How important are ballet exams?

[Skintdancemum]

10 year old daughter has done ballet since she was 4. She has good technique and dances in the senior class.

Her school doesn’t do exams etc, so I have no idea of her ability in relation to this.

She wants to dance professionally eventually, should she be at a dance school that takes it more seriously, or is she fine continuing at her rec school?

If she is serious then she needs to be in a school which is working towards exams and that have experience of working with learners who progress. Has any past pupils secured a place in a professional production?

@Marblessolveeverything thats what I thought. Past puppies have gone onto dance colleges etc, and been successful. More in modern/contemporary though. I think I need to look at different schools if that’s what she wants

The only problem is that she wouldn’t want to leave current one due to being on comp teams for other styles.

@Skintdancemum How many ballet classes does she do each week? If she is really keen and has potential, then it might be time to start thinking about upping her hours. That may mean she has to move to another school which offers more classes.

By the way, it is not so much the importance of the exams as the quality of the teaching she is receiving. Not all ballet teachers are the same, not by a long way.

If she wants to dance professionally you need to step up.

The exams aren’t super important, though handy to have some done as often intensives etc ask for highest grade taken. But if she is thinking about it as a career, then she needs to be at a school that regularly sends dancers to vocational school and which will give her excellent local training until that point. I’d ask about older dancers who have focused purely on ballet, and where they’ve moved to, and consider moving her if they don’t have many / any either taking the vocational ballet exams or moving to vocational ballet school.

You might also want to look into an Associates scheme or one of the Centres for Advanced Training (the latter are fully funded, if you’re on a low income), as a way of getting her some extra high quality training and also access to good advice on her future.

Thank you, thats really helpful. She’s a beautiful dancer with very strong technique, but you are definitely right in suggesting if she wants to do well and take it more seriously, it may be time to look for a new school.

The Doing Dance section of Balletcoforum is a good place for lots of information

@Skintdancemum There might still be time to book her into one of the many ballet summer schools or short courses around the country. As a pp suggests, Balletco is the place to find out.

She doesn’t need to do exams but if she wants to train vocationally then she needs to be at a school that will be helping her aim for that.

If she wants to concentrate on ballet, then she will need to drop the competition stuff and concentrate on classical training first.

I think if she wants to become professional she needs to be a school that does exams. It would also be a good test to see if she enjoys it in a more pressured environment, which is better to find out early. She can always move back to more relaxed environment.

It’s helpful to do exams as a marker of where you are, but no one is asking professional dancers for their ballet grades. There are kids accepted into vocational schools all the time without having done any exams.

@FacingTheWall really? So as long as their technique is strong enough its not a disadvantage to not have a more formal background training as a child?

@Skintdancemum Many countries in the world don't have exams at all, they have a formal system of training which takes the students to a high level. There is no specific requirement to have passed such and such exam. In fact, when it comes to full-time ballet upper schools (Y12+) in the UK, many places are filled by overseas applicants who have never done an exam.

As I said before, it isn't the exams themselves that are important, but the quality and standard of training that the dancer receives. Some dance teachers are much better than others.

Exams are useful for measuring progress, and they give a sense of achievement to recreational dancers. Most dance schools in the UK do usually follow the syllabus of one or other of a variety of examining bodies, and those bodies also train dance teachers.

Yes, everything that @taxi4ballet says is correct. It’s the training that’s important, not exams.

Thank you everyone, it’s really helpful ☺️

From my experience as a performer- i found examinations made me too 'up tight' and in my head, expecting perfection from myself. Because of that, when it actually came to performing, i lacked any personality, which is what panels often look for more-so in auditions. That being said, it taught me discipline for a tricky industry.

I just wish my first dance school equally encouraged us to enjoy and have fun... I think if you find a school with a balance between the two, then have your daughter go for it! It's a great feeling working towards something and having something like a certificate to demonstrate the hard work.

I eventually went to a dance school where they didn't offer exams and I finally discovered that I was allowed to enjoy what I was doing- and it was there where I gained the confidence to pursue my current career :)

My daughter went to vocational school and then college although she never wanted to focus on just ballet.

As others have said the exams are not important. What exams do offer is some kind of external accreditation, anyone can set up a dance school so with a school that offers exams you at least know the teachers are qualified with a basic knowledge of anatomy and pedagogy and they are teaching to a syllabus that has been developed over many years (though the good schools should be teaching beyond that.

However many students don't take exams, no full time dance school/college requires them, they go 100% on the audition.

BUT

For anyone serious about a career in dance I would at least advise taking the vocational grades (Inter Foundation, Intermediate & Advanced 1) as they are pre-requisites to undertaking dance teacher training diplomas which can be a useful thing to have in terms of being able to work alongside performing etc. Work on the vocational grades generally starts around the age of 11 ish for serious dancers.

Ask her teacher(s).

As others have said, exams in themselves are not particularly important in terms of future career but I think it matters quite a lot whether this school does no exams because the teacher is vastly experienced in a range of styles, prefers not to be restricted by a syllabus and teaches fabulous non syllabus classes, no exams because all the time and energy goes into shows and competitions and not enough into good, solid technique, or no exams because the teacher is not affiliated to any of the exam boards because they don't hold the appropriate qualifications. If it's the first situation I wouldn't worry, either of the second two I'd be looking to move.
If your DD is serious about classical ballet as a career she needs to be in full time training no later than 16 really. For most people that means either going away from year 7 or continuing with a lot of high quality training, generally supplemented with good Associate schemes and Summer schools etc and applying at 16, though a small number get places in year 10. Selection at year 7 is still based very much on physical potential so actual attainment is not as important - they pretty much go back to basics anyway - but candidates applying for post 16 training will be expected to be at the same kind of level as those who have been at vocational school since they were 11 so they need to have access to excellent training at home.
There's more flexibility in other types of dance. In fact contemporary/musical theatre/commercial schools sometimes actually prefer older candidates. But if it is ballet she really wants, she needs to focus on that from a young age I'm afraid.Has she applied for any associate programmes in the past or done any Summer schools? That might give you a better idea if she has potential.
However, before going down that path you really need to look at the realities of that life and the absolutely miniscule probability of having a successful career. Even if you look at those who are selected for the most prestigious vocational schools, a high proportion don't get to the end of training and of those that do many don't get jobs in classical companies. For many dancers and their families there is a very high price to pay for attempting this route (literally and metaphorically) so do your research. There are lots of other ways to enjoy dance, either as a career or a hobby - it's a wonderful talent to have - but the dance world, particularly the ballet world, can be very toxic, so tread carefully.

Does she want to be a professional ballet dancer or does she want to dance professionally in music videos, in cruise ships and in MT shows.
If it is the later then no formal exams are not necessary underlying talent, train ability and if possible good underlying ballet and technical jazz technique is what is looked for. Train ability is very high on their list as you need to take correction quickly and accurately in class listening to the correction given to others and considering if you need to make the same.
My daughter came to ballet late at 14 having danced tap and contemporary. She did triple threat 6 th form which was dance heavy on ballet and technical jazz and now is doing triple threat training with equal focus. In year 2 she is doing intermediate foundation without having done a single other exam in ballet. All her training has always focused on correct technique and in the 1st year she noticed that she received less correction than those who had take lots of exams and those who had been on the competition circuit.
But what is worth noting is if you applying for a degree program ( so you get funding) they have to have an UCAS tariff, if you fail to make the tariff from 6th form qualifications if you have grade 7 or 8 these can give points that help you make the tariff. My DD had enough points from MT and single grades to make her tariff without her sixth form qualification so she got an unconditional offer.
You need to be aware training is gruelling and injury is common.

It is not so much whether their technique is strong, it is whether that technique was actually correctly taught in the first place. The majority of dance teachers are not able to train classical students to the highest level.