Help me find a ballet video that would interest my 3-year old

March 13, 2010 1:17 PM

Help me find a ballet video that would interest my 3-year old daughter

My 3-year old daughter has recently shown an interest in ballet (thanks to a couple of sesame street podcasts). My wife and I would like to encourage this interest, but we don't have the first clue. Can anyone recommend a ballet DVD that has young children as a target audience? We've tried a few random You Tube videos, but they don't hold her interest.

We've noticed that our kids really enjoy watching other children on TV so something w/ kids doing ballet might be the ticket.

Thanks!

posted by pandabearjohnson to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Angelina Ballerina.

Sure, she's a little mouse, but she's perfect for a three year old. There are books and videos and some with live action children doing ballet.
posted by NoraCharles at 1:32 PM on March 13, 2010

My then 3-year-old daughter got the Bella Dancerella Home Ballet Studio as a gift, and still watches the videos and dances along, even though she's now in regular ballet/tap class at a studio. The barre is actually pretty sturdy, though she (now 6) and a friend broke it a few months ago. Make sure you look for the Swan Lake set, as it came with two different mats and two DVDs. There's a 'tween narrator/dancer, some funny characters, and a lot of "you can do it!" involved.

But be warned, you will eventually have the song lyrics, "Bella, Bella, Bella Dancerella!" stuck in your head. Forever.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 1:47 PM on March 13, 2010

Dance, Tanya is such a beautiful book. My daughter loved it at three and still loves it at six. Now that I just noticed there are others, I'll look for those!
posted by peagood at 3:38 PM on March 13, 2010

the Barbie Nutcracker is a good watch for kids and the dancing is pretty good for animation
posted by Redhush at 3:54 PM on March 13, 2010

My three-year-old loves Angelina Ballerina, and also likes The Nutcracker, even though it isn't specifically aimed at kids. She watched it -- I'm not sure what version -- on TV with my husband, who explained what was going on to her.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:26 PM on March 13, 2010

If you have Netflix, they have a bunch of Angelina Ballerina shows available to watch instantly. In between animated episodes, they have segments with children doing different types of ballet.
posted by mogget at 4:36 PM on March 13, 2010

Frederick Ashton's Tales of Beatrix Potter preformed by The Royal Ballet. You can view a trailer here.
posted by ljesse at 9:10 PM on March 13, 2010

Man, my gateway drug at the tender age of 4 was a local production of Cinderella. I then proceeded to bug my parents for the entire next year to take lessons as the minimum age was 5...

So you might have some luck with the fairy tales she already knows. Sleeping Beauty excerpts of the Bluebird or Red Riding Hood as well as Act II excerpts of Nutcracker might be the right bite sized length for her age. Productions of Peter & the Wolf or Coppelia might also be good; the former's score usually has narration while the latter is a story ballet with a dollmaker - bit more age appropriate than dying swans or unfaithful princes.
posted by romakimmy at 1:27 AM on March 14, 2010

Now that I'm not on my iPod anymore:

Peter & the Wolf by the Royal Ballet School and (thank you Amazon "Also Bought") My First Ballet Collection
posted by romakimmy at 4:42 AM on March 14, 2010