Ally Cat the Ballet Cat

Gr 3–6—It's difficult to determine the intended audience for this production. The host, Ally Cat, is an adult dancer in a black cat suit with a tutu, tail, and superhero mask who takes every opportunity to interject the word, "purrrr-fect." This character seems more suited to younger children than appropriate for the rest of the video's content. Viewers are invited to attend a ballet class with five children who appear to be between the ages of eight and 13, along with special guest star, prima ballerina Diana Vishneva. Ally explains that she is Vishneva's best friend and that occasionally when they dance together Vishneva turns into a white cat. Viewers are treated to brief performances by the brilliant prima ballerina, who sometimes moves with Ally Cat. There are also demonstrations by students of moves they perform especially well. For viewers who want to dance along with the video, these demos interrupt the flow of the class. The instruction goes from very basic—introducing hand and foot positions and executing plies—to more complicated exercises that require prior ballet knowledge. The instructional aspect of the program would benefit from camera work that focused on the complete execution of each exercise instead of jumping from dancer to dancer. Also, breaking down the exercises and giving verbal instructions would have been beneficial. Overall, an awkward combination of performance and class.—Constance Dickerson, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, OH