Ballerina Party Supplies and Ideas!

After everyone is dressed and made up, ring a little bell or make a formal announcement that “class will begin at half past ...”  This would be a terrific time to give them a mini course in stage etiquette and a little bit of French ballet terminology. Regardless of the ages of your party guests, you’ll be surprised how interested they will be in doing things just right and learning something new! Along with the serious etiquette tips, throw in a few just to hear some precious giggles. “Never burp or toot while you are on the stage!” 

Next, have the pint sized ballerinas take to the stage!  If some of the girls are timid to begin with, remind them that even the most seasoned ballerinas can have stage fright, and have the adults leave the room for a short time:

The Nutcracker CD would be perfect to play, as most children are familiar with this ballet music.

You could hire a dance instructor or high school girl to come to the party to choreograph a simple dance or teach the girls the ballet positions and some basic moves such as plie, releve, pirouette, arabesque, jete, and attitude.  Invite parents to come 15 minutes prior to the end of the party, and let the girls perform a mini concert for them.  Every little girl should enjoy at least 15 minutes of fame! 

Prima Ballerinas - Invite your guests to come dressed in their leotards, tights, and dance slippers. When they arrive, present them with a tutu they can wear throughout the day and take home as a party favor. To make simple tutus, cut lengths of lace, elastic, or wide ribbon that are long enough to tie around a child’s waist. Sew gathered layers of pink netting, or tulle, to the lace to form a tutu; use excess lace to tie a bow in back.

Make-Up Call - Young ballerinas enjoy the preparation before a performance almost as much as the performance itself. Use some of your make-up and apply it to the young dancers at your party. Eye make-up can be difficult to apply on young girls, but blush and lipstick will easily transform them into prima ballerinas!

Dance Presentation  - Arrange for a local teacher or family friend to come give a demonstration and teach your guests the five positions in ballet! It doesn’t have to be long or complicated to entertain your budding ballerinas. Let the teacher know the ages of the children coming to your party, so he or she can plan age-appropriate activities the kids can participate in too. Don’t forget to take photos of your guests as they learn to leap, pirouette and take a final bow!

A Grand Performance - Music and movement go hand-in-hand for young ballerinas. Be sure to have Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, or other orchestral music playing in the background for this activity. Ask the girls to remove their shoes, put on their tutus (if they haven’t already), and let them dance! Let the birthday child start as the leader, while the others imitate her movements. Give each child an opportunity to be the leader and continue until the ballerinas tire of dancing.

Magic Star Relay - Dancers leap from star to star in this fun relay game. Before the party, cut large stars from gold posterboard or thick paper. Each star should be about 12-15” across. Line up your ballerinas in two lines and give the first dancer in each line two stars. The stars become the only thing they can step on as they travel from the front of the line, around a chair and back to their team. To begin, the first dancer places a star on the ground and steps on it, then places the other star on the ground and steps on it. She then picks up the first star and places it on the ground in front, and so on. The first troupe of dancers to finish, wins!

Balloon Dance - Attach an inflated balloon on a long string to the wrists, ankles, or backs of the dancers. Turn on some music to start everyone dancing. When the music begins, the kids must try to protect their balloons while trying to pop the other dancers’ balloons!

Pass the Slipper - Play “Hot Potato” with a ballet slipper! A chosen player, with eyes closed, shouts “twinkle toes” at random while players toss the slipper around. The player caught holding the slipper is out. The game continues until there is only one player left!

Final Bow - To bring the party calmly to an end, put in a video of a well-known ballet, such as the Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty. Even if your guests are familiar with these ballets, they’ll love seeing the dancers perform.

Ballet and Ballerina Party Food and Recipes

Serve dainty finger sandwiches, strawberries dipped in chocolate, mini cutout sugar cookies, pink punch in tea cups, and mini J-ello™ Jigglers.  

Serve food on gold or silver platters. If you are using plastic metallic trays, attach a few Jewel Stick-Ons to the outside edge to create an elegant platter.

As the excitement is so high at children’s birthday parties, most children under the age of 10 will eat very little and the waste can be disheartening. Schedule your party during a time when parents will not expect that their children will eat a meal and serve only cake, ice cream, and a few other munchies.  Serve snacks in Heart Shaped Buckets for a dainty touch on your "tea" table. 

Bagel Pizzas - This favorite recipe also makes a fun party activity! You will need half a bagel for each child and plenty of pizza toppings. First, split bagels in half and spread with pizza sauce. Give each child a half and let them add toppings. Provide pepperoni, sliced olives, sliced mushrooms, grated American or mozzarella cheese, and your child’s other favorite toppings. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade - Make a refreshing party drink at home! Combine 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup lemon juice and the juice from 6 freshly-squeezed lemons. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into a 2-quart container and fill with cold water. Add ice to cool. For the party, pour lemonade into a punch bowl and add a few drops of red food color to create a pretty, pink treat! (Makes twelve 8-oz. servings.)

Pleasingly Pink Potato Salad - Make your child’s favorite potato salad, but this time add some catsup to the dressing. About 1/2 cup of catsup will add just enough color to turn your potato salad a pretty pink color that’s sure to please all your twirling ballerinas!

Jell-O Jigglers® - Purchase several packages of your child’s favorite flavors of Jell-O brand gelatin. Follow the directions on the package to make Jell-O Jigglers. Use cookie cutters to create fun theme-related shapes such as ballerinas, tutus, slippers, stars, music notes, etc. Display them on a platter so the kids can choose the shapes they like most.

Ballet Slipper Cookies - This recipes doubles as a great party activity! Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe before the party. Roll out the dough and cut it into ballet slipper shapes using a cookie cutter. Bake according to instructions and cool completely.

On the big day, set out bowls of icing and small candies of your choice to decorate the cookies. Provide a few different colors or flavors of frosting, a variety of sprinkles, miniature chocolate chips, etc. Allow enough time so the cookies can dry before your guests have to go home, or let the kids eat them immediately!