Junior associates worth it for newly 8 yr old?

[Lovelyjubbly]

Hello all. First post here but I’ve been reading a while. I have a daughter who is very into ballet and takes it seriously. She will be newly 8 (July birthday) by the time associates start in the autumn. Do you think junior associates are worth it for this age or is better to wait? I am a complete novice and know nothing about ballet myself, but 2 yrs ago she fell in love with it and hasn’t stopped. Right now she is doing two hours a week of classes and conditioning plus one hour of rehearsals for their show, so 3 full hours and she would do more if I would let her. I don’t want to hold her back, but also wonder how many are newly 8 (vs 8 turning 9) as she would still be 7 yrs old for auditions. Don’t know if that would put her at a disadvantage. 

[MissEmily]

I would say it depends entirely on your child’s personality. If she has the qualities they’re looking for, they will also be watching her carefully in the audition to check she can concentrate for a sustained period of time and that she has the maturity to benefit from the type of in depth training JAs provides. The detailed discussion of movement quality and perfecting exercises which work tiny muscle groups (for example) would not interest or inspire every 8 year-old! I would strongly recommend signing up for one of the insight classes to establish whether the style of class suits her. The audition itself is a lovely experience with a live pianist and wonderful teachers so if she’s keen, I’d say go for it and see what happens. The chances of being accepted are tiny so she’ll need to be prepared for potential rejection regardless of her age.

[Pas de Quatre]

It is worth auditioning just as a "practice run". Then if she gets offered a place that's lovely, but if not it is good experience anyway. A common misconception, particularly among the children, is that as JAs they will learn harder more exciting steps. This isn't so, it is about meticulous polishing of basic technique. Still lots of fun for the right pupils. 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello @Lovelyjubbly and welcome to the Forum!

[Ruby Foo]

The classes are very beneficial at the younger ages because they are slow and reinforce the correct understanding of technique - posture and alignment, turnout, use of the feet and legs etc. It’s so important to understand these concepts from the beginning so that ‘faults’ don’t creep in and become habits that are tricky to change later. The classes are a useful environment in which to learn because all the students  are keen and want to learn more. She will also be given complimentary exercises to work on at home which helps to improve muscle function and improve flexibility. I guess it will depend on how much she can cope with in a week and whether she enjoys working at the ‘details’. Most seem to enjoy their classes. She can still work at the same things with her own teacher of course ( not all dancers have been associates!) but it might not be quite such a concentrated focus.

[Dancing unicorn]

My dd did the JA for a day workshop at age 7 in London in the October and was hooked! She auditioned at 7 and was accepted and started in yr4 at just 8yrs old (July birthday)! She absolutely loved her 3 yrs as a JA, the best 3 years in our whole journey - so I would say go for it. Not many are taken in yr 4 so the sooner you try the better.

Good luck 🍀

[AllAboutTheJourney]

I think if she's keen then I wouldn't let her age put you off as she won't be at a disadvantage due to that - and as others have said, even if she doesn't get in this year it would be good to see what the audition is like with a view to trying again the year after if she wanted to. 

 

I've had 2 children go through the JA programme and I'm a big fan of it, but the posters above are spot on in terms of the technical detail of the classes etc and I guess it's a question of whether you think she would enjoy that type of class. One of my DC loved it from day 1 (and started as a very young Y4), the other enjoyed it but didn't quite love it in the same way as a Y4. Jump forward a bit though and as a Y6 its the highlight of the week - it just took a bit longer for that DC to enjoy the more technical aspects of ballet and realise why they were learning all about the muscle groups etc. They're all different. But if she's keen on ballet and you can get her to a JA centre then I would definitely say it's worth trying it. 

[baby steps]

My DD is a late August baby so very young when she auditioned and gained a place. At 14, although her love has switched to  contemporary, she has never regretted for one minute her 3 years as a JA. Her age never held her back, so go for it, she may not even be the youngest 🙂

[Ruby Foo]

I think when you start these sort of associate classes ( rbs and another) you need to be fully aware of why you are attending and what you hope to gain from the experience. This may well change over time and needs to be reviewed regularly. The classes themselves I believe to be excellent, especially in the younger years for all the reasons I’ve stated in my other post. But it’s important to recognise that by yr 6, there will be a fair bit of focus on auditioning for vocational schools which you can get caught up in ( mainly through peers) even if you don’t want to follow that route. Obviously there’s no pressure from the Associates themselves but you are in an environment where quite a few will be going down that route. So I think it’s important to keep an open mind and be clear that there are many choices out there, whether you are doing it for fun or leading to something more.

[Ruby Foo]

13 minutes ago, Ruby Foo said:

I think when you start these sort of associate classes ( rbs and another) you need to be fully aware of why you are attending and what you hope to gain from the experience. This may well change over time and needs to be reviewed regularly. The classes themselves I believe to be excellent, especially in the younger years for all the reasons I’ve stated in my other post. But it’s important to recognise that by yr 6, there will be a fair bit of focus on auditioning for vocational schools which you can get caught up in ( mainly through peers) even if you don’t want to follow that route. Obviously there’s no pressure from the Associates themselves but you are in an environment where quite a few will be going down that route. So I think it’s important to keep an open mind and be clear that there are many choices out there, whether you are doing it for fun or leading to something more.

 Just to add,I don’t think any of that should stop your Dd from having a lovely and enjoyable experience!

[Lovelyjubbly]

Thank you all for the solid advice! I feel like conditioning and being technically accurate are so important to prevent injury I'm just not sure if some of it would be over her head. I saw you could purchase a ja class to see what it’s like so I may her try it and get her thoughts. 

[Ruby Foo]

53 minutes ago, Lovelyjubbly said:

Thank you all for the solid advice! I feel like conditioning and being technically accurate are so important to prevent injury I'm just not sure if some of it would be over her head. I saw you could purchase a ja class to see what it’s like so I may her try it and get her thoughts. 

All the ‘ technique’ is packed into very simple exercises which are manageable to do and age appropriate. The teachers are generally very nice and supportive. It’s more about learning the right way through repetition and good teaching.