And the dance year has officially BEGUN!

And we are off! Lessons are back - classes have commenced! The dancing year has begun!

I really feel sorry for teacher - the first day of classes most of our girls are still officially on holidays. So she has the fine job of calming them down and getting them to focus!

Initial numbers look like E will have 8 girls in her class. A nice number. Some are more advanced but the teacher seems to work well with that. E has noticed it and told me the class will be a great opportunity to get her technique right. I hope she can keep that focus and really learn from all the instruction!

After class E has been asked to stay behind for the beginning of the senior students class. I think this is a great transition for her. This week she stayed and worked on the reel with them.

Wednesday morning is an early start for us as E has requested a private lesson each week and we have fit this in on Wednesdays before school. It was a little rushed - especially being the first day of school! But we had a really good lesson and she focussed so well. Much of the class was picking apart small details of her dances that need improvement with a particular focus made on a step in the flora and the sword.

To E's delight the second half was spent working on the hornpipe! She is loving learning this! It is an intermediate dance and she is still only a beginner but it gives her such joy (and it really suits her dance style!)

E was so focussed during her private. It made me really pleased to see. The other reason I love her privates is I get to stay and watch and learn as well. It certainly makes practice more effective at home.

Week one done ... although there is still a big adventure ahead this weekend! More on that soon!

A modified hornpipe!

How much fun was this! Five of the girls in E's highland class were given the opportunity to perform their dancing in the school musical!

Time was short - they had one lesson to learn the dance - but the girls were able to perform a modified hornpipe in their musical "A school for pirates".

Big credit to the girls who took care of rehearsals and polished the dance themselves!

I have video - just need to figure out how to load it!

Fun and fabulous work!