Garnier

Can anyone who has seen this tell me whether it would be disturbing for children aged 6-9 (who are very good with ballets and concerts as a rule, but aren’t great with “scary” scenes in movies?)? There is a session with cheaper prices for children so II guess it can’t be totally unrecommended, but no minimum age is provided and I understand it’s quite a moving piece. Thanks!

Does anyone else find some of these a bit uncomfortable to watch? Some (not all) of them seem too « adult » somehow…some gorgeous dancers but I think I would prefer to see them in a simple leotard doing basic steps beautifully rather than these variations in a stiff tutu + tiara…having said that, the Momone Sano excerpt was astonishing (and her costume bothered me less)!

Thanks! Yes I’ll definitely keep looking there too…maybe some tickets will come up closer to the date.

Has anyone booked ever these (or tried to book them)? If so, was it easy to do? I’m looking for tickets for a performance that is sold out - am on the waiting list but trying to look for other options in case nothing comes up!

Any suggestions for summer intensives in Spain?

That’s so helpful, thanks!

Oh that sounds great! I’ll check out his website.

Thanks!

My 9 year-old daughter is keen to do some stretching and strengthening exercises at home, in particular to improve her turnout and feet. Can anyone recommend any videos (available online or for purchase at a reasonable price!)? I’ve found a few things by googling but am not sure about their quality or safety for a child’s growing body. Thanks!

This is going to be an unpopular view but I feel for these kids who are protesting. They are terrified of what their (our) future will look like and feel they have nothing to lose. And let’s face it, being “nice” and playing by the rules of polite society just doesn’t seem to be working judging by the inaction of governments and major companies around the world. in years gone past, anarchist (and fascist) groups were planting bombs in theatres and kidnapping and murdering people to have their messages heard. In comparison, these kids’ actions seem incredibly mild, especially when you factor in how scary the climate crisis is. just my opinion 🙂

Thanks - great points!

Haha got it - it's definitely a headache comparing the school years, and dance training systems seem even more complicated! Just to add another layer, I'm beginning to think that maybe what is called "contemporary" here is actually what would be called "modern" or even "creative dance" in the UK, because the norm for starting 'contemporary' here is definitely 8 or 9 years old - I'm not even sure whether it's possible to start it at a later age if you are going through the public system. The mysteries of inter-cultural understanding 😀 Your explanation is very clear and helpful though! You have also inspired me to try to find a flamenco class for myself - have always wanted to try it!

Thanks Dance is life! While I think my daughter is a lovely dancer (of course I do!), I don’t anticipate a career for her in this field. So the classes are really for fun, général artistic and cultural development, and hopefully the beginning of a lifelong love of dance. I certainly have no intention of putting her through an intensive training programme so it’s good to hear what is considered normal and age-appropriate. i do have a question - when you say that your students who are in the school year where they are 9 going on 10 have longer hours and more classes, I believe that is the same age/school year that my daughter will be in when she starts this programme - the equivalent of Year 5 in the UK? Or did I misunderstand? Thanks again!

Thanks so much, this is so helpful! I really appreciate all these thoughtful answers! Apologies for not having been clear (I think in my attempt to stay vague to avoid giving information that would allow my child to be identified I missed out on giving some critical information!) - it's actually not an "ordinary" dance school - it's the network of public conservatories where we live (not in the UK) that offers this 'strengthened' programme to children drawn from across all the conservatories in the city who are the same age and 'level' (for the 9 and 10 year-olds, they will be in their second and third year respectively of studying ballet, because classical training here starts the age of 8 - before that it's more "movement-to-music"). The idea is that the kids who are particularly interested in dance can audition for this particular programme (which basically adds on the one extra class of ballet per week, plus optionally the contemporary, plus some one-off workshops on specific ballet-related topics at various moments during the year - all at no extra cost for the families). So definitely no poaching involved - it was actually my daughter's teacher who suggested she audition for the programme and this teacher is in close contact with the teachers of the 'special' class. So yes, I think it's a bit like your Junior Associates programme in the UK (from what I understand of it!), without the additional costs involved. It really seems like a fantastic programme and my daughter is thrilled to have been accepted. The classes (both 'regular' and 'special') are 1.5 hours long each. So basically, it would be 4.5 hours of ballet per week (which as several of you have pointed out does seem like a lot!). Based on what you've said, we will spread out the hours across the week rather than going for the back-to-back classes. Great advice also the contemporary! I will definitely take it on board. I also agree children at this age need to be doing lots of different things and just generally enjoying life!

This is my first time posting after having been lurking for a while! It's been so interesting reading all your posts and i'm thrilled to join this community. My soon-to-be-9-year-old, who has been doing ballet for a year (twice a week), will be starting a special 'strengthened ballet' programme in our city in September and I need to make some decisions regarding her weekly timetable. She will have three or four classes in total: two 'regular' ballet classes for 9 year-olds, one 'special' ballet class for 9 and 10 year-old children who have passed the audition for the special programme, and one optional contemporary dance class (also just for the 9 and 10 year-old children who have passed the audition). I would love to hear your thoughts on the following: - What do you think of back-to-back classes for a 9 year-old? Is it better to have the 4 classes spread throughout the week, or would it make no difference and be absolutely fine to have two of the classes (regular + special) back-to-back, thus saving one trip per week? My hunch says 4 classes spread out is better, but maybe that's not the case? The way the timetable works means that many of the other 9 year-old children would be doing these back-to-back classes, so she wouldn't be the only one (but none of the 10 year-olds would, so presumably the class is not designed specifically for children who have just come out of another class). - For the 'regular' classes, either she can stay at her current school (which she's happy with, it's easier for us access-wise and the teacher is great, but she would most likely be the strongest dancer in the group), or we could move her to the same school as where the 'special' class in, meaning that there would (presumably) be a few children who would also have passed the audition and would follow both their regular classes and the special class there. Does it matter at this age what the level of the other children in the class is? When I say 'level', I don't mean in terms of learning steps etc as the sequencing of learning through the years is harmonized across the country, but more in terms of quality of movement, general artistry etc. - The contemporary dance class is optional and I've seen on this forum that many people seem to think that contemporary is best reserved for older students (this was certainly the view when I was learning ballet many yonks ago!). However, presumably as it's a specific class for this age group it must be age-appropriate I assume - does anyone know what it might involve? I have to admit that I don't know much about contemporary dance, although I would have loved the opportunity to do it when I was younger! Thanks in advance for your thoughts!