Dance school doesn’t do gradings or exams and say they are unnecessary

[Poormiddlechild]

Is there any truth in this? DD has been doing ballet for 4 years now but I haven’t a clue what stage/level she is as they say that they aren’t necessary.

DD is happy at the school but reading other threads it sounds less professional maybe?

Sounds like a "just for fun" one. Depends if that's what you want

It's just a 'rec' type of dance school.

She's not going to the Royal Ballet school from here that's for sure!

If she's happy, does it matter?

We had this and it was really hard when my dd moved to a different class as she had no idea what stage she was at. I thought it was a great idea at first but on reflection she would have prefered exams and levels.

How do they gauge their progress then - do they move them up to the next level by age group or by ability?

How old is your dd?

I think it depends on what you think is important. My dance training back in the 1980’s was quite old school and very exams focused but for my daughter, the local school just taught students in age groups, worked towards a yearly show and when they got older they had the option to do a ballet academy where they followed a random small exam board syllabus.

My daughter is about to start her degree in contemporary dance at a conservatoire in September. She's had weekly classes in ballet and contemporary as part of the CAT programme where the focus is all about the technique. Before she joined the cat scheme she'd only taken one dance exam and hasn't taken one since (she left the local dance school when she joined the cat programme).

If she's enjoying it and she is just doing it for fun and you like the ethos of the school then stick with it. Ballet exams grade 6 and above can give you UCAS points so that's one thing to bear in mind as she gets older.

I'd be looking at the teachers' qualifications and awarding body, where they received their own dance training, whether or not they danced professionally before becoming a ballet teacher, and what kind of success rate the school has in getting their more able students into associate programmes or full-time dance training.

It might be a recreational school where everyone dances for fun, but at the same time you do want to get your money's-worth and you are entitled to expect a certain standard of teaching.

They are not necessary but then if we only did things that are necessary we wouldn't do much. If you want exams and gradings looks like you will have to move to a different club.

My DD went to a dance school like this and it was wonderful as it was all about the joy of dancing and they didn’t get stuck doing endless exam practice of the same old pieces.

when we moved house and she went to a new dance school they just didn’t an assessment to see what level she was at.

The new teacher said the kids pretty much pass every exam they enter anyway even though some kids aren’t that great really so it’s just a measure of how long you have been dancing for (assuming they put them in for exams at the typical intervals.)

It depends what you want. Exams/grades can be a source of stress and anxiety for kids and parents. But some like to do them.

My eldest did a load of exams in ballet modern, tap etc and mostly enjoyed it, also did some shows. But the teachers can be quite strict and it sometimes didn't feel very fun. She moved on to karate and musical theatre at secondary school age.

My 15 year daughter has been going to the same street dance school since she was 5 and they don't do exams but they do lots of little performances and have lots of fun. She enjoys it and that's more important to me and her than making progress and getting awards. She has made progress nonetheless of course but is not interested in exams.

The new teacher said the kids pretty much pass every exam they enter anyway even though some kids aren't that great really

That's all well and good - up to a point. The lower grades are designed for recreational dancers as well as those with natural ability. The higher grades not so much.

It’s definitely more of a Rec school, I’m fine with it as she loves it, I just wondered if it was unusual as I have no other reference

I know the lady who set up the Babyballet franchise.
Her Mum is a very well known local dance teacher who ran a successful traditional ballet school but the BB lady wanted to do something different and have classes just for fun. It’s very successful and global now so there must be something in it

It is a good approach if you want the activity to be just for fun. If you want exams, that option exists.

Dancing can be (not always) competitive and toxic, and many leave when they start to find the pressure to progress, rather than enjoy, too much.

Not necessary. Like learning an instrument - you can do it all and pass the relevant stages without having a bit of paper to prove this. If you then want to get into an institution that requires the bit of paper you simply take the high exam. You have all the necessary skill and knowledge.

If she is enjoying herself then let her be.

My Dd's dance teacher is very well qualified, hugely experienced and a great dancer herself. They don't do any grades or assessments though. My Dd's have kept dancing into their teens with this approach, precisely because it's not stressful and pressured, where lots of their peers at more formal schools stopped as soon as it became all about the exams.

It entirely depends on what you want and what your dad wants I guess. But I really don't think it's a negative professionalism wise.

My DD dances at the RAD and they have a non syllabus ballet class alongside the usual grades and her school ballet teacher does the same in her dance school. So I only think it’s unusual in that they don’t do both options but there’s nothing wrong with recreational ballet especially if your DD is enjoying it.

That would have suited me down to the ground- by grade 2 it was painfully obvious I was never going to get anything above a pass plus (this was the late 80s, I don't know whether the grading etc is the same now?) but I still really enjoyed ballet classes. I probably would have carried on with them for years more if there were no requirements to pass exams to move up a grade and stay in my age group.

Exams are not necessary but going to an RAD/ISTD/BBO etc affiliated dance school does mean that the teachers are qualified and have to varying extents, studied pedagogy, safe dance practice and they are following a syllabus based on knowledge of the stages of development in children and young people.

If you want to teach with one of these societies then you need to have passed at least Intermediate before being accepted onto teacher training.

Yes - to be frank, there is something in it - money.

You may not have the necessary skills and knowledge to get anywhere in dance as a profession if your teacher wasn't particularly good and pure classical technique has not been corrected from the outset. Unfortunately, not all ballet teachers are equal. Equally unfortunately, bad teachers cost as much as good ones, and it is extremely difficult for uninitiated parents to tell the difference.

Passing an exam is not necessary for progression, but enduring good quality technique.
My DD has never taken a ballet exam ( she has on tap, but that was her choice), but is in professional musical theatre training.
What she did have was an excellent teacher who endure that her core technique was correct.

I’d look at it in terms of how much you pay, convenience of the lessons and how much enjoyment there is.

my son has been dancing in multiple disciplines for less than two years and has passed his Grade 5 ballet and Grade 6 Modern.

You say it’s ok because she loves it, but she might enjoy one where she gets qualifications just as much.

I live in forrin and extra curricular activities have no grading here.

if someone new joins it's up to the instructor to gauge which is the level of the student.

no issue and doesn't cause exam stress (and extra cost!)

Not how it started, it started because the owner wasn’t a great ballerina but really enjoyed it and wanted other small children to love it too with no pressure to look or dress a certain way or do exams
She began with 1 venue and a few classes a week
Why do we hate success through pure hard work so much?

Nobody said that. It was a very good business decision on her part, and I expect she and her franchisees are doing very well, and good luck to them.

It fills a gap in the market.