Booted out of kids' classes

[FleetFeet]

I have been dancing for over twenty years and up until this year I have always taken "children's" (teen) advanced classes. This is for two reasons. One, there are no adult classes that are advanced enough for me. Two, I like to take approximately ten hours of ballet a week. It is almost impossible to do this taking adult classes regardless of the level.

 

The studio I was most recently dancing at (three years there) accepted me and another adult student in the "kids'" advanced classes and we both auditioned for, and were accepted into the senior company as well for the last three years. Then near the end of the fall/spring session one of the owner/teachers asked to speak to us and told us that we could no longer take these classes. Several reasons were given (nothing about our technique or behavior in class), but it seemed to me that it revolved around some parents complaining and that some of the other owners/teacher didn't think adults in these classes was appropriate.

 

To add to the bad situation, a studio that I go to only in the summer for one day a week (one "kids'" class and one adult class), gave me the same deal. Oddly enough, the "kids'" class had so few students that it was in danger of being canceled and in the adult class there were two teenagers!

 

What is going on here! Besides the sense of rejection, this is making it very hard for me to put together a schedule with 10 hours a week of fairly advanced classes.

 

Is anyone else running into this? Or do you take lower level classes or much fewer hours per week so that this is not a problem?

[blaise]

I'm not in your situation, but I will say that those parents seem to have a very narrow worldview.

[Mel Johnson]

In ballet, classes are ordered by proficiency, not age.

 

Knuckling under to parent pressure like that is an abandonment of authority by the school owner/teacher. From now on, she can expect to get whipsawed by anybody who feels her kid is not getting what she (the parent) wants. For other teachers to join this is incredibly unethical. If you don't like the way the ship is run that badly, get off ASAP.

[FleetFeet]

I'm not in your situation, but I will say that those parents seem to have a very narrow worldview.

 

Dear Blaise;

 

Thanks for responding.

 

By "not in your situation", do you mean that you take only adult classes, or that you take kids' classes as well without issue?

[ripresa]

The parents are probably jealous that you're living your dream, while they can only watch from the door.

 

It is possible for me to take 10 hours of Ballet classes a week in our open division, and especially if I also consider other studios... so I'm going to assume you live in a smaller town? I'm sorry

Please keep dancing though. Don't let stuff like this stop you.

[FleetFeet]

In ballet, classes are ordered by proficiency, not age.

 

Knuckling under to parent pressure like that is an abandonment of authority by the school owner/teacher. From now on, she can expect to get whipsawed by anybody who feels her kid is not getting what she (the parent) wants. For other teachers to join this is incredibly unethical. If you don't like the way the ship is run that badly, get off ASAP.

 

Dear Mel Johnson,

 

I couldn't agree more, but I'm not certain that it is totally parental pressure, as both studios offered other reasons.

 

First studio's reasons: "They are promoting many much younger girls into the advanced class."" Some of the kids were uncomfortable with adults in the class."" The studio is in the business of teaching children primarily (despite all of its promotional material stating "two-year-olds through adult" and the classes that I was taking did not indicate an age level, just a technique level, "advanced"."

 

Second studio's reasons: "Numerous pedagogical reasons for not having adults in the graded children's classes" and a "long standing policy for separate adult and kids' classes" which "due to certain recent events, they were strictly enforcing". I find this rather puzzling since I took the kids' class in the summer for three years. Also, I took their most advanced kids' class three years ago as a drop-in and asked the teacher about taking this class during the fall/spring session and was told that that was fine, so long as I took all of the required classes for the level (which I was willing to do).

 

As to getting out ASAP, I am, but if other studios start doing this, I will quickly run out of places to dance! So this trend has me very concerned.

[lampwick]

Fleetfeet,

Sadly, you got the raw end of the deal in some kind of studio politics that have nothing to do with you, and you probably have no control over. It's unfortunate that the studio had a policy in place that encouraged/allowed you to participate for THREE YEARS. Then they pull the rug out from under you. I'd be a bit miffed/hurt myself.

 

Had you any indication beforehand that this would happen?

 

That said, yes, I have been not allowed in classes for teenagers at a certain school. The policy was already in place, although some exceptions had been made for other dancers, so it angered me at the time the exception wouldn't be made for me. Whatever. Serious pointe technique classes have always been difficult to find, and it's something I had the desire to "brush up" on. Once I was in the organization for a year or so and understood the bigger picture of what was going on, I completely understand why I was not allowed. But when it happened, I was mad as heck.

 

The one decent pointe class I've found for adults in the new city I'm in right now is very basic, but the teacher requests the music be played long enough for me to get in the extra repetitions I need to build strength. Everyone else rests, and I keep releve-ing:) I hope the situation works out. I just try to be sweet and unassuming as possible, so no one gets angry/jealous/nasty....

 

Would you still be able to participate in the company performances? Or did the school take that away from you as well? Is there a separate board that runs the company end of things?

[FleetFeet]

The parents are probably jealous that you're living your dream, while they can only watch from the door.

 

It is possible for me to take 10 hours of Ballet classes a week in our open division, and especially if I also consider other studios... so I'm going to assume you live in a smaller town? I'm sorry

Please keep dancing though. Don't let stuff like this stop you.

 

Dear Ripresa;

 

Thanks for the reply. Interesting observation.

 

I have had several parents approach me and say how much they admire me for taking ballet at my age and that they find me inspirational.

 

Also, when I spoke of this to my therapist, she immediately fingered the parents as the culprits. She says this is why so many teachers are getting out academia, because parents are so interfering and if their child isn't progressing the way that they think that they should, they often look at the "competition" or other external factors and complain, rather than considering that it might be their child's inherent lack of ability or insufficient willingness to work harder.

 

 

Fleetfeet,

Sadly, you got the raw end of the deal in some kind of studio politics that have nothing to do with you, and you probably have no control over. It's unfortunate that the studio had a policy in place that encouraged/allowed you to participate for THREE YEARS. Then they pull the rug out from under you. I'd be a bit miffed/hurt myself.

 

Had you any indication beforehand that this would happen?

 

That said, yes, I have been not allowed in classes for teenagers at a certain school. The policy was already in place, although some exceptions had been made for other dancers, so it angered me at the time the exception wouldn't be made for me. Whatever. Serious pointe technique classes have always been difficult to find, and it's something I had the desire to "brush up" my skills in at the time. I had to make do without dedicated pointe class at the time. The one decent pointe class I've found for adults in the new city I'm in right now is very basic, but the teacher requests the music be played long enough for me to get in the extra repetitions I need to build strength. Everyone else rests, and I keep releve-ing:) I hope the situation works out. I just try to be sweet and unassuming as possible, so no one gets angry/jealous/nasty....

 

Dear Lampwick;

 

Thanks for your input. As to indications that this was coming. The only thing I saw was that the jazz company stopped accepting the other adult student from participating. I didn't hear what the reason was, but I wasn't concerned personally because it was another teacher who ran the ballet company and she seemed fine with having the two of us in the advanced classes and the company.

 

Like I said for twenty years I have been dancing at various studios in the area and once I made it to the advanced level the only classes at that level were for teenager and I took them without anyone saying a word until these two studios suddenly objected.

[Mel Johnson]

The first studio's reasons are hypocritical enough to frost me, but the second one absolutely puts the dry ice to my tail with false scholarship. It wouldn't be out of order to demand a written bibliography of these "pedagogical reasons" with author, work and page.

 

Surely SOMEBODY out there is standing up for grading by proficiency!

[lampwick]

You've participated for twenty years in that community. That really stinks...

 

Geez, why can't people realize IT'S JUST BALLET. Seriously. Why deny someone ballet classes and performing?

 

You should write a note to your local paper about how hurt you are, and how you've participated for twenty years in your town's fine arts community. You're a positive role model for these kids. People need to understand how beneficial a long association with the arts is to the town, and to the community in a larger sense.

 

I bet you'll have a lot of sympathetic ears in your town. All you want to do is dance , How can that possibly hurt anyone, or be bad in any way

[blaise]

By "not in your situation", do you mean that you take only adult classes, or that you take kids' classes as well without issue?

 

What I meant was that I'd never have to take a kids' class. I live in New York City, so there are more adult classes than I know what to do with. I've danced at Joffrey for years.

[diane]

I teach kids from 6 - 60, and luckily, at the schools I teach at, adults are allowed in kids classes as soon as the kids' "exams" are finished. (up until the kids are about age 12 - 14, generally, adults are not in the classes)

I have no problem with adults in classes where there are more kids or teens, and also no problem with teens in adult classes, as long as all parties are respectful of each other and do not try to "hog" all the attention. :-)

 

As has been mentioned, it all has to do with what the dancers are able to do and how long they can concentrate.

 

Good luck finding something else!

 

-d-

[Treefrog]

This sounds like one of those WAY-more-than-meets-the-eye situations. I'm hesitant to do anything more than offer condolences at having your dancing life so upset. I can't begin to read into it.

 

Two things jumped out at me: that both studios took the same action at the same time, and one of them referenced "certain recent events". If I were you, I'd search my memory banks and/or the local newspapers to see if, for example, there were recent kidnappings or sexual abuse cases or something like that.

 

I'm guessing it has nothing to do with you per se -- unless by chance you are named as a suspect in said hypothetical cases? -- and that you just have to move on. It's unfortunate, but policies are policies and the studios have the right to enforce theirs.

[CDR]

Is this even legally permitted - surely you're being discriminated against because of your age!

 

I always say that adults are welcome to attend children's classes if they are able to cope with the work as long as they are comfortable with it, usually they opt not to come! We only have an adult beginner's ballet class so that's not really suitable if they've got a lot of experience.

 

If parent complained I would certainly stand my ground. The only reason that I imagine they might be concerned would be if it was a man attending class, although it's never happened - even then I would defend my decision. I'm assuming you're female so I can't understand what the problem is!

 

I hope you find some more classes.

[Redbookish]

which "due to certain recent events, they were strictly enforcing". I find this rather puzzling since I took the kids' class in the summer for three years.

 

Is it possible to find out what these "recent events" were? It sounds as though you're taking the fall for other people's behaviour. And the parents and children sound precious, panicking, and need to live in the real world ... or as they say here "get over themselves."