balletgremlin Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 4 minutes ago, sarahw said: My grumble about soft blocks is the lack of choice of styles - if you have a 'difficult' shape foot for whatever reason it's a nightmare. (Unfortunately deshanked pointes didn't work for my DD.) Completely agree - I have the narrowest feet in existence and I swear all the dance shops within a 50 mile radius of my house only stock Bloch ones (and still have to special order in the narrower sizes). I ended up with Freed 0X with extra elastic to keep them on my heels and they still gape and make me look like I'm not pointing my feet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Yup same here - found grishko best for DD. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skibidi Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 How much ballet is too much? Dd (now suitably equipped with demis!) is just about to embark on what I think is a mental amount of ballet for a just turned 13 year old: regular class 45 minutes on Monday, 1hr 45 minutes on a Tuesday (45 mins one class, 1hr RAD int), 1.5hr RAD int on Wednesday and again on Friday, then associate programme on a Saturday (3hrs) and once a month for 5 hrs on a Sunday. On top of school. I'm worried... she seems to think it's all going to be grand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 I’ve never been a serious dance student, but at that age or just a little older I was in 2 or 3 choirs etc, probably putting in about the same number of hours. By the time I was 15/16 I was doing more of that, plus babysitting and a paper round to bring in some money, plus the extra homework that comes with being that bit more advanced academically. And I still do the same sort of thing (full time job + freelance singing work + going to the theatre 3-4 times a week). Most people probably do think I’m (in your words) mental. And it wouldn’t be for everybody. But if your DD is of that mindset, it might just be the way it’s meant to be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummy twinkle toes Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 8 hours ago, Skibidi said: How much ballet is too much? Dd (now suitably equipped with demis!) is just about to embark on what I think is a mental amount of ballet for a just turned 13 year old: regular class 45 minutes on Monday, 1hr 45 minutes on a Tuesday (45 mins one class, 1hr RAD int), 1.5hr RAD int on Wednesday and again on Friday, then associate programme on a Saturday (3hrs) and once a month for 5 hrs on a Sunday. On top of school. I'm worried... she seems to think it's all going to be grand! Sounds a fair amount for her age and level. Dd1 is 14 she does 2.5 hours on a Monday, 1.5 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 6 hours on a Saturday and 4 hours alternate Sundays as part of a youth company. She manages her schoolwork well. Dd2 is 12 and does 1.5 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays. She does 6 hours associates on Saturday. If your Dd is managing everything then it is fine. However, if she does struggle or becomes tired then you could consider reducing. Mine only do ballet now and choir once a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 That looks like a reasonable amount for solid training with a chance at vocational school - it's what the professional ballet dancer in my family was doing from 12 to 15 when they went away to full time training. The main thing is to keep the nutrition up - lots of protein (I remember a lot of small meals of steak or chicken|). I didn't study ballet so intensively, but did class 2 nights a week and on Saturdays. Plus Girl Guides once a week, and my horses needed an hour a day, 6 days a week, minimum. With the horses, we had Pony Club most Sundays, and a riding lesson each week. So we were all out of the house at pursuits 6 days a week. The main family meal was always a sit down breakfast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, Skibidi said: How much ballet is too much? Dd (now suitably equipped with demis!) is just about to embark on what I think is a mental amount of ballet for a just turned 13 year old: regular class 45 minutes on Monday, 1hr 45 minutes on a Tuesday (45 mins one class, 1hr RAD int), 1.5hr RAD int on Wednesday and again on Friday, then associate programme on a Saturday (3hrs) and once a month for 5 hrs on a Sunday. On top of school. I'm worried... she seems to think it's all going to be grand! It’s really up to the individual child. My DD was doing about 11/12hrs per week of set dance classes per week, then auditioned successfully for the local show this time last year. Yup, in yr11 with GCSE’s just on the horizon at her academic school. Training ramped up to about 18/20hrs per week. But then we have very little travelling time from the school to studio to home. We had some sensible constructive conversations. Well balanced diet. Non show nights regular bed times. TLC she survived and completely aced her GCSE’s incl two RAD exams slap bang in the middle of it all and came out smiling. Now at vocational school. Whilst the media constantly promote that all teenagers are over stressed due to the new GCSE’s I do think that those that partake in sport/dance know how to manage their time and alleged stressful situations. Students without a ‘distraction’ from school completely believe and become overwhelmed with social media about exams and stress and therefore less prepared to handle the workload. As long as it’s right for you and your DD then it will work. Good luck. Ps. We sat down together and created a timetable of work/studio/rest/play. Not just for my DD’s benefit but also for me. Poster size and displayed on her bedroom door. Incredibly helpful. Edited December 18, 2018 by balletbean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTu Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 17 hours ago, Skibidi said: How much ballet is too much? Dd (now suitably equipped with demis!) is just about to embark on what I think is a mental amount of ballet for a just turned 13 year old: regular class 45 minutes on Monday, 1hr 45 minutes on a Tuesday (45 mins one class, 1hr RAD int), 1.5hr RAD int on Wednesday and again on Friday, then associate programme on a Saturday (3hrs) and once a month for 5 hrs on a Sunday. On top of school. I'm worried... she seems to think it's all going to be grand! I have a dd of similar age & she is averaging 12-15 hours a week of ballet plus associates a couple of times a month. Like you I worry how she will manage it all on top of school but she seems to be coping well & doing well at school too. I think they quickly learn how to manage their time well, both in & out of school & the focus & discipline they learn from ballet carries through into their school life. i would echo what balletbean says about ‘scheduling’ downtime. My dd would happily do home practice or stretching & strengthening work every spare minute she has but for a healthy balance it’s good for them to have some downtime away from from ballet too. Every child is different but if it’s working for your dd she will manage just fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 It doesn’t sound excessive, if she can handle it. Our ten year boy was doing more than that a year or two ago. He’s down a few hours at the moment, but only because of how classes have fallen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 On 22/11/2018 at 17:33, sarahw said: My grumble about soft blocks is the lack of choice of styles - if you have a 'difficult' shape foot for whatever reason it's a nightmare. (Unfortunately deshanked pointes didn't work for my DD.) Totally agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skibidi Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Thanks all. She's very happy you've agreed with her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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