Ballet Party

INVITATIONS: Cut rectangle from pink construction paper or poster board. Hold horizontally and use hole puncher to make holes in top two corners. Curl bits of pink ribbon and tie them into the holes. Use pink and silver gel pens to write party details, and add ballet stickers. Or cut out ballet slippers from poster board and add ribbon for ties. Front: YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO A BALLERINA BASH Inside: To Celebrate _____ Birthday! Where: When: Please RSVP: Dress for ballet!

Ballet party

DECORATIONS:
Pink and white balloons everywhere.
If meal will be served, table should be set with a white tablecloth, pink confetti, and pink paperware (use white gel pens to write Happy Birthday ________ on the paperware).
Create a centerpiece for the table like this: mount a doll to a plastic plate by gluing or taping doll's feet onto plate. Then use pink tulle or even bubble wrap to create a "tutu" for doll (or dress doll in an actual doll ballet costume).
Roll up napkins and use curled pink ribbon as napkin rings. Twist pink and white crepe paper streamers to create decorative garlands, and string them everywhere. Set out plates of delicate tea sandwiches, etc. Play the theme from a classical ballet on a stereo during the party.

CAKE AND FOOD:
Frost a white sheet cake and add lots of fancy trimmings with pink icing. Purchase sugar roses and add these. Find a color picture of a ballerina or pair of ballet slippers, and photocopy it to an appropriate size. Cut out the picture and mount on cardboard or poster board. Place it on the cake as a cake topper. Present the cake on a doily, and surround it with curled pink ribbon and pink flowers (either silk or fresh).

Set out "Ballerina Bites": arrange a variety of pink fruits on a platter, and place in the center a bowl of whipped cream for dipping. Fill fancy bowls with breakfast cereal, adorn them, and set them out. If dinner is served, offer "dainty" foods, preferably pink ones.

Serve strawberry ice cream.

GOODIE BAGS:
Provide a pink gift bag for each guest. Trace a picture of a ballet slipper onto each one. Cutting through both layers of the bag, cut out the ballet slipper (so that the bag is disassembled and now in two parts.) Staple the sides and bottoms of the two slipper shapes together so that they form a bag once again (except a smaller, slipper shaped one.) The handles of the bag should still be intact. Fill the bag with pink tissue paper and the following goodies: pink bubble gum, stick on earrings, pink Power Beads, or another type of pink bracelet, candy necklace, pink nail polish, pink tights, and other ballet related trinkets and goodies.

GAMES AND ACTIVITIES:
Hire a ballet instructor to teach the girls a few basic moves. Or, have an adult in the family attend a ballet class in order to get the feel of it, and then dress up in ballet attire and teach the guests.

Have a ballerina relay. Separate the guests into two teams, and have a pair of ballet shoes for each team. When it is a girl's turn, she puts on the ballet shoes and goes to a designated place on the other end of the room, then comes back. She then gives the shoes to the next girl in line. However, when proceeding to the designated place, girls must dance about, twirl, spin, leap, etc.--not just run--in order to get to the place. It's a good idea to play music so the girls can move to the beat. First team to finish wins.

Make necklaces. Cover workstation with newspaper, and set out bowls of pink and white beads of assorted shapes and sizes, as well as ballet charms and trinkets. Offer either string or necklace chains. Let kids string their own, and get adults to help tie them off.

Purchase a "glamorous" looking pink tutu, as well as a pink feather boa, perhaps a wand, and some other glittery "star" accessories. Have an adult with a Polaroid camera. Children take turns putting on the accessories and posing to have their pictures taken. Then dress up the birthday girl in the accessories, and get all the other kids to stand around her, and ask them to all do the same pose (for example, a dramatic curtsy). Take a group shot.

Dress up relay race.  At the end of the yard place a "treasure chest" (ie laundry basket that is decorated with tulle, etc.).  In the treasure chest, put the dress up clothes including play jewelry, etc. the sillier or fancier the better.  Have the girls form teams.  The object of the game is for each girl to race to the end of the yard, put on whatever is in the box and race back to the team.  That girl takes off the costume and helps the next girl put it on.  She then runs back to the chest, takes it off, runs back to her team and tags the next girl to go.  Whoever finishes first--wins!!!