In the Press

Contact Us

Stephanie Troeller at (917) 743-9715 or stroeller@comcast.net
Mary Kate Mellow at (973) 865-8769 or tutuzone@gmail.com

Description of “Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake” DVD

This is a hip new twist on learning about ballet, featuring the Paris Opera Ballet and Students from School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Official Academy of New York City Ballet. Our 40 minute DVD is a cool, fun, beautiful show with a brain. Prima Princessa, an animated fairy ballerina, magically transports a group of little girls to see the Paris Opera Ballet perform select segments of Swan Lake. In between acts, the children return home to learn simple ballet steps which are playfully shown mixed into colorful montages of toys, animals, children and young dancers from the School of American Ballet.

Creators' Biographies

Stephanie Troeller
Stephanie danced in a pre-professional dance company, American Dance Theater, during her entire childhood. After graduating high school she studied in Paris France at the L’Ecole Internationale de Theatre de Paris, Marcel Marceau and then at Martha Graham in New York City. After college, Stephanie went on to pursue a career in cartoons. She has under her belt 15 years cartooning and product design experience with Hanna Barbera, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. Studio Stores. Stephanie is the writer and creator of her Self-syndicated comic “Relationstrips” which appeared in many alternative weekly papers nation wide.

Mary Kate Mellow
As a former small business entrepreneur, Mary Kate understands how creative talent coupled with hard work and determination, are crucial ingredients for building a business. Just a few years out of college and with no formal training as a jewelry designer, Mary Kate started a jewelry business. She quickly jumped from craft fairs to selling into premier retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Pea in the Pod, Dallas Museum of Art Shop, Harold’s Catalog and many other upscale boutiques. Her jewelry has appeared on the cover of Seventeen Magazine and in Women’s Wear Daily.

How it All Came to Be

Stephanie and Mary Kate, both stay-at home-moms, became friends through their young children. One day Mary Kate Mellow asked Stephanie Troeller if she knew of any really good ballet DVDs for our girls.

“My daughter Ana, two and a half at the time, fell in love with the ballet after her grandparents took her to see Cinderella. She begged for more so I dug up my old collection of ballet DVDs. Dressed in her pink tutu, Ana whirled and twirled with the ballerinas on the DVDs daily. She’d insist that I fast forward through all the slow parts. Soon my search for ballet DVDs for kids featuring real ballet was on and to my surprise I came up short,” explains Mary Kate.

Stephanie had two tutu obsessed daughters and as it turned out she also had been searching for ballet friendly DVDs for kids. “Mary Kate and I spent about a year searching for live performance ballet DVDs that our little kids would really like,” said Stephanie.

“Then a truly magical moment happened in my life,” continued Stephanie “When Mary Kate said, ‘why don’t we make our own show,’ at that second it was as though my entire life made sense. As a child I spent the first half of my life training to be a professional dancer and performed in a dance company until I was 17. The second half of my life was spent as a cartoonist where I invented characters, drew them and wrote a world of stories about them. Today as the mother of 4 small spirited children I see that my life has been a series of concentric circles that somehow now overlap and have one unified fun exciting purpose... Prima Princessa.” said Stephanie.

To make a long story short, despite having no experience in film making, the two decided to make their own movie, without a studio, without a professional producer, just Stephanie and Mary Kate.

“Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake” is the true labor of their love for dance and for quality children programming. The show took about one year to complete. Relying on one another, a patchwork of baby-sitters and many late hours after the kids were asleep, the pair worked hard to complete the film. “As stay at home moms with young children, it can be a challenge to get everything done. We bounce work back and forth constantly. Together we form one super-worker,” explains Stephanie.

The pair is now busily promoting “Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake” while simultaneously planning the several more DVDs for the “Prima Princessa Presents Series.” “We are planning several more DVDs based on classic ballets, and then we’ll branch out into other forms of dance. As moms we feel strongly about creating programming which is not only entertaining but also culturally enriching,”says Mellow.

Mary Kate is the mother of two young children, one boy (8) and one girl (5). Stephanie is the mother of four children, two boys and two girls, 2, 4, 6, 8 years of age.

DVD Available At

In the Press

Plain Jane Mom at PlainJaneMom.com August 18 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake Review"

Baby Friendly La at BabyFriendlyLa.com August 16 2008
"Prima Princessa: A DVD for Budding Ballerinas"

Scribbit at Scribbit.blogspot.com August 16 2008
"Prima Princessa"

3 P’s Mama Says at 3psmamasays.blogspot.com August 12 2008
"Tutus-and-fairys-and-pink-oh-my!"

Pure Love at GinahPeters.com August 9 2008
"Meet the Princess"

SAHM Reviews at SAHMtooReviews.blogspot.com August 8 2008
"Mom I’m a Swan"

Just a Mom’s Take on Things at MomsTakeOnThings.com August 7 2008
"Review and Giveaway: Prima Princessa DVD"

Mamalicious at MammaliciousFinds.blogspot.com August 6 2008
"Prima Princessa"

My TrendyTykes at MyTrendyTykes.blogspot.com August 5 2008
"Prima Princessa"

Babble by Modern Day Dad at Babble.com August 4 2008
"The Babble Review: Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Family Review Network at FamilyReviewNetwork.com July 30 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Val’s Views at ValsViews.com July 29 2008
"Prima Princessa"

From Dates to Diapers July 28 2008
"Prima Princessa Bloggy Giveaway"

Parenting Club at ParentingClub.com July 28 2008
"Prima Princessa Review"

Busy Mommy Product Reviews at BusyMommyProductreview.blogspot.com July 27 2008
"Prima Princessa Review"

Sarah Rose Tutus at SaraRoseTutus.blogspot.com July 27 2008
"Win a Ballet DVD"

Maria’s Space at ReesSpace.blogspot.com July 27 2008
"My Very First Blog Give Away- Prima Princessa"

In the Blink of an Eye at MGagliano.wordpress.com July 27 2008
"My Very First Giveaway: Prima Princessa"

Z Recommends at ZRecs.blogspot.com July 23 2008
"Swan Lakes"

Licorice Mint at Licoricemint.com July 21 2008
"Prima Princessa"

All Because Two People Fell In Love at Gseemoore.blogspot.com July 21 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD"

Remarkably Great at RemarkablyGreat.com July 21 2008
"Prima Princessa Ballet DVD"

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy at LyricAndAriasMom.blogspot.com July 20 2008
"Princess this, princess that..."

An Island Review at IslandReview.blogspot.com July 18 2008
"Review and Giveaway: Prima Princessa DVD"

O Momma Writes at OMammaWrites.com July 17 2008
"Passing Down the Dance"

A Shopping Queen’s Blog/ Parent Reviewer at ChumsysAshley.com July 15 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake

Mom of Two Dancers at Scrappyd.Blogspot.com July 14 2008
"Review-Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Christian Mommies at Christian-Mommies.com July 7 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

BlogNetNews.com June 26, 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake review, The Blogosphere’s frontpage news"

The MommyBlog at themommyblog.net June 26 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

A Mom’s Review at AMomsReview.com June 11 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Cool Moms Rule at CooleMomsRule.com May 28 2008
"Today’s Giveaway! Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

The Star Ledger newspaper and website May 25 2008
"Parental Guidance with Star Ledger: DVD Helps Kids Dance"

SharpMom at SharpMom.com May 13 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

SharpMom Review at SharpMom.com May 2008
"Featured Product Review"

Hip Mama's Place Review at HipMamasPlace.com April 2008
"Prima Princessa for Ballet Lovers"

Parent Hacks Review at ParentHacks.com April 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake: DVD for ballet-loving preschoolers"

Working Moms Against Guilt Review at WorkingMomsAgainstGuilt.com April 2008
"Prima Princessa is Primo for Little Ballerinas"

ParentGuide review on April 2008
www.ParentGuideNews.com

PlayThings Magazine March 2008 issue
"Engagement Party"

Props and Pans Review at PropsandPans.com March 2008
"Prima Princessa Hip Ballet DVD"

Mums the Word Review at MumsTheWord.com March 2008
"Prima Princessa: Dreaming of Ballerinas"

Mommies With Style Review at MommiesWithStyle.com March 2008
"Take your children to the ballet without leaving the house!"

Clever Parents Review at CleverParents.com March 2008
"Caroline in the City: Tutu Cute"

Lookit! I Spy Review at ourreviewblog.blogspot.com March 2008
"Product Review: Prima Princessa"

Mommy Mandy Review at MommyMandy.com March 2008
"Product Review: Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Swanky Moms Review at SwankyMoms.blogspot.com March 2008
"Prima Princessa Ballet for Everyone"

CPA Mom Review at www.CPAMomVA.blogspot.com/ March 2008
"Prima Princessa Ballerina Presents Swan Lake"

The Opiniated Parent Reviews at TheOpinionatedParent.com March 2008
"Prima Princessa Ballerina Presents Swan Lake - Childrens' DVD "
The DVD was enthusiastically reviewed by Nicole at Opinionated Parent as well as 8 additional reviewers in association with TOP including: Blogless Kendra and bloggers Heather from My Family Loves It, Grace from The Parenting Diaries, CPA Mom, Tara from Tara's View of the World, Christine from Dates to Diapers, Candice from Sometimes Can Can and Lisa from Q T Pies.

New Jersey Monthly magazine March 2008
“A DVD for Budding Ballerinas” by Jessica Kitchin

Park Place magazine March 2008
Feature article on creators of Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD

Pennies in My Pocket Review at PenniesInMyPocket.blogspot.com February 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake"

Parenting.com Parenting magazine’s website at February 19, 2008
"Daily Fave - Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD"

Classy Mommy Review at classymommy.com February 18, 2008
"Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake" DVD

Cool Mom Picks Review at coolmompicks.com February 16, 2008
"Swan Lake On a Budget"

Baristanet.com January 5, 2008
"Let's Go to the Videotape"

The Montclair Times of Montclair, NJ December 27, 2007
“A Dance for their daughters: Montclair moms create pioneering DVD” by Teresa Stovall

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