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How did your boy (or you, boy) get into ballet?


Colman

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After a remark from someone senior in Ireland's ballet world, I'm curious how the boys find their way into ballet class. How do they make contact with that world?

 

In our case, my wife decided she'd start adult classes about three years ago and after seeing what see was doing and watching some ballets on TV the boys and I followed her in.

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Great question Colman, I don't have a ds myself but I know a couple of boys who do Ballet and I know they had older sisters who danced and so the boys also took it up being as they were around it so much and at the studio for their sister anyway! :)

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I love Leroy Mokgatle's answer to this question (he's a recent Prix de Lausanne winner) and dare I say totally adorable .....however back to his answer.....he was asked to fill in some extra curricular activity on the school programme and instead of choosing cricket or another sport he saw Ballet and had no idea what it was so decided to go for that!! And hasn't looked back since!!

 

The mind boggles as to what he imagined it was as it's got the word "ball" within it I wondered if he imagined it was some new kind of ball game!!

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In my DS case it is just simply following his older sister. In past he Wanted to quit a couple of times but his teacher "didn't let him" and said he has potential/talent and now my DS loves it and is planning to audition for full time training in November!

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My 12 year old boy paid no attention to his younger sister's passion for ballet until he watched her perform with EYB last summer. He then (somewhat tentatively!) took part in her dance school's summer course and I think from then he was smitten! Since September he's been taking classes in ballet and contemporary and loves every minute. His only regret is not having discovered it a few years earlier.

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Colman, think it was probably watching the older professional males perform that grasped his interest, and the performance in general. He recently took part in The Hammond School's Boys Day of Dance which was an amazing experience for him, not just due to the top class workshops and teachers, but also due to how refreshing he found it to be in the company of like minded (and some incredibly talented) boys and young men.

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DS started with drama...wanted to stay on afterwards to do musical theatre...started modern to help with musical theatre...started tap because he wanted to stay after modern...started ballet because he wanted to stay after tap...now also stays on to do extra body conditioning to help with ballet. Think he just loves his dance teacher. He would probably stay on to help her with the washing up if it meant he could spend more time at dance school...

Edited by YorkshirePudding
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What a fascinating thread! In our family everyone tries ballet as Nanny and Grandad were both ballet dancers, in fact Grandad still shuffles around at the back of the stage at nearly 80! However it has only been oldest dd and youngest ds who adore it. Youngest ds wants to be a Nutcracker soldier. Non dd and ds in middle gained so much from their ballet years though, especially non ds. I think all boys should give it a go!

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My eldest son started because his sister (16 months younger) had been going since she was tiny and then he saw the children in Nutcracker at the ROH and thought he'd like a go at that so he joined her class. Little did we know at that point that he would be one of those children in Nutcracker on the ROH stage just a few years later :-)

 

My youngest son went just because the other 2 went so it seemed like a natural thing to do. He did keep up ballet until he was about 12 but lost interest eventually.

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My DS was sent a childrens BBC video Compilation when a few months old , from UK to South Africa .

It happened to include an episode of "Angelina Ballerina ".....

He was transfixed - he was dancing before he could walk properly .....

Once we relocated to UK - he was about 2 he danced around the nursery and in all the Christmas concerts ....

At 3 & 1/2 he wandered into the baby ballet class at the after school club .

After 6 months the teacher called me in and told me to find him a proper ballet teacher !

The rest is history - he had always been the only boy in is class , but eventually made a friend a highs hook boy who was in a much higher class .

Dance festivals were a great opportunity to meet other dancing boys .

Finally there was an all boys class for him at RBS J.A's

His hero has always been Carlos ......

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At an after school club he was 'spotted' age 5 by an ex-dancer and we were advised to take him to ballet. He had just turned 6 when I took him and from then on everything came second to ballet.

 

2 associate schemes, NYB, EYB, RAD boys only days and 11 years later he's living his dream, away dancing full time1

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Mine saw ?Riverdance on Blue Peter and was transfixed aged 6. I was concerned about him starting dancing as apart from hypermobility requiring splints he also had juvenile arthritis. Paediatrician was of the opinion that he should try and if it hurt he would know to stop. So he started tap, shortly followed by modern, then ballet and eventually joined the contemporary performance groups of our local dance agency. Around 14 he started dropping each style and gave up dance totally by 16. He still had feet to die for and loves to watch performances but lost his passion.

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My 11 year old DS has never sat still, whenever music was on he danced! Went to a small dance school to start with (at 4) moved to a bigger one 3 years ago and has never looked back. Within 6 months his teacher was talking about RBS Ja's which totally shocked this none dancing mum! Now with NBT associates and is determined to dance for Matthew Bourne! Not sitting still sometimes pays off ????

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DS was dragged along with the son of a friend of mine (we met through NCT classes) - she had always done ballet and had 3 boys so she persuaded her teacher to start a boys class...The class was more fun than serious but of all his extra curricular activities this was the only one that 'stuck'. He didn't really start to fly however until at aged 12 he was exposed to Vaganova training through the wonderful Judy Breen. Within a year he was talking about vocational school, at 14 he left home for vocational school and now (at 18) he has just got on a flight to St Petersburg (yes this morning- I am feeling a little anxious) to join the Vaganova Institute....

 

I would never have thought of ballet for him- not because I'm in any way against but neither DH or I had any exposure as children so it just wasn't on my radar... DS is still the only dancer in either side of the family ever!

 

So it's all down to the NCT really....

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Exciting times CeliB, good luck to you all.

 

My son started dancing as a 'friend' booked him into a taster class with her son against my wishes. Dancing is in our family, but I was adamant no child of mine was going down that route - normal job, where you are treated with respect and told 'you are good enough'. I would never dictate what my children do, but I figured, no exposure no desire. When I went to pick him up, I looked into the class and thought that it would be OK, he'll hate it, I've let him try, then we can move on. Not a chance, when I asked him how it was he said, 'I love it'. My heart dropped into my boots. He was a county swimmer at 9 and we were told he had the makings of an Olympic swimmer, gifted at karate, very strong academically - but No, he wants to be a dancer!

 

I support him fully and am very proud of him but my heart breaks at the thought of the tough route ahead. 15 years old now, at vocational school and all the really tough stuff is just around the corner. I feel like telling my husband to just wake me up when it's over.

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My brother started off doing copying me at the back of my private lessons, he then started breakdancing and hip hop classes age 3 followed very shortly after by ballet, tap and modern. He gave it all up age 17, no reasons given, nothing! Now age 19 he still pirouettes around the kitchen when he thinks nobody is watching.

 

A lot of the boys I teach now started off in a break dance/hip hop class taught by an ex male central ballet associate. They all hero worship him because he's cool and young, once they find out he is also a brilliant ballet dancer it opens up another dancing possibility that they had previously associated with their younger sisters and tutus!

 

I teach boys in boys only classes, which I actually really enjoy. It's a totally different experience to teaching girls, you can't turn your back for a second. I find the boys to be more openly competitive in their efforts to impress me but at the same time infinitely more supportive of each other and they are always praising each other throughout the class if they get something right or manage something they couldn't before.

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I got my middle son dancing when he was 5 - we had great fun party-polka-ing together!  A friend of mine had a special boys class and told me to send him along.  He loved it.  When we came to Israel he nagged me to let him continue, but I couldn't find a teacher I trusted who didn't teach on the same days as me and I didn't want to teach him.  He moaned at me for years, poor lad, and I really felt guilty :(   The good thing is that he still loves ballet and happily takes his sons to watch performances :)

 

I have taught several boys over the years. One of them, who became a pro ballet dancer, was taken by his mother when he was about 6 to an open air concert and he just started dancing in the aisle! Whenever he heard music on the radio, he would dance around, so she decided to send him to classes. They made the rounds of all the schools in the area, but he rejected them all as not being "serious" enough, until finally she brought him to our school, which, I'm pleased to say, he approved of! 

Edited by Dance*is*life
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My son started with Jazz/street at 7yrs... was a 'disco diva' at all our family parties! it wasn't until he was 10 that his

dance teacher recommended he should give ballet a go and was told he was a natural'...as the time passed and he carried on he

wanted to broaden his dance abilities in the hope that this would give him more opportunities. So at vocational college he

carried on with his ballet and also became proficient in 'aerial skills' and pole dancing!!! along with passing his ballet

teaching exam. We are now into the 'real world' as he hasn't long graduated but even with a varied dance CV it is proving

difficult to secure that first job!

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My younger dancing lad followed his sister into ballet. He showed no early promise, scoring 45% in his RAD grade 1. He gave up shortly after that!

A year or so later he went with his brother and sister to try out a jazz clAss. His brother didn't start but the other 2 did and then started to take ballet at the same school.

Something had changed cos within the year he had scored 91% in his grade 2 and was an RBS ha.

He was lucky enough to be offered a place at Tribg Park... A happy school with great training... Last year he was offered the chance to train in Londonand is enjoying the independence that brings!

I often wonder what would have happened had he hated the jazz class!! ;)

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My DS first asked if Father Christmas could bring him some tap shoes, after watching a TV program with children dancing on it - this was when he was 4 yrs old.

I (very sadly) didn't take his request seriously, thinking it to be a phase or whim and needless to say he was very disappointed when Santa failed to deliver and I felt so guilty !!!

He then shortly after became seriously ill and during his prolonged stay in hospital - he asked "when I get better mummy, can I have some tap shoes ? "

We at that stage felt he may never recover, certainly well enough to dance but promised him tap shoes anyway & prayed that one day he would be strong enough.

Just after his 7th birthday - he was well enough - we bought him the tap shoes and sorted out some lessons.

He very quickly added to his tap lessons with lessons in modern, street dance, singing and of course ballet.

He now has four funding finals for year 7 .....and whatever happens - we are beyond proud & feel so lucky & blessed that he remains in good health and loves his dancing wherever that may lead him.

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Thankyou Bluebird - whatever the outcome of the auditions - we already feel so lucky as parents to watch him progress from wheelchair to dancing ...... It's our own miracle !!! Although it's his dream to attend one of the vocational schools - he also loves his dance school - so he'll be happy wherever fate takes him :)))

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Aww what a heartwarming story Ballet4boyz and you must be incredibly proud of him!! And what strength of character he must have to persevere and get well enough to progress from wheelchair to dance class, wow what an inspiration he is!! Wishing you all the best of luck for his finals and I hope his dreams come true!!

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