Jump to content
Ballet Talk for Dancers to close ×
Ballet Talk for Dancers

Gift ideas for young male dancers


abbey

Recommended Posts

I'm looking for a few dance-related gift ideas for my 12yo son. Our school has a lovely little boutique full of pink, sparkles, frills, etc, for ballet-loving young girls. ;) And... um... some ill-fitting leggings for boys. ;)

 

I've gotten him a book on Cuban ballet (since one of the teachers he admires most is Cuban)... But not much else so far. He already has a t-shirt from Boys Dance Too. Any interesting or useful gear would be nice, although he wears a uniform for classes, so there's not much flexibility there.

 

What are you planning to give your boys? What gifts have they loved in the past?

Link to comment

Cafe Press has some fun t-shirts for boys who dance. www.cafepress.com You can just type in boys dance and you should find a few different options.

 

I also get my son a nutcracker every year when he performs in The Nutcracker. The girls get flowers but he loves getting a nutcracker instead. They all get displayed at Christmas.

Link to comment

There is a pretty long thread somewhere from a few years ago that we started. It had some really great ideas, but I can't remember all of them right now!

 

There are a lot more clothing items that are available than before - even since we had that thread! Any warm-up clothes that he can wear to class over his dance clothes or backstage during rehearsals is a good idea. Also the fluffy down-filled feet "warmers", though I'm sure there's a more technical name! By 12, he is probably wanting to look like the "real" dancers, even though he has to wear a uniform to class. He will likely appreciate opportunities out of the classroom, but in the studio and backstage to dress like a "real" dancer :) There are some pretty cool dance bags appropriate for male dancers, now, too. The last good one I saw was Capezio. Christmas ornaments each year (if you follow that tradition) that can help capture a special memory of a role he had during the past twelve months. Tickets to a "real" ballet. If he reads, ballet history books or books that tell the story behind the classical ballets, or biographies of male dancers. DS has an auto-biography of Nuryev that is old but really good.

Link to comment

You might also add DVDs that showcase male dancers such as Born to be Wild: The Leading Men of ABT or Fernando Bujones: Portrait of a Dance Legend, etc. You can find those on Amazon through our link below or at www.kultur.com

Link to comment

I gave a boy student a key holder with a little toad attached. I added a note that I was sure that one day he would turn into a Prince! He did and still has the toad on his dance bag!

Link to comment

A member who cannot post here recommended ABT's "Le Corsaire" DVD.

Link to comment

Hamorah - I remember when you posted that idea! It was in the thread I mentioned above. It has great ideas in it! This was the best idea - and certainly most creative - that anyone came up with!

Link to comment

Hi,

I bought my 14yr old a great T shirt with the logo 'classical ballet: where the weak are killed and eaten'. It was from amazon UK so I'm not sure if US has them... the UK link is http://www.amazon.co.uk/T-Shirt-Classical-Ballet-KILLED-Sports/dp/B002K40VDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323689393&sr=8-1

They also had some with logo 'US Army: classical ballet division' and a variety of others. My son loves his (but it depends on your sense of humour!)

 

Other ballet presents he has loved over the last few years (some of which possibly too UK centric):

A biography of carlos acosta

Agrippina Vaganova System of Ballet (book)

The Royal ballet Yearbook

The New York City Ballet Workout (great pics, though I'm not sure he has actually used it much)

Warm up boots (someone else mentioned them)

A subscription to Dancing Times (the main UK periodical- which often features male dancers)

Tickets to see Moscow State Ballet

 

I thought also the DVD of the Royal Ballet's Alice in Wonderland (which has been well reviewed) might be a good present this Christmas.....

 

Good hunting!

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Our movie theaters have Ballet in Cinema performances where you can see some of the major companies perform live. You may want to check in your area for that. Our theater sells tickets in advance, so you may be able to buy them now and go later.

Link to comment

Welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers, bflo!!!! I got to see Bolshoi's Coppelia earlier in the year, and it was incredible! Excellent gift idea for dancers!

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

Hi Clara 76. We saw Bolshoi's Coppelia too. Was that the where the intermission commentator spoke both French and Russian and English? We've been to some others, in fact I am pretty sure we saw Coppelia twice last year performed by two different companies, perhaps Paris Opera was the other.

Link to comment

Yes! I'm jealous! I would love to see just about anything POB does!

Link to comment

Glad I re-commented in this thread. It reminded me to look and our Ballet in Cinema spring season is just starting. We have options to see:

 

Sunday, Mar. 11, 11:00am

Le Corsaire, From the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow, Russia

Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky after Marius Petip

 

Thursday, Mar. 22, 3:30pm

Romeo & Juliet, From the Royal Ballet, London, England

Starring Lauren Cuthbertson and Sergei Polunin ---- doesn't seem like it will actually be Sergei from recent press I read here. So an interesting "smell the roses" conversation with my DK's

Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan

 

Sunday, Apr. 29, 11:00am

The Bright Stream, From the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow, Russia

Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky

 

Wednesday, May 16, 2:30pm

La Fille Malle Gardee, From the Royal Ballet, London, England

Choreography by Frederick Ashton

 

Sunday, June 24, 11:00am

Raymonda, From the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow, Russia

Link to comment

We've got the same ones here too!!!!

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

My son is going to a 5-week SI, and he is on the young side (12). This is his first SI and I am worried about homesickness. He was homesick last year after 1 week of Boy Scout camp- and his brother was there to hang out with. He is estatic to go to SI, but I know it will be hard.

 

I would like to send him small "open one a day" gifts in a weekly care package. What have you found the boys appreciate getting during SIs? DS loves ballet, but isn't into ballet "trinkets" (as I suspect most boys!?) I plan to wander around the dollar store, but 5 weeks is a long SI to cover without resorting too much to candy! Any ideas?

 

Also, what sorts of "must have" items have boys found for SIs?

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...