mummys little billy elliot. how do i help my ds(8)

[persephonesnape]

sorry if this is the wrong place etc.

ever since my ds2 could walk, he has danced. he is wildly entertaining ( and also quite camp, but hey..) I think the time is ripe for him to get some dance lessons. he'll love them. his elder brother is a polar opposite and quite a roughty tufty boy and I'm hoping to get him tae kwon do lessons, by way of compensation. ( DD1 (12) is above all of this and obviously can't be taught anything )

I don't want somewhere that is solely populated by little girls in pink glitter doing booty dancing. I want somewhere that will take him seriously, teach him the rudiments of ballet and ( possibly) tap. it's been a HELL of a long time since i went to dance lessons - how do i go about choosing a proper class for him?

I am in Glasgow, incidentally - I've found that Scottish ballet does classes for primary six children - I want something that will help him get to the level that they would consider him, when he is old enough.

the local dance related schools at secondary level say they will consider children without previous experience. should i believe this?

Thanks for all comments and help in advance.

weeeeel

We do ballet with DD (6) and I have to say there are very few boys. The school did a show in June and there were maybe one or two boys in it, so otherwise a lot of pink leotards.

H/ever any boys that do it (there was one in DD's class until last year) are of course very welcome.

DS1 has done a class at the local dance centre for the last 3 years which some other boys do too, but that's more movement and improvisation to music.

All you can do I think is speak to as many ballet schools as you can to see what they do. Most do teach ballet and tap btw, certainly that's what DD learns.

As to the secondary schools, sorry, can't help you at all but maybe someone else can...

good dance schools should take him at any level of ability.
Give a few a ring and ask if they have any other boys and if your DS was to start would he be with any other boys. Go along with DS and have a look. if he feels like giving it a go but doesnt want you there then thats great! Lots of kids prefer parents not to watch!

My DS(age10) dances and loves it (ballet, Tap, Modern, National) He is happy to be the only boy in the class (because when he started he was the only one and there wasnt much we could do about it. )but another lad in his dance school will only dance when another lad is in the class.

oh our lads only wear tights for exams. Its leotard (or t-shirt if they prefer) and black shorts or jazz trousers.

thank you so much! this is so helpful!

it's just something that i want to encourage in him, because he's always moving he's had some speech difficulties in the past and i see it as a different way of expressing himself.

do you think the standards are lower for boys, for secondary etc ( we have the dance school of Scotland in Glasgow, which is reasonably local and combines an hour or so of dance a day with 'normal' lessons, thats probably where I'd like him to consider aiming if he enjoys tutored dance) )because there aren't as many boys as girls applying IYSWIM?

i dont believe the standards are lower for boys. Girls often start dancing because mummy wants them too and it becomes a social thing and a habit. The boys that stick to it really have to prove themselves at every stage.

Go and let him try a few classes and see if he likes it.

At our dance school the boys are loved, admired and considered very valuable as there as so few of them. We have about 2 at each age level.

Are you looking for full time dance school where he attends Mon to fri or just classes??

If it is just classes I would contact as many schools as possible (there are hundred in the glasgow area and see what their attitude is towards boys and how many boys there would be in his class, even 1 other boy would give him a bit of moral support. They will also advise which class would be best for him and how he could possibly be fast tracked up to a class of his age group as most pupils would have been dancing from about 5years if not younger.

Most follow R.A.D. or I.S.T.D (the examing bodies) schedule of teaching and exams for ballet. Ballet, jazz and tap go together well, perhaps he would also like musical theatre where the age groups are less mixed and no exams, there are also non-vocational ballet classes for those not wishing to do exams.

1 thing I would say is he will really want to do this himself if he goes for ballet, because at this age it will be a challange both in and out of class.

sorry ISTD is not ballet

Id he going into S1 this year, it might be a bit late to go for dance school if he has done not dance before now, he could do S1 and S2 as a "normal" student at knightswood then apply for the theatre course at S3 I think

Although the website does say

"For entry into S1:

All applicants are granted an audition and no previous dance training is necessary. "

So if he does have a talent for this and is going into P7 this year he could apply for next year.

thanks skribble - he's just about to enter P4.

i do think he's not all that bothered about what others think of him - he's quite 'weird' anyway ( weird being not liking football - or any traditionally boyish things really, as far as his peers are concerned) so I'm not sure if dance will reinforce his separateness ( in which case i would love a boy or two in his class) or just that he won#'t care anyway, because he'll be having fun.

I'll try and make myself a shortlist at work tomorrow..

thanks all for comments so far it's nice to know other ds's pirouette.

Oh sorry I see now DD is 12 [doh].

I would certainly consider musical theatre if he runs screaming faced with lots of ballet girls in pink and lets face it he will be in the minority, also perhaps consider gymnastics. My DS did this for a while but he did sort of lose heart in it and stopped DD is same age as your DS and she loves dance, she started at age 6 most of her class had been dancing since age 3 in the baby ballet class. She has more than caught up.

Good luck choosing, there are hundreds of classes. I like the fact DD's classes are in a dedicated dance school, not just a church hall. So when she is a bit older she can spend every night there .

I would choose somewhere quite near to you though as it could mean a lot of traveling after school otherwise, but go with your instinct when it comes to teachers.

i had a lovely e mail from scottish ballet this morning. they're waiting for someone to come back from holiday and she will then let me know what she thinks.

in teh meantime, I've been looking at dvds - what a waste of money that would be : example..

• Warm-up Exercises Hair and Make-up Techniques Tutus and Ballet Shoes Ballet Steps Demonstrated All ready to start practising at home Special Features: How to Prepare for a Show at Home Dancers Perform Extracts from "Alice in Wonderland"

nice to see the hair and make up are above the actual 'steps' etc.

just an update i emailed scottish ballet and got a lovely reply, they recommended a few teachers and i phoned one - we went today to observe and it was great! all the little girls were perfectly behaved. ds2 sat next to me twitching and at one point took his shoes off so he could go into the various positions. at the end of class he haired around jete-ing and 'umbrella-ing' ( which seems to be a strange form of piroette known only to eight year old boys)

we had great fun and he starts next week.

'madame' was fabulous. she had a bun like a cottage loaf and caled the girls 'dolly-dots' all the girls have to curtsy when she takes register.

Boys for Billy Elliot:

WORKING TITLE AND OLD VIC PRODUCTIONS ARE LOOKING FOR BOYS TO PLAY THE ROLES OF BILLY AND MICHAEL IN THEIR WEST END PRODUCTION

BILLY ELLIOT
THE MUSICAL

AS PART OF THEIR ONGOING AUDITION PROCESS WORKING TITLE AND OLD VIC PRODUCTIONS ARE LOOKING FOR BOYS AGED 9 TO 13 YEARS TO AUDITION FOR THE ROLES OF BILLY AND MICHAEL IN THEIR WEST END PRODUCTION. TAP AND BALLET EXPERIENCE ARE A BONUS.
MAX HEIGHT 5FT. NO BROKEN VOICES.

If you are interested in auditioning then please come on:
Saturday 6th October, 2007
LONDON SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA
83, Borough Rd, London, SE1 1DN

Saturday 20th October, 2007
LEEDS GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
Senior School, Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 1BN

Please arrive at 9am to register for all venues - you will then be given a time for your group.
Be prepared to stay all day if required.
Come ready to dance first then maybe sing wearing comfortable clothes- no lycra, leotards or jazz pants!
Please bring all dance shoes and trainers.
Please bring a photo.

For more info please call Jessica Ronane, Children's Casting Director on 0207 534 9740.

www­.billyelliotthemusical­.com

This might be irrelevent but always a possibility if boys love to dance!

Knightswood school is excellent for dance. A few girls from Knightswood are in my daughters year at drama school. They do take boys with no experience in primary school. Have you contacted the school. Sorry I have not read the whole post.

Hello,
It occurred to me when I read the OP, maybe you could try him first with gymnastics.

Firstly, although it is still predominantly a girls sport, it is not uncommon for boys to do it.

Secondly, my observation is that professional men dancers do need very good skills and muscle control that tie in well with gymnastic training.

Maybe he could learn these skills, and then transfer to dance when he has proved his ability, and therefore bypass the earlier classes that are probably full of little girls prancing around in pink. He might jump straight in with the serious ones, and hopefully not be the only male.

mY SON IS 23 AND STARTED BALLET AT PERFORMING ARTS COLLEGE AT 16 HE GOT SOME STICK UNTIL HE WAS THE ONLY BOY STRONG ENOUGH TO LIFT GIRLS ABOVE HIS HEAD HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND NOW BETWEEN ACTING/PERFORMING JOBS WORKS AT ROYAL OPERA HOUSE.
hE WORKED AT LOCAL CINEMA WHEN BILLY ELLIOT CAME OUT, SAW THE FILM SOOO MANY TIMES THEY MADE HIM A 'BILLY' NAME BADGE.
OH AND IF ANYONE IS WONDERING IS VERRRY POPULAR WITH THE GIRLS LOL