Pirouette Away!

Dance is an amazing way for children to express their emotions through movement. It defies the usual conventions of using words - which are already laden with social engineering, in my opinion - to express oneself. For me, it is a platform where we can return to the most primitive form of expression through body movements and actions.

We attended a couple of performances in their ballet open house some time back, and it was so heartening to see how they had grown in their journey of dance. 

Little Bee was a little shaky in the beginning of her ballet experience a couple of years ago. As someone who does not enjoy rote learning, she was not keen to remember dance sequences, so this had always been a problem for her. However, attending primary school in the rigid Singapore education system might have some repercussions in her approach to ballet, because this year, she started remembering and practising more advanced ballet sequences much better! 

We were also treated to Big Bee's ballet performance in a class of strapping tall girls. How they had all grown! As some parents commented, these girls had gotten so advanced that watching their open house dances was akin to watching a professional classical ballet performance! The highlight of their performance was a Spanish flamenco dance which was truly energetic and captivating.

It was an afternoon of pride and happiness - at how they had transformed in an art form that they both enjoy tremendously. I would love for them to continue pirouetting along this boulevard of dance for as long as they like...enjoying the journey, and discovering new things about ballet and other forms of dances too! 

The Felicity Of Ballet

Little Bee went for her first ballet exam on 17 March, and she handled the examination anxiety calmly and coolly, not showing any signs of nervousness. Unfortunately, I had to work that weekend, leaving Hubby and Big Bee to accompany her - I felt so sad to miss her first ballet exam!

We attended her ballet open house 3 weeks ago, and were delighted to see her brilliant smile and sunny demeanour while she performed a little solo dance all by herself. She was ever the ernest ballerina in group dances as well, stretching her limbs and flexing her feet diligently.

A cheery Little Bee post-exams

On the day of the exam, she was excited for her hair to be twisted and coiled into a professional little ballerina's sophisticated bun. And after the exam, she confided in her jie-jie that she made 3 mistakes. Still, it was a great try by Little Bee, who is well into her journey of becoming an adroit ballerina, just like her big sister!

A Servant Leader

Big Bee was chosen by her ballet teachers in school to be the leader of her ballet CCA group. Her school practises this interesting concept of "Servant Leadership" where student leaders are supposed to serve their community humbly, taking care of everyone's needs, listening and supporting their fellow schoolmates.

There is also an interesting hierarchy of student leadership, as seen below:

I could tell she was secretly pleased, especially with her love for ballet. Yet, I am happy that level-headed Big Bee took everything in her own stride, claiming that some of her best friends in school were also nominated as fellow student leaders, so she is not all that unique. 

But still, I am proud of her and I made known that this is an achievement of sorts - to be nominated by the teacher to serve her fellow CCA mates. 

Big Bee was a little skeptical about overseeing some of the older P5 and P6 students in her ballet group though, but I reassured her that leadership is not about age, rather, it is about connecting with people, irregardless of age. 

As a ballet CCA leader, she has to assist the teachers in scheduling, attendance and student matters. She is also now put in charge of creating an attractive notice board for the ballet CCA. She has to motivate and encourage her peers in the CCA group and ensure they come for practice, and be the main bridge between the ballet teachers and the students.  

As part of the orientation, she attended a half-day leadership training workshop, and part of the training involved organising a party for her entire class - all by herself, from invites to collecting rsvps to organising party venue, games and food. And she is definitely looking forward to it! Looks like I will not have to plan most of the Bees' parties from now on ;) 

Nutcracking Fun

We always try to watch a full-length ballet performance towards the end of every year, usually by Singapore Dance Theatre. Last year, we treated ourselves to a 3-hour performance of Sleeping Beauty, where the Bees were entranced by the familiar storyline and beautiful costumes. I remember Little Bee was dancing and pirouetting to the music in the dark, emulating the sinewy ballerinas! 

2 years ago, Big Bee and I were fascinated by the popular Christmas ballet of the Nutcracker. And this year, the entire family of 4 trooped out early on Sunday morning to watch this year's version of The Nutcracker again. As always, the haunting and mesmerising Tchaikovsky music captivated us and immersed us in a spellbinding cocoon of rapture. 

However, I was a wee bit disappointed by this year's adaptation - which was not as elaborate as the version 2 years ago, with the storyline a little thin. The techniques were not particularly striking as well, and the leads were relative unknowns in Singapore. 

But still, the Bees were enchanted and this annual ritual gave them some fodder of inspiration for their ballet journeys. I am also thankful for Hubby who is usually more than happy to join us. 

After the performance, we had the wonderful opportunity to stroll around Esplanade, admiring the beautiful skyline and revelling in the cool, year-end weather. 

The Bees in pure glee on the rooftop of Esplanade

We also made our wishes at the wishing spheres of Singapore, with the Bees writing down their wishes for the imminent new year with excited alacrity. 

Big Bee's nice simple wish

Little Bee thought that these spheres are presents to the fishes in the Singapore River, so wrote something for them! It was hilarious to me. 

We showed them where their spheres will be, and we all looked forward to the countdown to the new year! 

Time passes so fast every year - it is definitely good to take stock of the year and look forward to another brand new year, while learning to wind down towards the end of the year :) 

Dinner With Ballerinas

We had a delightful alfresco picnic dinner at charming Fort Canning Park, complete with joining the crowds watching "Ballet Under The Stars" on 16 July - all thanks to Hubby who bought tickets to the show pro-actively by himself, much to my pleasant surprise. 

We descended to Fort Canning on an alluring Saturday evening at 6.30pm, imbued with the glory of a promising sunset and consistent, much-welcomed evening breezes. In our hands were pizzas, pasta, fruits, tidbits and picnic mats in readiness for a cosy evening of ballet and food! 

The crowds had already filled the vast field in front of the stage by the time we sauntered into the park. We settled down in a nice corner at the perimeter of the crowds - just by the pavement, so the Bees would have ample room to run about before the show started or during the intermission. 

It was a resplendent evening indeed - we were blessed with balmy breezes that caressed our hair gently throughout the entire night, providing a welcome respite from the typical humid weather. The Bees loved chomping on our scrumptious dinner in the brilliant golden sunrays of a setting sun which gradually faded into enigmatic lavender of the gloaming.

 

The Bees were now at a comfortable age group where Hubby and I were able to sit back, relaxed and observed them lazily, rather than incessantly chasing after them with a hawk's eye during their toddler years. I guess we are also blessed to have 2 girls who had been sitting quietly through long shows since each of them was 2 years old. 

This was to be Big Bee's 3rd ballet show, after the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and Little Bee's 2nd (she was a little young when we watched Nutcracker) - albeit their first long performance outdoors, so I was truly thankful for the beautifully windy weather.

They were enthralled by the performances by the Singapore Dance Theatre, which was speckled with a few guest performing groups. Being avid little ballerinas themselves, especially Big Bee who is on the school performing team, they were able to observe the professional skills of these ballerinas and hopefully, gain even more inspiration from them. 

Big Bee insisted on taking photos of the swiftly moving ballerinas in the dim lighting, which proved challenging. These are some of her performances shots. 

We received an exquisite surprise in the middle of the performance at 8pm, with some gorgeous fireworks emanating and exploding into the night sky from the National Day Parade preview! The crowds were exclaiming in excitement at the colourful fireworks display while the ballerinas pirouetted on - what an enchanting backdrop for the dancers! 

The Bees also spent a good amount of time running about in the dark during the intermission, stretching their legs and taking a little break.

Unfortunately, the show lasted much later than their usual bedtime. By 9.45pm, the Bees were visibly tired and sleepy, so we packed up our stuff inconspicuously and sneaked out of the show. 

It was a lovely evening, and we look forward to many more of such simple, idyllic pleasures in life!

Prima Ballerina

We have another ballerina in the making, as Little Bee started her ballet classes at long last with Big Bee's ballet teacher! Little Bee was thrilled to bits on Saturday when we dressed her up in her ballet attire, and struck several poses to announce to the world that an up-and-coming ballerina is arising. 

She had been very interested in dance since very young, and had been emulating her jie-jie whenever she watched her in open houses or school performances. This is the day that she had been waiting for, and I am so pleased to see her mirthful elation. 

Big Bee was invited by the ballet teacher to stay in the class with Little Bee, so Hubby and I were thankful for this little respite to spend a little couple time together. Big Bee also took so many beautiful photos and videos of her mei-mei in class, and we were glad we could partake in Little Bee's first ballet experience vicariously through Big Bee's photojournalism. 

Striking a pose in class

We peeped at Little Bee secretly and was tickled to see her demonstrating many ballet poses that she thought to be appropriately "ballerina-like" to her teacher in class. She is being her usual extroverted and expressive self, and we love it. 

We are delighted to see her so happy, and we wish her a wonderful dance journey ahead :)  

While I Was Away...

A fortnight ago, I had to be in Guangzhou for work over an immensely precious weekend which irked me to no end. As a working mother, weekends are probably the rarest and most treasured commodity for me to spend unfettered and uninterrupted time with Hubby and the Bees. Furthermore, in the 4 days that I was away, I had to miss Big Bee's grade 2 CSTD exams and Little Bee's final N2 assembly performance in school. What luck indeed!

Hence, I was very perturbed for weeks before that, but am glad that Hubby used this opportunity to spend extra bonding time with the girls in a very hectic weekend! 

Here were what I missed out with them: 

1) Big Bee's CSTD grade 2 exams

Hubby brought Big Bee to her 5th ballet exam on Friday (including the RAD ballet exam she took in school early this year). You would have thought the girl would be calm and jaded by her 5th exam, but Miss Perfectionist was as usual a jumble of nerves the night before the exam day, as well as in the hours leading to the exam. She had been scoring distinctions in all her previous ballet exams, so let's see how she fares this year, although I am always quick to advise her that we just want her to enjoy these exams as fun opportunities for her to perform solo. 

2) Ghim Moh market

On a bright and cheery Saturday morning, Hubby brought my mum and the Bees to the Ghim Moh market for a bout of scrumptious chwee kueh and other delightful hawker fare (we are old-fashioned Singaporeans when coming to local food, preferring the noise and clamour of hawker centres over sterile food courts!).

Hubby fell in love with the colourful hustle bustle of the market and its surrounding environs which are redolent of an old, nostalgic Singapore that is fast vanishing right under the pressure of barren modernity. They browsed around the many neighbourhood stores and the Bees had a fantastic ride on an electronic jeep around a square, along with other thrilled kids in similar rides (remember these car rides in the 1970s and early 1980s!?).

3) Coffee break and movie date

Hubby was excited to go on a date with the girls. After the Ghim Moh market adventure, he dropped my mum back at her home, and looked forward to some personal time with the Bees. He brought them for coffee and cakes at TCC, followed by an enchanting night under the stars in a drive-through movie showing Shrek (once again, this was so retro, reminiscent of 1970s and early 1980s in days long gone!). 

Unfortunately, he told me it started raining halfway during the movie, and he was stuck with 2 active girls eating their dinner in the restricted confines of the car, much to his chagrin! Luckily, the skies cleared up thereafter, and they were able to revert to their perch outside in the crisp cool air. 

4) Shopping with the girls on Sunday

As expected with daddies and little girls, Hubby was lured unwittingly by the clever Bees to buy a whole load of toys on Sunday, much to my displeasure. I am not one for buying bulky toys, preferring instead to indulge in homemade toys or crafts. They went on a shopping expedition with the original and innocent purpose of buying a birthday party present for Little Bee's friend. 

However, as all daddies who go all soft inside and wobbly around the knees when confronted by beseeching, doeful eyes of the daughters, Hubby bought a whole load of advanced Christmas and birthday presents for the Bees as well, much to their delight! I am very certain they were glad Mummy's not around to stop Papa as usual. 

5) Little Bee's N2 performance

On Monday, Little Bee has her final N2 assembly performance before she moved on to K1 next year. She was a bundle of hopping excitement when my mum, Hubby and Big Bee were there. As I watched the video afterwards, she was gamely showing off her family to all her friends, and kept waving enthusiastically at them from the performance area all throughout the assembly. With her signature sunny smile and big lit-up eyes, she did not display a sliver of shyness or stage fright at all. 

Looked like a flurry of activities indeed. Thanks so much and well done, Hubby! :) 

Little Swans

Big Bee was selected to perform as one of the little swans in a short performance of Swan Lake. These little swans were selected from the primary 2 ballet CCA in her school, and they accompanied 5 beautiful, graceful swans picked from the primary 3 girls. Swan Lake was one of the performances showcased in a concert that the school had organised for parents, with proceeds going to charity. 

I volunteered to help out with hair and make-up on the day of the performance, 30th October, and had such an enjoyable time with the girls and the other parent helpers. We had to tie their hair into intricate French braids and then bun these braids up. I was terrible at it, but some mummies (and one father!) were really astute in tying excellent French braids. 

I was much better at make-up, applying stage make-up for the girls. The mummies set up a chain of stations, and it was quite hilarious seeing the girls queue up at the foundation station, then the eyeshadow station which I was at, and then proceeding to blusher station and then the lipstick station which I helped out as well.

The girls looked resplendent and gorgeous in their white tutus with little furry headbands - just like elegant white swans! They were torn between the feelings of thrill and disgust at the thick and vivid make-up - and it was such a gratifying feeling seeing the girls in their regal and breathtaking costumes, juxtaposed against the girls' exhilarated and cheery excitement! 

Left: The girls taking a group photo after the performance Right: Fooling around before performance. None of them were feeling any jitters at all! 

We spent a good 6 hours in school, but it was so fun! Hubby and Little Bee joined us in time for their dance item. Their Swan Lake performance went on beautifully, and us parents were beaming with pride to see them transformed into professional ballerinas on stage, pirouetting without missing a beat! 

Balletic Enchantment

Big Bee had her Grade 1 ballet exam on 8 November - her 3rd exam, which means she should be fairly relaxed and seasoned about it. Yet, the little Miss Perfectionist was apprehensive about a poor performance the night before - as always! 

I am constantly showering her with optimistic reassurances as she tends to display strong anxiety before stressful events, and this time, I assured her that we were all bowled over by her performance during the Open House. She was somewhat soothed, but only just a little.

The Open House was conducted in late October, and Little Bee was so inspired by all the ballerina jie-jies that she kept requesting for ballet classes thereafter! Not so soon, little one :) She posed proudly with jie jie and all her friends, skipping around the dance studio like it was her second home. 

Posing happily with the excellent ballet teacher

The Grade 1 exams comprised a lot more ballet techniques and includes a duet and a solo dance that were more complicated. Yet, it was exhilarating to see all the little girls dancing with earnest sobriety and nimble grace. 

As expected, she was back to her jovial self right after the exams, dashing about in carefree delight, a little adult in her sophisticated ballerina bun with an exquisite pink ribbon peeping from underneath the bun, yet with the naive demeanour and high energy of a little girl. The juxtaposition is truly alluring. 

Exhilaration and relief post-exams! 

The Final Hurdle

Today was the last activity of the "busy" period for Big Bee which started from my birthday (because she had to slog to make my birthday card!) all the way through her graduation concert, her primary one orientation and today, her Primary grade ballet exam that she had been gearing towards for the past 4 months.

Unlike last year when we were so anxious, this year, we took things easy before the ballet exam, probably because the major milestone of her graduation concert was over! She was also not as nervous as last year, and I am glad to see her coping with stress really well.

She was in the pink team, and had to perform a little dance on top of showcasing her ballet techniques to a Mrs Tilley from the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing (CSTD).

We had to leave her in the good hands of her ballet teacher who transformed her hair into an elegant ballerina bun. Wonderfully, Little Bee fell asleep in the pram, so Hubby and I took the opportunity to go for a foot reflexology session which ended dramatically with Little Bee waking up in an unfamiliar environment and wailing for us at the top of her voice!

Big Bee came out of her exams, her face relaxed and relieved. I told her she deserved a fantastic break after these 4 consecutive days of working so hard!

Ethereal Grace

Big Bee's ballet school conducted an open house on Saturday morning, which means that parents were invited into the ballet class to watch an exclusive performance by the little ballerinas. Having learned ballet since she was 4, Big Bee can now perform a dance with a little storyline on her own. Today's solo performance consisted of a 3-minute segment where all the girls had to perform an umbrella dance on their own, with the ballerina pirouetting in the rain, shivering gracefully with cold (yes, that is possible in the dance!) and then with facial features and body expression lighting up considerably when she saw the umbrella. Facial and body expressions are now an integral part of their progress. I am so proud to see Big Bee smiling sweetly and performing confidently in front of the audience, remembering all her actions, although I know that the perfectionist her was probably overly anxious to ensure everything from her smile, expression and dance steps were flawless.


Turning on her ballerina stage smile


The ballerinas in the "pink" group. There are 4 colour groups of girls: blue, pink, white and purple


Foundation of en pointe, or "tippy toes", in kiddy ballet terminology

Little Bee had to skip her Saturday school to be part of jie-jie's cheerleading team. And true enough, after Big Bee's solo performance, she clapped heartily with us and kept calling "Jie jie! Jie jie!". When Big Bee skipped back to the group of ballerinas sitting on the floor after her performance, Little Bee was so proud of her sister that she kept calling her, despite us hushing her, and then slowly inched towards her to pat her jie-jie's tulle skirt, stroking her jie-jie's leotard, quietly uttering "Jie-jie, jie-jie" repeatedly with her signature giant beaming grin, her big eyes glowing with utmost adoration for her sister! Eventually, she laid her head on Jie-jie's lap, then shoulder, and Big Bee finally gave in to her little sister's idolation with a soft proud grin and a few tight hugs for Little Bee. How heartwarming to see both sisters hugging on the wooden dance floor!

Jie-jie's enthusiastic cheerleader!


Big Bee with her ballet buddies, Phoebe and Jessica

Ballerina

Big Bee had her first ballet examination on the morning of Friday, 9 November. We brought her to the centre early to do up her hair, and boy, was the transformation amazing! She had her hair all gelled up into a sleek ballerina bun with a pristine white ribbon on it. Her radiant face shone beautifully and she looked like a professional ballerina alright. Her ballet friends were all styled in the same mien and when they milled around, it is so bewitching to see the delicate juxtaposition between innocent exuberance and polished elegance all rolled into one form in their 5-year-old bodies. Breathtaking indeed!

Nevertheless, Big Bee was very nervous before her exams but after the whole shebang, she did wonderfully well :)