I've waited two and a half years for this day...

Saturday morning was Gabby's first dance class! She is taking a combo tap/ballet class for 2.5 to 4 year olds. She has been excited about her class for the past month now (ever since I brought her to the studio to see what it was all about), and I have probably been every bit as excited as Gabby for class to start (probably more).

On the morning of class, Gabby was so thrilled it was finally the real deal...she got to wear her tights, leotard with tutu, and pack her shoes up in her little dance bag. She was so hyped up about class that we couldn't get any good pictures of her before leaving because she was zooming all over the house like a crazy person.

I had two worries about the class. Worry #1: she would freak out about being on her own in the studio and would hate it (all of our other classes have been Mommy and Me, so this was her first time to go solo). Worry #2: that she would think the class was a drag, because she would prefer to just dance freestyle and not have to follow along with the structure of the class. I was wrong on both counts...she LOVED it. She did not hesitate one bit to march into the studio without me. Her teacher (Miss Jenna) asked her name, and Gabby introduced herself. Gabby followed Miss Jenna's directions to place her dance bag with her ballet shoes in the back of the studio, and then stood obediently on the blue circle that marked Gabby's spot on the floor. She waved at me one last time before they closed the door for class to start. She was ready!

One really neat thing was that it turned out that the little girl standing next to Gabby was an old friend...her name is Sophie and the two of them were in Kindermusik together for two semesters. Gabby and Sophie always got along well in music, and it was neat to see them giggling back and forth with one another before class started. Small world!

Once class started, all the moms hovered around the tiny window to catch as many glimpses as we could of all the cuteness going on inside. Watching those little girls following the instructor was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. In their tap shoes, they tapped their toes and heels, shuffled, walked like penguins, hopped like bunnies, did airplane arms, and cute little "ta-da!" moves. Halfway through class the girls went and retrieved their dance bags, brought them back up to their spots, and changed shoes (with the teacher and aide's help). I was just impressed to see that Gabby successfully picked up her own bag...we used a tote bag we haven't used much before. Then for ballet, the girls did butterflies, jumps, leaps, tippie-toes, and kicks. At any given time, 2 or 3 girls would be following along, and 2 or 3 girls would be off doing something random. Then they took turns doing some progressions across the floor, and during Gabby's turn Finley decided she wanted to go too, so she just jumped up and went across with Gabby. I cannot even put into words just how adorable all of this was. The other moms and I spent the entire time just laughing and how sweet and funny the little girls were.

Overall, other than the tiny viewing window, the class was super! There are just 5 girls in Gabby's class, with one intructor and one assistant. All of the moms were amazed to see our girls standing on their spots, lining up, following instructions, and listening to the instructor. Miss Jenna was totally great with the little ones, and I could tell that Gabby liked her instantly.

And Gabby actually did really good in the class! She was almost always following directions, she tried every step, and most of the time she stayed with the class. She did a really good job of copying her teacher. I am not sure how long that will last...in both Kindermusik and Gymboree, after the newness wore off, Gabby was much happier to march to the beat of her own drummer rather than participating in the class activities. But regardless, she had FUN in dance class. I could tell she was having a great time during the class, and when the let the girls out at the end, she just broke out into chuckles as soon as she saw me. Chuckles like that usually mean she is excited and proud of herself. I am so excited for the next class!!


Trial run...trying on her dance outfits. This one was by far her favorite. We might have to wear it every week...I could barely get her to try on her other two (non-pink) leotards.




Posing

Gabby is teeny tiny...the smallest dance tights I could find were still too big.

The morning of class! Gabby is excited and spazzy.

The most still we could get her that morning for a picture, walking out the door.

Taking pictures with Finley outside the studio. Notice they are holding hands!!! Oh, the sweetness!

Ballerinas already! It took about 5 minutes of coaching and begging from me, my mom, and Christina to get this shot.

LOOK HOW ADORABLE!!! Miss Jenna is up front, and the assistant is on the far right. Gabby is second from left, Sophie is right next to her, and Finley is on the far right. Still amazed at how well they all lined up, on the very first day.