TutuZone

Babble

We are thrilled to be reviewed by our first dad blogger. "Modern Day Dad" whose review posted on the very hip site for parents, Babble.

Here is the review:

"Taking a break from the (sometimes) mind-numbing confines of Nick Jr. and Noggin can be a good thing, and if you've got a little girl who is deep in the throws of princess mania, you might want to check this out. Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake is a DVD aimed squarely at these little girls, and does something that I wasn't expecting. It doesn't try to teach ballet, nor does it present a professional performance of Swan Lake without explaining what is going on. What it does do quite well is convey the beauty and fun of ballet (and the classical music it is based on) without boring the kids watching it.

The forty minute program is broken down into two alternating parts - one that shows the individual acts of Swan Lake as performed by the Paris Opera Ballet, and then another that shows young girls (and one boy) performing the individual ballet steps. During the Swan Lake segments there is a voice-over explaining what is happening in terms of the story, which not only makes it easy for kids to understand, but also for those of us who don't make it to the ballet as often as we should. The other segments feature children from the School of American Ballet showing the ballet positions and other steps, as well as what those steps are based on.

My four year old daughter seemed to really enjoy the entire program, and even asked me to play it again after it was over. For her it's hard to miss with a princess story and video of young kids doing ballet. My two year old daughter was mildly interested, though it really wasn't the sort of program designed to keep the attention of someone her age. From my perspective, the voice-over (the voice of "Prima Princessa" herself) was a little annoying after a while and the overall production quality still has that "indie video" feel, but having a kids DVD where the soundtrack was entirely made up of classical music was a really nice change of pace.

Overall, I think if you've got a daughter or young girl in your life aged 3 or above who you suspect would probably enjoy something like this, it's a safe bet that she will. At the very least it's worth checking out a clip on the web site."

Licorice Mint

This great review is from Licorice Mint all the way in Australia . The word is spreading!

Thanks! - Mary Kate

"Prima Princessa is a very cute and fun way of introducing the basics of ballet to toddlers and young children and I REALLY enjoyed watching it with my little girl. (She is just beginning to get into the fairy costumes and pretty pink things.)

Actual demonstrations of ballet by students and professional dancers are interspersed with cute little girls in their ballet outfits dancing around a garden. It is a very simple but engaging introduction to ballet and I found myself in wonderment at the dancers' graceful moves."

The Parenting Club

Parenting Club is a '"Great resource for expectant parents and new parents as well as those trying to concieve" and we are thrilled they have reviewed us this month. -Mary Kate

Check it out:

"What is "Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"? This 40-minute kid's DVD is a hip, fun, beautiful show with a brain. Prima Princessa, an animated fairy ballerina, magically transports a group of little girls to see the Paris Opera Ballet perform select segments of Swan Lake. In between acts, the children return home to learn simple ballet steps, which are playfully shown mixed into colorful montages of toys, animals, children and young dancers from the School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet. "

Prima Princessa Productions, LLC- Find the perfect gift for your little girl!

From Dates to Diapers and Beyond

Check out this excerpt from the review by the very cool site, "From Dates to Diaper." -Mary Kate

"This magical dance adventure would make a wonderful gift for your little ballerina. It's sure to mesmerize her, as it has mine, while it inspires and stimulates her young mind. It was created by two moms who love to have fun, so even I was thrilled with the ingenious Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake. Oh, and don't tell them that I told you this, but even my boys were captivated!"

Busy Mommy Product Reviews

Looking for adorable tutus as well as great product reviews then check out this site. This blogger is multitalented. Crafting gorgeous tutus as well as writing engaging posts. - Mary Kate

Here is the review from July 27, 2008:

"So I have a secret- I don't like ballet. Sort of absurd since I make tutus, right? Well, it's not entirely that I don't like ballet. I mean I find the movement and costumes beautiful. And I bet I would love the story if I knew what the heck the story was, but when I see a ballet, it just does not come together for me.

I was pretty excited to get to review Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake. I figured if it is a DVD for kids then it must be more user friendly than other ballet videos I have seen.

Well, let me tell you it is really neat. First and foremost, I now know the story of Swan Lake. I have seen the ballet before and honestly, did not know what the story was (and for those of you wondering, I am actually a smart person, ballet is just hard for me to understand). Second, it is just really fun. Third, my 14 month old daughter sat through the ENTIRE THING and seemed to actually like it (she clapped when the girls on screen clapped-it was super cute).

Prima Princessa, an animated fairy ballerina, magically transports a group of little girls to see the Paris Opera Ballet performs select segments of Swan Lake. In between acts, the children return home to learn simple ballet steps which are playfully shown mixed into colorful montages of toys, animals, children and young dancers from the School of American Ballet.

I have to admit that the fact that this DVD was produced by two stay-at-home moms with no prior movie-making experience intrigued me even more. Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller were inspired by their children's love of dance. They could not find ballet movies that were appropriate for their children, so they made their own. Amazing, huh?

They also have a blog where you can read about their journey."

Maria's Space

Thanks Maria for the great Review on your fab blog this past Sunday, July 27, 2008.

Here it is:

"I was very fortunate to have been able to review, a wonderfully crafted DVD by two amazing moms from my old home state, New Jersey.

Introducing: Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake 

This DVD is just what this mom ordered. I took ballet as a child and have been recently trying to plant the dance bug in my 3 year old daughter’s ear. You can only give her so many tutu’s and princess things while asking “do you want to take ballet this year?”

Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake features a cartoon ballerina who narrates Swan Lake for us. Swan Lake, being performed by the Paris Opera Ballet is beautifully done. In between acts, we are treated to various ballet steps all set to a montage of toys, animals, children and young dancers for the viewer to learn. My daughter particularly loved the segments of little girls running around and laughing in their tutus. This 40 minute DVD has enough to keep the preschool age child all the way up to Grandma’s age interested.

I organized a play date with my girlfriend so that my 3 year old could watch it with a friend (a 9 year old dancer student). The plan was to have the girls watch the movie while we continued our own play date over at the dining room table with coffee and our laptops. We started the tape and were completely sucked in. So much so that we took our respective places next to our daughters and watched the whole movie with them.

While the movie was playing I heard my girlfriend’s daughter tell her mom that she wants to stay in ballet (she had been thinking of dropping it because she doesn’t love her teacher). BTW…I really wish someone had been able to take a picture of the 4 of us lying on the floor, taking up the whole little room, mesmerized by the movie.

I love how the girls watched the movie, laying down listening to every part of it. I had originally thought that they would be dancing the whole time. Afterwards, they put on tutu’s and danced around the room, hallway, kitchen and dining room.

This is a great way to introduce dance to your little one or to reinforce someone’s love for dance."

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy's Blog

If you are a mom and you happen to love wrestling, then this site is for you! Check out the review of our ballet DVD for kids at this fun site:

"Princess, Princess, Princess. That's what I hear about all day in my house. Both the girls are pretty convinced that they're both princesses. I say they're more of the drama queen type, but whatever gets them through the day and keeps them happy I'm all about.

We recently received a dvd in the mail called Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake. As soon as I opened up the envelope, the girls shrieked with joy. "A PRINCESS BALLERINA MOVIE!!!" they both cried. The joy in their eyes was just too good to be true. So right away we popped in the DVD for the girls to watch......"

read more........

O Mamma Reviews

Thanks to "O Mamma Writes" for the following review of our ballet DVD for kids. Check out the adorable picture of her daughter with our DVD! And check out this blog for some quality posts as well as great reviews of product moms will appreciate.

- Mary Kate Prima Princessa Productions

Here the review:

"Once upon a time, I was a dancer. Starting way back at age 7, I did tap and jazz with my best friend until I moved away at the age of 11. By the time I was 13, I was itching to start dancing again and was excited when I got to know another friend who also danced and I joined her dance studio doing ballet. Soon after getting “warmed up” to dancing again, I tried out to be in their competing dance group and made it! Quickly my life became a whirl wind of practices, costumes, make up, memorizing dances, trying to become limber and remembering to point my toes for the next 3 years. I made lots of new friends, got to travel to cool new places, be in parades, and we did generally well in our small competitions. What dance was for me, is like what playing football or playing an instrument is to others. I lived it and breathed it. But sadly, one day that desire stopped. And so did I.

And that brings me to today, where I’m a Mom of a spunky 1 year old. I still dance, but with a little one by my side and giggling the whole time. Which, is why I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to review the DVD, “Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake.” It’s a 40 minute movie created by two New Jersey Moms who wanted to provide girls with a fun movie that features their favorite things: princesses, tiaras, and ballerinas. Need I say more?

Savannah was attracted to it the moment I opened the package from Prima Princessa Productions and quickly asked to watch it. She instantly became fascinated with the little girls dancing around the screen in pink tutus and when they introduced a new dance move between Acts of Swan Lake, she would try, too! Soon she was twirling, kicking, and jumping just like them.

There are four Acts of Swan Lake performed by the famous Paris Opera Ballet in which Prima Princessa narrates throughout, which I love. For the dance lover I used to be, I still was not very familiar with the story of Swan Lake so it helped for me to know what was going on, and I know that is helpful for younger girls as well. Savannah was not as interested in the professional story scenes, but that could be accounted for by her (and any 1 year old’s) short attention span. I’ve read other reviews with older children (pre-school age) watching and they seem to love the entire thing.

So, even though Savannah is still a bit young to fully enjoy the fun and beauty of ballet, this DVD is certainly one she will grow into and we will continue watching together. And really? It’s nice to sit back and think about my dancing days again, and I look forward to sharing the world I used to love with Savannah as she grows."

The Clan Mcleod

Check out the review from the super Clan Mcleod blog:

"Want to expose your children to the ballet without spending a fortune for tickets? Grab your tutus and check out Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake!

This is a beautiful DVD that will introduce your little princess to the world of pirouettes and plies in a fun and captivating manner. Not only will she be introduced to the beauty of Swan Lake, she will also view images from the Paris Opera Ballet and students from the School of American Ballet will teach her a few moves!

Created by moms like you, Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller, also include a friendly narration of the story so that your child can understand the story of Swan Lake.

Though my girls are well past the dream of being a ballerina, they enjoyed watching the beauty that the Paris Opera Ballet lends to the already elegant Swan Lake...."

more.........

It also appeared on her other blog, Homeschool Mom Reviews.

Z Reviews

Thanks Z for the review!!!!

Here's an excerpt:

"Prima Princessa's DVD Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake successfully merges two different segment types for each abbreviated act of the ballet - a viewing of the Paris Opera Ballet performance of Swan Lake with a voice-over telling the story, followed by a segment which is a combination of preschoolers dancing and of ballet students at the American Ballet Theater school practicing simple ballet steps. The whole thing is emceed by a fairly crude animated ballerina fairy, but it works really well - there's nothing that gets kids moving while watching a video than seeing other kids moving, and combining that with the inspired dancing of the Paris Opera performers is really inspiring to Z. Halfway through the video, she is almost guaranteed to be up and doing grand jetes with the other kids."