Scheduling conflicts

[KatyMac]

DD (13) has danced for years (about 10); specialising in Ballroom & Latin more recently (3yrs or so)

She just won a place at a top (I understand) Ballet school who say she can't carry on with the B&L because there are scheduling conflicts. Their classes are Sunday & DD spends 6-8 Sundays a year competing.

I am checking how many of last years comps were holidays vs term time

But it's a dramatically hard decision for a nearly 14yo

I guess it depends on which direction she wants to go in. B & L is quite a specific genre, if your dd is going in the direction of more general dance and musical theatre then the CAT scheme is going to benefit her more. They usually schedule Cat on Sundays so it doesn't conflict with a students dance school classes which are often held on Saturdays.

Is the CAT for ballet or contemporary.

Dd ius only 9 but already we are having conflicts too and we have to decide which is the best for her long term.

It must be even harder at 9

The CAT is Ballet, Contempory & Creative (as I understand); & I know very little about it. I have been warned they are very full-on

They are letting her do the nationals in Nov but that's it

I am in contact with our association to 'find' comps in the holidays but that will mean we have to travel more

I don't know what to do

KatyMac it sounds like a straight choice between improving her prospects of getting into a dance school/college at 16/18 and thus a professional dance career, or enjoying competing in B&L a bit longer. If she doesn't have to give up competing totally then why can't she do both? The extra dance at the CAT scheme will probably help her B&L and compensate for the reduced number of competitions she attends.

Dunlurking - I will show her your post; that sums it up nicely

I guess I am too close to 'see' it clearly

Dd announced last week she no longer wants to go to dance college and dance as a career but to go to Oxford and be a politican or lawyer instead!!!!!!

She still wants to add a contemporary class to her schedule (I have said wait another year for that)

Agree with post above perhaps she can drop back on the latin a little but let the CAT people know that they will take priority in clashes.

Oh, how do you feel about that (I think I'd feel sad & relieved, maybe I'm getting in to it a bit now)

Well I read somewhere that some of the best lawyers/law students had done some drama before law college - it helps with courtroom "performances"! I'm sure that would apply to politicians as well. I'm sure all that performing will have helped.

You know the trouble with dance is that the participants don't use their voices. My dd talks the hindlegs off a donkey. She could never cope with dance as a career!

DD sings as well; she never shuts up either

The college dh teaches at teaches all their dancers to sing. They reckon that a lot of their graduates go into MT so it is a skill they need. He loves teaching dancers to sing (well most of them) as they like kearning in a very technical way though some don't have as much confidence in their voices.

I think the lawyer thing is a bit inspried by Ellen Woods (dd is a bit Legally Blonde obsessed at the moment). However if she starts going on about some local man who has been refused an op on the NHS or Jackie Smith's painting or the state of the local council any more I think I will scream.

Not sure I could cope with a politician in the family!!!!! Dh pointed out that Betty Boothroyd was a Tiller Girl first.

I of course mean Elle Woods

did you see this?

No, for DD singing comes as easily as dancing, it's acting she is having to learn

Well talking about dancers not using their voices, there was an interesting article in The Sunday Times way back January time when Black Swan was released and there were interviews with Natalie Portman and Sarah Lamb. Natalie Portman talked about the little girl voice she uses in the film. I gather she studied ballet to 13 and she talked about infantilised dancers that she had met ?They?re referred to as girls, they?re asked to keep girl bodies, not develop breasts and hips. And a lot of them have this child?s voice ? that?s what inspired the character.?

In the contrasting interview the American Royal Ballet dancer Sarah Lamb says ?Many dancers are not given the opportunity to speak, and they try so hard to be likeable and compliant.....Some dancers are not used to hearing their own voice. They?re not well educated and don?t read much, which is sad.?

I haven?t seen Black Swan myself, but I was horrified at the thought of all these girls with no ability or opportunity to speak. Glad to hear your dds aren?t like that KatyMac and elphabadefiesgravity

Wanted to post this link to a guardian article that also mentions the dancers talk thing www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2011/jan/14/rehearsal-room-actor-dancer-theatre?INTCMP=SRCH

I find that kind of uncomfortable tbh - it's not something I could deal with

DD is likely to be 5'11'' (according to the HV when she was 2)do you think that will affect her at this school? 'cos she isn't going to be a 'little' girl

btw how can they avoid maturing?

Being small is great when you are a child in musical theatre as children's stage parts are generally cast under 5 foot.

However height is good for adult dancers. Have a look in the auditions in the stage, you often see ads for dancerfs with minimum heights in shows like Chicago for example.

Dunlurking - my dd definatley is not ballerina calibre. She does ballet - got a distinction in her last exam but she wil never be a ballerina. She is much more musical theatre.

At dd's college there are a real mix of body types. There is another college who I guess are considered there main rivals where several people we know who have been there say there is a definate look to the girls who attend.

She is about 5'2 or 5'3 already & fairly fixated on Musical theatre too; she loved being Snow White during the holidays

I have threatened when we get the DVD of it I will force ask all our friends in for a showing just like 70's holiday slides with popcorn & everything