Ballet solution, I think

I think I have found a solution to Ella's ballet class issue, the one which resulted in her anxiety and crying, and the crying spilling over to other classes.

She started this afternoon at a new class, with a woman named Elizabeth Clark, a 60-odd-year-old woman who has had an ensemble here in Rochester for many years. She teaches in a church near here. The girls had taken a sample class with her at the Brighton library over a year ago, and I remember thinking at the time that she was much more of a "free spirit" dancer, more of a "dance what you feel" kind of instructor. I had thought that this wouldn't be the right kind of class for Ella, not formal or disciplined enough, but after the problem with the formality of the other class, I thought we should give it a try.

The woman is just a total darling, a grandmothery type who wants her students to love dancing. And the class was wonderful for Ella. Ella loved Elizabeth, Elizabeth loved her, I loved Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was very complimentary about Ella's dancing (and even about my web site). It was one big love-fest. Even if one of the other classes Elizabeth teaches is Diversity Dancing (or some such), I don't care. It's perfect. Ella finished the class looking so glowingly happy that I felt willing to empty my bank account for this woman. But I only had to part with $72. What a deal.

Thank goodness.