Re dancing classes

[jollyfrenchy]

DD1 is nearly 10, and has always enjoyed dancing. She changed dance schools in January because she has no opportunity to perform with her old teacher, and it seemed a shame not to be able to show off her skills.

However, I'm getting really peed off with new dance school teacher. DD attends a 2 hour session a week, and they are due to do an exam in a couple of weeks. With her old school, they had a brief exam run-through the week before just to check they were familiar with the exam conditions. With this school they are having three 1.5 hour extra sessions in the three weeks before the exam, which we have to pay for, and which "all candidates are expected to attend". AIBU to expect them to do enough in their normal classes to suceed at exam? We have very little family time at a weekend, and pay loads already for her various activities.

Also, her teacher has complained to me about her having had her haircut. The info about the dance classes stated that for this exam they are supposed to have their hair in two plaits, pinned on top of their head. When she started there, DD had bob length hair, so the two plaits thing was never going to happen. She has since had it cut again in an inverted bob (short at the back) something she had chosen herself and been really keen to have done. I assumed that for the exam she would just have to clip/gel it back off her face to be tidy, as it would obviously not go into the prescribed hairdo. However, her teacher has whinged at me about today. AIBU to think that DD should be able to wear her hair however she wants to look on an everyday basis, rather than based on criteria for a single 30 minute long event. Presumably she is not the first dancer ever to have short hair???

I appreciate that if you are a professional dancer you may have to have your hair a particular way, and that getting everything absolutely perfect is essential, however, we are talking about a child that just wants to enjoy dancing and performance.

As you can tell I completely disagree with the ethos being put out by this teacher, however, I am unable to withdraw from classes without giving a whole term's notice or paying fees in lieu. Grrr. I'm tempted to pull out anyway, and hope that the annoying woman wouldn't bother to take me to court over £100.

It is very difficult to find dance classes that are just for fun and at some point don't turn into exam mad / dance show frenzies, with extra classes galore and God forbid if you don't automatically know how to do a bun and the right make up! I think a lot of schools think that everyone wants to take exams, be a professional dancer etc.

Some schools are better than others though, you maybe need to find a more laid back one for next term. Any school that made such a fuss about not having the right hair style for plaits would get the heave ho from me.

I also don't get this whole 'they'll be happy with a pass' thing. When else in life is not working your hardest towards something acceptable? Yes extra-curriculars should be fun, but they are also a means of learning that some things in life you have to work hard to be good at, whatever your 'good' may be- I'm not saying everyone should be professional ballerina level because that's unrealistic, but surely if you aren't willing to put your full efforts into a dance exam you shouldn't be doing the exam in the first place?

Bollocks to the hair thing. My son's dance and guess what - they have never had plaited hair and they pass their exams. For certain types of dance it is important that the examiner can see the line of head, shoulders and neck - but you just use gel and bobby pins/ clips, if its mid length.

jollyfrenchy , sometimes I doubt your commitment to SparkleMotion!!

High Five to Nina - god I love that film

Oh and yes further to paying for services remark she is your childs teacher not your servant

Is the hair thing a similar idea to the wigs some Irish dancers have to wear? My niece has short cropped hair which has been plum, scarlet & electric blue at various points, but has always been forced to attach ringlets to it.

On the whole 'dictating the terms' thing, it's not that I am trying to tell her how to run her dance school, but it would be easy to offer extra classes before exams if people want them, rather than requiring people to go to them (and pay for them).

Also, it's not that my daughter doesn't want to put in the time and effort, or do hee best for the exam. She has already spent months dancing for two hours a week in preparation for this exam, so I don't really see why she should need extra practice. If she genuinely isn't ready for the exam then the teacher shouldn't be putting in for it. I believe she is in fact totally ready and these extra classes are just a money spinner on the part of the teacher. In her previous dance school she got high marks in exams with no additional classes on top of the regular ones.

There are 2 boys in her class, so obviously they won't be wearing plaits :-D so I don't see how it can matter that her hair is short as long as it is clipped/gelled back off her face.

When my dd used to dance they did insist on 2 lessons a week for ballet in the higher grades. In the run up to the primary exams they gave the second lesson free though. And they were fussy about the hair. But I guess thats how it is, they expected families to take it as seriously as they did. Which is totally fair enough.

We live in a relatively small town and yet there are still 4 dance schools operating in the town. Each one has it's specialities and different approaches. DD attends two different schools because one dance school doesn't offer all they dances that she wants to do. One school is very strict with extra dance classes before exams and with strict uniform and the other is far more relaxed but teaching level is not the same. We accept the terms of both schools and each one has it's different strengths and weaknesses.

Sounds like you need to do more research on what type of school you wish your child to attend and then when you find it, stick with it.

Yes, isn't the hair thing very blatant gender discrimination? Perhaps she could claim to be transgender for the week and wear the boys' uniform
Making note to encourage short-haired DD to quit ballet well before she gets to the exam stage.

I took ballet exams in the 1970s and my dc took them in the 1990s. We all had extra classes before exams. It’s perfectly normal.

I know OP - put her in a frozen wig!

Catkind lol. We do have a lovely Rapunzel one which might work well.....