Luckyshoes Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I feel I need to vent my DD who graduated last year decided ballet was not the route she wanted to go down and only done one audition for a company place . She decided the wanted to see the world and audition for cruises. she has been successful and off she went . just had a mother message me after not seeing her for more than 3 years when her dd and mine went to different upper schools , saying what a shame she has given up Ballet and how disappointed I must be for her .. what a waste of 3 years of classical ballet training ... What ??? I’m certainly not disappointed but I am a little mad about having to defend her decision. am I being over sensitive ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 No! Most definitely the other ‘Mother’ is the insensitive one!!! And proof that perhaps you & your DD might actually be luckily out the other side of the (sadly at times) far too critical, far too bitchy, far too insultated & far too full of small minded idiots like her Classical world! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SissonneDoublee Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 There will always be people who judge. It starts with feeding and sleeping patterns and what type of nappies we use, and continues far beyond our children reaching adulthood! Your DD has found a job she loves, that her training has enabled her to access. You don’t need to explain or justify her decision to anyone, just glow with pride that she is in gainful employment in a field that is scarily hard to break into, seeing the world, and doing something that makes her happy. There is no such thing as a waste of training, as the skills gained will serve her far beyond the classical ballet world. Huge congratulations to your DD! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 The important thing is that your dd is doing something she enjoys. Simple. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Wow huge congratulations to your daughter! It's extremely competitive to get a cruise contract, she must be very talented. I worked in a different role on board a cruise ship, albeit for only two contracts, and it was one of the best times of my life and such a fantastic way to see the world as well as getting wonderful work experience and social skills. I hope your daughter has a wonderful time doing what she loves! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Foo Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 What amazing and happy news! So difficult to land a contract on a cruise - she must be over the moon! Just feel very blessed you are not the ‘ other mother’ who is blissfully unaware of what really matters in life. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Any contract is an achievement! Well done to your Dd 🥳 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said: The important thing is that your dd is doing something she enjoys. Simple. Absolutely. Getting on a cruise is very competitive so it's really impressive that your daughter has got the job on one. More importantly is that she is doing something she enjoys and finds pleasure in. The other mother is being really silly implying there's something wrong with your daughter's career. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I suspect the other Mum may be envious that your dd has a contract so is trying to make herself feel better by criticising cruise ship dancing. Not only is that unkind and insensitive of her but it’s also none of her business - and it’s nonsense! Contracts with a good cruise line are very highly sought after; the dancers are talented and extremely hard working and it’s a fantastic way to save money, travel the world and get paid for doing what you love - dancing. Jealousy can make people behave very oddly. Congratulations to your daughter and if you don’t want to give the other Mother a piece of your mind, I’d block her. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumofballetmaddaughter Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Congratulations to your daughter on securing her contract and ignore the other mother's insensitive comment. Why people feel the need to belittle others achievements with snide remarks is beyond me. Even if your daughter had chosen a totally different type of career, her classical training could never be considered to have been a waste with all the benefits it brings. I also used to get comments such as 'Oh, a cruise ship" as my daughter danced onboard for many years. She was lucky in that the cruise line she did the majority of contracts for, did put on classical numbers including pointe work (not easy on a moving stage) as well as ballroom and latin which she loved. Having been around the world several times she's experienced things that I can only dream about. I would say that the variety of skills she amassed whilst working onboard, made her very employable when applying for temporary work during her vacation periods. Employers used to comment during interviews that her CV was very interesting. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I've had similar comments regarding my DD's decision to go into teaching. Just let it go over your head. Unsolicited "advice" and comments are annoying, but largely irrelevant. It sounds like your DD is successful and very happy which is what really matters. You don't have to defend her decision to anybody. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canary Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 You must be very proud of your DD getting a contract and working abroad and earning her own money and doing what she trained hard to do. Congratulations mum you did it x 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 My DD made exactly the same decision as yours and has never regretted it yet I had similar comments re dancing on cruise ships in the first year or so after graduation. Bottom line - if your daughter is happy and earning her own money doing something she loves then that is all that matters. . I would also suspect that she has not given up ballet. My DD has worked on different lines to Mumofballetmaddaughters but she too has still had classical numbers and danced on pointe on each contract so far - ignore the other mother - like Anna I think she may be a tad envious of your DD's success. I wish your DD continued success and happiness with her dancing. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyofdance Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I knew someone who did a cruise contract for a few years, had an amazing time, travelled the world and saved £30,000. That is a fantastic achievement in my view. Ignore this woman, she is clearly bitter about something. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 3 hours ago, Luckyshoes said: I feel I need to vent my DD who graduated last year decided ballet was not the route she wanted to go down and only done one audition for a company place . She decided the wanted to see the world and audition for cruises. she has been successful and off she went . just had a mother message me after not seeing her for more than 3 years when her dd and mine went to different upper schools , saying what a shame she has given up Ballet and how disappointed I must be for her .. what a waste of 3 years of classical ballet training ... What ??? I’m certainly not disappointed but I am a little mad about having to defend her decision. am I being over sensitive ? I don't have any DC but I know quite a few people who go on cruises and all say how good the standard of dancing is in the shows. As has been said higher up the thread, cruise ship dance contracts are highly sought after and it is an enormous achievement for your DD to have gained a contract so congratulations to her. My guess is that the person who messaged you is really jealous. The daughter of an ex-colleague of mine was a dancer on a cruise ship and my ex-colleague and her husband enjoyed many cruise holidays at very discounted "family and friends" prices... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I can fully appreciate your frustration. All those people who judge and sneer at cruise ship contracts need to get off their high horses! It is incredibly difficult to land a cruise contract, the auditions are intense and the competition is fierce! Some of the auditions my dd went to whittled candidates down over three days ... and guess what? most of the initial cuts were done after Ballet sequences! If anyone is lucky enough to get a cruise contract with one of the big cruise lines it is a fabulous opportunity, the pay is great, the perks are great and the lifestyle is great. My own dd trained as a classical ballet dancer, gained a few ballet accolades along the way during her training and spent a year in a ballet company before going off on a cruise contract last year. She has never been happier, healthier and fitter and I will be thrilled if she carries on! So much snobbery amongst ballet parents, it is truly maddening! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Students in any field generally have need of a plan B plan C & plan D & during working years some of us may actually find we’ve pretty much gone through the alphabet!! Gutted cruiseceorj uniikey to ever be a take up option by my offspring....gets seriously seasick in any size boat!! So no cheap cruises for me sadly 😟 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 @Peanut68 don't let seasickness rule out a career afloat! My Dad used to get hideously seasick and he was......wait for it......in the navy! 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously, it can be overcome. My Dad said that the first week or two on any new ship were hell for him, but then he got over it. He always used to say that every ship has her own particular motion and once you learn to move with her rather than fight her then the sickness stops. Of course most of us never spend enough time at sea to test that particular theory, but he always swore it was true. The stabilisers on modern cruise ships are very effective and getting better all the time too. Or so I am told - I've never been on one and nor am I likely to until I have some more children off the family pay roll! I do have a hankering for the fjords though..... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 We had another similar thread about a DP looking down rather on another DC's decision on what to do after graduation somewhere, didn't we? If your DD had only taken the cruise job because she'd failed to get into a classical ballet company, and looked on it as something of a desperation measure, it might be a different matter, but that's clearly not the case here. Probably a lot of DPs don't actually go on cruises, and therefore don't realise what the quality is like and how demanding a job it is. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudbuff Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 As a teen who is in her early 20 myself, I would definetely say that your support for your daughter's choice was absolutely right! Doing something she really feels that she loves is the right route that would not consumer her passion gradually in the future. And it's so rare and amazing for you DD to know what she really wants in such a young age. Good for her and you are doing just the right thing!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 10 hours ago, Pups_mum said: @Peanut68 don't let seasickness rule out a career afloat! My Dad used to get hideously seasick and he was......wait for it......in the navy! 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously, it can be overcome. My Dad said that the first week or two on any new ship were hell for him, but then he got over it. He always used to say that every ship has her own particular motion and once you learn to move with her rather than fight her then the sickness stops. Of course most of us never spend enough time at sea to test that particular theory, but he always swore it was true. The stabilisers on modern cruise ships are very effective and getting better all the time too. Or so I am told - I've never been on one and nor am I likely to until I have some more children off the family pay roll! I do have a hankering for the fjords though..... (Off topic, sorry) We’ve cruised a few times and the Norwegian Fjords cruise was one of my favourite. You’re right about stabilisers too; if you choose a midship room that’s neither too high nor to low, seasickness is not an issue. Anyway, sorry, back to Luckyshoes! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 At least dancers who take cruise ship contracts can be financially independent pretty much from the start - which isn't necessarily true of dancers starting out in some ballet companies, especially if they are offered an apprentice role. Working on cruise ships also promotes many other life skills which are valuable to future employers when you finish dancing. (And of course I'm biased because my daughter also switched from classical ballet training to cruise contracts) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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