4 1/2 year old and the ballett ?

SportyChic24

So my DD is taking dance classes and LOVES them, she also loves to watch movies in that sense. She has been to the movie theater and does rather well but will get up 2 or 3 times for bathroom breaks (pending on how much she drank) Well I am thinking about taking her to a local show of the nutcracker ballet it is about 2 1/2 hours long including intermission. I know it depends on the child and all - would you take your 4 1/2 yr. old if you think they would do ok and be quiet? I also would not be upset (have spent a lot on tickets) if we had to leave a little early. Thanks

LSU628

I was also considering bringing my DD this year as well. I think there might be enough action with the dancers to keep her entertained, and I'm glad that she is old enough to go with me!!

sschwege

What if you pulled up some of the dances online and see how she does watching them on the computer?  This should give you a sense of what she would be capable of sitting through.

We are taking DD next week to see the Nutcracker, it's a little shorter, 90 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.  I think she will do OK, but we'll see.  DD absolutely loves her ballet class and dances to the Nutcracker music at home all the time, plus two of my cousins will be performing in the one we are going to, which is the main reason we are going. 

Leap08

My SIL and niece took both of my girls (they just turned 4 and 2) to a local production of the nutcracker. My 4 year old loved and is still talking about it 2 weeks later. I have no idea how my 2 year old really did. My SIL tends to downplay things. I do hear that she was dancing in the aisle at one point. Anyway, I think your 4.5 year old would do fine! Going to the nutcracker isn't really like going to a typical ballet anyway. They expect children to be in the audience.

neverblushed

Hard to tell.  She may love it for 45 minutes and then become bored, or she may love it the whole way through.

I'd say go for it but be prepared to leave early if she's done.  Consider it good training and exposure for later theater experiences.

NicoleWI

I'm not taking my daughter this year, but yours might do fine.My DD (turns five end of January) still can't handle anything remotely scary, and the Nutcracker can be kind of freaky. Also, I think the story is kind of hard to follow.  

If you already bought the tix and don't have concerns about her freaking out and getting scared, I think you should try it.

SportyChic24

We went and she did great! She sat well behaved for most all the performance! Got a little antsy close to the end but was quiet. She really wants to go back sometime she said. I was prepared to leave though if needed, thankfully we got to stay.

neverblushed

Cool!  I'm glad it worked out!  You never know until you try!

WhitePicketFence

Glad it went well!

Worcbride

I definitely would take her--I've taken DD (who's a year older than yours) and she LOVED it….wish I took her last year.  We went with a friend who has a hard time sitting and it wasn't enjoyable for her….and she's not really "into" dance so that didn't help.  DD mimicked the dancers for the entire performance and was actually upset there was an intermission :-).  I don't know about the theater you go to but ours has a strict policy about leaving seats during the performance.  If you do you cannot get back to your seats unless it's a scene change/break so that you're not obstructing the show for others.