Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (June 06/05) - It seems many pre-school girls have a similar dream. When you ask them, they say they would like to be either a princess or a ballerina.

Half of that dream came true for a group of Hay River pre-schoolers on May 31.

Shelby Lawrence, 4, demonstrates one of the moves she used at a Hay River ballet recital for pre-schoolers on May 31. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Fifteen little girls, aged three to five years old from The Tree House Drop-In Centre, dressed up in their best dancing outfits and gave a ballet recital for their parents.

All the girls were obviously excited to be ballet dancers.

Madison Loutit, 4, said she dreams of being a princess and a ballet dancer.

And when Brooke Reintjes was asked if she has ever dreamed of being a ballerina, the four-year-old shyly nodded her head in the affirmative.

"She is a dancing princess at home," said her mother, Aubrey Reintjes.

She added her daughter was very excited to be part the ballet recital. "She woke up and said, 'It's my big day today.'"

The children share many of the same reasons they like to dance.

Alexa Thompson, 4, simply said it is fun to dance.

Madison Loutit said she enjoys free dancing. "I wanted to do my own dance."

And, Trinity Hamilton said she especially enjoys spinning during free dance.

Aubrey Reintjes noted, at the children's ages, a ballet recital is a big event. "It's really neat. They're not even in school yet."

Interest high

Paula Oteiza, the program co-ordinator for The Tree House Drop-In Centre, said the children practised once or twice a week for a month and a half before the recital.

Oteiza taught the children some basic ballet steps, which she learned when she was a child.

"This is the first time they danced in front of a large group," she noted.

The recital had two parts - dance steps and free dance. The children performed to music from 'The Nutcracker' ballet.

While it can be sometimes difficult to get three-to five-year-olds to simply sit together, organizing the recital was not difficult for Oteiza.

"It was really easy to get them to dance together," she said. "The interest was so high, they were listening really well."