Can you tell me about dance lessons?

[Whynotnowbaby]

Dd has been going to a combined ballet and tap class since September. She is four and in reception and the dance school have the children in age bands so she is mainly with preschool children (some of whom are only just three and struggle to listen to the teacher). Her friend from school started at the same time but was five in September and is therefore in the higher class, she seems to be really learning to dance whereas dd's group just do walking round in circles and the same exercises every week. Dd friend has an exam coming up (as does everyone in that class) and dd keeps asking when she will have a test too.

I don't think my dd is going to be a prima ballerina but I also don't think she is less physically able than her friend, just a bit younger. She is finding her class frustrating and has said she doesn't want to be that group because they are 'babies' (although I know she is probably just angling to be with her friend). I asked the teacher how they will decide when she is ready to move up and she just said 'when she's five' which seems a bit arbitrary and means she will always be a class behind some of her classmates from school (she has a very late birthday). Is this just the way it is at dance schools? I would really like to see her pushed to achieve her potential as she has always loved dancing and started full of enthusiasm which she is quickly losing.

Any advice from more experienced people greatly appreciated. Thanks

I am by no means an expert, but this isn't my experience of dance classes. We got involved with dance kind of by accident, DD does a sport that requires her to take dance classes for technique. She's moved up in her dance classes as she's moved up a level in her sport, but the coaches don't do this based on age, they move them up when they meet the requirements for the next level. But dance forms a huge basis of the technique, so they're also being moved up to the next dance class when they're ready for the next class, IYSWIM.

I'm not a huge fan of combination classes but that's by the by.

Assuming the school does exams such as RAD or ISTD the exam board does actually set a minimum age of 5 years old for the first exam. This is because some teachers were rushing children through thecsyllabus before they were developmentally ready this risking injury in the higher grades especially.

As children get older some will pick things up faster & others will take longer so the ages start to become a bit more mixed. Some children might audition for & gain entry to associate schemes & so be doing more classes per week so their technique will develop faster than a once a weeker.

I have a 60yo who last year was in a reception/year1 dance class. It so happened that she was the only reception child in the class so when the others moved up to the next class she moved up with them as the teacher realised it was going to be frustrating for her to have to go at the pace of the newbies. The rest of her class will do Grade 1 exams at the end of the academic year but I don't think my dd will. Not sure at the moment how she'll feel about that!

^6yo!!!

As other PPs mention there are several issues at play here:

Most dance examining bodies have a minimum age for taking the exams. This is because the syllabus is carefully designed so that it is suitable for children at each stage of maturity, their bodies are capable of different things as they develop physically. It is not advisable to attempt too much too soon.

A child's dance teacher will know whether they are ready for the next level, not only physically, but also whether they will understand what they are being asked to do, and be able to respond to corrections. They also need to develop things like rhythm, co-ordination, balance and musicality.

A few months in age makes a huge difference in capability when you are little.

Some dance teachers arrange their classes strictly by age - although this is convenient, it doesn't take account of the fact that children mature physically and mentally at different speeds. Other teachers prefer to put children in class according to ability (particularly when they are a bit older) - they then wait to take the exam when they are old enough, or skip to the next level without taking the exam.

Maybe speak to the teacher and explain how your dd feels about being left behind, and that she wants to be with her friend. She may agree to a trial class at the higher level to see how she gets on, but it far more likely to be a flat 'No'.

Perhaps then you could have a think about whether you want to find another dance school which will let her be with her school year group rather than the pre-schoolers; or persuade your dd to carry on in the current class; or even whether your dd wants to give up.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say find a school which will judge her on her ability rather than age. Yes, there is a minimum age for exams but that's no reason for her not to do the classes if she is physically mature enough to do it. My dd 9 is dancing with children 3 years older because she is capable, attends multiple classes including associates schemes. She'd be very bored (and not learning anything!) if she was stuck in the class with her age group! My ds however Is a July birthday and he started with the year group below because he wasn't as physically mature and it was the right place for him at the time.

Dts started ballet a few weeks ago they were 5 in August. As they are 5 they have gone straight into the grade 1 RAD class.

DD's dance classes are organised by age groups but there is some overlap. So your DD might have started in the "baby" group but then moved up once she had mastered the basics.

DD is 5, turns 6 in April, some in her class have only just turned 5. They all took their grade last year but as I understand it, there are much higher expectations at the next level. The teacher is currently assessing who in the group will be ready for a grade exam, the ones who aren't will be taking a rosette exam so no one gets singled out and everyone gets exam experience

Thanks all, the exam that dd's friend will take in the 5yo class is a rosette rather than a grade if that makes a difference age wise. It's interesting about the exam-age link, I didn't realise that. Not sure what to do, I like the idea of dd getting some exercise and she does want to dance but I don't think I'm going to be able to persuade her to stay in the 'baby' group until September- it's even called the nursery class which dd has caught onto as she keeps saying she's at school not nursery.

Is it ISTD? We are RBS/ISTD cecchetti for ballet, but from what I understand about the IDTA rosettes they are about having fun rather than learning proper technique. Particularly if this dance school is teaching combined classes and only starting them in a rosette class after they turn 5- this seems quite late if the school then moves to proper grades later on, but I am not an expert- then I would be looking at other dance schools.

Is it IDTA sorry, not ISTD. IDTA is the only one that springs to mind with rosette awards.

Dts started ballet a few weeks ago they were 5 in August. As they are 5 they have gone straight into the grade 1 RAD class.

Primary would be better for that age, and new starters, as you take the exam at 6 years. You need to be 7 years old, minimum to take grade 1 RAD exam, that will be two years in the same class for them.

What syllabus is it, OP? I'm also guessing IDTA with the rosettes. They are based on proper technique but are probably in the pre juvenile age category, and are a good precursor to grade exams and medal tests for that syllabus.
Is it the preparatory ballet class she's in if four years old?

Have a word with the teacher I think, OP.

In my daughters school they are in the class with their school class. So reception is baby ballet, year one is pre primary, year two is primary (my daughters class) year three is grade one and so on and so forth.
I do also get the feeling that as they get older they also need to pass their grade exams to move up and so the ages become a bit more mixed as the years go on.
She goes to a very professional type exam school though. We tried a more relaxed school when she was younger and they did it by age like your daughters school and my daughter stuck out like a sore thumb, she is a July birthday but she's very tall, she felt uncomfortable.

My DD does ballet, tap, modern, Acro & Contemporary classes and at her Dance School it's very relaxed and kids are grouped by ability level. It does very much depend on the ethos of the Dance School itself though as I know other schools in the area are much more strict/structured. So I would always recommend looking around to see which dance school feels right for your child.

Dts started ballet a few weeks ago they were 5 in August. As they are 5 they have gone straight into the grade 1 RAD class.

Surely pre-primary would be more appropriate for a five year old with primary next? Unless RAD grade 1 is particularly easy. My DD is in BBO grade 1 and is 7 but is the second youngest in the class. She took pre-primary at just 6 and primary at just 7.

OP that sounds daft tbh. But hopefully she's moved up by now

That's what I said a few weeks ago. Grade 1RAD isn't really suitable for a 5 year old.

You can't take take grade 1 until at least 7 years, so little point a 5 year old waiting two years to do the exam. Better to do primary exam at 6 years (minimum age) or pre primary (5 years) and get a solid grounding in the basics.

You get a lovely banner to pin your rosettes onto with IDTA.

If she isn't happy find a new class. We moved de at around the same age no problem.

I agree - find a new class and try and alternative school. We progressed fairly quickly but the dance school wouldn't allow her to at least try the next class up so she got bored. We tried a new studio and we're very happy there.