How Much Rest?

[Kat09]

Hi all - can I ask all you seasoned Mums,with daughters at upper schools and teachers of ballet ,your thoughts on the amount of rest needed during school holidays. My daughter had a month off school at Christmas. It was lovely to see her but she tells me that was far too much time off and she wouldn't be doing that again!

With summer approaching she is hoping to fill her time dancing,all bar the holiday I have managed to book.

I do understand the need to keep flexible and fit but feel that a break would be good for her - I do worry about burn out,but don't want to stop her if that is what everyone else is doing.

Any advice most welcome.

[LinMM]

If your daughter is otherwise generally fit and well ....then a month for someone seriously studying ballet is quite a while off but I would say 2-4 weeks is okay ......definitely not more than 4 weeks.....for a young person....in ballet terms under 20!

 

However it may depend just when that month is!

 

For example if you have an exam or several auditions or even a show coming up soon then maybe a month would be too long.

 

But if it's a fairly "quietish" term ahead then a bit of stretching at home or swimming etc may be all that's needed.

 

Probably the best time to,have a whole month off is during August(after any summer schools etc) and completely rest the body on all levels ready for the next year ahead.

Once the year has started though it's probably better to not have more than about two weeks off completely because there is usually just so much going on.

 

Sorry a bit vague but it's also such an individual thing. Some people's body's do bounce back quickly into shape from a break but others may take a bit longer and perhaps your daughter felt this break was just a bit too long for her.

 

All of the above is appropriate I think for someone who is generally well and not showing signs of stress or has been continually going down with things......often a sign the body is on that edge of fitness.

[audsjcanuck]

Every week long break, we parents are sent a letter reminding us of how young bodies need time to recooperate and they suggest limiting our kids to just daily stretching and normal recreational activities. For longer breaks (Christmas and summer) the older students usually have exchanges but are still encouraged to find at least a week to relax. My dd usually comes home and parks her butt on the couch under a blanket for the first few days but then gets restless so resumes her daily stretches, maybe a yoga class or the gym for a few days as time allows.

Edited February 27, 2015 by audsjcanuck

[balletqs]

I think cross training works well in the holidays. So yoga, pilates, walking, cycling, tennis, swimming (tho not too much for ballet shoulders) I had an exercise bike at home for the British Weather! I Used to find my routine of a gentle hrs walk with the dog in the morning and then a 20 min aerobic on the bike and stretches plus core exs in the evening worked for me, then Id have one rest day of nothing. Then I'd do a two week summer school too. Easter Id do the same but wld replace the walkingcetc with two days a week practice in a local church hall. But everyone is different. Lots of fresh air and vitamin D for recovery is essential! X

[2dancersmum]

I think you need to look at the idea of rest and how much they do in the holidays in context and comparison to during term time. My DD is another who does nothing whatsoever for the first few days but to be fair she is totally exhausted when she gets home. Winter term always seems so long, full of illness, dark cold nights etc and summer term she has just done summer production and in the last 2 years AS and A levels too. During the Easter and Summer holidays she probably only has 1 or 2 weeks with no ballet at most but classes she does take (apart from summer school) are below her normal level and only a couple a week. She tends to go walking, swimming, go to the gym and do exercise classes like zumba or aqua aerobics. Basically she is doing something most days but a much more relaxed pace and nowhere near as many hours doing physical activities as during term time - an hour or so a day keeps her feeling in shape and active but in comparison to her normal routine she is 'resting'

[taxi4ballet]

My dd is 15 and not full-time (yet!) and over Christmas she did a class at Danceworks and the Wells Masterclass, and that was enough to keep her on form.

 

She said at the start of term that others had lost a lot more of their fitness than she had, and took a lot longer to get back into the swing of things. A couple of her friends also got injured very soon after starting back in January, and she suspects that it was because they tried to do too much too soon and weren't back to full fitness.

[Kat09]

Thank you everyone for sharing ,I'll share your replies xx

[Moneypenny]

The long summer break is a nightmare, I think dd did less dance last summer than she had ever done and was climbing the walls. The first week was fine .... Lots of sleeping in, then she did a summer school for two weeks after which total boredom set in. Mind you, it doesn't help that we live rurally and nowhere near London! This year, we're hoping to line up a couple of summer schools, two weeks are already sorted, and then find a few 'back to school' classes at the end of Aug/early Sept.