Watching at Rhythm Factory Dance class

Serendipitously Abi and her mother came across a dance class at the lilyfield community centre after buying a newspaper from the corner shop. (At least Abi forgot about the shortbread biscuits with decorations that she was eying hungrily)

One class had just finished and another was starting. Abi abandoned her initial aim of playing on the slide (too many strange children anyway) and stepped inside the hall to watch the class.

3 precocious girls 5-6 years old were sitting on a parachute with their teacher. They were wearing dance leotards and skirts, one had a sleeping beauty dress on. Lots of chatter, some stretching. Abi asked Priscilla when they were going to start dancing.

Then the music was played and the girls did some ballet with ribbon on a stick, some jazz with pom poms, some tap with plastic hats and a free dance where the person with a wand says Abracadabra fairies and they all pretend to be fairies. The teacher saw Abi sitting and starting to dance with her mum, and offered her a hat to use. She took it shyly but danced with it while holding on to mum. At the end of the lesson was a parachute session and Abi wanted to sit on it but Priscilla explained that we had to ask for permission from the teacher, and we can't interrupt the lesson so we had to wait. Abi was patient.

At the end of the lesson we approached the teacher Kirby (!) and found out about the class. Apparently the class before the one we watched is for Abi's age group. We may attend the last 2 lessons for the term at 1105am on Saturday...