ella_ballet Posted October 25, 2016 Report Share Posted October 25, 2016 Ok, I will try to do more. Thank you so much for your advice! Quote Link to post
Heidi_Byman Posted November 25, 2016 Report Share Posted November 25, 2016 The closest ballet studio is 45 minutes away and I only take one 1 and 1/2 hour class. It's the only one available and if there were more we can't afford them. ? Quote Link to post
Kittylovespointe Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 (edited) Hello! I am 15 years old and switched to a non-residential pre-pro school a year ago that teaches strict Vaganova style. I started ballet when I was 10 at a recreational studio- the technique there was not great, but not awful either. (None of the teachers there were even former professional dancers.) I'm not sure if I'd like to pursue a professional career, but I'd like to have the opportunity to and not be hindered by technique. I attended a good summer program last year, but I'm nothing special and have a lot to catch up on still. I've also been dealing with a health problem the past few months so I didn't audition for any summer programs, but am finally getting better. I am going to do my studio's summer intensive, so I'll still have the opportunity to dance intensely this summer. Here is my schedule: Monday: 1 hour pilates for dancers (the studio is owned by former professional dancers and one is a current teacher at ABT OC) 1 hour character dance 1.5 hours technique .5 hour pointe Tuesday: 1.5 hour technique .5 hour pointe Wednesday: 1 hour pilates 1.5 hour ballet .5 hour pointe Thursday: 1.5 hour ballet .5 hour pointe Friday: 1.5 hour ballet .5 hour pointe Saturday: 1.5 hour class en pointe Usually some sort of rehearsal in the afternoon I also always stretch every day and do exercises that my pilates instructor and ballet teachers tell me to do. I try to stay after class and practice any steps I need help on. One of my biggest problems is my flexibility, which has gotten way better since I switched schools and learned how to stretch correctly. Pilates has helped SO much, I've only been doing it a few months and have noticed a huge difference in class. I used to take an hour private to rehearse for YAGP. I think once I feel 100% better I should add more classes, but jazz, contemporary, and another character class that I don't take start working on their recital dances soon so they will be more like rehearsals than classes and I won't be in their dances in recital. There are no variations classes or partnering (that starts in the next level), so I will have to take regular technique classes. I see some people my age dancing 45 hours a week and wonder what the difference is between dancing enough to improve and dancing too much, enough to cause injury will be. Edited February 20, 2018 by Kittylovespointe Quote Link to post
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted February 21, 2018 Administrators Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 Kittylovespointe, I think your schedule is good, for now. My question is, at the next technique level will you get longer pointe classes? Getting some everyday is good, but I would like to see a bit more time for each pointe section of your training. Quote Link to post
Kittylovespointe Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Thank you for looking at my schedule, Ms. Leigh! I feel that I should work on my pointe work for longer as well. Every class is 2 hours with the last 1/2 hour en pointe, so next year won’t be any different. Most girls at my school take privates to work on variations or technique during the ballet competition off-season and are en pointe for long rehearsals during the weekends, so maybe they don’t want to cause overuse injuries? The older girls are strong en pointe and have been accepted into well-known companies so I know the system works, but it does seem like a short amount of time for such an important skill. We have frequent shows (Nutcracker, which we preform 17 times, spring show, recital, summer intensive, fall show, plus ballet competitions for those who want to compete), so we’re always rehearsing for something en pointe a few hours each week, which increases as you get more advanced. I’m excited for summer intensive where we will have dedicated pointe and variations classes. Do you think that class combined with rehearsals (I know that they aren’t the same as class, but dancing in pointe shoes for long periods buildes confidence and strength), privates, and working after class and at home will be enough? If I want to become a professional dancer (which I am not sure about yet) I think I’d be good to attend a finishing school when I am older. Quote Link to post
DancerCR Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 I am going into the 10th grade and haven't seen much talk about upcoming schedules this year in this forum and was wondering how mine looked. Monday 1 hour ballet 1 hour strengthening .75 hour pointe .75 hour tap Tuesday 1.25 hour ballet 1 hour strengthening .45 hour pointe Wednesday 1 hour ballet .75 hour pointe 1 hour ballet 1 hour jazz Thursday 1 hour ballet 1.25 hour ballet 1 hour lyrical Sunday 1 hour ballet Quote Link to post
Clara 76 Posted August 5, 2019 Report Share Posted August 5, 2019 Have you compared your schedule with the recommended schedule for your age? Quote Link to post
Esmeralda Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 This year my schedule has changed a lot from last year, and I am wondering if it looks good? I just turned 17, and I am hoping to dance professionally. Monday Morning 1.5 hr technique class 30 min pointe class 1 hr variations rehearsal Night 1 hr Pilates 2 hr technique class (center on pointe) 1 hr contemporary Tuesday 2 hr technique class 1.5 hr rehearsal (on pointe) Wednesday 1 hr Conditioning 2 hr technique class (center on pointe) 1.5 hr rehearsal (on pointe) Friday Morning 2 hr technique class 1 hr pointe class 1 hr Pas de Deux rehearsal Night 2 hr technique class (center on pointe) 2 hr rehearsal (on pointe) Saturday 2 hr technique class 3 hr rehearsal (on pointe) Quote Link to post
vrsfanatic Posted October 11, 2019 Report Share Posted October 11, 2019 Esmeralda I would say your schedule is more than what most professional track students do. For your age, perhaps another partnering class could be added, but not imperative. All the best to you on your journey! Quote Link to post
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted October 11, 2019 Administrators Report Share Posted October 11, 2019 Looks like you are at the max, Esmeralda. Could not ask for more than that. Quote Link to post
Musical Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 (edited) Hi, I am 13, and I am going to post my schedule too. I really enjoy ballet and want to improve, but I don’t think I want to pursue it. Is this enough if I want to improve? Should I be doing more classes? Everyone is doing so many 😕 There is another more strict studio nearby, but I’ve been with the same one forever and I don’t really want to switch. I really want to get into more SIs though... Here it is: (By the way, all the ballet classes include some pointe, depending on the day, we don’t have specific pointe classes) Monday: Ballet 2h (we do variations and pointe at the end sometimes) tuesday: Nothing (there is another class for a higher level, but I can’t take it!!) Wednesday: Modern 1.5h Thursday: Ballet 2 h Friday: Ballet 1.5h (no pointe unless I take the whole class on pointe; should I be doing this? Also, this is an xtra lower level class) Saturday: Jazz 1h Ballet 2.5h, sometimes rehearsal Sunday: rehearsals when we have performances Usually I have 1 to 4 h of rehearsal each week spread out over sat and sun (depending on what time of year). So about 8 h of ballet, 2.5 h of other dance, and 1-4h of rehearsal. Someone please help!! Edited February 8, 2020 by dancemaven Added standard punctuation and capitalization per BT4D Rules and Policies. Quote Link to post
vrsfanatic Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Musical it is a wonderful goal to want to improve yourself in anything however improvement in ballet is directly connected to how many hours of study one pursues, at what level and the professional knowledge and ability of those teaching. You can always improve but not to the level of those who are on a professional track. At a certain point, the level of difficulty will not increase so improvement becomes maintanence. Continue to enjoy the study of ballet, but remain realistic about what level you are able to achieve if you do not out in the hours of study and have the physical attributes to achieve a high level. Quote Link to post
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