Tring....Dance or Musical Theatre?

[tomuchtallent]

Hi,im new so maybe this question has already been asked before.

My dd loves ballet and takes it quite serious.She has great turnout,flexibility,nice feet and has the sort of body i think is good for ballet.The only problem is that she also sings very well and loves musical theatre.She has been in 2 musicals playing main roles so far.

We live abroad and have been looking at tring and she has fallen in love with it.She also wants to try the other main ballet schools aswell.

We are very confused about which course would be best for her at Tring.Does anybody know how much singing and acting are encluded in the dance course,and also the other way around.She would be devestated if she wasent doing point and performing ballet,but also she would be so upset if she wasent singing and involved in the musicals.

Any advice would be a great help.

 

Thanks xxx

[Anna C]

A few years ago, my DD was offered a place on the Theatre Arts course at Tring following her audition for the Dance Course. Apart from the lack of funding ( no MDS awards for Theatre Arts), my DD's first love remains Classical Ballet, so we turned the place down because she didn't want to miss out on ballet.

 

She is however keeping up her singing lessons and some tap, in case she veers towards MT in the future. I believe there is some ballet training on the TA course at Tring, with the option of doing RAD classes on a Saturday, but I don't know if there are singing and acting classes for the children on the dance course?

 

If the two courses are quite separate at Tring, have you considered looking at The Hammond? I believe their course is excellent for children who love ballet but are also Musical Theatre inclined.

 

Edited for typo

Edited March 16, 2012 by spannerandpony

[afab]

Hi again,

 

2 of my DDs have been accepted at Tring this year on different courses so I can compare them quite easily but my DDs are older than yours I think...

 

In the Junior ballet, they do 9 hours of ballet a week plus extra dance classes and little singing and theatre.

In the Performance Foundation (4th form), they do an equal number of hours of all 3 subjects, i.e. 6 hours of dance (2 classes of ballet, 1 jazz, 1 tap, and 1 contemporary I think), 6 hours of singing and 6 of theatre. The little amount of dance is what made my DD not want to go. She would have been better off auditioning for Senior ballet and then swap for the Musical Course in Lower 6th. As a comparison, she's been accepted in a course abroad which offers her 15 hours of dance a week plus 6 hours of Musicals, Singing and Theatre which she is much happier about...

 

I hope it helps!