Murphy The secret is out.
The kingdom of Murphy is home to more than two dozen aspiring ballerina princesses. The ladies of the court adorned themselves with their finest tutus and tiaras to attended the Murphy School of Dance Princess Ballerina Party on Saturday.
Studio owner and longtime princess Torie Westmoreland hosted the event, which included a 30-minute ballet lesson with professional instructors, a sing-a-long and dance-along, and special crafts. The party’s main event featured professional Princess Kendall Lovingood (Elsa), who taught the young ladies how to courtesy and instructed them on how to access their noble character.
Lovingood started her Knoxville, Tenn.-based company, Ever After, two years ago, fulfilling a lifelong passion of becoming a Disney Princesses.
“I even worked at Disney because the princesses were a huge thing for me,” she said.
Like Lovingood, princesses and best friends Sydnee Crubaugh, 14, and Josie Dorsey, 14, always dreamed of becoming princesses. They started their company, The Princess Collective, as a way to break into the children’s event-planning industry.
“We love little kids,” Crubaugh said with a laugh. “We run the whole party for the parents.”
They joined Westmoreland and Emily Cook as princess trainers at the Princess Ballerina Party. Princess trainee Blake Cook, 4, struggled to keep her tiara straight as she jumped around, waiting for the princesses to arrive.
“I love tap dance,” she said between hops. “I like to stomp my feet.”
More than 20 lovelies entered the studio, where they were greeted by the graceful princess instructors. The instructors escorted each budding princess into a circle, where they began with stretches and twirls.
The event was especially meaningful for princess Emily Cook. As a former student at the studio turned instructor, her daughter attended the party.
“Dancing is my happy place,” she said, “and now I can share it with my daughter.”