DancemumLouise

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the advice. I spoke to her teacher and she believes she is ready for G2 and G3 together, she said that my DD might not be ready to take the exam with the other girls as the have been doing it a few months but if she can catch up then she can do that too. She completely agrees that half an hour is not enough but with current Covid restrictions she needs time to clean items between classes so it’s the best she can do which is completely understandable. So she will be doing two classes a week in ballet plus the other styles she does. Thanks everyone x

20 minutes ago, glowlight said:

I would definitely recommend speaking to the current teacher and telling her that your dd wants to be a professional dancer and feels she isn't doing enough ballet at the moment.  

 

Ask how she would suggest your dd could increase the number of ballet classes she does.  I don't think it is an unreasonable request.  Many of us have been in the same boat!

 

The idea of doing both the Friday and Saturday classes sounds like a good one.

 

Some teachers will suggest a student attends a grade below or a grade above to get extra classes.  So doing the G1 class and a G2 class might be an option.

 

Or your teacher may have an arrangement with another local teacher which she might send students to for extra classes.

 

If she has no other suggestions ask her views on your dd going to classes with the other studio you have found.   I wouldn't send her there without telling the existing teacher, she is bound to find out!

 

 

Hi Glowlight, I think it’s best to keep her at the one studio if I can. I will talk to her teacher and see what she suggests, also don’t want to make her mad 😂 she loves my daughter though so she should want the best training for her so I’m sure I’m just being a scaredy-cat about asking.

13 minutes ago, youngatheart said:

Hi DancemumLouise

 

i agree entirely that 30 mins a week is insufficient for your DD - however in the current times I'm afraid that you may well run into problems due to COVID-19 restrictions (children have to remain in the same "bubbles" for all their classes and not mix with other groups).

 

I would be wary of the competition studio - while the teacher may not actually be "unqualified", the emphasis is likely to be on harder and flashier steps at the expense of the good solid technique that your current teacher has been carefully building.

 

If you could afford it, private lessons with your current teacher do sound a better bet.

 

BTW I can assure you that Grade 3-4 at 8 is definitely not the "norm" with any exam board, although you do need to bear in mind that different exam boards have different syllabus structures. For IDTA what your teacher means is that Grade 1 is a huge "leap" from Primary in that it is the first grade to have formal barre work and centre practice. That is also the case with ISTD, but not with RAD where this does not happen until Grade 2.

 

 

 

She is one of three students who do all classes available. Children in her tap and modern class are not in her ballet class but are in a separate one. I’m not sure how the bubbles are working within our school ( she is still trying to find a hall as her current one won’t allow her back yet ).  The competitions sound great, the other studio do win a lot of the things they go too but I don’t want her just being a competition kid and for fitting her formal training to win medals.  

15 minutes ago, Raquelle said:

I know our dance teacher is very strict about her students not attending multiple schools. My 10 year old only does one hour of ballet with our dance school (with other forms of dance). We do 2 associate schemes on weekends where she will get extra ballet. I would maybe consider applying to associate schemes if you need extra training? They look for potential at that age rather than grades so it wouldn't matter if she is only grade 1...my daughter also did English youth ballet when they were in our vicinity which was a lovely experience. This year we might apply to a few easter/summer courses too to supplement training. Hope this helps x 

Thank you I will look into extra courses outside of her school, maybe her teacher even has one she recommends x

56 minutes ago, SissonneDoublee said:

I would be wary of a school that offers ballet but doesn’t do graded examinations, as there is a high chance their teachers are not qualified by any exam board. Unqualified teachers have no requirement for teacher training, no need to keep up any professional development and far less accountability. Unsafe practices can cause lasting damage, especially to growing bodies. That’s not to say the teachers at the other school that you are looking at are unqualified, but it’s definitely something to check out.

If you talk to your DD’s current teacher, she may be able to double up on grades in order to increase her training. PBT is fantastic, but if this is not available Pilates is also really good. Quality is definitely more important than quantity.

Associate schemes are another excellent way to supplement training. If you give a rough idea of where you are, people in here may be able to recommend a scheme.

Thank you for your advice. We are Oxford or Swindon area, I could get her to either. 
She is now starting G2, she was 9 last week. I think I might ask her teacher if she can join additional grade classes just to help her improve not jump grades. 

S

10 minutes ago, Millicent said:

It's good to take the time to get the technique right in the early years, so not necessarily a bad thing that she has taken it slowly, and great that she got a distinction at G1. I should also have said that my DD is advanced for her age so I wouldn't say G3/4 is typical for an 8 year old but just to give you some comparison to others who take their ballet seriously. 

 

But I can understand that you would want more than 30 mins a week. You could also see if there are any PBT classes locally as these can have a massive impact on technique and the correct development of muscles/muscle memory.

 

Her teacher does split her classes into two, one on a Friday which is half an hour and then one Saturday morning which is 45 minutes, my daughter does the one on a Friday, maybe I will see if she can attend both, that will keep her at one studio but increase her time to 1 hour 15. There is no PBT. This other studio does not do grades, she is all about experience but she also think my daughter is good enough to join their competition team, she will be the second youngest, but I know her current teacher will be annoyed at her doing competitions with another studio, which I understand. 
I’m in two minds about the whole thing and can’t make a decision 😩

6 minutes ago, Millicent said:

I would say that half an hour of ballet once a week for a 9 year-old is very little if she wants to rqlly improve or take it seriously in the future. How long as she been dancing? G1 at the age of 9 is a lower level of ballet than I would normally expect for that age unless they have only just started classes. Just in comparison my 8 year old is doing G3 and G4 ISTD. 

 

If you already have a good relationship with her dance teacher then I think your first step should be to discuss it with her/him and see what their reaction is? Only then can you make any decisions. 

Hi Millicent, thanks for your reply. 
She has been dancing since she was 6. She went into pre-primary first and has carried on from there. Her teacher said that G1 is the hardest to get through so it takes a while ( it took over a year ) as they are really looking for technique which I can understand. Other teachers in the studio always comment on how talented she is and her natural abilities as a dancer. 
Her teacher believes they should be in 45 minute lessons but can’t book the hall for the extra to change my daughters classes to 45 minutes so she will stick to only half an hour ( other children in G2 and above get 45 minutes ). 
My daughter has expressed wanting to go to Bird College as that’s where the older students go, I would just like that to be possible for her. Again many thanks. 

Hi everyone, this is my first post so sorry if I don’t know all the terms. My 9 year old daughter attends a dance school on the weekends, she does all the classes available and is working towards her grades. She has just done grade 1 IDTA ballet which she got a distinction. Her ballet class is only half an hour a week and we both (my daughter and I) feel like this is not enough for her. 
She would like to take extra ballet and I have found her a teacher who does hour classes once a week. Is it ok for her to attend two studios? 
I have a great relationship with her teacher, we are the ones who help with shows, I sort out costumes and help back stage with the littles so I don’t want to ruin that. 
I don’t know what to do really, I am happy for my daughter to learn from as many teachers as she can but don’t want to burn bridges. Should I see if her current teacher can do a private just to work on technique once or week or send her to this other one too. 
She will not be dropping any classes at her current studio, apart from acro but her teacher is aware she is not keen on it, so it’s not like we are replacing lessons just adding extras. 
Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.