My four-year-old daughter is a ballet school dropout. After just one eight week course at our local community center she decided the life of a ballerina was not for her. Despite not wanting to pursue ballet as a hobby she continues to be fascinated by the art form.
There aren’t many DVDs out there about ballet that are made for young children. I recently came across Prima Princessa. It’s a 40 minute DVD that combines a performance of Swan Lake by the Paris Opera Ballet with ballet instruction from students at the School of American Ballet.
My daughters (two and four) were enthralled with this production. Prima Princessa narrates the selections from Swan Lake which are thrilling to the eye. The lavish costumes of the ballet combined with the music had my daughters dancing and leaping around. Swan Lake is broken down into a few simple acts that make the storyline easy to follow for young viewers.
In between trips to the ballet we learn simple ballet steps from the students at the School of American Ballet. The younger students give your child a great way to relate to the steps and get moving.
I found this to be a great DVD and was surprised to learn it was created by two moms without any film-making experience. It is a quality show that your kids will love to watch again and again. I think the DVD could spawn a fun sleepover or birthday party where everyone involved can get up and experience the true beauty and art of ballet.
By Caroline on 03/17/08 in Featured, Columns, Music & DVDs, Online Boutique of the Week, Caroline in the City, 2008 Business Spotlights
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