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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The 71st Circle Time: The Show and Tell Weekly Thread

Show and Tell is wasted on elementary schoolers. Join several dozen bloggers weekly to show off an item, tell a story, and get the attention of the class. In other words, this is Show and Tell 2.0. Everyone is welcome to join, even if you have never posted before and just found out about Show and Tell for the first time today. So yank out a photo of the worst bridesmaid's dress you ever wore and tell us the story; show off the homemade soup you cooked last night; or tell us all about the scarf you made for your first knitting project. Details on how to participate are located at the bottom of this post.

Let's begin.

The ChickieNob has recently become obsessed with ballet, and when I say "obsessed" I mean that she spends a minimum of four hours a day reenacting famous poses (mostly just arm movements, which she calls port de bras, because I am not buying toe shoes for a five-year-old. I mean, I'll buy them for myself despite my lack of ballet training and the potential for a broken ankle, but not her), pirouetting around the living room, and wondering aloud how she will ever learn to do 32 fouette rond de jambe when she cannot even stay upright for one. This literally keeps her up at night. She has had to discuss ballet with me at 2 a.m. because she is just so worried that she will never become a principal dancer with the ABT.

We listen to a lot of Tchaikovsky (on CD--not on my Irish Penny Whistle). I gave her an old ballet program that I kept from 1985 and she pores over it, flicking her wrist like Martine Van Hamel or holding her leg behind her like Marianna Tcherkassky. She is in love with Angel Corella. This past weekend, she gave me a two hour performance of Swan Lake, mastering Odette's fearful expression when she sees Prince Sigfried for the first time and the traditional swan pose in Act Two:


She just turned five-years-old. Do yo think there is a possibility that we will be scoring free tickets to the ballet twenty years from now? Principal dancers must get a few free tickets to pass out to friends and family...right?

She is about to start ballet classes soon (yes, all of this and she hasn't taken a single ballet lesson). It's hard to hold onto your excitement for something when you enter into classes, having to keep pace with the rest of the group rather than sprint with your heart. I hope that she still peppers me with translating everything into French after ballet classes begin. It would be a shame if she lost this spirit.

On the other hand, she has never, ever kicked another child gleefully in the face during one of her performances. She does not know that joy yet and you can only get that by taking a class and getting on that stage. So much to learn, so much to learn.

What are you showing today?

Click here or scroll down to the bottom of this post if this is your first time joining along (Important: link to the permalink for the post, not the main url for your blog and use your blog's name, not your name. Links not going to a Show and Tell post will be deleted). The list is open from now until late Friday night and a new one is posted every week.


Other People Standing at the Head of the Class:



Want to bring something to Show and Tell?
  • If you would like to join circle time and show something to the class, simply post each Wednesday night (or any time between Wednesday morning and Friday night), hopefully including a picture if possible, and telling us about your item. It can be anything--a photo from a trip, a picture of the dress you bought this week, a random image from an old yearbook showing a person you miss. It doesn't need to contain a picture if you can't get a picture--you can simply tell a story about a single item. The list opens every Wednesday night and closes on Friday night.
  • You must mention Show and Tell and include a link back to this post in your post so people can find the rest of the class. This spreads new readership around through the list. This is now required.
  • Label your post "Show and Tell" each week and then come back here and add the permalink for the post via the Mr. Linky feature (not your blog's main url--use the permalink for your specific Show and Tell post).
  • Oh, and then the point is that you click through all of your classmates and see what they are showing this week. And everyone loves a good "ooooh" and "aaaah" and to be queen (or king) of the playground for five minutes so leave them a comment if you can.
  • Did you post a link and now it's missing?: I reserve the right to delete any links that are not leading to a Show and Tell post or are the blogging equivalent of a spitball.

25 comments:

Anat said...

Until two seconds ago, I had no idea that Angel Corella even existed. Now I am obsessed with him too. It's just like Samantha said on Sex and the City: First the girls, then the gays, then the world.

Tash said...

Holy cow, that's cute. Bella takes ballet, except when I see her do something by herself across the floor, she does so with such force that it's all i can do not to laugh out loud and imagine her with the field hockey stick in her hands. I don't think we're long for this, but she loves it now and that's what matters.

Guera! said...

I am doing this for the first time so I hope I did it right. I think I just realized I didn't. I am going to try again.

Cara said...

See, now - Ballet and Tash's Bella made me think of "Bella Dancerella". We seem to be just about done with ours and if you are open to the obsession you may have to endure - I'm happy to send it to you!!!

We have not started ballet lessons either, in spite of a long demonstrated love of the movements and a seemingly natural talent for grace.

sigh

I just can't seem to let her go to the 'organized' sport when her spontaneous love of the dance is so beautiful!

jill said...

That is the cutest thing ever! And that pic, oy, it makes me want to have 18 of them! :) I hope she absolutely loves the classes and that her passion continues.

Anonymous said...

That's too cute, and a pretty good pose too, for someone without a lesson yet. Here's hoping her love continues through all those hours of practice.

Lori Lavender Luz said...

I would love to see a penny whistle ballet, especially one starring ChickieNob.

I love that she has such sustaining passion for this!

She'll get to the Tonya Harding stage soon enough, I suppose.

Anonymous said...

My two middle nieces are VERY into ballet (the oldest was too much of a tomboy at their age--they're 3 & 5, and the youngest is only 9 mos). They go to a dance school that doesn't use many french terms, however. We hear the words, "pretty toes," a lot, as if it is a true ballet phrase and not just something their teacher made up.

Pretty toes!

HereWeGoAJen said...

She's lovely.

sunflowerchilde said...

Wow - beautiful! Your daughter is so cute, and I think it's fantastic that she is so focused on something that she loves so much. Hopefully she really loves the classes, too.

JW Moxie said...

Wow. I don't have nearly that much grace at the age of 31. She is absolutely adorable. This cute story of your ChickieNob makes me realize just how much of a brute my Kaelyn is. Yours is doing graceful leaps and poses. Mine is practicing clotheslining her brothers.

Anonymous said...

That is too cute. I started ballet at five and would run around the classroom doing my own thing. I was too good for the teacher.

Kristin said...

I think it's wonderful that she is so passionate about ballet already. I hope that excitement lasts.

And, I'd totally see a Penny Whistle Ballet starring ChickieNob too.

Jendeis said...

Ach, shayne maideleh!

areyoukiddingme said...

I hope she can get you those free tickets! Or at least get through a recital without injuring anyone...she looks like she has some innate talent!

I took my girl to a wedding this past weekend. She is now addicted. She wanted to "go back to the dancing place" the next day. Now, if you ask her if she likes weddings she says "Yes. I like dancing. And cake." I'm so proud that she has reasonable priorities.

Jamie said...

How sweet! And awesome that she is so passionate about ballet at the tender age of five. Before her first lesson, even!

I'm trying to think if I was passionate about ~anything~ when I was five and I'm not coming up with much. Maybe Wonder Woman but that doesn't really give you much to work with, I suppose.

Unknown said...

Beautiful! I was in ballet briefly as a girl, but I was the gawky, gangly, awkward type.

Lynn @ human, being said...

I studied ballet for 22 years and I don't think I ever mastered the dying swan pose quite like your kiddo has!

My Show & Tell is posted!

Melody said...

Can you tell me where to find the bingo cards that you've called already?
THANKS

Amy said...

I took ballet lessons when I was 4 or 5 and those memories really have stuck with me all these years. I loved it and I still remember some of the dance steps. Hope she loves it too.

I just posted my first Show and Tell, and I kinda screwed up by posting two links. oops!

Rachel said...

Loved dance. LOVED IT.

I hope she continues to love it.

Circus Princess said...

Mel, this has nothing to do with show and tell although I'm certain your daughter has a promising career ahead of her. Too cute! Anyway, I just finished commenting on number 135 of the ICLW list. Yes, I did them all!! Woohoo! Realized I have no way of emailing you (long story of computer illiteracy and default settings for mail) so here I am leaving a comment commenting my commenting. Made an iron commenter emblem of my own in the meantime, hope you don't mind. Impatient? Just a little. Feel free to use it if you like :-)

Jen said...

aww, my Lizzie loves Ballet, but she's not had any lessons eithers. Doesn't stop her from dancing though. She's a cutie.

Geochick said...

Sounds like she has a passion for ballet. I'm willing to be she'll go all the way if she's already obsessed! :) (speaking from personal experience although I quit at 18...) btw, totally funny to read this show and tell this week as I'm considering taking a class again..it'll hurt, but maybe I can take myself back to the pure joy I used to feel when I danced.

battynurse said...

What a cute picture. I bet she'll be great at it.