11 replies to this topic

[bunheadmama]

We live in a very small town. The nearest pre-pro Ballet school is an hour away. My daughter attended there for a couple of years, but it became far too expensive for us to afford. So after searching fervently, we were blessed to find a wonderful, much smaller school 25 minutes away where the two instructors are young (in their mid 20's) and were, until recently, professional dancers themselves. It is the only other option in our area for true, classical ballet. I feel that my daughter gets excellent instruction there, but I am just a mom with little basis for knowing for certain. The classes are kept small - no more than 12 students, and there is a waiting list of people waiting for a spot. The teachers push the kids very hard, and are sticklers for technical detail. I was able to observe the dress rehearsal for our last performance and was surprised that my daughter's primary instructor was still correcting form, up until the last moment before the performance. She is a wonderful teacher. The high school aged dancers are very impressive in their ability, but when I asked one of them she indicated that our school was best for recreational ballet training and that the pre-pro school farther away is where a dancer with real aspirations needed to be. My daughter will be 11 in December and starting pointe this year. She is starting her 8th year of ballet, but only her second with this school. Her dream is to be a professional dancer, but we simply cannot afford the pre-pro school as a one income, homeschooling family with other children. I want to give her every chance at her dream, but I am learning that ballet is so competitive, and so many families out there are spending way more money than we are able to, and sending their kids to SI's and going many more days a week. Her teachers bring in a guest instructor every summer for their own little week-long SI, and my daughter attended three days of it this summer, as well as continuing her classes one day a week through the summer. She works hard, has her own ballet barre made of PVC pipe in her room, and has classes two days a week (one is a two hour class and one an hour and a half) and I want to encourage her dream. But I'm secretly wondering if she has any chance of ever dancing professionally anywhere. Does a dancer at a small, but good, school, with only occasional opportunities at SI's or other extra enrichment have any real shot at a career? Her teacher seems to think she has potential, and pushes her hard. She is loving but tough, and my daughter adores her. But is it enough? I want to help my DD have realistic expectations without squashing her dreams or her motivation.

[Cuckoomamma]

I'm only qualified to answer you as a mom of another 11 yo. We also couldn't afford the training our daughter needed. However, I spoke with the AD and suggested ways that I could help the school. It's worked out very well for both our family and the school. Perhaps you and your partner could think of ways that you might be able to work something out with the prepro.

It sounds as if your daughters teachers are wonderful. The only concern is the frequency/duration of instruction time. If they offer more classes, and she can take them, she may be fine for now. Does the school offer more classes at her level?

Also, at 11 you still have time for the dream to change without having to be too realistic. I think that oftentimes, I point things out to dd that end up being unnecessary. Both our girls have plenty of time to change their minds on their own, simply because they're 11!

[ToThePointe]

My concern is that she is only taking two classes/days a week. If she is going on pointe, she should have at least three classes/days a week.

Yes, professional dancers can come out of small schools but only if the quality of the instruction is superb and the quantity of classes are available.

[bunheadmama]

Last year she did three days a week, but one of those days was a modern/conditioning class. This year the price of that class had increased, and so we opted not to do it so that we could allow our youngest who is almost 5, to begin ballet.

[ToThePointe]

She needs at least three ballet technique classes.

[ToThePointe]

Here is a link you may want to view. It gives general guidelines on what is needed to give it a shot.

http://dancers.invis...showtopic=48041

[bunheadmama]

So, if that number of classes per week simply isn't an option this early, would waiting another year really hurt her that much? I looked at the school's scehdule for older dancers, and she'd have three technique classes per week starting next fall (she'd be about to turn 12 at that point, in Dcemeber). If this school isn't what she really needs to help her be a professional dancer someday, and we can't afford the school, or the gas to get to it, that would, what are her other options? What else can dancers strive for, if not a company position somewhere?

[TwelfthNight]

bunheadmama, I can't give you any specific advice other than to encourage you. We are a one income, homeschooling family as well and have been since our daughter was born 15 years ago. Ballet can be very expensive and yes there are some families that spend a lot of money on their child and it does help them in some respects with some people. We are seeing it right now at an intensive my daughter is attending and it can be very frustrating. Know, though, that everyone in the ballet world isn't like that and there are people out there who care and might be able to help you and your family.

In our case, last year, after a year of a greatly reduced salary, my DH was laid off for a month. This put us tens of thousands of dollars behind and we could not afford any classes for our DD. At the same time, DD was accepted into a wonderful, very well known pre-professional school that is an hour away. With the cost of gas, there was no way we could afford to send her. She had to sit out of classes for three months before we found a new studio that is working with us. This new studio is so much better than the studio DD was attending and since it is closer, the cost is much less than the pre-professional school. The training DD is getting at this new studio is what she needs to get her to her desired place. Over the years, things have also worked out where DD has received scholarships for summer intensives and has even been sponsored a few times so there was no cost to us. We haven't been able to send her to an intensive every year, but she has never fallen behind because she hasn't been away every summer. We have found quality classes locally that we could afford.

We have been down the same road as well, wondering if we could afford to let DD follow her dreams and wondering if it was even realistic to continue. I've been at the point of tears many times wondering how we were going to continue to support DD's dream and if we were foolish to do so, so I truly understand how you feel. . This is what she has wanted to do since she was four and although we have tried to get her to go another route, she stays with it. She has always gotten positive feedback and when instructors see her determination and hard work, they want to help her achieve her dreams. At your daughter's age, I'm not sure that one year is going to make that much of a difference, but I am not an instructor so I can't say. You can't go broke as a family while allowing your daughter to pursue her dream. However, there might be some help available through the pre-pro school, or even community organizations in your area. If your daughter hasn't auditioned for the pre-pro school, have her do so. They might be able to work with you on the cost. If not, speak with the instructors at her current studio. Maybe you can work something out with them so your daughter can take the maximum amount of classes for her level. Summer intensives aren't that important right now at your daughter's age, but when she is older, have her audition for all she can afford to do. Some are known for giving a lot of scholarships and you might be pleasantly surprised. Prayer definitely works:)

[bunheadmama]

Thank you so much, Twelfth Night! Our situations sound very similar. I appreciate you taking the time to encourage me with your experience. I AM praying that if ballet is God's plan for her, He will open all the right doors and give us the direction we need. We are going to do as much as we are able to do, and hope that it is enough. I just don't want to foster false hope in my DD's heart. I probably do need to speak with her teachers first and foremost, about her dreams, and get their thoughts on what she needs to do to make it happen, and see how they can work with us. They are wonderful, straightforward and honest and i think they'll tell me truthfully.
I appreciate all of this wonderful feedback very much!

[Hans]

I agree with TwelfthNight. Schools don't want to lose talented dancers, so there may be need-based financial aid or a work-study program available. I would also not worry about SI's until she's about 14, and it may be possible to find one or more that is good quality and nearby (so you don't have to pay room & board).

Last, if a professional career doesn't work out for her (which is something everyone has to keep in mind, even those who seem to have every opportunity available to them) she can always enjoy taking class, watching ballet, or perhaps working in some other capacity for a ballet company or other arts institution--there is a great deal of behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing performances!

[camercad]

I wanted to recommend an interesting thread on the other parents board (over 13) from those who are further in the ballet journey -
http://dancers.invis...showtopic=52739

[bunheadmama]

Thank you, camercad! I'll check it out.