Episode 3721

	Sesame Street
	Big Bird wants to be a dancer; (repeat of 3450)
Air date	February 16, 1998
Season	Season 29 (1997-1998)
Written by	Tony Geiss
Directed by	Emily Squires
Sponsors	D, 20
Releases	HBO Kids

Picture	Segment	Description
	COLD OPEN	Big Bird hears some wonderful piano music coming through the windows of Celina's dance studio. It makes him want to dance, so he does as he makes his way upstairs.
	SCENE 1	Everyone watches as a couple does an elegant ballet dance. Celina explains what a ballet is to Big Bird, who first misinterprets it as "belly dancing." She adds there's even one about birds: Swan Lake. Big Bird wants to try that ballet (especially since he's got a distant cousin who's a swan), taken aback that people could dance as a living and getting applause for it. After the performance, Big Bird gives it a try but finds it's harder than it looks; he thinks it'll only take one lesson for him to learn. He asks Celina to teach him and she advises him to come to the next lesson, along with the proper footwear.
	Film	A dance class does some stretching exercises, then dance in their own ways, ending with the tango (instrumental: "Naughty Door Opera"). (First: Episode 3022) cut from the HBO version
	Cartoon	Letters gather in order, against the birds-eye view of a city. (First: Episode 3267)
	Muppets	Monsterpiece Theater: Dances with Wolves — A pig is reluctant to dance with a wolf. (First: Episode 3234)
	Cartoon	A pencil tries to write the word DANCE. (First: Episode 1966)
	SCENE 2	Big Bird attends today's ballet lesson with the other kids, having borrowed his cousin Igor's ballet slippers. He chats with a couple of the students, who think he must be a skilled dancer if he only needs one lesson. Since he's really a beginner, Celina starts him off with the five basic ballet positions. Big Bird has trouble mastering them, saying "Ouch!" as he keeps stepping on his toes.
	Film	Feet wearing all different types of shoes dance. (First: Episode 2601)
	Animation	D / d (space paint) (First: Episode 3213)
	Song	"Big D and Little D" (First: Episode 3270)
	Animation	D Candles (First: Episode 3085)
	Muppets	Ernie sings "Dance Myself to Sleep." (First: Episode 1705)
	Cartoon	Shoes dance to a square dance tune. (First: Episode 3450)
	SCENE 3	Sporting a bandage on his foot, Big Bird now tries some ballet stretching at the barre. He struggles to get his leg on but is able to get it over with everyone's help. After the lesson everyone helps him get his leg back down, and he considers hiring them as his assistants when he gets to be famous.
	Song	"You Can Get Right Up": a song about getting active to cheer up. (First: Episode 3142)
	Cartoon	A baby and father illustrate up and down. (First: Episode 2687)
	Animation	Kids narrate how a Navajo blanket is weaved. (First: Episode 2976)
	Muppets	Grover and Rosita explain the concept of "love" in 15 seconds. Grover exasperates about the assignment, but Rosita intervenes just in time. (First: Episode 3527)
	Cartoon	I Love You, in American Sign Language Artist: Steve Finkin (First: Episode 1170)
	Film	A girl draws a picture of her friend Amelia. (First: Episode 2784)
	SCENE 4	Celina now teaches the students about running and leaping. Everyone lines up and Big Bird follows the more experienced dancers... leaping right into the hatrack. "I got the jumping part, but I forgot the 'bend your knees when you land' part," he sighs.
	Song	"Jump" (soul) (First: Episode 3136)
	Cartoon	Number Creatures #20 (First: Episode 2687)
	Film	A judo class does 20 jumping jacks. (First: Episode 3403)
	Cartoon	The Bellhop is sent to the grocery store to get twenty grapefruits. He counts to 20 on the way there so that he can remember the quantity, but forgets what item he was sent for. (First: Episode 2533)
	Muppets	Kingston Livingston III sings "Just Happy to Be Me." (First: Episode 3178)
	Cartoon	Two cavemen argue, each chanting "Me!" A large monolith bearing the word ME puts fear in both of them. (new sound effects added) (First: Episode 0793)
	SCENE 5	Big Bird (now with a bandaged beak) is told he should sit out now as the rest of the kids rehearse their performance. Big Bird thinks he's in fine condition to dance, but after the kids do their choreographed dance routine Big Bird takes center stage and crashes into the hatrack again. Big Bird reconsiders taking another lesson, though Celina says it takes years to learn the dances for Swan Lake. Furious with this new knowledge, Big Bird storms out of the studio.
	Song	"It's a Long Hard Road, But I'm Gonna Get There." (Vocals by Jerry Nelson) (First: Episode 3398) cut from the HBO version
	Cartoon	Lillian is proud because she climbed a mountain all by herself. Artist: Craig Bartlett (First: Episode 2749)
	Muppets / Celebrity	"Two Princes" (First: Episode 3450)
	Film	The McDouble twins know how to help each other. (First: Episode 3213)
	Cartoon	Edgar Turtle's three nephews demonstrate a round by singing "Redwood Tree." (First: Episode 2506)
	Animation	Kids talk about families, often mentioning having rhinoceroses as pets. (First: Episode 2759)
	Muppets	Harvey Kneeslapper approaches a man and says, "Knock, knock!" The man asks, "Who's there?". Harvey says, "Dion." The man asks, "Dion who?" Then Harvey slaps a letter D on the man's chest and says, "D on you!" (First: Episode 0292) cut from the HBO version
	Cartoon	Ds are found on a city street (First: Episode 3361)
	Cartoon	D for Dance: Ladies on stage dance a can-can to the tune of "The Infernal Gallop" from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, the lyrics of which are all the letter D. (First: Episode 3499)
	Film	Children dance to different rhythms from around the world. (First: Episode 2499)
	SCENE 6	Celina catches up with Big Bird outside and tells him there is a dance he could do right now, without special shoes or a lesson. She sings a song with some music that makes her feel like dancing, and soon Big Bird finds himself happily dancing with Celina and the other students. Celina announces the sponsors in voiceover, and the credits follow.
	SCENE 6 cont'd	"And Slimey's spaceship is still on the way to the moon!"
	COMING SOON	Coming Soon on Sesame Street: Snuffy dances with Gabi and the kids at a tap lesson.