Question about jazz and tap

[grumpybearzuk]

Sorry if this has been asked before! My dd is only 8 so just starting out really , but was wondering something. She started ballet , tap and jazz from 4 and loved it all. Last year she moved up to grade 3 ballet which meant she went up to senior tap and jazz. After a few weeks she got upset and told me she didn't like jazz and tap anymore so I said not to worry you can stop and just do ballet;which she loves). She has just auditioned for junior associates , and my question is does the fact that she just does ballet affect her getting chances in the future for full time ballet schools? If that's what she wants to do. Sorry if it's long winded u am new to all this and haven't a clue!!

[Anna C]

Why did she have to move, grumpybearz? Our school has people in all different classes, i.e. if you progress in ballet you don't have to move up in tap or Modern. Was she missing her friends in tap and jazz?

 

My dd does Modern as a contrast to ballet; it's nice and relaxing for her. She does tap for fun but only one class a week and will probably take a break from it once she's done her exam.

 

I think it's a good idea to have done some tap, particularly if a student may choose the Musical Theatre route at a later date. Jazz is also good for versatility, but there's nothing wrong with taking a break from it for a while.

 

I know Tring has a Modern/Jazz element to its auditions for the dance course, but Elmhurst didn't and I'm assuming the RBS auditions are purely ballet based.

 

Could you ask the school if your dd could move back to junior tap and jazz?

[grumpybearzuk]

Hi thank you for reply in her school it's normal process to move up to both and she did move up with a friend but I think what put her off was that the girls in new class were a lot older and she felt she couldn't keep up and wasn't good enough!. I had a word with her teacher and she said if she changed her mind she could re start when ready but she doesn't seem to want to return! . I might have a word with her and see if she would like to go back to junior I never thought of that. Thank you x

[afab]

Hi Grumpybearzuk, DD1 got in the Musical course in Tring without having ever done a jazz class in her life. Ditto for DD2 who got in the Dance course in Tring as well. I wouldn't worry about her not doing jazz/tap even if you're aiming for that school...

[Interested Parent]

Hi grumpy bear. What syllabus and grade is your DD doing? My DD nearly gave up when she moved grades for the same reason (older girls in the new class) but also because she found the new syllabus alot harder. I had a chat with the teacher for both with DD there and explained the concerns and she reassured DD that she was doing fine and should just take it slowly and if she didn't want to be put through for the next exam straightaway she could wait. It helped enormously and after a term the older girls had taken her under their wings and she was loving it?

[grumpybearzuk]

Hi thank you for your replies my dd is in grade 3 in ballet but in the jazz and tap they don't seem to do exams in that . Not really sure what is involved in there jazz /tap classes but she went from inter stage to senior 1 when she moved to grade 3 ballet . I watched a class in her new one and it was very fast paced and she struggled to keep up . They have a different teacher for jazz and tap and she didn't seem to have much interest in the new ones or reassuring them . And because she is still young and quite shy she didn't like asking questions or help. I might have another chat with her ballet teacher who also is principal and see what she thinks . The other girls settled in after a few weeks I tried to get her to give it a chance but she was getting too upset so left it

[Anna C]

If she still likes the actual dancing in jazz and tap, I'd ask if she could just move back to Inter class. Grade 3 ballet is still classed as Juniors at our school so it seems a little young to be moving up to Seniors in any case.

 

 

[grumpybearzuk]

I think I will have a chat with dd later and see how she feels. She used to say tap was boring her so I thought her going into a higher level would make it more interesting . Thank you for advice xx

[primrose]

I am shocked that any dance teacher would want to put an 8 year old into a senior jazz and tap class. Children develop at different rates in each dance style. Tap and Jazz are very difficult for a lot of people to grasp. No wonder your poor dd didnt want to go back again. I would imagine an 8 year old would be around about grade 1 or 2 in tap and Modern. Cant she go to a different school to study her jazz and tap and stay at her current school for her ballet. Honestly I am really quite angry that your teacher would put that amount of pressure on a young child. It seems to me that her teaching is certainly not catering to the individual child.

If your dd is wanting to audition for a purely classical school then no she doesn not need to have done any jazz or tap training. If she wants to apply to Tring and Hammond then it would benefit her to have had some tap, jazz but more so modern dance training.

[BankruptMum]

My first thoughts were concern that your daughter was moved tap and jazz classes because she had passed a ballet exam, there is no link between these styles at all and should be graded individually.

 

It does seem as if perhaps another school may be better to allow her to continue tap/mod/jazz among a similar aged group of students and at the right grade. Unfortunately tap requires basic elements to be learned and if your daughter decided to take up tap at an older age she would find herself among much younger students - could be worth her learning these skills now as a back up for later life.

 

There is no guarantee of her physique,continued interest or potential to focus purely on a classical vocational route at the age of 8 I would personally keep as many options open as possible - even if its different hobbies, a lot of children are very fixed on what they want at age 8 until they reach age 9 :-). Enjoyment should be the main concern.

[grumpybearzuk]

Hi primrose her ballet teacher did say to me she was insure about putting her into grade 3 ballet just because it would mean moving her to higher tap but she didn't mention her stayingi in her previous tap class they just automatically move up I think. Think I will email her to arrange a chat.

[grumpybearzuk]

Yes I agree I want her to enjoy her dancing too. Thanks for all your advice I think I will ask her teacher if she could go back to inter stage and stay there for a while x

[Anna C]

Sounds like a good idea. My dd had to jump from a grade 2 tap class to Grade 5 after a year's break, as Grade 3 and 4 clash with Associate classes. She found the jump quite difficult as she'd missed a lot. She's fine now but the tap isn't coming as easily as Modern and Ballet.

 

If your dd didn't enjoy the move then there's no point dancing if you're not enjoying it - I'd definitely ask if she can move back to the Inter class. My dd has never been the same Grade at Ballet, tap and Modern; she's always one or two Grades ahead in ballet but it's never a problem.

[primrose]

Hi primrose her ballet teacher did say to me she was insure about putting her into grade 3 ballet just because it would mean moving her to higher tap but she didn't mention her stayingi in her previous tap class they just automatically move up I think. Think I will email her to arrange a chat.

 

If your dd was ready to do her grade 3 ballet then that was the right thing to do, however that should not then determine that she moves up in her jazz and tap as has been proven she was not ready for that. Seniour classes like this are usually meant for the higher grades and usually for teenage children. As has been mentioned tap requires a lot of technique and she should not be moved on until she has mastered it.

[Fiz]

It does seem very silly to me to move your little girl just because she has gone up a grade in ballet! The best of luck to you both.

[grumpybearzuk]

Thank you everyone I had a chat with dd and she says at the moment she just wants to do ballet I have explained to her that if she decides to go back to jazz and tap that she will have to be in a class younger than her but she says that doesn't bother her! . I told get we could get her back into her interstage but she doesn't want to so not going to force the subject . I suppose there's always contempory when she's older and she also wants to Learn the violin in year4 at school so keeping her options open good to have a second opinion here as I am very new to this xx

[glowlight]

I wouldn't worry if dd just wants to do ballet at this stage. Jazz and tap can be picked up at a later date if necessary.

 

My dd dropped tap when she was about 8, and only ever did jazz sporadically in her teens. She had no problem picking up the jazz when she went to vocational school at 16 and is now does more jazz than classical in her job (she never really got tap though....some people just don't!)

[robin64]

I think at 8 years old you are right to just let your DD do what she wants. It's about enjoyment and fun at that stage and also there are lots of hobbies and activities to try. If she still wants to try different forms of dance she can do that when she's ready. At 8 most Dcs are having a go at sports and swimming, perhaps taking up an instrument or going to Brownies. She has got her ballet to be going on with and tap and jazz will come on quickly when your DD is older if she thinks she might like to go back. I think they suit slightly older ones anyway.

[Anna C]

Definitely. My dd was doing Ballet at 8 and had just started Modern, but she was also swimming and doing Brownies and piano lessons. And having fun at everything! :-)

[grumpybearzuk]

You guys have really put my mind at ease thank you that's why I didn't push her when she wanted to stop as I didn't want her to stop dancing all together and lose the fun side if it. I will go with the flow xx

[Lildancer96]

Hi Grumpybearzuk, DD1 got in the Musical course in Tring without having ever done a jazz class in her life. Ditto for DD2 who got in the Dance course in Tring as well. I wouldn't worry about her not doing jazz/tap even if you're aiming for that school...

Did your dd get a Dada afab? Lil

[afab]

No Lildancer, unfortunately she wasn't untitled to one as, even though British, we live in France...

[taxi4ballet]

Can't imagine why any dance school would move little children up into tap / jazz classes they weren't ready for, just because they had passed an exam in ballet.

 

Your dd was very young and doing really well to be going into grade 3 ballet aged 7 anyway, so why on earth would any dance teacher think it a good idea to overwhelm the poor girl with senior tap and jazz classes when she wasn't ready?

 

Everybody progresses in each discipline at different speeds, and the teachers should treat everyone as an individual.

 

Is there possibly another dance school your dd could go to instead?

[grumpybearzuk]

Hi thank you for your replies.. I don't think to be honest she was enjoying her previous tap and jazz class it took me a lot of effort to get her to go where with ballet class she couldn't wait . So I think going to give her a break from jazz and tap and just let her do ballet classes she has mentioned wanting to learn the violin so will look into that for her when she moved up on school in September . I want to keep her happy and having fun so would never push her into anything she decided she didn't want to do. She might decide in a few years she wants to try it again and that's fine with me thanks again for all your help and advice x

[aileen]

As others have said before, ballet, tap and jazz are very different forms of dance, and being good at one does not necessarily mean that a child will be good at another. My DD does tap, and I think that in the early grades it is more difficult than ballet at the same grade. Even at Grade 3 (admittedly my DD is doing the new ISTD syllabus) it's surprisingly hard and certainly more challenging than Grade 3 RAD ballet (old syllabus, at least). I don't know what "senior" means at your DD's particular school but, for me, it implies Grade 5 standard and above and if that IS the standard of the class then I'm not surprised that she's finding it difficult at such a young age and after what I assume is a big step up from her previous class. I would try and find out a bit more about the (grade) level of the tap and jazz classes. Are there very few tap and jazz students at the school and, as a result, all the students are put into the same class after the first couple of grades?

[grumpybearzuk]

There is a lot of students doing tap and jazz and it's a pretty big school. The jazz and tap in senior is divided in 3 grades . Dd went up to senior 1 and then there's 2 and 3 so they might do it differently as far as I am aware they don't do exams in tap and jazz. 2 and 3 looks like girls in there teens. I think when they go to grade 5 ballet they move up to senior 2 . Always been confused with it .

[2littledancers]

If the school follows the ISTD syllabus for tap , then im not surprised your DD has said she doesnt like it , as it is probably way too hard for her and she feels like she is sinking , my 8 year old is taking grade 2 and my 11 year old is taking grade 3 , they are both quite good tappers but have found these grades quite a challenge. The new ISTD syllabus s are very very hard compared with the old grades these being equivilent to grades 5 and 6 before the syllabus changed!

I cant think of a worse style of dance to feel like a fish out of water in than tap.

Your school seems very relaxed with there modern/jazz and tap , do they take exams?

[BankruptMum]

My DD is getting back into her tap classes with gusto since coming out of vocational school - she has noticed a huge difference in difficulty in the ISTD grades in compared to the majors - I wonder why they have made them so challenging?

 

I guess in time the majors will be changed too but I wonder why they have made such a change in their style/content - perhaps it wold have been better to add more grades than to 'up' the level of their current grades.

[aileen]

2littledancers, has there really been such a massive rise in the standard of the ISTD tap exams?

 

BankruptMum, I'm showing my ignorance here, but what are the majors?

[Flowerdew]

The ISTD Tap grades have a different style to the old grades, more up to date and more like american style tap so it wouldn't really have worked to just add in some grades. I've found my students who are starting off in the new grades are coping well as they move into their new level but those who swapped from old syllabus to new have found it harder. Aileen the majors are the old title for what are now known as the vocational grades ie Intermediate foundation, Intermediate, Advanced.

[aileen]

Thanks, Flowerdew. It's interesting to hear that the new ISTD tap syllabus is more American in style. As I said above, even Grade 3, which my DD is preparing for, is surprisingly hard.

[aileen]

Thanks, Flowerdew. It's interesting to hear that the new ISTD tap syllabus is more American in style. As I said above, even Grade 3, which my DD is preparing for, is surprisingly hard.

[2littledancers]

Hi aileen , yes the standard is extremely high , put it this way , what my 11 year old DD is doing in her grade 3 is equivelent to what i was doing in elementary and intermediate when i was dancing ( i know that was some time ago ) !!!

And flowerdew , i do agree , my youngest has only ever known the new syllabus and knows no different ! so its the norm to her.

Think ISTD felt that to compete with other syllabus s and examining boards they had to review and move with the times , as it was pretty dated - this was noticable at festivals and competitions etc .