Boys dancing in Florida question

[tinas74]

My son is 10 and loves ballet. He has been taking clas for a year and his teacher says he is very skilled. I am moving to florida and I can either put him in a local dance studio where he will be the only boy.. again, or I can drive over an hour 3 days a week to have him go to the Orlando Ballet School. I know its one of the best but at 10 does where he go make a huge difference? I was wondering if I will hurt his chances to really excel if I wait till he is 12-13 to send him to a studio that has boy classes and other boy dancers. Any opinions? And does anyone know any other quality dance studios in or near Hernando county? I ask these questions because I am disabled and on a fixed income and with the price of gas the commute to orlando 3 days a week will really hurt me financially. I am willing to make the sacrifice if its for the best though.

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello tinas, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

I think if you can find a really good school, even if they don't have other male dancers, it would be okay for another year or two. Maybe you could arrange to take him into Orlando once a week for a boys class, and continue his other classes closer to where you live.

[its the mom]

Is it any closer for you to drive to Orlando's Tampa Bay location? There are several excellent teachers there. It appears as though you are situated in between Tampa and Orlando so I don't know which would be closer.

[Alina]

I agree with Ms. Leigh and its a moms advice. You could also have him attend the summer programs in either Orlando or Tampa where he would be able to study with a larger group of boys. I would suggest giving Peter Stark, director of Orlando Ballet School a call. He is very approachable, may have some good suggestions and be able to help you arrange a schedule that works in your lifestyle.

[cmtaka]

Peter is great you should reach out to him my son was there for about 5 years before he went pro. Peter works really well with the boys and he is good at working out solutions where he can for the kids. They also have some satalite schools that might be less of a drive for you than the downtown location. There may be some other parents in your area that you could car pool with. There are a lot of kids that commute from towns outside of Orlando.

[dancersteven]

I just want to echo what eevryone has said about Peter Stark being a great guy, very easy going and approachable. You know that his first priority in what is best for you and your son!