Although she enjoyed music and dance, she was not particularly graceful. In fact, because she had a tendency to turn in her toes, she'd often end up tripping over herself while walking, running or dancing.
As her classmates transformed into little swans, my little duckling still waddled around. Still cute, but clumsy.
Her Grade 2 progress report had encouraging remarks by the teacher, but her footwork and technique were obviously wanting.
Mommy, personally, was taken out of ballet class after scoring a measly "pass plus" in her first exam. But I loved dancing, and I knew my Girl did too.
So I got a copy of the music and scoured Youtube videos of Grade 2 steps. Every day before (and sometimes after) school, Girl would have to practice and practice and practice. It wasn't easy. There were tears. But she improved noticeably and passed her exam with a Merit.
Fast forward to 2012. We changed school to one closer to home — less rush and ferrying up and down for Mommy. The new classroom didn't have a big glass window. So Mommy couldn't monitor what happened in class. Ignorance was bliss.
Her teacher did comment that she had to practice. We did run through some routines with music found online. And she went for a couple of personal classes during the holidays. But overall, things were less strenuous than the year before.
Mommy was resigned. If she didn't do well in her Grade 3 exam, without extraordinary measures as before, it was a sign that it was time to hang up those ballet shoes. And honestly, a part of me expected her to fail or just barely pass, especially since I was unimpressed with what I saw during her last-minute practice right before the exam.
But somehow, Someone up there must have really favoured her.
We got her results today. And thanks be to God, beyond our wildest expectations, she was one of three girls in her class to score a Distinction!
My lil' duckling was becoming a swan!
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