Prima Princessa is a cheerful cartoon fairy who wants to share her love of ballet with your child.  She floats, flitters, and glides through a condensed version of Swan Lake, performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. Interspersed with the dancing are clips of preschool girls learning dance steps, young students from the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center rehearsing, and toys and animals dancing about. My toddler especially enjoys the critters, exclaiming, “That’s Funny! Flamingo dancing!”

By encouraging activity along with an interest in the arts, this sweet video answers one of my biggest concerns about educational DVDs for children. Instead of vegging-out, my little girl wants to jete, pirouette, and pas de chat along with Prima Princessa and her adorable friends.

Presenting ballet in a way that is lighthearted and yet authentic, Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake is more of an introduction to dance appreciation, than a way to teach perfect technique.  Just be prepared for the inevitable requests for tutu and ballet lessons.

Despite Prima Princessa’s saccharine voice, overall the video succeeds in being child-friendly without diluting the impact of the performance–highlighting the athleticism, beauty, and joy that make professional ballet so appealing.

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WANT IT: Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake at Amazon ($18).

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