Quick- help me out

[PurpleThermalsNowItsWinter]

I'm 5 hours into a 6 hour rehearsal. Dd (4yrs) has had enough. She's amongst the youngest in the show but there are 3yr olds here. The show is 4 weeks away. The last two weeks we are expected to do 2x2hr rehearsals until 7:15pm on weekdays plus 6 hours every Saturday until the day of the show. Just before I argue with the dance principle, is this too much or AIBU and PSB (precious second born)? We're also having to pay extra studio hire fees for all this too. Is this normal? I feel as though all perspective has been lost.

[ThreeRuddyTubs]

No experience but that seems like a huge amount for a 4 year old! I'm not surprised she's fed up

[WorraLiberty]

I don't know if it's normal but I know it's not fair on a fed up 4 year old.

[TwoSmellyDogs]

She's 4? Why on earth would you be putting her through that?

[RubbleBubble00]

6 hours. Utter madness

[PurpleThermalsNowItsWinter]

I've been distracting her with ben& holly, peppa pig etc on you tube, letting a group of them play outside the studio then ushering them back in for their dances ( so not onstage or sat about). I'm going to say the the principle it's too much and we will attend one walk through rehearsal a week (roughly 2 hours). It's my first dance show since finishing dancing myself at 14. I have no idea what's normal anymore. The other mums are dissatisfied but not saying anything against the amout of rehearsal. Thank you for putting it into perspective. I'm off to be THAT mum and I don't care anymore.

[Pipbin]

What are the maximum hours for children that age? There are very strict rules.

[Enjolrass]

What are the maximum hours for children that age? There are very strict rules.


Very strict rules for hobbies?

[LIZS]

Do Performance Licence rules apply? Many dance school shows do not require them and as such are their rehearsals and performances are unregulated. However they should be realistic as to what younger children in particular can tolerate, keeping the time they are required to wait minimal. As a parent you can insist that they supervise the waiting children , not you , and withdraw your child as necessary although it will probably make you unpopular with the teacher.

[Stompylongnose]

Is this a West End play or something? Madness for a 4 year old.

[WorraLiberty]

Surely you mean it's her first dance show?

[PurpleThermalsNowItsWinter]

It's just a Christmas show, a suburban dance school show. Not even a professional show. It's rehearsal madness. Part of the charm is the children messing up.

[Pipbin]

Very strict rules for hobbies?

With this amount of rehearsal I assumed I must have been a professional production.

[yorkshapudding]

I'm pretty sure I'd be on the verge of a tantrum after 5 hours, nevermind a 4 year old. I also think rehearsals going on until 7.15pm in the week is too late for 3 and 4 year olds. Surely many of them will be used to being in bed by that time in the evening? There's no way I would be putting such small children through that ridiculous schedule to satisfy the (clearly not very realistic) expectations of the adults involved.

[dodobookends]

This is total madness on the part of the dance teacher. Usually, you wouldn't expect the show to be rehearsed in strict order, but to have the tinies practise their bit first, and then go home. This is how it has been done on the numerous occasions DD & I have been involved in this sort of show.

It would only be at the final tech/dress rehearsals that they would need to be there for the whole thing, to do a full run-through.

[laffymeal]

It sound excessive. My DD was involved in a dance school, she did tap, modern, ballet, jazz and musical theatre. We ended up dropping tap because she seemed to be at dance school more than home for a while. When they did a show the rehearsals were just incorporated into the normal lesson time, a week prior they did some extra and then a dress rehearsal the night before. The shows were always charming and lovely to watch. The very young participants were only expected to turn up for their bit and then allowed to leave.

[dodobookends]

Bored, tired, hungry fractious little children who have been hanging around for hours aren't going to perform well when it comes to their turn anyway.

[RJnomaaaaaargh]

Bloody hell, both mine danced at that age, different schools. All show rehearsals beyond normal classes were one rehearsal where the teenies went first and were then allowed to go home.

Six flipping hours!!!

[dodobookends]

Why on Earth do they have to wait until the very end of the rehearsal?

[blueballoon79]

DD dances and has never attended such long rehearsals barring one which was on the day before the performance and was 4 hours long.

Usually it was incorporated into the lesson times and any extra was only an hour or so at a weekend.

[londonrach]

Your poor dd. shes only 4, as an adult id struggle with 6 hours. 6 hours! Thats almost a full day of work. Why is she doing this?

[PurpleThermalsNowItsWinter]

It seems badly planned. Dd's class is doing 3 dances. The first dance is two dances in, the second in the middle of the show and the last is the second to last. Then all the children are expected on stage at the end.
I have wine now to calm down and the number of another dance school to ring. But I will try and let her have her show (with a reduced rehearsal practice) as there are presentations afterward and she's done two exams this year (there was much less rehearsal and stress about the exams, it was very casual for the little ones). I feel bad for considering moving her as she has made lots of friends. But this is madness.