LalaLoopsy Ballet Birthday Party {at the dance studio}

Michaela Byrd turned six years old in January and requested a LalaLoopsy themed birthday party. With a month old new baby and limited time on my hands, I wisely called the girls' dance studio and booked a date. I wanted to share a few pictures from Byrdie's LalaLoopsy Ballet Birthday Party today.

I can't stress enough how much this party didn't stress me out! Still struggling with adjusting to life with a newborn, juggling schedules with the older two, etc., I knew there was no way I'd be up to hosting something in our home just a month after my c-section. With the excitement over all the fun the teachers had planned, the girls didn't notice that I kept the decorations, food, and drink to a minimum.

For a small fee, our party included:
use of a dance classroom
two teachers
dress up tutus for the kids to use while they played
set-up time

The girls who led the class were amazing. One is a regular instructor at the studio and the other is a dancer. They helped with set-up, ran all of the party games and activities, and helped us with take-down. Many studios offer this kind of service, and I am so glad ours does!

The birthday girl (and her big sis) didn't feel like wearing their leotards and tights, so we opted for ballet shirts and leggings. Michaela Byrd's tutu is a hand-me-down from her sis and comes from Harper's Hat Box. They both wore their ballet slippers.

As I said before, I made life a whole lot simpler on myself by purchasing a party pack at the local party store.

Our party store carries LalaLoopsy decorations, invitations, plates, and plain colored table cloths. Honestly, the kids could have cared less that I didn't have a chance to make the button garland I had planned to create, and that I forgot to order balloons. I'm sure Byrdie would have loved the extra decor, but she certainly didn't miss it or ask why I left things out!

Activities included stretches and warm-ups (obviously with a fun twist to it), movements across the floor, "musical dots," and learning a choreographed dance to their favorite Frozen song! I loved that part (not something we did at Natalie's Tinkerbell party), and Michaela Byrd got to be the soloist since she was the birthday girl!

They also played freeze dance, and we had cake and juice boxes...I made a picnic on the dance floor with a plastic table cloth, and the birthday girl got to open her gifts.

Favors were a coloring book and an "art pack" for each girl that I picked up in Target's Dollar Spot months ago. All I did was add some ribbon and a little "thanks for coming to my party" note that I whipped up on Microsoft Publisher.

All in all, very simple, but a great morning. Several parents approached me the next week to remark over how much fun their daughters had, and one little girl even signed up to start taking ballet with Michaela.

I might not have saved as much money as I would have if we hosted at home or if I had used my craft stash to whip up some decorations, but I kept things simple and saved myself time by purchasing a few items (and using Byrdie's LalaLoopsy figurines), and that was perfection for me!

If you have a dance studio in your area, you should suggest a dance party if they don't already offer them. It was perfect for a winter birthday...so hard when the kids can't get outside!

What's your favorite outside-the-home venue for parties?

*You can view Natalie's Tinkerbell Ballet Party here. I've also shared our American Girl Store Bistro party, a Barbie Party at Home, a Cinderella party, and an Under the Sea party.*

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