Mikko's dancing feet in motion!

Prima Princessa sent me their new DVD for review, Prima Princessa Presents: The Nutcracker.

I was so excited to check out Prima Princessa's version of The Nutcracker, because my three-year-old son, Mikko, absolutely loves his original DVD from them, Prima Princessa Presents: Swan Lake. You can read my full review for that DVD here.

But to recap, what I liked about the Swan Lake DVD was how it combined a narrated and abridged filming of a real ballet production with simple ballet instruction for my little guy — with plenty of time to leap around.

What I was a little less enthusiastic about I had high hopes that Prima Princessa had fixed with The Nutcracker — and I was right!

First of all, The Nutcracker has what I liked about Swan Lake — children get an introduction to a real ballet production and a sense of the story behind it (narrated by the animated Prima Princessa); they get to hear ballet terms and see them demonstrated by talented students from the School of American Ballet; and they get time to dance around, freestyle.

And what it has in addition are the updates I was hoping to see:

• Little boys are included in the children's scenes. All the kids are having a sort of Christmas gathering, and the little boys get to dance around with fake swords. The student demonstrators from the American School of Ballet and, of course, the professional dancers also include males among their ranks.
• The professional ballet company, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, has a more ethnically varied cast, which we could also see with the little kids and the students from the American School of Ballet.

The reason I was so intent on showing Mikko boys doing ballet is, of course, because he's a boy! I love that he can see that dancing isn't only for girls (despite the pink and purple of the DVD cover), that it's something he can choose if he'd like as well. I take an adult ballet class, so he's interested right now in anything his parents do, so I love that I can share the magic and joy of ballet with him in this kid-friendly fashion! Here are some fun pictures of my little dancing guy while watching Prima Princessa Presents: The Nutcracker.


Mikko wanted to wear his "boy" ballet clothes this time, only unfortunately I couldn't find his black tights. He was willing to wear gray sweatpants instead — but only if I wore gray leggings as well. So I did. And he was willing to wear his white shirt — if I wore a white shirt. So I did! We matched, head to toe. He didn't want to wear his adorable ballet shoes (sigh), so we settled on stocking feet for both of us. And then we danced, danced, danced! (There are no pictures of me since I was wielding the camera, so I had to explain.)


Pointing his toe while he watches. (Please ignore all the Christmas detritus in these pictures!)





This is Mikko's version of a passé. I have to say I was really impressed that he was working so hard to duplicate what he saw on screen!


Here's his develope to the side!


The Santa hat was a necessary addition!


The running time for the DVD is 60 minutes (up from 40 for Swan Lake). Bonus features on the Nutcracker DVD include easy holiday crafts to do with your kids, such as a paper chain and cut-out snowflakes, and extra dance party music. Mikko loved watching all the elements and boogying to it all!

Thank you, Prima Princessa, for another wonderful ballet DVD for little ones!

BUY IT!

The Prima Princessa DVDs are priced at only $6.99! This fabulous price was set intentionally so parents of most any income level can afford to give their kids the gift of a ballet experience. If buying one isn't in your price range, though, or you want to preview before buying, check to see if your library has it.

You can buy Prima Princessa Presents: The Nutcracker and Prima Princessa Presents: Swan Lake at Amazon for only $6.99 each, where they're eligible for free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

The Nutcracker in particular would be a well-loved gift for any little enthusiast for tutus and tiaras. Just be aware of Amazon's shipping dates for holiday delivery: For the United States, the deadline for Super Saver Shipping is Friday, December 17, to receive your order by Christmas. Monday, Dec. 20, is the cutoff for Standard Shipping. Other options can be found here. Here's a link for information on international shipping.

Prima Princessa has also come out with a book for beginning dancers: Prima Princessa's Ballet for Beginners: Featuring the School of American Ballet, on sale right now for $10.97 on Amazon.

Also remember to connect with Prima Princessa for updates on new releases and special deals:

• Subscribe to the Prima Princessa TutuZone blog.
• Have a look around PrimaPrincessa.com, where you can find fun & games, coloring pages, ballet definitions, directories for ballet schools and tutu shopping, and a teacher's guide!