All Activity

In my role as a Moderator, I am not here to support any decision being made. I give my professional insight. I am one person, with one set of experiences in the ballet world. When I think of a 10 year old child who seemingly enjoys ballet class, I would say, let the child dance. The school is setting up red flags. Seems odd considering she is 10. As has been pointed out, choose a new school, a new program or let your child enjoy her journey through ballet in the current circumstances. There will be bumps in the road. There always are in anything one pursues. If your child's school would

I'm thinking the same, a new school may be better. Hah, definitely not a scientist, she has a very difficult time with school 🤣 But yes, other styles may be a better bet to avoid embarrassment and unfair treatment.

Don't stay at that school no matter what the decision. They've already told you that they don't value her as a dancer because she's developing curves. Go to a school where everyone is respected for their dance ability, espically when they are ten. She's ten, she should be able to study ballet at a high level as long as she is physically able regardless of her curves. She may not be able to be a professional, but she's ten, you shouldn't even be thinking about that right now because she's ten. She may decide that she wants to be a scientist. This either you are a training to be a profes

the cafeteria has a large amount of options, including vegetarian. A student can also eat at the pickle jar which ranges from burgers, to wraps and salads. They also have a cafe with smoothies and light snacks like muffins. if you are on Instagram you can visit the dining page for a better sense of things served .They have their own IG account. It's called uncsadining.

Would you support this decision? And if I make it, how should I talk to my daughter?

Sounds like you are closer to a decision. This is progress.🙂

I think it's a less professional program, unfortunately. I think this may be the right move for us, though, since she looks and feels uncomfortable next to her peers. She's already grown through several sizes and I see no signs of it stopping, the curves are inevitable. Should we be pouring time and money into a ballet career that will never happen/will cause her pain in the future?

Is the less intensive program run professional? Many programs for less physically suited students or those who do not wish to pursue a professional career are taught with lower standards of accomplishment for the students. There is good ballet and bad ballet. Make sure they intend to teach only good ballet in this less intensive program if this is the course your daughter chooses. As for body image, pretty much all young people are exposed to negativity when it comes to body image. it is all over the media. They cannot escape it. Please do not focus only on ballet being the cause of a bad

How would you recommend I communicate with her about this? She doesn't seem very open to it.

Keeping the lines of communication open between you and her is my recommendation, as you find a way to engage her in discussing maintaining a positive body image. 10 is so young, and coming from some personal experience right now with my DD's ballet BFF having just taken a break from ballet due to an eating disorder at age 15, it is very tough for even older teens to handle looking in the mirror and maintaining a very positive body image without comparing themselves to the other dancers. For this friend as she has gotten back to healthy eating, she is considering contemporary dance solely

How is the food at UNCSA? I have a dancer who enjoys very healthy, fresh foods. How is the cafeteria?

She does, and she goes to a very elite school. I agree that the level of training is important — I danced professionally myself — but I’m not sure now this is the right path for her. I think her teachers only brought it to me because my daughter has possibly expressed she feels uncomfortable, or simply looks and feels out of place. Another option might be better for her — they’re not turning her away but referring her to a less intensive program where she won’t feel so uncomfortable.

Does your daughter have a desire to dance professionally? If so, she must study serious ballet as the best school available to her. If you offer her substandard training, the results will be substandard. As for her body maturing at age 10, not a big deal at all, if she is talented for dance and her teachers want to train her. It is very unusual for a school to turn talented, paying students away. Seems, very odd. Now, if you told me she was on scholarship then the discussion would be quite different.

Thanks, Amie. I think this is true, what you said about puberty, but my daughter has already grown quite a bit, her breasts are bigger than her older sister's. I think she's around a C cup and still growing. I think it's difficult for my daughter, too, as she looks noticeably different, and the dress code for her age looks so unflattering on her chest and hips. I've asked and there's no wiggle room to switch to a leotard with a shelf for some extra coverage. She is talented, and I think would do well in other styles, maybe with an older grade so she feels a bit more comfortable in ho

Well...in a recent article Lovette talked about deciding to leave ballet as a performer because it was too much pressure to keep her weight at 95 lbs--she'd gotten up to a "heavy" 100 lbs. during the pandemic. So I don't know that I'd use her as an example of a ballerina with an outlier body type.

I have a similar reaction to Amie....I worry about a child being told at 10 that she shouldn't study ballet seriously because of her body type, and what kind of messages that means she will be given by her teachers. My daughter went from being a skinny and super bendy kid to a very curvy teenager. She continued to study ballet but also modern and other dance styles. She never really aspired to be a professional ballerina, but loves ballet and the serious study of it. I am so thankful that she was at a studio where she was judged by her technique and artistry and not by her measurements

First, I think it is too early to really tell. Some girls go through puberty earlier than others, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she will end up curvier than the other girls once they too start blossoming. Also, I think the teachers' opinions are a bit old fashioned. Yes, there are still some companies that prefer a thin, straight body type, but there are others that are not so strict. Admittedly, it is/will be more challenging for curvier dancers, but it is not at all impossible. Another thought, if she decides to lean more toward another dance style (modern, contemporary, jazzl,

A

Hi everyone,My 10-year-old has hit puberty pretty early -- she developed a lot throughout last year and this year and is much more physically mature than any of her classmates. She's still very, very slim, she just looks closer to 14 when she is only 10. She has danced at a serious ballet school since she was young and has shown a lot of promise, but her teachers met with me recently to tell me they think she should stop with the serious ballet program, considering her already curvier body type will not work in the ballet world. I think this is the right choice, considering it seems to be diff

Review of Indiana University: Note: We could not get in on a campus tour. (They were full.) We walked around both day and night and felt really safe. We read all the signs and looked at our google maps for help. 1. Overall impression of campus: huge, beautiful, gorgeous buildings, really, really welcoming students and faculty. 2. Fantastic college town!! Loved it! Stayed at Graduate Bloomington which is only three blocks to campus. We found lots of good restaurants and charming shops etc. We were able to easily eat affordably and walk everywhere. We never used our car once we go

Ooo, did you review her/your IU visit here? I enjoyed reading your recent review of another college visit. It’s so helpful to hear of others’ experiences. Thanks in advance for any info you can share.

My d still wants to attend I.U. especially after our tour last week. We are appealing the financial aid decision to see if we can get it within our range!

Impressions of Oklahoma U.: Excellent tour guides and fun tour Beautiful campus, we loved the Cherokee Gothic architecture Dorms were good Overall impression of O.U. good Campus Corner is ok (shops and restaurants across from school that students use.) 3 headshops in one block seems excessive!! We could not get a hotel room or b-n-b close to campus. We liked the dance dept. and saw the Festival Ballet Theatre spring show. We liked some of the choreography. Costumes and staging were good. Some of the dancers were excellent. Major drawback: N

InTheWings, thanks you for the kind words...