DD12 doing too much dance??

Ballet is fairly essential core dance training to underpin other types of dancing.
What she’s doing feels about right and not excessive to me. It’s the same with anything you want to do well, you have to train and practice.

I’m trying to remember how much our daughter did at twelve. It an hour each for tap and jazz, with more when exams or shows were approaching. Ballet was four hours during the week plus alternate Saturdays. By sixth form it was much more, with travelling to Birmingham most weekends thrown in.

Dance was her life. She didn’t want other extracurricular stuff and gave up flute to continue ballet.
Her schoolwork was probably enhanced by having time out with a different focus. The hard bit was deciding whether to continue post sixth form and not do her academic degree. She decided her dancing would stay a hobby not a career.

This is about what my recreational students of her age do. My dance team do 8-10 hrs of classes a week (by choice, it's not compulsory). One of the most valuable lessons they learn is how to manage their free time (and homework) efficiently to be able to train for this number of hours.

Completely depends on the child and whether they can be organised to fit in schoolwork etc. My daughter trains (not dance but sport) for 7.5 hrs over 4 evenings a week however the journey there and back is 90 mins so an additional 6 hrs out of the house on top of actual training. She has learnt to be organised, do homework whenever she can and spends time in the car prepping for tests and doing revision as her school seem to test very frequently. She is keeping up with schoolwork, in top sets for everything and predicted minimum of grade 8's accords the board.

If her schoolwork started to be affected we may reconsider her schedule but at the moment she is coping fine (just started yr 9).

My 12yo is doing two hours of ballet (IF/intermediate/pointe) and an hour of contemporary on weekday evenings (down from five hours before lockdown, because of covid timetable changes).

At the weekend, she does an Associates for three hours on Saturday, and (just for this term) youth ballet on Sunday. She also tries to fit in a private lesson, but that varies depending on teacher availability. So that adds up to about nine hours, and I think it will go back up to around 10-11 as soon as covid restrictions ease.

She also sings in a choir and plays an instrument, which takes up two evenings.

For her, this is energising and refreshing. For me, it would be much too much! She uses lunch break at school to get most of her homework done, which is working quite well as they’re limited in terms of clubs and where they can go due to covid.

I danced every night of the week after school through my teenage years, mainly ballet and some contemporary. I loved it and it was a way of life for me. I didn't go into dance professionally but I still do weekly classes and still love it!

I always did better with schoolwork when I had more scheduled activities, as I had less time to procrastinate and couldn't think 'oh I've got hours to do it'.

And it's great exercise for her.

My sister did loads of dance as a child. Eventually she did the exams and became a dance teacher (PT) while she finished her education. So it can become something even if it’s not high level or a career. She loved doing it.

Loads of the kids at DS’s swim club go on to become lifeguards and/or coaches/teachers as PT jobs through sixth form and university. And several have chosen careers somewhat inspired by their swim experiences (sports medicine type roles). DS might choose to do one and/or the other in the future - I’m under no illusions that he’s the next Michael Phelps. 😂

Sadly he might also take up an interest in triathlon and be moaned about by partners in the future for family-avoiding training and competition antics. That seems to be popular among ex competitive swimmers. His previous coach told them all they’d make brilliant triathaletes.

So it may go somewhere, even if it’s not prima ballerina in the royal ballet.

If its just a fun hobby she enjoys then I wouldn't go above 8-10hrs of formal lessons even if she pushes for it - I've told DD the 7 she does now is her limit, but have converted half the playroom into a dance studio so she can practice at home. If she wants to pursue it seriously then she probably needs to do more, especially the ballet. Maybe just see how she goes for now. Very jealous of the super close dance school, ours is miles away.

My DS (11) does 11.5 hours of swim training a week (his club is on the low end of training hours too, the equivalent squads in other local clubs do 16 hours). He also does some other stuff too.

Loads of kids are doing similar amounts - or more. In all kinds of activities.

The question isn’t really about a number of hours that is too much for every child, but about how your DD is coping with what she’s doing. If she’s doing well and enjoying it, there’s no issue (so long as you can afford the fees and are willing to be taxi service). It’s entirely different if she’s exhausted or struggling at school.

When I was a swimmer, training About 10-15,hours a week, every single person in my squad (about 15 of us), every single one, was at a grammar school. Anecdotal I know, but you just fit stuff in better. You know you're going swimming at 7pm, so you do your hw at 5pm, non negotiable. On my days off from swimming, I just wasted time, watching tv etc, and didn't ever want to start my hw.

The only issue to me would be if you can't afford it, or if she is struggling at school or physically.

Otherwise, let her do the ones she wants. I did far more hours than that with music at that age and right through to the end of school - a couple of hours of practice most days, plus several lessons, and hours in out of school choirs and orchestras, as well as in school choirs and orchestras, and all the concerts. And I wasn't particularly good nor considering it as a career - the ones who were did far far more than that.

I didn't struggle at school, though, which makes a difference - I could fit homework and revision in the small spaces between things, and I learned to be very organised. I also did Guides, and at some ages, things like swimming. Admittedly, not much social life, but that wouldn't have been different otherwise.

So I see no need to curtain activities unless there is actually a problem or the expense is too much (which is understandable!). I hated always having that threat over me that I would have to choose something out of the different activities.

My dd was doing 7 hours in the week and Company for four hours at the weekend

She’s just going g4 ballet this term as it felt way too much - she’s year 7

Depends how tired your dd is I guess !

I don't see the issue, my DD11 does 7hrs of dance a week (shes only grade 3 though so maybe less intense?) - ballet, tap, modern, street dance, acro and freestyle. She also plays piano at grade 3. Its all day Saturday, all Tuesday night, 1 hr weds and 1 hr Thursday, plus obviously lots of practice at home. Still leaves plenty of time for homework and going out with friends (although not enough time to keep her room tidy apparently). She wants to be a doctor so she does take school seriously, but I think she would move out if I suggested she quit dance! And shes incredibly fit and strong so it's to be encouraged as far as I'm concerned

I think it's fine mine was doing similar hours though a mix of dance and MT at a similar age. By year 10 she was doing 10.5 hours per week, it did drop back to 7.5 hours in year 11. She got a fabulous set of GCSEs and it prepared her for the reality of professional training - she is out the house for 14 hours a day with 10.5 hours a day at college plus travelling.
If they want to take this further they have to be able to organise and prioritise everything.

Not dance but music.... before going to specialist school in September DD1 (then 12) was having 5hrs tuition on a Saturday, a further hour during the week and a 3hr performing arts class on Fridays. That's without the 1-2 hrs of daily practice. She also did 3 seasons of pro panto while holding down this routine. Yes, she was knackered at times! But she coped brilliantly, even through the busiest and most pressured times. If they love it and are dedicated, it's not too much.

Mine were doing 2.5 hours at g2 because they loved its. I don't think it's too much if she genuinely enjoys and wants to keep up with it.

mine have been doing 4-4.5hrs a week (not including shows) since they were 7/8ish. One would love to do so much more but we really are at maximum capacity money wise so sadly money will end up limiting her.

My 9yo DD does around 8 hours of ballet / jazz during the week then 4 hours of associates at the weekend so don't think it is too much.

I wouldn't necessarily say however she is behind grade wise for a serious dancer though I would probably drop tap and up the ballet.

Lots of things to consider... if dance is a hobby, it’s a matter of balancing what she wants to do and what you can afford. 5.5 hours is not too much, and as others have said, the discipline will help with her studies. She could also do less and still enjoy her dancing and make progress, if the amount she is doing is working out too expensive. Learning to work within a budget is an important life lesson.
If she wants to pursue dance as a career, she will need to supplement her classes with private lessons to catch up, as she is behind where you would expect a serious 12 year old to be. 5.5 hours a week is a lot less than many of her peers, and may prevent her from catching up and subsequently keeping up.

I will also add I probably did around 10-15 hours a week of dance training. So 5.5 really doesn't seem a lot.

I studied ballet, jazz and contemporary for most of my childhood going up to college. It was a lot and exhausting, however for the career I wanted it was necessary.
So I think it really depends on what she wants to do with her future.

I think there's quite a lot of regional variation here, because I don't know anyone at 12 who does so little extra curricular. There's quite a lot of keeping up with the joneses where I live. I'm trying to keep my dd, also 12, on a broader range. So, she's does a few hours of dance, a few hours of swim club and a few hours of football a week. That already is no where near enough to 'keep up' to those who have already decided to focus on that, so the decent swimmers for example are already doing at least 12 hours per week by that age. Which is fine. I don't want her to do too much.

I think it's ok??

My DD did more than that for a few years in her sport plus a ballet class.

I would be asking for a better discount from the dance school though

My boys don't so 6 hours of any one thing but they do about 8 hours combined between soccer, hurling( in ireland) and rugby not counting swimming etc and they don't appear tired.. they're always tears when I suggest dropping something even though they wouldn't be very 'talented' at any of them..