Andres and I took our boys to the ballet this Saturday. It was a free event designed for young people by the Miami City Ballet School and all we had to do was register for tickets in advance at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
The ballet was Carnival of the Animals and a perfect introduction for our kiddos. The story line was simple and straightforward: happy animals are endangered by poachers. The lead poacher falls in love with a girl trying to protect the animals. He has a change of heart and the animals are freed. The costumes were marvelous, particularly the large-winged butterflies and adorable zebras. I don’t have pictures, because cameras are not allowed during the performance.
I’m sharing this because I was just completely bowled over by how much the boys loved it. Jack is still such a lightweight I had to press my hand on his seat to keep it from snapping shut, but he was rapt and spellbound from the moment the curtain opened. Just imagine being a little person and having no idea there was anything behind the curtain and then seeing animals dance!
Max was sleepy at the beginning because showtime coincided with our normal nap time. Near the end of the first number, he looked up and his face transformed with astonishment. He wiggled all the way to the edge of his booster seat where he stayed perched for the remainder of the performance. He laughed as new animals entered and exited the stage, providing a delightful (but quiet) commentary of which animals were entering and exiting the stage and how many.
“Another zebra! That’s four! No, another zebra! Five zebras dancing!”
The theatre was full of children, mostly girls, but a fair number of boys as well. A set of brothers, probably in second grade, sat in front of us and absolutely loved the dance. All of the children behaved well. One very young girl was taken out by her father, but she hadn’t caused a scene yet. They were all so good, because their attention was commanded by the dancers. They were also comfortable in booster seats which helped them see. The performance was marvelous and the little people thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the parents.
I’ve always intended to expose my children to the arts, but I had no idea that they would love them and behave so well at such a tender age. I didn’t want to purchase tickets until they were closer to five for fear it wouldn’t work out. By offering us free tickets, we felt like we could take a gamble and it paid off in spades.
Last month we attended Peter and the Wolf by members of the New World Symphony. Max was amazed at how each instrument had its own sound and could tell a story. Since then we’ve been learning about music appreciation by listening to either world or classical music in the car. Both boys love it and frequently request that I play Handel’s Water Music or the “long song” by Krishna Das.
Children’s music is great as is children’s theatre, but I have been blown away by how incredibly moved my children have been by the classics. The arts are for all of us and early exposure opens up new understandings for little people. I think there is a natural tendency to dumb things down for kids which is completely unnecessary. They aren’t fully socialized and they have a natural human inclination to appreciate beauty. As a mother, I’m running with that. The arts are not a stuffy venue for older people. They are full of life, creativity, exploration, and expression, the very definition of a preschooler.
I urge parents reading this to search for free or inexpensive performances in their own cities, especially family friendly events, where you will feel welcomed and understood. Exposing your child to the arts will open a beautiful new side of them you need to see. Please include the boys; ballet is for them too. Everyday Max and Jack ask me when we can go to the ballet again.
Soon, my darlings, and for the rest of your life.
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