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What an adorable dancing girl! Love the photos! 

-Prima Princessa - ballet dvds for children

Review:

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Review & Giveaway: Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD

It was evident before Raileigh could walk that she loved to dance. She would pull up on whatever she could and move her little body to the music. She would even sit in her car seat and move back and forth to whatever song was on the radio. I try and provide Raileigh with different opportunities to move to the music. Not only does she enjoy it, but it also a great way to help her learn about exercising and staying in shape.

Recently, I became aware of a fabulous DVD series called Prima Princessa. I chose to share this great series with you today because it is a big day for Prima Princessa. March 2 marks the official re-release of Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake. Starting today, Prima Princessa is going to be available for purchase at Target and other local stores, as well as amazon.com. That is a very big deal considering this DVD series is produced by two stay at home moms! Many of us will only ever dream of our creations being available to such a mass market, but for these two ladies, the dream is now a reality.


The two wonderful moms that stared the Prima Princessa series are Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller. This creative duo is bringing ballet into the lives of young girls who otherwise not be exposed to it. I love what they are doing. It is wonderful to be able to expose Raileigh to this beautiful type of dance at such a young age. Really, without Prima Princessa, I would have no idea how to go about doing that. It's not like she is going to sit still through and stay interested in a full length ballet feature! So, this series is a great way to introduce young girls to ballet, while keeping their interest and helping them to have fun.

I was sent a copy of Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake for Raileigh and I to review. Here is a description of the DVD, as taken from the Prima Princessa website.

Put your dancing shoes on, and enjoy the show! Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake features the world-renowned Paris Opera Ballet performing excerpts from Swan Lake, live on stage! Swan Lake is narrated by the adorable cartoon Prima Princessa, herself! Between acts Prima Princessa guides you through ballet steps performed by School of American Ballet students so you can become a Prima Princessa ballerina too!


I absolutely loved the format of the DVD. It took the well-known ballet, Swan Lake, and broke it into smaller, more manageable parts for children. Throughout the ballet, Prima Princessa is telling the story of Swan Lake on a level that children can understand. In between each of the Swan Lake features, Prima Princessa comes out and teaches how to do a few simple ballet moves. She is accompanied by the beautiful little girls from the School of American Ballet demonstrating the steps. I love that there are young girls as the demonstrates. I think that will be an encouragement to other girls who watch the DVD. They are also having a a lot of fun, which I think will rub off on other girls watching the DVD.


I thought Raileigh would really be on the young end of being able to get use from this DVD. However, I was quite impressed just how quickly she picked up on the moves. For example, when she was watching Act 1 of Swan Lake, I saw her put her hands over her head like the ballerinas did as she spun in circles. Then, when Prima Princessa came on after that, she taught the girls to do a pirouette. It was so much fun to watch Raileigh imitate the girls she saw on television. I am really excited to see how Raileigh learns as she continues to use the Prima Princessa DVD. The total running time is 40 minutes, and I think that is perfect for her attention span.

I would like to share a clip of this superb video with you. So, sit back and enjoy this excerpt from Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake!To supplement all of the wonderful ballet that is taught in the DVD, the Prima Princessa website provides many tools for parents and teachers. There is a printable coloring bookthat features 6 pages for your little girl to enjoy. The pages show Prima Princessa doing various ballet steps that are shown in the DVD. There is also a very informative ballet dictionary. This is a great place to find out what all those words you hear in the DVD mean! I don't have a background in dance, so I am sure I will turn to this a lot as Raileigh gets older and starts asking me lots of questions! There is also a teacher's guide that contains a lesson designed for preschool- grade 2. When I start formally homeschooling, I will be sure to use this for a structured lesson one day. What a great teaching tool!

If you have a little girl in your life that is interested in dance at all, then I highly encourage you to check out Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake! Remember- the DVD is now available on amazon.com and at Target store nationwide. Also, be on the lookout for Prima Princessa Presents Sleeping Beauty, which is slated to be released Spring 2011!

I am very excited to tell you that the wonderful ladies behind Prima Princessa have agreed to do a giveaway at Wee Share! One lucky reader is going to receive their very own copy of Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake! Thank you, ladies, for providing me with a DVD to review and one to giveaway!