With a little magic

Suzie Harrison

The dancers were poised and anxious about learning their new moves.

First they started with tap but also practiced some ballet. It was

all part of Linda Haylett’s “Petite Dancers” dance class for children

5 and 6 years old.

She calls it “Miss Linda’s Castle,” which she describes as a place

where kids are welcome to “imagine a space full of music and grace,

where dancing helps you explore, shuffles and chasses’ and singing

out strong, with puppets and music galore.”

Dressed in their beautiful dancewear with leotards, skirts and tap

shoes the six young girls were excited to start the lesson.

“We’re waiting for the instructor to get the wands,” Sydney

Cotinola 5, said.

As she was saying that, the others raced to pick out their wand.

“We’re going to do ‘Castle on a Cloud’ -- we’re going to do it

with a tap dance,” Haylett said. “Put your feet in front and we’re

going to put a sticker on our right tapping toe.”

She asked the class which foot was the “lefty loosey” and which

was the “righty tighty.”

The students chimed in proudly, as they knew how to differentiate

the two.

“How are we going to make this into a tap dance?” Haylett said.

The girls sang along with the song, as they learned the

appropriate tap moves, starting with a shuffle, digging their toes

and moving their body into what looked like the number four. Haylett

described the move as a flap.

Finishing their fine transition into tap, the girls were told to

take a curtsy with wands in hand, for they had done so well.

Next it was time to do the ballet version of the dance, but before

they started, they were asked to be seated. That’s when Haylett

brought out the puppets, the king and queen. She went to each

student, one by one, and had the puppets sit on each student’s lap,

while the king and queen talked to them and asked each a question.

The king asked silly questions, like if they had a job or if they

were married, which made the girls laugh. It also instigated a

conversation between the king and queen, with the queen telling the

king how goofy his questions were.

The dancers performed more moves, learning where to dig and step

and do other pieces required in the dance. After one of the girls got

too close to another and accidentally hit her with the wand, Haylett

had to remind the class of some of the rules.

“It takes all the magic out of a wand when you hit another with

it,” Haylett said.

They learned which part of their foot was called the ball of their

foot.

“I don’t know why they call it a ball,” Haylett said. “It doesn’t

look like a ball.”

The girls laughed and clearly enjoyed each aspect of the class

with their parents watching with pride. When it was time for the “Cat

Dance” a mom was telling another how cute she thinks this dance is.

For this dance they donned cat masks and did a number of fun

maneuvers with catlike motion and sound. Meows could be heard as they

peered around a corner and had their two paws up. They even did a

cat-walk and a big stretch like cats do.

Haylett has been teaching tap, ballet, jazz, singing and drama to

children of all ages for 35 years. To find out more about her

classes, locate a Laguna Beach Community Services Directory or call

497-0716.