Extra sance classes for a child that loves performing

[saffy56]

I wonder if anyone can help. My son is 14 and he would like to go to university to do a musical theatre degree. He sings, acts and dances literally all day every day!! He goes to a musical theatre school every Saturday and moves up to the elite squad next week.

Now here is the thing most of the other children do 3 or 4 other dance disciplines a week say modern, tap, commercial and ballet but he just does his hour dancing within his musical theatre group. Unfortunately for us we are not in a financial position to be able to pay for another 4 or 5 classes and I feel really guilty for this as I feel I may be jeopardizing his chances of getting a place on a MT course in the future. I think we could stretch to one extra class. I also pay for private singing lessons. His theatre school offer an advanced dance class which is all the types of dance disciplines rolled into one. But I have read that ballet is the most sought after type of dance training that the MT courses look for. He has never done ballet so I wondered if he did do this does he start at the beginning in a class with all the little ones or can he go straight into a more advanced class with kids his age.

He had an opportunity to go to a performing arts studio school from year 9 but we turned the place down as he loves and his doing so well at his school - and where he is quite academic as well he can concentrate on other subjects when at school and then his performing at the weekends but I now I wonder whether we should have chosen the studio school as they have so much free training but their GCSE pass rate is really low because the kids just want to perform and although they obviously do other subjects the onus is on the performing side but surely to go on to a degree you need other GCSE's to go on to do A levels or a BTEC in performing arts.

I have also never signed him up with an agency or had him take part in pantomimes or local amateur productions due to the commitments because both myself and my DH work we can't get him to rehearsals or castings at the drop of a hat - again I feel that I am letting him down.

At 16 he would like to do Drama and English A level and BTEC in performing arts
He has talent and is really good but is this enough without the dance classes and experience for him to get a place at a performing arts university. His ambition is to go to GSA or Birds college.

He really needs a portfolio. It would be worth him doing some amateur mt productions or nymt to gain experience of auditioning and performance. Many of these do an intensive summer rehearsal and production programme so less intrusive into school time. Is his singing teacher involved in any or have contacts who are? Could he do short dance workshops?

I would say that for MT ballet or technical jazz is the most important dance discipline to learn.

He needs to do ballet. No, he wouldn't be put with little kids, he'd be put with older ones.

Roughly whereabouts in the country are you and how far could you realistically travel for a class aimed specifically at boys?

Is the Saturday school at a good level? I wonder if it’s time to leave that and spend the time and money on dance classes? If it’s at tring or wherever then great but if it’s a small local one where he’s the best then perhaps time to move on?

ballet and jazz or tap would be good

If you take a look at Bird they might have entry requirements on their website which could help

I know one man at Bird and he did a lot of ballet and tap before.

My Dd started at Italia Conti on Monday on the MT degree. At 14 she was in a similar place, she did an audition prep course and was advised to get more ballet. She joined an adult ballet classes that focused on good technique. She got a place at a very well thought of college and did MT for sixth form.
She did BYMT between year 10 and 11 and year 12 and 13 - whilst these are classed as professional shows and will go on her CV they are by no means necessary to apply for MT degrees. BYMT do have bursaries available ( large numbers) so don't be put off by the cost.
Take home message get more ballet if you can afford one more thing. Ask where the ballet school have had people go look for names like Urdang, Bird, Conti, Laine, Mountview, ArtsEd and Conti.
DD has tapped danced since she was 7 years old, but only added ballet at 14. She has just completed the Conti back to ballet course and totally loved.

My brother started formal dance classes late - about age 12. He was doing a lot of acting and was advised to take up ballet. He ended up doing everything and loving it and having a real talent. He went to drama school, worked as an actor (switched career recently) and danced professionally. From memory he was a in a small class for boys all late starters to begin with.

Dd - a serious dancer for many years - had a couple of boys join her ballet and / or MT classes as teenagers, for exactly the reasons you outline.

Look for a really good local dance school that goes right up to 18, offers up to at least Advanced 1 ballet, and regularly feeds into Bird, Laine, ArtsEd, Performers, Urdang as you are more likely to find serious teens and high quality training there. Just to say that at such schools, 2 ballet lessons a week past the very lowest grades will be the minimum - girls will tend to do 2 plus pointe, but he won’t need pointe - and a very high level of fitness will also be expected / created.

unfair though it is, he is a boy- if he can sing and act they will train him in dance if they want him that badly. Girls have to be strong in all three disciplines to do MT, and places for girls are highly sought after- boys are highly sought after, as long as they have the potential. I have had male students with very little dance experience get places on MT courses at top colleges and offered fully funded places and some very talented girls turned down, or get in to their top choice of college only to not get the funding for the diploma course, and not offered a degree place. Such is the industry unfortunately- but as long as they have potential- a boy with potential at 16/18 but lacking training will be offered a place, a girl with potential but lacking training at tue same age has essentially missed the boat.

However, if you can get him into some dance classes I would still recommend you do so, just so that he feels less self conscious when he eventually comes to audition for a course, as most have a dance audition in ballet / jazz technique which is usually compulsory, and some colleges also require a contemporary or commercial audition too.