joyofdance

Staying with the theme of exaggeration, I wonder if anyone has noticed some dance schools exaggerating their own teaching ie dance teachers calling themselves experts, specialists, calling their classes master classes etc. Ive seen this a lot lately and  with some of the teachers I don't know what their credentials are, but I am aware of a few and whilst I'm sure they are great teachers in their own right I do find them giving them selves titles like this very strange not to mention being very economical with the truth. In any other profession you have to have specific experience and credentials to call yourself a specialist but it seems in dance that anyone can claim this. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just a mean, cynical dance Mummy?

I agree Jenesaisquoi x

That must have felt awful for the incorrectly placed one. I would feel so sorry for them. I think my daughter would be distraught if that happened to her.

This is intriguing. Do you mean that the dance school actually lied about their placings? I've seen things exaggerated ie a big deal made out of someone getting first place when they were actually the only one in the section, but as far as I'm aware I've never seen a blatant lie. Come on spill the beans petalviolet (without disclosing which school/festival of course) as Im not really sure what you mean.

I have also had difficulty recognising my daughter in DVD's. I am a really terrible parent as I have fallen asleep several times when she is performing. Usually its during dance festival competitions when there are twenty plus in a section and she is number 18 or something similar. I find some genres easier to fall asleep to than others lol.

Hi Taxi

Are these still available? If so do you have a picture please.

Hi Pups-mum

I am looking for a few things if you have them.

Split sole tap shoes size UK 4

All black (no colour) Jazz trainers, UK 4

Black slip on (no laces) modern shoes, UK 4

Nude crop top age 12-14 or small ladies

Plain white leotard (thin straps) age 12-14

Warm up boots size 4

Thank you

Anaballerina, do you mind if I jump in on the post and ask a question. I am looking for a short piece of music for as Greek dance. I am looking for something light and uplifting and that possibly could have some choreography put to it that represented an aspect of nature. I dont have a clue where to start looking and my attempts at finding something via google have not been fruitful. Can anyone advise me please.

My daughter has thick curly hair. We used to have the same problems. The solution that worked for us was olive oil. Basically she washes or dampens her hair so that it is fairly wet, brushes it through and when pulling if back in to the ponytail ready for the bun she uses a decent amount olive oil, pretty much the extra virgin stuff that you use for cooking, to keep the whispy bits in place. It works really well and is actually good for her hair and scalp. We have also used Argon oil which you can get at £1 a bottle from cheap chemists and sometimes the pound shop. Most natural oil products work and do not do the damage that some of the products do. Afterward she does tend to spray it with hairspray but if she doesnt have any out I dont see any difference in how tidy it is.

I would have loved for my daughter to audition for this but it does seem very expensive. Sounds lovely though, good luck to all your DD'd and Ds's x

I agree with Aileen, Anna, Also is there anything you can get involved with in the evenings and weekends? It might help to be busy a couple of nights a week. When my son first went to uni (Last yr) he felt really displaced and lonely at first. He didnt have anything in common with the people that shared his block of flats. It was hard for him but he went to groups/meetings etc (I know its different at uni as there is quite a lot of that stuff) any way it really helped and he has now met some great friends and having a lovely time. Do please talk to a member of the pastoral team, that is what they are there for and they can be really helpful. Take care xxx

Such sad and inspirational stories.Thank you for sharing. Makes me feel very humble. Sincere best wishes to you all xx

Thanks for sharing. It is great to hear of young people with such determination. Well done to your Ds on such an amazing achievement and given everything he went through it is well deserved. You must be a very proud Mum.

Very true Lisa. I could cover my walls with the amount of medals and trophy's my daughter has but she will probably still never be an exceptional dancer. Fortunately she is very grounded with it all. When she has received a trophy for winning a regional final or all england final she knows that she isnt the best in England or the region. As we say, she did the best (in one particulars adjudicators opinion) on that day out of those that entered. Nothing more and nothing less. 

Annaliesey, you make some really good points. Doing performances has given my daughter lots of confidence in other area's. She often leads group presentations at school and is always seen as someone who positively contributes. She handles difficult situations quite well and I think being part of festivals for a few years has really helped with that. In terms of the Samey stuff, I couldnt agree more, our old dance school would "type cast" the children which I understand ie let them do what they are good at but it did get very boring. Its funny because there are certain dancers that I would watch and without being told I would know which dance school they belong to. Same moves, same facial expressions etc. When there are 30 plus kids competing in the same section with similar choreography, similar music etc it can be deathly boring. I did once see a child dancing to a song that was about poverty and hardship and they were pouting and smiling all the way through. It made me chuckle, you would have thought that someone would have understood the words and discouraged the out of place faces.

Pixiewoo, I know a few schools like that and have heard the nasty comments. The dance school my daughter went to were like that, the kids were not allowed to mix with the opposition. I got talking to a parent from another school and she had overheard our school  principle making some scathing remarks about her school to a group of children from our school. She was absolutely outraged and put in a complaint which was the right thing to do. I wasnt shocked when she told me because I had heard it all before and to the kids at the school it was normal and most of them learnt that behaviour from the school principle. 

Festivals can be fun and positive if you keep away from the Abbie Millars of this world and take all the hype with a pinch of salt. 

Joyofdance I applaud you for not getting sucked into a negative environment and removing your child. festivals are not what makes a great dancer, they can add to performance if they are not taught to be cheesey. My daughter did festivals and loved them. However some of the adults from our own dance school could get really bitchy, so I used to go somewhere away from the building inbetween dances. I thought my daughter got a lot from festivals but as soon as she started vocational school, they told them no festival type dancing, they were strict about that. Festivals should be fun but competitions being what they are can bring out the worst in some people in any field, that's life. Well done for doing what is right for your daughter and you. Before anyone bites my head off, I'm not having a go at festivals, they can be fantastic opportunities to get on a stage and perform, a real sense of achievement, team building etc.

Thanks Tulip. It wasnt an easy decision especially as I love to watch her perform and she loves performing. This forum really helped us come to the decision as the advice and contributions from others has really shed some light on things.We may enter a few independently next year just for the joy of it without the drama. I know what you mean about the cheesy stuff. I have had real difficulty in the past with that style of dancing. I found some of the cheesy face pulling from some of the children really uncomfortable. I banned my daughter from some of the faces as i also felt that not only did they distract from the dancing but they were often innapropriate for her age (or any age for that matter) I alos became an unpopular Mum because I refused to let her dance to innapropriate music or do certain dance moves. I sound like a prude but I am really not its just that some music and dance moves were completely innapropriate so i stuck to my decisions. I also sound like I am having a go at festivals but I am not either, there is a lot of joy to be had from them and we have met some lovely people and made some lovely friends, its just that some dance schools are very like your Dance Moms style in attitude etc so they were really unpleasant to be around.

Oh well done you for making this point! I do understand why classes for younger dancers tend to be earlier in the evening, but it can give working parents logistical nightmares. To begin with it was just the odd class mid week, and the other parents were absolutely lovely about lift shares but as she got older it was more classes and then festivals, and rehearsals for festivals..and it always has to be mum doesn't it? I would get frantic emails from the dance school that they were running a last minute rehearsal that evening and in vain I would point out that I was stuck at Brussels airport sorry and would feel guilty about it and then frantically text everyone of my friends for help. It has honed my time management skills quite considerably

Not to mention using up all of your annual leave to attend festivals, rehearse for festivals, accom costs for festivals outside of your area, entry fees, private lessons for new dances that you didnt want your child to have in the first place etc. We dont do that anymore thank goodness. On the subject of festivals, I used to really resent having to pay high prices for costumes either second hand or new, that i didnt even get to choose. One time I and several other dance Mums paid over £50 per child for a group costume. The dance was performed twice and then the dance school scrapped the dance and we were left with a costume that we couldnt use. I loved watching my daughter dance in festivals but it started to take over our life and they were often horribly competative and created some really unpleasant behaviour from some of the children so we stopped doing them. It does make me chuckle, I often see facebook posts from various dance schools stating how supportive their children are with each other and with children from other dance schools etc. I was often at the festival that they were referring to and that was absolutely not the case. I saw more tears, tantrums, bullying and general horrible behaviour amongst the children and young people (and some teachers and parents) than I have ever seen in any other competative environment. I decided that as much as I love watching my daughter dance, I wasnt prepared to pay for her to be in such a horrible environment. My understanding is (correct me if I am wrong) that not doing festivals doesnt affect a good dancers chance of having a career in dance. 

Thanks for starting this joyofdance. It's a very interesting read and has given me much food for thought. Here, it's not even so much being 'priced out', as being timed out too. My dd started dancing at a time when she really probably shouldn't have started - I was on long-term sick leave and money was tight. But, she begged and begged and after a year I enquired with a local ballet teacher. Concerned about future finances I asked whether this was going to get expensive and was re-assured that it wouldn't - that she wouldn't need a uniform to start with and only shoes and a leotard. All fine! Roll forward 4 years (two exams, extra classes in tap and modern, dance school performances, summer school, and an EYB audition later) and expenditure is through the roof! Fortunately, I'm back working which allows more money for all things dance related but unfortunately less time to do them in etc. We can only do what we can do.

So agree about the time thing as well. Quite a lot of classes start shortly after school finishes which is several hours before work finishes so its hard to make the time. It sometimes feels like you cant win. I have really enjoyed the contributions to this thread and have learnt lots from it. Plus I knew I wasnt alone in my thoughts but its always good to hear others views and experiences. Some of the advice has been invaluable. This is a great forum with some really nice people on it.

Yesterday we had to pay for my daughters medical all the way to Hertfordshire, £425 plus petrol and premier inn. Next day into London £123 for her visa. All of this is before more point shoes and clothing some of which will be reimbursed. If we weren't able to financially able to do this, our daughter would have had to turn down this wonderful contract. Even when our dancers graduate, parents still need to financially pay until they can financially pay for themselves. Wish we had a money tree, fortunately the pay is excellent on the Royal Caribbean, tax free, and free board and food. She will be able to save for when she comes home to audition again.

Ouch re cost Tulip but so worth it by the sound of things. I had a friend who's daughter danced on a cruise ship and she managed to save over £30.000 to put toward a house. 

My dd has just finished the MIDAS ss course and loved it. She liked the studios but the changing rooms were a bit small. She liked the different methods of teaching and was tired every day.  Lots of friendly students and teachers

My DD has also just done the course. She absolutely loved every minute of it. She feels that she has learnt a great deal as well as making new friends. and said she would definitely go next year. Everyday she has had some really useful feedback (apparently Midas dont use the term corrections) She has been given specific exercises and practice advice that in her words "have really made sense and help me to understand how to improve". She is now a Yoga fan, She had never done Yoga before. She loved the holistic approach to the sessions and has learnt lots of new things about her body that she didnt previously know.She particularly enjoyed this afternoon as the class got to choose a SMART goal, she is due to go on pointe in a couple of weeks time so her aim is to improve her ankle strength so she was able to get specific tuition and advice about this. Seeing her enthusiam after each day has been lovely. The venue was great and the only criticism she gave was that the changing rooms were very small. I will definitely keep in touch with MIDAS and look out for other workshops/training days etc as I am very impressed. From a parents point of view I was really impressed with the low hype but high standard of teaching. Often these courses/workshops are really hyped up but then fall short in lots of areas. The class sizes were capped so I think the largest class was  about 12 so the children really felt like they had the teachers attention. All in all I would highly recommend this course of workshops. 

She is being extremely petty. This sounds like her way of exerting some sort of control and being spiteful because you have left the dance school. I have seen this sort of behaviour before even when children have left a school on "good" terms. My DD's old dance school would behave exactly like this. Send her a stamped addressed envelope and ignore the pettyness, it isnt worth your energy.

Have you ever thought of writing a book Lisa? I love it when you share stories about your career and experiences. Your story is quite remarkable and you give such good common sense advice to us and our young dancers. I'd rather read about your career than that of quite a lot of famous dancers to be honest - you really should write it all down one day.

I agree Pups Mum. It would make a great read and probably inspire a lot of young dancers. Re summer schools/classes. My DD had a wonderful day yesterday at drdance, workshops. She came home inspired (as well as hot and sweaty) and got straight on her ballet barre to practice her corrections. She also enjoyed the class with Nazene Danielle and is looking forward to the contemporary class today. She has gone off happy this morning for day two. 

i would like to give you a little but of hope my eldest son goes to a dance academy doing a phd in dance, we dont have alot of money he is the eldest of 6 children, he is lucky his loan and grant cover his tuition and living. he only went to street dance twice a week from 10 to 16, then a community college, he has just passed his 1st year with highest marks you can get and just had his 1st proffesional job dancing in a bollywood movie in india at age 19. also my daughter 11 has just got a scholorship and she was only ever taught to dance by my son at home she only started a street dance class about 10 months ago, so there is still hope my kids have not suffered at all from being priced out, they have such passion and determinatation and i think that has shone through.

Wow, they sound like they are very talented. Well done to them. you must be very proud.

Loved your story Lisa. I was visualising you as a child when reading it. Your Mum sounds wonderful x

Congratulations to your dd Tulip!!

 

Joyofdance your dd is getting a good number of classes including 2 associates! If ballet is her thing maybe tap associates could be sacrificed for occasional private lessons??

She loves ballet Sarah but of all genres tap is the one that she seems to excel in.Good to hear that you think she is getting a good number of lessons. Maybe I shouldnt compare the amount and concentrate more on the quality. I am glad I posted this thread as its been really helpful re advice and people thoughts. We have made some new decisions because of the various posts plus its really helped my understanding of what quality is and what is the best way forward. Thanks everyone for your contributions, its been invaluable.

Wow Annaliesey, schools in my area would never allow that and would prosecute anyone who would attempt it. I think that is really irresponsible parenting. As much as I would love for my daughter to have more dance in her life I would never prioritise it over her academics. Like you I dont know where the journey will lead, my daughter loves dance but at the moment she doesnt think she wants a career in it. That might change or it might not but like you say its about achieving personal goals and enjoying the process. I love watching her dance and I love the other things that being part of it gives her ie an appreciation of the arts, confidence building, an understanding of the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle and the opportunity to meet people from a variety of backgrounds and area's and have fun.