Which dance/ performing art school for DD?

[Whatdidyoucallme]

DD is 7 and loves performing arts and wants to be in a musical/ theatre when older. I want to make sure I choose the right things for her to pursue. I found a school called Ignite Dancing Company in Hertfordshire. Any parents with experience, would you mind giving me advice which schools/ courses to attend if we need to improve flexibility, performance confidence, Acro and dance skills? Ignite have not been very responsive so I am trying to see if they are really top league or just incompetent in responding 😂. Should I pursue them or start looking for another place?

Ignite is definitely top league from what I know (if the same school).

Spirit Young Performers also worth a look.

I wish you lots of luck and hope you have both loads of spare time and deep pockets - I know first hand what this 'hobby' is like. 😂

Do you think that she might be interested in ballet too?

I was talking to a friend who has a daughter of a similar age a few days ago about the Primary Steps scheme and the Royal Ballet's Junior Associate programme.

https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/participate/primary-schools/#1600697867025-6a2454b4-6602

https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/train/dancer-training/associate-programme/junior-associates/

PS Have just realised that Primary Steps might not be in your area, but there will be other ballet classes for her age.

Thank you so much. Oh god, I am dreading the £££ Any idea how much they charge? I can’t find it anywhere 🤔

Oh this is interesting, I had no idea. Will definitely check it out

@Whatdidyoucallme

I can't see the fees on the Ignite page either.

They've got a Facebook page which receives messages though and an e-mail address/phone number.

https://www.facebook.com/ignitedancecompany/

https://www.ignitedancecompany.org/contact

It's not so much the classes... but the classes plus comp fees, travel, shoes, outfits etc.

Spirit is £165 a month for the Dance Company, most also do the Performers as well.

www.spirit-dance.co.uk/about-spiritydc

An alternative would be to find a local dance school who does exams but not competitions. Your DD is 7, she might actually just want to dance. DD has done dance from 4-18 and, at 7, wanted to be "famous" and do dance and acting. By the time she was 13 she didn't. She still did dance exams and performed in their shows though. Other members of this school have gone onto the Brit school etc so the super expensive and competitive dance schools aren't a necessity.

It's still not cheap either way mind you!

There is also Stagecoach if your DC is also interested in singing, dancing and acting too. It used to cost £30 per week when my foster son went 10 or 11 years ago. They do medals and end of term performance.

”stage” schools are great for fun, confidence, general all rounding.

I’m torn. I would prefer a child to study dance initially. Singing lessons would come later as the voice develops, acting anytime.

i would sign her up to a dance school. Ballet, maybe modern. Gymnastics too, or even cheer as that will teach confidence and performance.

for now, especially if money is a factor, that’s enough. You could do one of the Saturday morning drama clubs like PQA.

my niece went to a well known “stage school” from very young. She was very talented in singing and performance, not so much in dance. They gave her lots of main parts but neglected her dancing as there were others better.

she got a place for a drama degree, but her singing was overtrained and very “stage school”. Stuck out a mile. That plus no dancing meant she never got any parts.

so I’d be cautious about “stage school” early on. Better to develop individual talents than be churned out same as millions of other kids.

Your DD is 7, she might actually just want to dance. DD has done dance from 4-18 and, at 7, wanted to be "famous" and do dance and acting. By the time she was 13 she didn't.

This and toomanytonotice's points are important.

We're talking about a 7 year old. With limited life experience and knowledge of what her adult life might be. There are so so many things she hasn't experienced yet to also feel "oh I want to do this forever".

Just because she currently enjoys dance and has expressed a fantasy about being in musicals one day, doesn't mean it's appropriate to throw everything including the kitchen sink at training her for that narrow goal. Closing all other doors in the process

Loads of people watch musicals and think to themselves how wonderful it would be to be part of that. Doesn't mean they should all go and train for it.

She's 7 and you're here with a long list of intense skills for her to develop for a possible future career. It's great that she enjoys dance, sure nurture that. But leave space for her to develop other interests and skills and talents and dreams.

If she'd said she wanted to be an astronaut or a mountaineer or an ecologist when she was older, would you have reacted like this with a list of skills that must be developed in a specialist setting starting immediately?

Just because businesses will take your money to hothouse your child doesn't make it the right thing to do. She's just a revenue stream to them.

DD started with ballet and tap which morphed into modern and tap. She then picked up Street Dance which morphed into Jazz. Her peers did variations on this along with ballet and singing. Some did Acro. The ability to pick up different classes on a term by term basis (subject to space!) was great as it meant they found the types that suited their skills or enjoyment.

I think the lack of competitions meant that the teachers concentrated on getting the best out of the students rather than getting the best for the school.

DD gained a lot from it.

Be careful with Stagecoach and PQA etc. They are franchises and the 'owners' need bums on seats more than they need to nurture and develop talent. If your child is good and you want them to get better, they will be better off 1:1/ small group tuition

@Whatdidyoucallme If she wants to be in musicals then she will need to do ballet alongside tap and modern at her age. Those are the standard three, and modern tends to morph into jazz as they get older, with contemporary added after that. Ballet technique is at the core of it all, and students need to do ballet classes as well as the others. Stagecoach-type schools are fun (there's one called Top Hat in Hertfordshire too), but the sort of training you get there will not be the same as at a dance school. People tend to do that on top of regular dance classes, not instead of.

I agree with blacksax - at this age find a good dance school and start ballet, tap and modern classes. At 7 she can still catch up with the kids who have been dancing since 2 or 3 fairly quickly. By good dance school, I mean somewhere that teaches one of the well regarded syllabuses up to vocational level (i.e. pointe and intermediate/advanced level classes) rather than a dance school full of primary aged kids.

On top of this look for a musical theatre class for an hour or two a week at a place that also offers classes to senior level (where the hours per week usually increase).

Also check out your local smaller theatres as they often run summer schools over the holidays as well as term time classes.

I wanted to be a nun when I was 7. I'm married with 4 kids. She might want to be a dancer when she grows up but she might not.

I have a teen dd who is at a dance school very very close to ignite (who have a good rep). Dd is thriving where she is and I've got a bit of a sense of other local performing arts schools and their offerings and the relationships between them. Pm me if you want any specific details! What do you think will suit your DD? Eg - strict classical training/friendly inclusive experience/singing and musical theatre etc? Which secondary school is she likely to go to.....?

Edit to add she does multiple dance styles, competitions, MT and drama, and the opportunity for more voice/whatever classes.

I would say that’s lovely but not make it the be all and end all, musical theatre is so hard to succeed in, although there’s a great amateur scene! I would get her into dance with a school that has lots of seniors and a track record of getting seniors into vocational training as dance is often the discipline that if you’re not trained early enough in, it’s harder to pick up. (DD’s school are excellent at that, they don’t do competitions, but the standard is high and they offer all the vocational exams and training and send seniors off every year to professional training.) DD who is 13 has found that her classes this year have gained students this year that have decided that they want to do musical theatre and they need to dance, but they’re struggling mainly with ballet but also modern to a certain extent.

When (in many years time!) she might want to audition for a full-time musical theatre course at 18+ then take note - the first thing all the performing arts colleges do in every audition is a ballet class.

I completely agree with @SoupDragon about the sort of dance school you need to find. Concentrate on the basic 3 disciplines and don't bother with big competition/festival schools unless you have ££££.😂

Incidentally @Whatdidyoucallme since you are in Hertfordshire, Tring Park School for the Performing Arts has a timetable of regular dance classes for local children too, so maybe look into that. They also do summer schools and workshops in musical theatre.

Find a good local dance school that doesn't do competitions but has a history of students going to Tring, Urdang etc. Keep the money you save from not doing competitions for going to see theatre and workshops often on during Kids Week in London.

She needs to have a strong grounding in singing, dancing and drama ie Triple Threat, an instrument wouldn't hurt either. DDs dance school used to do an unlimited pass of £30 for as many group classes as you wanted to do in a week and was registered with Ofsted so counted as childcare so it was possible to get a reduction for term time classes after-school and I had someone pick her up from school and drop her off whilst I was at work although that was a long time ago now.

Get her involved in local theatres Am Dram, pantomime babes - often they'll take from their own theatre classes.

Then, most importantly, know when to give it up if she changes her mind. At 7 my DD was twirling round in sparkly leotards and satin ballet shoes, at 14 she can be found cover in mud and bruises on the rugby field. There are lots of transferable skills to be had so certainly not a wasted time, but know classes can snowball and it can become all consuming and some dance schools are very cliquey and a bit 'Dance moms', if the environment is toxic then it's time to walk a way and try somewhere else.

It mainly depends on what she wants to do. And her skill set.

DD had West End contracts as a child and loved it. Most of her close friends were in West End. It's a big juggling act for parents and you really need to be within M25 to make it work.

She trained in acting/singing/dance for years. Singing was always her first love, acting second and then dance.

She is aiming for a career in the music industry and switch at 12 to focus on instruments and composition, and dropped the dance. But has 9 years of ballet, modern and other dance genres behind her. Still dances but not in a serious way - enough to keep fitness and basics up.

She's still very serious about acting - but screen not stage - but with that it's far harder to find or make opportunities.

If you are aiming for child roles in musicals, it is extremely competitive, these kids train hard, and you have to be very realistic about things like height. Matilda is generally 9.5 - 11 years old and UNDER 4ft 3". If your child is tall for age, or likely to develop early then they will struggle... there are hundreds of teeny kids out there. You are also finished at 13 or 4ft 10"/5ft - whichever comes first.

For MT, there are normally open calls, but on the whole you would want to get an agent involved. Look at the AYPA for reputable agencies.

For all those who say to come back when they're older... you can, but there are plenty of children who do know what they want. I know kids who did 4 or 5 west end shows and have now taken a different path, know lots of did 4 or 5 and are now in adult roles.

DD told me what she wanted to be when she was 3... she has never waivered from that and still wants the same thing. And it was not a world I had any knowledge or desire for her to be in. I've been on a very big learning curve. She knows she can always change her mind at any time.

This is such good advice and 100% correct. Keep other doors open. Thanks so much for the reminder

Thanks for this. Do you have any recommendations in North West London by any chance?

I wanted to be a ballerina sadly my parents did not have the time and energy to help me pursue the right schools and lead me to the right direction. I am aware that she might change her mind after a few years but I as a Mother want to make sure I tried my best to help and guide her while keeping other academic doors open too.

This sounds wonderful, congrats 💐.
May I ask which school/ class she attends? Do you mind if I PM you?

We’re nowhere near you - I’m in Hants so a bit far to commute! You want a school with registered dance teachers. All DD’s teachers are registered with RAD and ISTD. There are other suitable registered bodies too although those two are the most common. Have a look and see who is registered in your area and check out the school, the timetable will be a give away. Look for classes like Advanced, intermediate or Inter foundation ballet which means they’ll be doing vocational classes. Most schools shout from the rooftops about professional training, so check out their social media pages.