Koko & Kira's Ballet Class 🐼 🩰 Cozy Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind

Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime with dream. In tonight's tale, our curious little Coco and Keira are trying out another new hobby. This time it's ballet dancing. It's the first time either of them has tried it, but really how difficult can it be? Before we head to sleep before us to find them, let's relax back into bed and get ready to listen. Try to let your whole body go floppy and heavy on the mattress. See if you can steady your breathing a bit. Breathe in. Relax your face, your forehead, your shoulders and your hips, your knees, hands and feet, everything. There we are, your body is nice and heavy and you feel lovely and warm. Before we begin, a quick message for the grownups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy at-free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more you can join Coco Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey, cozy koalas. Sleep awareness week begins on March the 8th and since helping families rest well is what we're all about here at SleepHQ, it feels like the perfect moment to invite you all to try Coco Club totally free. Until March the 16th, you can claim a 30 day free trial of Coco Club, giving you full ad free access to all of our magical stories all month long. Inside Coco Club, you'll unlock over 500 episodes or completely ad free, ready whenever you want to snuggle down to a story. No interruptions? Just cozy storytelling from start to finish, carrying you all the way into deep, peaceful sleep. That means every adventure with potato and beans, every journey with Hector and Sunny, every magical moment with Coco and Kira. Plus, our special premium series, Capi and Tito, all ready to play. And that's not all. If you choose the Koala Kids bundle, you'll also have full access to Koala Shine, filled with fun facts and adventures, Koala Tots, with Lullaby's and gentle stories for little ones and Koala Sleep sounds, featuring peaceful music and nature soundscapes. That's over 800 pieces of super sleepy content to choose from. And remember, if you join as a yearly member, you can request a personal shout out from me in an upcoming episode, one of the moments I treasure most in our cozy little club. This 30 day free trial is available until March 16th. You can start it in just two taps on Apple podcasts or use the link in our show notes. Come and join the Coco Club for free this sleep awareness week. Let's join Coco and Kira now. This is Coco and Kira's Sleepy Ballet Class by Alicia Ainsley. One happy Saturday, Coco and Kira were wondering the halls of the Sleepy Forest community hub, looking for inspiration. The community hub always had lots of fun classes on, from arts and crafts to sports to new hobbies like karate and dancing. Coco and Kira had just been to a painting class in which they had both designed colorful self-portraits that they could now take home with them. Kira inspected her painting and laughed, why did I give myself such big ears? I look like an elephant, not a panda. Coco chuckled and replied, what about my self-portrait? I've given myself a big head and a tiny body. If I actually look like that, I think I'd have a bit of trouble standing up right. Kira giggled before turning to the main wall of the hub with posters stuck to it. I wonder what are the clubs and classes we could take part in? She pondered, browsing the wall. After a few moments, her eyes fell to a poster, advertising a ballet class for beginners. Kira's eyes widened, then she instinctively gassed with delight. Kira had always wanted to try ballet. She often practiced ballet dancing in her room, but she would love to take part in a proper class. She suggested to Coco, what do you think about trying ballet class? I'd love to have a go at ballet. Coco wasn't sure. He'd never really pictured himself as a ballet dancer. What if he didn't like it? Kira shrugged her shoulders and said with a mischievous smile, he'll never know unless you try. Coco rolled his eyes with a smile. His little sister knew how to convince him. Coco could rarely say no to trying something new. So Coco and Kira added their names to the participants list for the ballet class. It was to be held in a few days here at the community hub, in one of the studios, and for the next three days, Kira couldn't talk about anything else. When the day at the ballet class arrived, Coco and Kira excitedly made their way back to the community hub. The hub was bustling today with so many different classes and clubs. Coco put his hands on his hips and looked up and down the never-ending corridors. Where is this ballet class? He thought aloud. We don't want to be late. All of a sudden Kira noticed something. Do you hear that? Kira whispered, gesturing to a sound in the air. Coco practiced his ears and focused. He could hear it too. The soft, tinkling sound of a piano playing beautiful music further down the corridor to their right. Coco and Kira followed the sound of the piano music and eventually came across a big room with wooden floors and mirrors covering all the walls. Ballet bars were lined up alongside the mirrored walls and in the corner of the room a wallress was expertly playing the piano. At the front of the classroom a tall, regal swan was gracefully stretching her legs along the ballet bar and rotating her wings in slow, graceful patterns. Coco assumed she must be the teacher. At the side of the room nearest the door where Coco and Kira stood, a handful of students were unpacking their bags and preparing for class. Some already had ballet shoes that they slipped onto their feet, some wore tutus, but some looked like beginners preparing to take part in class in bare feet and their regular comfy clothing. Coco and Kira glanced at each other a little nervously. Are you ready to try some ballet? Coco asked his little sister. Kira smiled legally and replied that she was looking forward to it. The curious koalas walked into the studio and joined the other students in getting ready. They kicked off their shoes and safely placed them at the side of the room so that they didn't lose them and then they followed the other students into the centre of the studio. The mirrors all around the walls made the room look twice as big. Kira admired herself in the mirror and twirled on the spot with a giggle. Heeey, look at me go, I'm a prima ballerina! She said excitedly. Coco chuckled, enjoying his sister's enthusiasm. However Coco was a little more nervous than Kira. He hadn't done any ballet dancing before, even just pretending in his bedroom, so he had no idea what to expect. The walrus at the piano brought his latest song to a close and the studio fell silent as the beautiful swan turned to face the class. Good morning everyone, she greeted them warmly. My name is Miss Sigis-Wan and I will be your teacher today. I am so pleased that you are all keen to try ballet. It is a wonderful art form, ones at Tichy's Grace, coordination and strength, as well as an appreciation for music and movement of the body. Miss Sigis-Wan explained that she used to be a prima ballerina for the royal bird ballet, but now since she had retired from professional dancing she was a teacher. She hoped that after today's taste-a-session the students would enjoy it so much that they wanted to pursue further ballet training. Miss Sigis-Wan spoke with a slow, gentle voice that instantly made the new students feel safe and supported in her presence. She also spoke with a hint of a French accent which was particularly endearing. Loco and Kira could already tell that Miss Swan would be an excellent teacher. Miss Swan instructed the students to stand in a big circle so they could all get to know each other. Miss Swan asked the students to tell her one by one why they had signed up for the ballet today and what they hoped to get out of it. A fuzzy yellow duckling went first. Hello, the duckling addressed the class. My name is Crackers. I actually already do ballet class every week with Miss Swan, but I just can't get enough of it. And ever I get the opportunity to practice my pirouettes and develop my developer, I jump at the chance. Coco looked at Kira, worriedly. She thought everybody here today would be a beginner, but it sounded like Crackers was going to be a pretty good ballerina. He didn't know what a developer was. Almost as if she could read Coco's mind, Miss Swan assured the class that all abilities were welcome in today's class. Nothing would be too hard for beginners, but equally she would allow students like Crackers to push themselves to. Next in the circle was a smiley dragon. Next to Crackers, the duckling the dragon looked humongous. He was perhaps the tallest student in the class. The dragon shifted from foot to foot as if he was jiggling along to a piece of music that none of the others could hear. Hi, the dragon smiled enthusiastically. I'm disco and I absolutely love dancing. I always have. I can barely ever keep still. I'm always moving around and popping to some song in my head. Disco's energy was infectious. Kira couldn't help grinning along with him as he explained how he joined ballet today because he always took up any opportunity to have a good boogie. Miss Swan welcomed disco the dragon to class, expressing that she was delighted to have him there. A monkey in a pink fluffy tutu spoke next. The monkey said that his name was Morris and he was a ballet dancing enthusiast. Morris the monkey had performed in ballet shows before for his fellow monkeys in the jungle, but he was keen to meet some other ballet-loving animals and learn from an expert ballerina as renowned as Miss Sigiswan. The more that Coco listened to everybody's introductions, he noticed a pattern. She either seemed to be a keen dancer or a ballet enthusiast. He knew that Kira enjoyed watching ballet and prancing around the house too. Coco started to feel a little bit like the odd one out. Finally, it came time for Coco and Kira to introduce themselves to the class. Coco felt a little bit overwhelmed, so Kira spoke for the both of them. Hello, I'm Kira, she said confidently holding Coco's hand. And this is my brother Coco, who we saw a poster for this class at the community hub, and we wanted to come along and see what ballet was like. We don't have any experience aside from practicing my twels in front of the mirror. The entire class giggled at Kira's admission. They all secretly practiced their turns in front of the mirror at home too. Kira continued, we just want to see if ballet is a hobby we enjoy. Miss one smiled at Kira and thanked her for her honesty and welcomed a little panda and koala to class. Noticing Coco's shyness, Miss Swan assured him that there was no pressure to take part in everything today if they didn't feel comfortable. She wanted everyone to enjoy their class and feel as confident as possible. Miss Swan instructed the class to find a space anywhere in the room and face themselves in the mirror. The piano playing walrus began to tinkle on the keys and a glorious melody flowed out. Miss Swan announced that they were going to start easy and ask the class to follow along. She promptly straightened out her leg in front of her and started pointing her toes and flexing her foot in time to the music. All of the students copied along. Miss Swan chanted, 0.2, 3, 4, flex 2, 3, 4, 0.2, 3, 4, flex 2, 3, 4. The students copied her over and over again, warming up their dancing feet. Coco internally sied with relief as they took part in the easy exercise. At first he struggled to point and flex to the beat of the music, but by the time they swapped legs and carried out the routine on the other foot, he was finding it easier to move in time. Meanwhile, Keira was a natural. She followed along easily. When the music came to a stop, Miss Swan declared that they would next be moving onto warming up their arms. She spread her huge white feathered wings and showed the class the four positions she wanted them to learn today. Miss Swan looked elegant as her wings flowed through the four ballet positions with ease, rotating her wings in a circular motion up above her head. Out to the sides and back down to resting position in front of her stomach. The piano began to chime with a slower piece of music than before. It was just as radiant and easy flowing as Miss Swan looked when she performed her ballet moves. The students copied Miss Swan as she led them through the ballet arm warm up. Keira adored the feeling of moving her arms so fluidly to the beautiful music. She felt like she had wings herself and was floating on air. She closed her eyes and allowed the music to flow over her. On the other hand, Coco felt more like a robot mechanically moving his arms from position to position. Coco glanced at all the other students in the mirror, her noticed that everybody moved in different ways. Not everybody was as smooth moving as Keira and Miss Swan. Quack as the duck was doing well but was clearly working hard to get the moves right. She stuck her tongue out of her beak as she focused which gave her nerves away. Morris knew the movements well but it took him a little longer to move his gangly monkey arms so he was a half beat behind Miss Swan for a while until he picked up the pace. And disco the dragon appeared to be in his own world. The jittery dragon shook his hips from side to side as he moved his arms. Coco felt reassured that everybody in the class had different levels of experience. When the music stopped Miss Swan announced the next exercise. Now we are going to do some floor work Miss Swan described. This simply means that we perform the moves across the floor and away from the bar. Miss Swan taught the students a few separate moves that involved some very fancy footwork. There was a jump and a glide and a crisscross of the feet. The class copied each move and then learned how to connect them all. Once the students had got the gist of the routine she said to the class, I'll give you a few minutes to practice before we bring in the music. The students set to work going over the fancy footwork. Kira replayed the moves in her head and repeated the names of the steps out loud. First she practiced them slowly to get used to where her feet needed to be. And gradually she started to speed them up as she grew more confident. Not before long Kira had perfectly executed the floor work. Koko tried with all his might to copy the moves that Miss Swan had demonstrated, but he couldn't wrap his head around them. His little koala feet couldn't move that quickly and he felt like he was getting his legs in a twist. Koko started to feel a bit disheartened. Noticing that Koko was struggling, Quack has the duck waddled over to him and whispered what he likes to help. Her first Koko declined. He didn't want to take up any of Quack's rehearsal time, but Quack has insisted that she would be happy to help. Quackers confessed, you know, when I first started taking ballet classes, I wasn't very good. I fell over all the time and I couldn't keep up with what all the other birds in my class were doing. But you know what I did. I practiced every single day to get better and I did get better. I'm still not the best, but I enjoy ballet so much that I'm willing to work hard at it. So I understand that sometimes it takes some animals longer than others to pick things up. We all learn at different speeds. Quackers Quackers appreciated Quackers honesty and agreed to let the kind duckling help him. Together they went over the move slowly and Quackers helped Quackers work out which foot to move when. After a few minutes, Miss One finally turned back to the class. Is everybody ready? Miss One asked expectantly. The students fell still and stood in their starting positions with their heels touching and their toes turned out to the diagonal side of the room. Miss One explained, oh we will start slowly and gradually speed up. Let's begin. Coco looked at Quackers nervously and a generous duckling gave him a thumbs up with her feathers before the music kicked in. Coco was relieved when he realised how slow the piano music was. The plodding pace allowed him plenty of time to think about the moves. First he pointed his foot and glided to the side. Then he joined the other foot together. He jumped up in the air pointing his feet as best as he could and swapped his feet around as he landed. Over and over again the class repeated these steps and as promised the music gradually got a little faster. With the quickening of the pace the floorwork got a bit trickier and Coco had to fight to keep up. But before he knew it the music stopped and the routine was over. Coco let out a big sigh of relief and Kira held up her paw for a high five. We did it Coco. She grinned victoriously. Coco high five his little sister and replied, I can't quite believe it. I thought my feet might fall off for a moment there. Kira giggled at Coco's joke and Quackers gave him another thumbs up across the room. To finish off the class today Miss One announced that they would finish with a slow adagio. Hannah adagio is a series of movements performed leisurely and elegantly. The walrus at the piano softly began to play a captivatingly tranquil piece of music. And Miss One told the students to follow along with what she did. Coco, Kira and the rest of the students found it much easier to copy these movements on account of the gracefully slow pace Miss One performed them. They all moved their arms in unison and kicked their legs in front and behind them. Every move was executed smoothly and with control. The music was so dreamy that Coco and Kira had to work hard not to fall asleep on the spot. Their bodies felt wonderfully relaxed as they flowed through the movements. Every extension of their legs and float of their arms felt luxurious. If they closed their eyes, it felt as if they were moving through the clouds. When the music came to an end, Morris the monkey walked up to Kira with admiration and expressed, wow, I could see you dancing in the mirror and you looked phenomenal. You have a natural talent for ballet. You could be a prima ballerina one day if you wanted. Kira blushed and thanked Morris for his kind words. Everybody was so supportive in this class. The piano played one last time and the class took their final bow and dramatic curses. Miss One applauded the students for their wonderful work today and thanked them for coming along and giving ballet a try. She hoped they had all enjoyed it. Coco, Kira and the other students thanked Miss One for leading the lesson and retreated to put their shoes back on and prepare to go home. Before she left, Krakka's the duck toadled over to Coco and said, here is nice to meet you both. Good job with the floorwork, Coco. You did great. Coco thanked Krakka's for her help before waving goodbye to the sweet ballet loving bird. Just as Coco and Kira were about to leave the studio, Miss One approached them. Coco, I have been so impressed by your perseverance in class today. Miss One smiled reassuringly. I could see how hard you were working to get that footwork right. It is hard for beginners and you did excellently. Coco smiled with pride. He was proud of himself for persevering with the floorwork too. It had been very hard, but by the time he was finished he had almost got it all right. Miss One turned to Kira too and congratulated her on a successful first class. She was obviously a natural. So, do you think you might come back again? Miss One asked. Kira nodded her head enthusiastically. Oh yes, I'd loved to! Kira declared with a grin. But Coco wasn't as convinced. He had found today pretty difficult and he wasn't sure if ballet was for him. Miss One assured Coco that it was totally fine to feel that way. You don't have to be good at everything. Miss One smiled. And you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. If it doesn't inspire joy in your art then it's not worth it. Instead you could be spending your time doing something you do love. Coco was glad that Miss One understood, but he thanked her for a lovely class nonetheless. He was glad that he had tried something new and he felt very proud of himself. Coco and Kira returned home with smiles on their faces. As soon as they got home their parents and grandparents were eager to know how the class had gone. Kira gushed about how much she loved it and wanted to go to another class, whereas Coco remained quieter. He admitted that it had been a nice experience, but ballet simply wasn't for him. Their parents were glad he had given it a go nonetheless, and they promised Kira that they would look into regular ballet classes for her to attend. Coco could pick a different hobby when he found one he liked. After a snack at the kitchen table, Coco and Kira retreated to her bedroom, where Kira couldn't stop practising her twelfth. She tottered around the room on her tiktows and went over the fancy floorwork and graceful ballet on positions over and over again. Kira had caught the ballet bug. Meanwhile, Coco sat down on her bedroom chair and watched her with amusement, strumming his ukulele to accompany her dancing. Coco declared with amusement. I think I'll stick to your ukulele playing while you become the dancer, Kira. Kira spun on the spot and gigled. That sounds like a good plan, she replied. Although I'm afraid your ukulele playing doesn't go very well with ballet dancing, Coco, I think I need some piano music instead. The inspired little panda walked over to her music player and selected a pretty piece of piano music. The soothing melodic notes of the piano floated out of the speakers and filled her bedroom. Coco put down his ukulele and closed his eyes. Kira was right. This type of music lent itself much better to elegant, slow moving ballet dancing. While Kira moved her body gracefully and timed to the music, Coco rested his weary limbs. His feet were aching a little after pointing and flexing them so much, and his arms were tired from holding them above his head. His mind was also rather exhausted after focusing for so long on the difficult dance moves. As he listened to the relaxing piano music, he felt himself melt into the comfortable chair. Kira's footsteps were so quiet that Coco couldn't even hear them. With his eyes closed, he could imagine he was sitting in an empty concert hall auditorium, listening to the skilled warriors from earlier, playing a delicate area on a grand piano. Coco smiled to himself peacefully as he allowed the slow, reposeful music to carry him away to a blissful sleep.