DD12 doing too much dance??

During her GCSE year in Y11, my dd not only managed to fit in dance classes of about 15 hours a week, she also did associates, performed with English Youth Ballet, took two ballet exams (one of which was Adv 2) and audtioned for a place at 8 vocational schools plus 3 finals.

IF they are determined enough, they can do it.

I wouldn't recommend art as a GCSE though, too much homework!

My daughters (13 and 11) do 10 classes each a week although that includes singing and dancing. Oldest does 3 x ballet classes (has gone on pointe just before lockdown so only just going back) They do singing, modern, jazz, tap, ballet and fitness/stretching. They have to be very disciplined about homework but get it done as they love their dancing so much! They were doing classes on zoom every day all through lockdown which was brilliant! If it works and she loves it why not? I'd rather they were dancing than sat at home or roaming around with friends. I will be mega rich when they stop though!😂

No, I don't think it's too much personally, if she can manage it around her other commitments and is managing to get enough sleep etc. Five and a half hours isn't actually that much across a whole week - a lot of kids do much more than this, especially if they're serious about it as a potential career option.

DD was doing about 4.5 hours of dance before lockdown (reduced now as teacher has had to rejig the schedule due to covid), then on top of that, she was doing 3 hours of drama school, a half hour singing lesson plus a series of external/school productions which required 2-6 hours of rehearsals each week at different points through the year. She was also volunteering for an hour reach week. Dance has now reduced to an hour a week, drama and singing are back to usual but there are no productions at present.

DD is now in year 11. Performing arts are just a hobby for her, but they are incredibly important to her for her mental health, and she would not be prepared to cut down on them. Although she is very busy, it hasn't had an impact on her studies - she is predicted all 9s. However, she is highly self-disciplined, very well organised and much higher energy than a lot of her friends, who probably wouldn't be able to cope with her schedule.

I do sometimes worry about her doing too much (less since lockdown as her activity levels have decreased due to covid) but on the other hand, her hobbies are what bring her joy and make life worth living. A lot of kids start dropping hobbies as they approach GCSEs, but dd is keen to continue with them as she believes that they will help her to actively manage the pressure.

I think a lot depends on the individual. Personally, I don't have as much energy as dd, and I'd have burned out pretty soon on a schedule like hers before lockdown. DD is different, though. She doesn't seem to need much down time just to sit and watch tv/play on her phone etc. She is energised and refreshed by going out to do the stuff that she loves, it gives her a structure to her week, and it actually helps her to stay motivated and focused on her studies. For other kids, it would be too much.

How does your dd cope with her schedule at the moment? How is she doing at school, and is she good at staying on top of her work? Does she eat well and get plenty of sleep? Does she look forward to dance or does she have to drag herself out of the house? Does she come home tired or energised? Is she snappy and irritable or generally cheerful and upbeat?

I don't know much about Dance. But I do know teenagers doing a variety of stuff that add up to more than 6hrs a week... So swimming twice a week, Guides/Scouts plus another hobby.

Oh, and of course she can fit it in with GCSE’s. The hardcore dedicated dancers tend to be the most organised and motivated. 5.5hrs is not many hours to be dancing at all.

My kids go through phases of doing between 3-10 hours a week. Have been since they were five. They love it. It’s never been an issue.

I would wonder if the best approach would be to plan a discussion with her teachers towards the end of this year, not as a "which should she give up" but more of a "what does she need to do to progress", what are the next steps, what should she (and you!) expect. If ballet training is looking plausible, two years in and age 12/13 would seem a good point to map out the various routes she could take, if she wants to and if she is successful. Such a discussion will inevitably allow her to see and say for herself, what discipline to let go and when.

I'm not knowledgeable about dance myself, so hopefully others may post to say, actually she needs to do "X" sooner or "Y" later and that will be the crunch point :)

I do appreciate the difficulty of telling a child to think about giving something up. My youngest had to drop piano lessons in favour of organ at 13. Some months back I tried to have a conversation with my eldest about what music she wanted to do in yr 13 (just started) - and made the mistake of saying, for example do you want to keep having clarinet lessons or drop them and just play in wind band ... Was I in trouble for even suggesting it!

My dd was doing the same at that age, and she stopped doing tap.