wibu to send ds to ballet in a dress?

[dddancer12]

looking at dance classes for ds, i think ballet would suit him very well.

on the faq theres 'what should my child wear to the first lesson' and the answer is 'For young children attending ballet, a skirt and t-shirt or a dress and bare feet.'

obviously the title is lighthearted, but i thought they may have at least thought about the boys!

[howwhatwherewhen]

youwere, did you not read where the op said the title was lighthearted?

[howwhatwherewhen]

youre also missing the fact that they didnt say what boys should wear, making the assumption no boys will want to go

[reallyanotherone]

Yes you're missing something.

The ballet school says dress code is a dress or skirt. Not shorts. Can you not see that this is a huge sexist statement that ballet is for girls, not boys.

The insistance on skirts/dresses to me allso suggests that this is a "ballet" class where they do a lot of holding out skirts, being girly and pretty.

When I did serious ballet, there was a clear uniform for girls and boys. Skirts weren't allowed in lessons as they obsure the hip angle and leg lines. Leotards only.

[livingthegoodlife]

My son does ballet. I too get fed up with the presumption it is girls only - even from his teacher. Previous teacher was fantastic always made sure he learnt the boys moves and bowed etc. The new teacher had him curtseying! I asked her not to refer to him as a girl!

My DS wears a white leotard and navy shorts, white socks and white canvas shoes which is the uniform. I would take your son in shorts but perhaps point out you weren't sure as the poster only referred to dresses!!!

[livingthegoodlife]

I should add, the new teacher used to call out things like "now girls let's move to the first position" completely ignoring my son in the class!!!

[YouWereAlwaysPerfect]

I was answering wibu to send ds to ballet in a dress

[ElphabaTheGreen]

You never actually read threads and just respond to titles, YouWereAlways...? That's a bit weird, really, isn't it now?

[dodobookends]

Most dance schools have a uniform list on their website and it is usually very long - girls ballet uniform, this grade, then the next, different colours, whether they wear a skirt or not etc. Followed by a long list of modern and tap uniforms for every grade and level, and every make of dance shoe that has ever been invented.

Then there will be details about how hair has to be worn in class and for exams.

At the bottom of this immensely long list there will be one short sentence which tells you what the boys uniform is.

[iamscarlett]

dodo I'm sure there probably is, but I think the point was that for their first class (which is what that reply is under) they are told to just wear a skirt or dress. You don't go to a first class in the full uniform. I am sure OP probably knows what her son should wear but was just saying that it was bad that it's seen as just for girls.

[claraschu]

My son was the only boy in his class for years, and the teacher was absolutely fantastic with him. He never felt left out or singled out, and no one ever teased him in the class. Not all ballet teachers of young children are sexist and silly!

[Yamadori]

Yes, I know that - the op is about a FAQ answer, and not the 'actual' uniform list.

Many dance schools can go for a decade with no boys applying at all (I have dance teacher friends) so it is an easy mistake for the poor teacher to make

[dodobookends]

iamscarlett it is probably answered that way because the dance teacher never gets anyone asking about boys classes so it was force of habit.

When was the last time anyone saw any ballet-themed images or merchandise that wasn't pink and sparkly? That's the real problem.

[YouWereAlwaysPerfect]

ElphabaTheGreen Hiya 👋🏽 are you following me around this site? This site itself is pretty addictive, once I click on something I just find myself commenting, sometimes it is so time consuming reading the whole thing, nothing weird about that, it isn't like I am coming on here just to offend people.

OP asked a question, I answered

[livingthegoodlife]

Dodo - exactly! My son is desperate for a ballet bag but there don't seem to be any neutral ones out there.

[Catheric]

My 4yo does ballet and is the only boy in his class. He loves it and all the girls fight over dancing with him. They had a lady come in to meet the new dancers so we could buy their outfits. Unfortunately she only brought girls outfits with her. She managed to find a blue leotard but had no black shoes. My DS didn't care so wears a blue leotard, black shorts, white socks and pink shoes. The outfit lady was very raised eyebrows when I said he could have the pink shoes he wanted and tried to persuade him otherwise. His teacher is brilliant and he loves it. Best thing I did signing him up.

[Catheric]

And on a related note to the op, for Christmas he has asked Father Christmas for a pink princess dress, so that's what he's getting. He'll probably wear it to ballet next term 😅

[BarbarianMum]

Get used to this. Ds2 dances and this year is the first one he hasn't been handed the generic note telling him he needs to have his (very short) hair in a bun for his exams.

[MigsSlippers]

I've yet to see what the official boys' uniform is in writing at either of our dance schools but in their defence, both have been pretty relaxed on what the boys wear, even if the demands are ridiculously detailed and lengthy for the girls. It works both ways - if they are happy for them to come in a t shirt and football shorts or joggers, IMO that makes dance more accessible for them and that works for me. Hope your son loves his lessons as much as mine does.

[LaurieLauren]

I'd have to mention it...

My son does 'babyballet' - he is 5. He likes it, but doesn't love it, so he is going to complete their syllabus (he'll be 6) but then stop. It's a shame... However, I really hope your son loves it 'babyballet' are really great with the boys, but he is the only boy (in his class) so I know he feels like he shouldn't be there.

I have considered 'London Boys Ballet School' - it looks fantastic, but it's quite far... If he wanted to go, when he was older, I would do the drive. It just seems silly, as he's so young, as he doesn't have a passion for it.

He does gymnastics, so that's a great alternative :)