Bella Dancerella
 |
"Right foot, left foot / stretch, return / what an easy way to learn" |
 |
Bella Dancerella is a set of toys released by Spin Master Ltd that teach children ages 5 - 7 the (very) basic moves of ballet. The first set included a DVD, a ballet bar, and a mat showing the foot positions. A second set, Swan Lake, had the same equipment but a different DVD. Additional toys and videos followed.
Tropes used in Bella Dancerella include:
The first Bella Dancerella DVD: "Let's Dance"
- Australian Accent: Bella (Sitting group, second from left in the page image). The production company is based in Melbourne.
- Chroma Key: Used extensively.
- Crossdresser: Bella tells the girls that when ballet began, "all the dancers - even the ones in skirts - were men." All of them giggle, Bella included.
- Clarke's Law for Girls Toys: Bella uses magic to make the equipment appear and to change costumes.
- Dedication: "For Paul" at the beginning of the end credits.
- Double Standard: Bella tells the girls to always be respectful of other dancers. This is after she has a good laugh about men in skirts dancing.
- Everything's Better with Sparkles: When Bella uses her "magic".
- Funny Animal: Maxie Monkey "My cheeky little friend" puppet.
- Jail Bait: Obviously not invoked on the DVD, but the number of men searching to find out who "Bella" really was is evident in searching online for "Bella Dancerella Actress Name".
- One Yahoo Questions asks "What is Bella Dancerella's real name?" the only person who answered said "Pervert."
- Merchandise-Driven: the videos are fun, and it does teach the simple steps - but it's really just there to hock the toys.
- Non-Action Snarker: Maxie.
|
"Teaching the Teds to dance is like teaching rocks to swim!" |
|
- Only One Name: No one in the credits, neither actress nor crew, is listed by anything other than their first name.
- Stage Names: Bella Dancerella - Aussie Gabriella Toniolo.
- Take Our Word for It: Bella explains that the five ballet steps and explains that each of the other dances on the DVD just use combinations of those steps - but when you see those dances, the dancers aren't using any of those steps during the very rare times we actually see their feet.
- The Unintelligible: The giant teddy bears called "The Teds". They whisper silently to each other, but Bella can hear and understand them from twenty feet away.
- Viewers Are Goldfish: Given the target audience are young, but you don't need to put a flashing "REPLAY" on the screen to let them know you're showing them again.