I'm glad you took your daughter out of that class - I can't imagine a teacher wanting to time-out creativity. She surely could have channeled her enthusiasm in a much more inspirational way!
I can see you as a ballerina. You're tall and graceful. Too bad you never had the opportunity. I never did either. That's okay. I don't think I fit the bill. I'm more of a hip hop dancer;) Looking forward to tomorrow!
I love that your daughter had a following in her class, I was invisioning it as I read it, too cute! You did the right thing, I know you are an amazing mom!
I took dance as well until I found horses :)
Hope your having a fabulous week friend!
XO
Kristin
Not realizing there was an inner ballerina, I decided not to expose you to ballet. Wish I had known. I did know that one day you would be very tall and as a rule ballerinas are usually small if not tiny like Anita. But I guess it's the participation that would have satisfied that inner desire. I have few regrets as a Mother, but I think that decision was one of them. So by all means find that class. I'll come to see your Nutcracker performance, as the Sugarplum fairy of course.
your inner sugar plum fairy...i love it.
i love the images that you've shared.
my madison danced for 11 years, many of which included the nutcracker performances.
she danced 2 years with the atlanta ballet in their production. it was so much work but i loved it.
she stopped dancing a couple years ago when she felt she had platued....now cheering.
but i do love the ballet.
i love how you weave your stories.
xo
Another wonderful post! Yes,I took ballet lessons (on and off) for thirteen years. I would love it and then leave it and come back to it. I was not as dedicated as I should have been and probably was not very good but the training is wonderful. I loved dance aerobics.
It seems that you are made for ballet. You are tall and slim and beautiful. You should find a class and take lessons. If nothing else, it would complete that little voice inside you who is urging you to do it. I bet you would love it and sparkle.
Yes, I am the type, I danced for years, and loved it. My daughter dances now. She takes, ballet, modern and hip hop and loves it all!
Sweet story! Keep twirling!
pve
Oh Suzanne...
Inner urges....secret desires that tug at us and just don't ever go way...I tell you girl...GO FOR IT.
truly! Search, and Find that special class or opportunity made just for you....and grab it. listen to the little sugar plum fairy voice inside yourself...if at all possible...indulge her, if only for a while. You will always wonder if you could have, if you don't pursue it and try.
I think this is what literally drove Kurt to take this job in Iowa. If he had let the great distance, and unknowns, and separations and all the other questions hold him back, he ALWAYS would have wondered and been in angst that he didn't give it a try. And we told him to GO FOR IT.
And so ...I say to you my bloggy sister, there is an inner child in all of us that may have a longing for something that has never been answered, and we still wonder...DO IT! Your spirit will thank you.
Hugs to you , and thanks for a beautiful post...AGAIN. Love ya! Here's a shout out to listen and follow your heart, specially if your family is cheering you on.
I can just FEEL your inner Sugar Plum Fairy bursting out!!!! I love it!
I took dance from the time I was three until almost 13. I was asked to audition for the Children's Ballet Company and to have a part in the Nutcracker in Nashville. Well, it turns out for 10 years, I had been taking lessons from an instructor who wasn't top notch. I didn't know all the terminology and the appropriate ways to do some moves. I was going to have to go back to flat ballet for three days a week and pointe ballet two days a week. I was over it by then and stopped going. I regret that at times...
Jemma started at three because we went to my neighbor's daughter's recital when she was 2 1/2. She was trying to do what all the girls on stage were doing. It was the sweetest thing! She woke up on her third birthday and asked if it was time to go to ballet! She took it for two years, but then informed me she wanted to retire and do gymnastics! My child! She is in gymnastics and loves it! I miss ballet though!
~**~I used to be on point and took ballet for years!! I really miss it~*Your posts always amaze me!! Hugs, Rachel ;) ~**~*
The Nutcracker is just the most wonderful, beautiful, dreamy thing ever.
I never danced, and truly am not the dancing type, (ballet or any other form), but I wish I was.
I can't imagine anything more magical...to dance in that gorgeous, snowy scene.
Okay, I am now officially ready for the season to start!
Girl, I cannot dance in the slightest! But oh, how I wish I could!
I guess God evened things out, as I can sing, but still....would love to be able to move gracefully. :-)
Hugs,
Anne
Good morning dear lady....your posts always bring a smile to my lips....your daughter sounds precious!!
Yes, I did take a dance class as a kid.....tap dance...I loved every minute of it we had performances and the whole shebang! Later in life...in fact at 45 I decided to dust off the old tap shoes AGAIN and took yet another class at a local college. Had yet another performance...in front of the college audience....with my l6 year old daughter in attendance.....she WAS MORTIFIED THAT HER MOTHER WOULD BE OUT THERE MAKING SUCH A SILLY FOOL OF HERSELF.....POOEY ON HER I SAY!!! (O:(O: I loved every minute of that too.
Dear lady.....GO FIND YOUR BALLET CLASS....IT IS NEVER TOO LATE!!
Hugs,
Jo
i danced for years when i was young but once high school started i gave it up. i was never a ballerina though. mostly just jazz from what i can remember! i'm surprised now that i got on stage, you couldn't pay me enough now! xo susan
I never took lessons of any sort but CC took ballet for a short time then stopped. When she turned 13 she wanted to resume lessons but no one offered lessons for any one over 12. So she took Tae Kwon Do and now has a black belt. So she is a five foot tall trained killer...oh my.
Darling, I wanted soooo much to be a dancer when I was a child....I performed the swan lake on the carpet and I was pretty good ;) At the age of 7 my mum finally decided to inscribe me to dance lessons but they told me I was too old!!! That was the beginning and the end of my career....
Zaira
No dance lessons for me - two left feet! I was happier in boots and letting the horse 'hoof it'.
xo Cathy
oh..i love those paws on your header...
i wish i had taken ballet.....
saw The Nutcraker in San Francisco last year...and cried...so beautiful......
At 20 I took ballet at a class the local university set up for adult beginners. It was fantastic! And yes, we wore tights, leotards and ballet slippers. Loved it! And no I did not become a dancer, however in my mind I really felt like one! I think you would absolutely love it too Suzanne. I loved the story about your daughter making up her own steps, how adorable is that!! xo ~Lili
What a wonderful story. And good for you, taking her out of class -- that teacher is seriously missing something in life. All through our lives, the best of us make up our own steps -- and it trains us for those times when the path doesn't go quite where we planned.
I took dance lessons -- the plump cow in the green ballet tutu. I'm not glad it's over -- but I really do love to dance and wish I had taken tap. Still could, I suppose... but where do you find the time?
Hey sweet sugar plum!!
Love your posts always...
as for me I used to come home from school and strum on a guitar we had and sing away.
I never got to take guitar lessons but years later two of my sisters took them.
But I would sing my little heart out and as far as I was concerned I was playing that guitar to the tune of my song :)
Great memories!
Thanks for sharing dear friend!
Deborah xoxoxoxoxo
Suzanne oh yes and I would still love to!!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
No dance classes for me ever...I've always been much too uncoordinated and shy to perform. My parents forced us to take music lessons and sports and having to play soccer games in front of a crowd and the dreaded piano recital ruined all the fun and learning for me.
I hope you take a ballet class and live up to your alter ego/nickname.
Hugs~
T
I am not the ballet type, but did take modern dance. My daughter seemed the type and I enrolled her in ballet...all she did was complain the outfits were uncomfortable and the teachers gave too much instruction! I say dance away if your are the type, it's such a beautiful thing to watch.
Wonderfully written! my little girl did a tutu's for twos and threes ... and then fell in love with gymnastics... and then soccer... ;)
Cute story! I never danced myself. But LOVE it! And like you, I took my first girl to ballet at 2 1/2 years old. She is still dancing 12 years later - all different styles of dance but ballet and pointe - are her favorites! I tried the same with my youngest girl - she danced for 2 years and one summer during a dance camp - I also got the call - she was hanging with the receptionist in the waiting area - done with dance. Now, she plays soccer - like her brothers. Her older sis is devastated - she wanted her to follow in her footsteps. My husband - not so devastated - dance is a fortune!!
Have a great day!
Nina Tinova was our ancient ballet teacher at holy child. She was an ancient tiny russian with a flaming red page boy. When she really lost it she screamed: "point your toes you little Bolsheviks." She was one of the great characters.
xoxo
Liz
What a beautiful post Suzanne. My daughter attends the Nutcracker ballet each year during the holidays, a tradition we started years ago, that she now carries on even though she lives several hours from home now!
I took ballet lessons, and so did my daughter...I was not the ballet type, but she was!
Kat :)
Oh I took ballet as a child alright. I hated every single moment. Now, I too would love to find an adult class.
Sounds like your little one is quite creative and artistic (is the same one that wants to go to art college? - she seems born for it).
I never had lessons as a child - of any kind, my parents actually discouraged any artistic leanings or expression. I wish I had learned to play an instrument actually. Something with strings, preferably.
What a really great story!! In Denver they offered Adult Ballet at the gym as a workout - that always sounded interesting to me:) That is so funny that is their nickname for you - I love it!
I have arthritis in my knees (its not very bad) - I had to smile when they told me it was nicknamed 'dancers knees'. If I have to have something, that's a good one. XO L
Yes, I did take ballet lessons from 3rd grade to 9th. It was not cool in high school so I stopped. Such a pity...only I took it because my sister wanted to dance and she coerced me into asking our mom for lessons.
I ended up loving ballet, although I was never very good at it. I was more the outdoor, horse riding type but never got horse riding lessons because I was in ballet.
Oh the pain of childhood!
I wonder what you did to cause your cycling friends to call you the ballerina? You must walk into a room with great grace!
The ballet is still strong in my heart due to those childhood classes
The smell of leather ballet shoes, the feel of leotards and tutu's. Classical music playing throughout the large hall. It really is special, if you find lessons go for it. You won't be wasting your time.
Oh this is so beautiful...it reminds me of my childhood..for some reason my mom never let me take lessons either! and, alas, I never had little girls...I now take Pilates classes and I too, get those comments about being a ballerina! I truely hope you find your adult ballet classes..we are never too old.
What a beautiful story and your blog is gorgeous.
Happy weekend to you from South Africa.
Shel x
PS I'm your newest follower..I love your blog!
Shel
Oh Suzanne! As a littl girl I dreamed that someday I would be a ballerina. I took lessons through a rec. center, nothing formal. I would dance and practice my steps and dream of being a lady ballerina. Obviously that never happened, but inside I still would love to do that!!! I love how you bring up such wonderful childhood memories,Kathysue
I missed this post while I was gone and I'm so glad I scrolled down and read it ... it is adorable! And I love that you stood up for your little ballet "leader" and left that class.
I never took dance lessons of any kind either and I would have liked to. Doesn't it seem that it is much more the "norm" for our children? (None of my friends took dance either growing up.)
All four of my girls took dance lessons. I had a tapper, a hip-hopper, and for a minute, a ballerina! When my second daughter was nine she tried out to be in the Nutcracker with the Salt Lake City Ballet and made it. It was quite exciting! But she didn't keep up the ballet ... she grew into a stocky athletic cheerleader! (She was the base of the stunts - not a dainty little thing at all!) But she does still dance and has taught for years as well.
Me ... I always wanted to be a movie star! :)
What a gorgeous story Suzanne! And I loved your response to the ballet teacher. My two little girls have both recently hung up their ballet shoes, although Eva tells me she'd quite like to go back next year. I think you should find that adult class and go for it. xx
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