Boys Ballet - too late for DS9?

[AreYouAGod]

My son loves dancing, acting and singing. He dances as part of musical theatre and does a free council led street dance class for boys but has always wanted to do ballet.

He is a good little gymnast- competes regionally - but we have struggled to find a ballet class that also has other boys in it.

He has accepted he will likely be the only boy now, but is it too late?

Would picking it up now at age 9/10 be pointless? I’m presuming most girls will have been doing it from age 4 and while he can pick up choreography quickly and is pretty graceful, he will have a lot to learn.

From what I understand if you want a career in performing arts, ballet is the best training.

I would appreciate any advice or guidance.

Thanks in advance!

Definitely not too late! My daughter has done it from 3 1/2 and is now 15 but there are lots of people who start later and even in their teens and pick it up quickly. I did the adult ballet class for a while and it was great fun and great for posture, balance and strength.
Your son will probably pick it up really quickly if he has a background in dance. Also, he'd have enough time to train for pointe shoes. Some of the adults in the adult class have started on pointe shoes after 2 years of training.

There are a few boys in my daughter's ballet school who started around 8+ and are all doing really well.

Locally, I know our very well renowned dance school would take him as a late starter, putting him in an earlyist grade but not with the very little ones.

We live in a major city, middle class suburb and I think he’s very likely to be the only boy. My son used to dance but dropped it in favour of other activities.

Starting this late, he won’t be heading to the Royal Ballet, but could still pick up valuable skills that he benefits from down the line.

For MT definitely not to late my DD didn’t start till she was 14 and was en pointe at 19. The majority of boys who she did her training with hadn’t had a single ballet class before starting trading.
The dance school DD went to at 14 was one that was well known for teaching good technique she went into a teen/adult beginners class. She herself now teaches a teen/adult beginners class and would willing accept your DS.
For MT willingness to work hard and take correction is far more valuable than years of training.

Dd has been doing ballet since age three. Shes turning eight and really I think your ds could pick up the dances. Another year along and it could be the same.

Boys don’t do pointe @BruachAbhann

No - definitely not too late OP! I think boys often start later than girls, from memory, and still reach elite levels (not that that’s necessarily the goal).

Boys do pointe for the strength. Otherwise I wouldn't have had to buy my son pointe shoes, get him the pointe assessment and taken him to pointe class.

My son did full time training from the age of 14. He started when he was 4. 9 isn't too late though I wouldn't leave it later if he wants to be a ballet dancer.

Boys do pointe these days. It's good for choreography later so they really understand what's possible. Plus, have you never seen Ballet les Trocks?

Most boys start later and 9 really is fine, also for a girl. Well before puberty is most important. He'll pick it up fast because he's old enough to follow instructions and understand music. Until 5, it's just running around pretending to be fairies.

If your son wants to do it and will enjoy it, that’s the main thing right? The point of any activity is to have fun doing it, ofc it’s not pointless just because he won’t become an elite ballet dancer.

Yep. It’s taken years for dd to move on from running around pretty much and even then it’s hardly ballet in terms of discipline or moves.

Still very low key stuff. It’s different to when we did it ages back, en pointe then much earlier too.

I stand corrected it’s news to me that boys do pointe these days!!

Yes they can but he doesnt need to so it is not a problem either way. 9 isn"t late though. True balley trainung doesnt start unyil 7 or 8 anyway.

Lots of boys start later, he definitely hasn't missed the boat. I know an ex professional dancer who did gym and soccer in primary and didn't start ballet until he was 12.

If he wants to do it and it’s a hobby and exercise that he enjoys how can it be too late? If you mean for him to become a professional ballet dancer then ofc it’s not impossible, particularly as he already dances and is a boy but I wouldn’t only be taking up extra curriculars only on the basis of future jobs at this point.

Given his background in gymnastics I’d guess he’d pick things up quite quickly and is clearly very strong already. My daughter started ballet young (13 now) but there have been new kids regularly. A boy in ballet class is often really exciting for teachers and he might find he gets a lot of extra attention anyway. I think he should give it a try for sure.

Too late for what exactly?
Unless you're both planning on him becoming a professional ballet dancer without ever having done a lesson, which seems a bit...um....anticipatory, them what's he too late for?

If he goes onto a career in MT then starting at 9 is better than starting at 10 or 11 or never at all. It's not like you can go back in time! Its not essential but any type of dance experience will be an added string to his bow. Or he might not end up doing anything at all with it later in life but will still have the skills, experience, strength, conditioning, friends, memories etc. I dont really see why it's something that's causing any deliberation, just give it a go and see what happens.

It's not like the teacher will expect him to be at the same level as a girl his own age who's been doing ballet since she was 2! Credit them with some professional experience and common sense!

If he wants ballet experience, just do it now. He will never become younger to be able to start at earlier age.

Even if it was late for pro career in ballet, it isn't late for ballet experience for performing arts/musical theatre.

And I'm not saying it would be too late for pro, your son has music, dance and gymnastics experience, so he really isn't full 4-5 years behind, he is presumably fit, flexible, with good posture, has a feeling for rhythm, is used to learning choreography and orientation in dance space. He needs just to start putting it into use in ballet style.