Should I switch schools?

[Guest dancinsweetie]

Hi everyone! First, i want to thank everyone on this website. I've only been posting for about a week and i have gotton a lot of great help.

 

At the moment, i am attending a very small school in Chicago. I feel that i have had excellent training and that i am at a very appropriate level for my age. (This is also the highest level) I don't plan on becoming a dancer, but i do want to be very serious about ballet until i go to college. The classes at my studio are simple and I get few corrections. I don't feel very challenged there. This mite make me sound conceded but since the school is so small, there are only a few people who are more talented than I am. The reason i am attending the school is because it is a 3-5 minute walk from my house. The school I really want to go to is a 30 minute drive from my house and involves my parents having to drive me there because nobody from my neighborhood goes to the studio. It is also more expensive. I know it is a good school because my friend takes ballet there and i took her class once and really enjoyed it. I think I would be getting a lot more from taking classes at this studio but I feel bad asking my parents to let me switch. I am the oldest of three kids in my family and I am not the only person who has places to be. my parents also have to drive my brother to soccer, tennis and piano, and my sister to skating, jazz, and swimming. Attending the other school would probably mean that they couldn't drive my brother and sister places that they want to go to. Do you think it is okay for me to ask them if i can switch or am I being selfish?

 

Thanks in advance for any advise

[Mel Johnson]

Pull rank.

 

You haven't been asking much in the way of transportation from your parents so far, so maybe it's time for you, now. But what about mass transportation? Do you live in a part of the city where the buses and trains don't serve?

[Dolphingirl]

Busses are a possibility, but I think it involves a switch or two, and it can be somewhat unreliable. One year a girl was taking class both at my/Jennifer's studio and at the one that I presume is the other studio. She tried to come back from an earlier class to our later class. Sometimes she made it with 10 minutes to spare, other times she walked in 30 minutes late, because the bus just didn't come. I've been thinking too, maybe a group discussion with our teacher would be a good idea. A lot of us feel like she isn't challenging us enough, so if we all talked to her, it might help. I'd also advocate for one more class, but that's just me.

[Guest dancinsweetie]

Yeah-I think mass transportation may be a possibility because I'm not planning to attend a class from each studion in one day. I think I will bring up this topic at the dinner table tonight and maybe see if I can take a couple classes up there. Would that be a bad idea? also, Dolphingirl maybe your right maybe we should all discuss the level of classes with our teacher. What do you think Mr. Johnson?

Thanks for you advise

[Guest dancinabbs]

Here's what I think - does it matter if there are higher levels than yours or larger classes? Since I also happen to attend the same ballet school, I think that if we simply had a group disscussion with the artistic director, we will feel more challanged. I think you may be dwelling too much on what is considered "good" instead of good for you. Also, bigger classes aren't as good as some of the smaller classes at our studio, but don't forget "ballet is never too easy". But if you think going somewhere else is a better idea, go for it!

 

xoxo ABBE xoxo

[Victoria Leigh]

I'm not sure of ages here, however, if you are 13 or 14 and in the highest level, then where do you go from there? Is this teacher capable of taking you beyond this level? With no dancers higher, I would have to question that. However, if you are 16, it would not be so unusual for you to be in the highest level.

[Dolphingirl]

It's a difficult situation. It's time for a new level to be added, but there's not really studio time. Instead, the highest level has just been evolving with us, and the levels below have changed. We have one teacher who teaches at a higher levels than this one particular teacher, and we all love those classes. However, This teacher is only available two days a week. One day she teaches Jazz, and then the other day, we have her for four hours, so we do get to see a lot of her. Our other teacher can certainly teach higher level classes, and I think she is capable of giving more corrections, but I think she is afraid that we don't want the corrections, because it will make her the "evil" teacher, or something. I think if we were to all talk to her, we could maybe change the classes a little and make them more our ability levels. We could also talk about which teacher we have. I have always loved the classes our artistic director teaches, but she just went on maternity leave, and usually only teaches one day a week, usually a day we have some other class. Now that I teach too, though, I get to see a schedule and give suggestions. Hopefully we can try to make some changes to make our classes better.

[Mel Johnson]

Jennifer, if the Sunday supper table is the place where such subjects get brought up, I say go for it. Getting more rigor in your "home studio" is fine, too, but I think you sound like you need more challenge, and to see more of what's out there. I used to be appalled at the NYC kids whose whole worlds seemed to rotate around their own schools - alone! Too parochial for me - I liked to know what was going on all over the place.

[Guest dancinsweetie]

Thanks for all of they great advise! Tonight i am planning on bringing up the topic at dinner to see what my parents views are. Ms. Leigh-i just turned fourteen and I am not the best but I have nowhere else to go at my studio. By this I mean i have gotten good parts in most of the ballets we do and I am not that interested in the modern stuff. Whatever happens, I don't have to make up my mind right away because I wouldn't be leaving unitl next year anyway.

Thanks so much for the advise, it was really helpful!

 

PS Dolphingirl-maybe there is a way we can bring up the topic with the director.

[Guest dancinabbs]

Tell us how it works out at dinner whe you ask your parents.

 

xoxo ABBE xoxo

Edited March 1, 2004 by dancinabbs

[Guest dancinsweetie]

So last night i asked my parents what they thought about the idea of switching studios. They both agreed it was something to think about and that taking class at the other studio was definatly a possibilty for at least two days a week. We are going to take a look at the schedule and figure out which days would be best and maybe see if anyone from my studio wants to take classes up there too, so that we can carpool. I am really happy and i am glad I brought it up with my parents!

Thanks for all your help!