Lyla's First Dance Class

 Ever since I fell in love with dance during my youth, it has always been a dream of mine to share that love with my daughter. We have more kitchen dance parties together than I can count ... her favorite being dressing up in my old Campfire Girls vest with a black hat and dancing to the Greatest Showman soundtrack right now. After she turned three in September, I signed her up for her first dance class at a small studio near our home. There were only a handful of other neighbor girls in the class, all around her age. I thought it would be a fun opportunity for her to meet some new friends and for us to have a special mommy/daughter date once a week to do something she liked. When I bought her first leotard and tiny dance shoes, she immediately put them on and was SO excited for her first calss!!! 

Until we got there anyway. haha I wasn't sure what to expect with her. She has the most vibrant fun personality but can tend to be shy when things are new. I was pretty sure that would be the case on her first day but I thought she would warm up over time and grow to really love it. Her first class she very much clung to me in the beginning. When she finally let me go, she just stood there stone still and looked at all of the other girls frolicking with their teacher around her like they were completely nuts! haha It was hard not to giggle at her expression!! 

She tried it for 3 months. There were some class she would grin from ear to ear but wouldn't really do anything with her class. Some times she would dance if her teacher held her hand. Other times she loved the little tumbling part at the end where they get to do somersaults on gym mats but would walk around the room while the other girls skipped, pranced, and leaped. Some days there were tears but she ALWAYS went home bursting through the door so anxious to tell her dad all about her class! The longer it went on the more I could tell it was hard for her and that she just wasn't loving the performance side of it where other people were watching her so we stopped going in December. 

I was so proud of her for being brave and trying something new! This was her first experience at only three years old of trying some kind of sport or activity. Maybe she'll want to try it again and love dance as she gets older but right now, we'll stick to what we do best ...

Kitchen dance parties!!! She sure looked cute in all of those dance outfits though! <3