Did ANYONE else see "The Amati Sisters" last night on the Family Channel? I don't know if this was a 2-hour movie pilot or a prelude to a series, but what a treat -- especially the part about the dance recital!<P>This movie was a depiction of various aspects of the lives of a large, several-generation blue collar Italian family in Philly. The cast was outstanding.<P>There are two girls, cousins, who go to the same ballet school, and one number is supposed to feature the fathers lifting their daughters. The girls are actually lovely. I was laughing out loud at the rehearsal in which the over-emoting male teacher screams at the fathers while at the same demonstrating, "Okay, it's tombe pas de bourre, pas de chat, like a cat, LIKE A CAT!!!###$%@&!!" What made that especially funny was that the rehearsal director himself moved like a buffoon, all turned in, etc. <P>The girl with the lead was the only one whose father was too involved in his work to be involved in any way, shape or form in his daughter's life. He's on his way to Dallas, and finally comes to his senses, turns around, and heads to the theater with flowers, just as the number is about to begin. With great histrionics, the girl convinces her father (sans rehearsal) and the extremely emotional rehearsal director to let her father go on stage and partner her. Another father, played by Paul Sorvino, has to talk him through it. <P>Guys in the audience were actually taking bets as to whether the girl's father would ever successfully lift her, or drop her, etc.<BR>The whole thing was both exquisitely funny and touching. And the young girl really stole my heart in finally getting her father to care about what she was doing and make a fool of himself on stage out of love for her.<P>If it airs again, I would recommend you catch it.

Okay -- here's the poop for this weekend. It's called "The Amati Girls" (I erred on the title).<P>To learn more about it and see photos, including of the ballet portions, go to:<BR> <A HREF="http://theamatigirls.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://theamatigirls.com/</A> <P>It will be airing this weekend on th 17th and 18th on the Family Channel -- check for local times.<P>If you have or know a young girl with ballet aspirations, you will enjoy this together. It's not just about ballet, but young girls and dance are a special portion of this movie.

Thanks, Christina. I'll see if I can catch it on the 18th.

Thanks, Christina. <P> There was a recital here in San Diego in which the teacher choreographed a dance for 6-7 yr old girls with their fathers as partners.<P>I got to watch a rehearsal and you never saw such happy, shining, wide eyed little girls just so exquisitely happy to be dancing with DADDY. The dads looked happy too. And I give them an A+ for courage.