Petite Feet: Ballet Adventures with Liz

I recommend Liz Vacco constantly to parents interested in dance instruction for their kids. First, Liz really knows how to engage young children by embedding classical dance techniques in playful, imaginative storytelling. Warm-up stretches that could otherwise feel like repetitive drills become fun when they're enacted through songs and stories. Liz's dance instruction makes great use of stories to encourage empathy, expression and creativity through physical movement. (Liz doesn't just know dance, she knows child development-- she's a teacher and is doing graduate work in education. The difference shows!) Second, Liz always uses high quality, non-commercial music. The songs on Petite Feet 2 (and 1) are original and catchy without being annoying. After getting this DVD, my 5-year-old twins started singing some of the songs throughout their day. This aesthetic is also reflected in the overall production-- child-friendly but gentle, almost-old fashioned in its lack of jarring quick cuts, blaring graphics, or unnecessary sound or visual effects that can be annoying in other videos for children. Third, I got both Petite Feet DVD's specifically for two international trips with my twins. It was SO great to have something they could do indoors, in our tiny urban apartment, that was active and creative, as an alternative to passive screen time. Finally, both my kids just flat out enjoy Liz's teaching. We have boy/girl twins. While my daughter is the self-proclaimed ballerina, my son (who wouldn't "do ballet" in front of others) actually loves joining in all the dance songs and activities as well.

This is the most charming dvd for children. The first time I put it in, my 3 year old daughter and 5 year old autistic son were involved in seconds and demanded to do it twice in a row. Four months later we still use it a couple of times a week, they still love it, and it's a huge hit for playdates. The neighbor kids love to have "ballet class" at our house. Liz is adorable, inspiring, and imaginative. The music is great and not annoying for adults. Sweet, innocent, and decent exercise on a rainy day. Very professionally done. We can't afford to put the kids in local ballet classes, but I feel that this is an wonderful substitute. With my son, he would be too stressed in a strange environment with a lot of other kids, and this dvd allows him to work on his balance, coordination, and sense of rhythm in his comfort zone, and also at whatever time of day he is feeling energetic. We tried a couple of other childrens ballet videos by other teachers, they were just unbelievably awful in comparison to Petit Feet, we sent those right back. I will buy as many more as Liz will make. PLEASE make more Liz!!!!!

We purchased this when my daughter was about 18 months old and she gets more interactive all the time. She absolutely loves the music, the simple steps, the wonderful teacher Liz, the costumed piano player, and the imaginative play built in (painting rainbows, making pizzas, etc.). She was too young initially to be able to do all of the steps, but she waved at the kids dancing, did the motions she could, and was really engaged in watching. Every so often I'll see her suddenly start doing new steps. I have another baby ballet video, which is pretty good, but my daughter loves this one so much more! I love it because it teaches a lot of good basic ballet steps and stretches and it keeps the interest and excitement of my daughter. It's not fluffy entertainment but really good development, and she likes it!

I have 2 daughters, ages 5 and 2.5, who are BIG fans of Petite Feet (the original), so I scoured the web to see if Liz had produced another dvd. At the time, she had not, but there was a poll on her website asking for input on what video kids would like her to produce next. We cast our vote for more ballet and crossed our fingers. I can't begin to describe the SHEER JOY in this house when the girls unwrapped Petite Feet 2 (after I stalked Amazon relentlessly for its release). This 2nd installment has proven to be just as fabulous as the first, with my kids asking for it repeatedly (and requiring at least one encore presentation at each showing). And like I've noted with my review of the original Petite Feet, I think my kids have learned more fundamentals of beginning ballet from Liz than they have in the preschool ballet classes they've done at a studio. My kids also like Liz more than the various teachers they've had at their studio. Liz is the equivalent of a rockstar around here and my girls are begging to take one of her classes in LA. 5 stars to Petite Feet 2 and 5 stars to Liz for producing a fun and educational ballet series (and for using quality production).

So, I wanted to see if my daughter would be interested in ballet without shelling out a ton of money on classes. I checked out some videos from the library and they were boring, poor quality (outdated) and too dry. I looked at Amazon Instant Video and didn't like the selection there until I found Petite Feet. I was searching for something that would hold her attention, be entertaining and teach ballet. Liz is engaging and teaches through song and repetition. So why only 4 stars? I wish there was more than one scene on the disc. Price is a little high for such a short movie ~ $20 for 20 minutes of viewing. So like some of the other reviewers, it gets repeated.

Bought this for our granddaughter. I love it! It's super cute, fun, and easy to follow along.

we have the first DVD and love it! this one is a bit slower and it starts out with a song about witches. we don't allow our kids to watch shows with witches or shows about them. if i had known that i never would have bought the DVD :(

Fun for the little girls.