Ballet RAD and Modern ISTD

[Sunny7]

I know there is a lot of threads already about ballet but looking for some help.

My daughter is 6 years old - she has done
Pre-Ballet classes and is meant to be moving up to Pre-Primary this week. However, the times don't really suit us and I have been looking around and found another school nearby which is also RAD and with much better times.

I was all set to change her and the new school said they would be happy for her to join the Primary RAD Syllabus class and not the Pre-Primary because of her age.

I have just noticed on their website that even though they do Modern dance classes (at a certain level) that they don't do any exams in them. The old school does RAD Ballet exams and ISTD Modern exams. Does it make much difference? Should I be looking for a school that does both? I just don't want to be changing her from one place and regretting it down the line!

Also at 6 years old does it make much difference that she doesn't do Pre-Primary? If i keep her in the old school then thats the class she will join but she will start the Primary Syllabus in the new place?!

Thanks in advance

well it depends what she wants to do in the way of dance. RAD only do ballet so dance schools who offer modern and tap as well as RAD ballet have to use a different board for them. My daughers do ISTD for ballet, tap and modern.

what grade she is in really tends to depend on the school. Our school seem to take preprimary exam when they are in year 1 but some schools do it in Reception. Preprimary is only a class award anyway so some schools might not even do it. so I don't think that makes much difference to be honest.

if you think she will want to do other dance styles as well as ballet in the future it might be better to get her settled in somewhere that does them from the start but if it is only ballet you want and perhaps a bit of modern less seriously then the new school sounds like it would be fine for you.

Thanks so much for your reply. I actually spoke to the teacher in the new place and she said they do Modern exams depending on the demand. They are IDTA, what's the difference between IDTA and ISTD?

just a different board and syllabus. There are lots, ISTD and RAD, IDTA and BTDA, BBO, ARBTA and others I am sure. They all offer exams in different combinations of dance styles. some do just grade exams, others do grades and performance/rosettes/medals etc. Some are allegedly harder and more technical than others, whether that is true depends on who you talk to as obviously everyone thinks the one they teach is the best but the primary factors are is your child happy there and is the teacher good. If the teacher is good then the syllabus is of less importance.