Ballet for children - straw poll

[Earlybird]

Do your dc do ballet?
What do they like about it and why?
What do you like about it (for them), and why?
If they gave it up, why and what age? Any regrets?

Dd started just before her third birthday and has loved, loved loved it all along. I like it for exercise, poise and fun (for her, not me ). She's still doing it at 9.5 and shows no signs of giving up. She's not a star at it or anything, just loves it.

dd(6) does it.
Loves to dance and she can do it at school.
Good for posture (she intoes). Exams a pita
Tried it at 3 didn't like being separated from me for the class started again elsewhere at 4.

My dd does ballet
She likes it because she likes dancing and learning new steps
I like it because its fab for her posture and great exercise for her
She is still doing it, started at 3.5 yrs old and is now studying for Grade 4 at 10 yrs old

DD does ballet, she is 6 now and has done it since 3. She is Grade 1 now.

She likes the prancing around bits and swinging of skirts etc. She is also very fond of the pointing toes bit too.

I like it for her posture and poise, experience of doing exams, confidence with reference to performances - she used to be very shy.

I don't like
the expensive of uniform, and extras like exam uniform hire, extra cost of lessons to prepare for exams, hire of costunes for shows
also agree teachers think it is the most important thing... even more than school
the pressure on mums to produce hairstyles for exams etc...

DD does, DS would not entertain the idea in a million years.
DD likes it because her friends go, she enjoys actually doing it, and she loves the dressing up. She is only 3 so allowed to be shallow.
I like it because it is an activity for her, apart from her brother, she is learning discipline and concentration, good exercise in the winter, and I have an arrangement with my friend so I only have to take her every other week.
She started doing it in March - two months before her 3rd birthday and still going strong.

cece - is it common/expected to do extra lessons to prepare for exams at age 6?

I think because DD is so little we haven't yet hit many of the negatives. She has done one exam - a rosette - and she had to have her hair in a bun. It was a ludicrous little thing because although her hair has never been cut it is not long, wavy and fine. There is a picture of the bun in my profile.

both dds have done ballet from the age of 3.

dd1 is now 9 and has a developmental delay which the consultant said was reduced because of her dance and gymbobs. Yah I did something right. She loves it and makes friends not connected to school. She'll only give up when the teacher retires.

dd2 is now 6 and is a bit of a natural. She likes it when she is asked to show the rest of the class what to do!

They both do tap and modern, the tap is noisy!

They go to a school which doesn't do exams which makes the purpose fun and I think that helps. They have enough presure at school

DD1 started at 3 and was "asked to leave" (expelled ) at 5. She was kicking herself about giving up once she got to 16 and wanted to do it.

DS1 started at 10 and gave up at 19 when he went to Uni.

DS3 started at 6 and gave up at 14.

I must have stuck lucky with finding a school with, no exams, with reasonably priced costumes and cheap show extras! She slso seems to care about her students!

my dd is 3 and is constantly prancing about to anything with a tune.
i am sure she would love dance classes but i worry ballet may be too structured at her age.

are tap or modern/jazz less formal?

My dd started ballet in September this year, so early days yet ... but ...

She loves it - partly because she loves music and dancing anyway, partly because of the dressing up, and partly because she can show off all the moves to us afterwards in the privacy of our sitting room

I'm surprised she loves it quite so much tbh because the teacher is quite strict but the class includes lots of running around with hands on hips (for balance) and sitting on the floor pointing toes playing "feet asleep" - "feet awake"

We like it - because as others have said, it's great exercise in winter, good for her posture, a different activity from school with a different mix of people, and she's a very energetic child and it uses up a good chunk of her energy on Sat mornings ....allowing us all to have a leisurely lunch ... .

It is expensive though although at £85 for costumes ...

Only just started so third question not really applicable (so far anyway!).

My DD started at age 4.5. She is now 8.5 and still goes every week. She really enjoys it, the teacher is lovely. There is no pressure (although uniform is strict) and she has never once tried to get out of going, she's always keen.

I like it as a form of discipline, the russian ballet involves lots of barre work but it didn't put her off. It is good for posture and fitness and strength and most of all she has made some lovely friends!

All the while she enjoys it she will continue to go. She's not going to be Darcy but that's not why she does it!

And I've never been asked to provide a costume for a show, or pay for one, the teacher provides everything! Another bonus.

Fees are £25 per half term (5-6 lessons). Good value I think.

DD does ballet at school, once a week. She enjoys it but it is very informal and non examined.

DD did do a dance class (pre ballroom) but we stopped when she started school. She was struggling to be up , out of bed and dressed, awake enough to dance at 9:30am on a Saturday.

I think schools vary enormously- ours does exams, dd is in Grade 3, but it's not very pressured. The making friends thing is a good point too- she went to an orchestra rehearsal the other day for children from all over the city and knew lots of them from ballet. She'll know more children from there when she starts high school too, which is nice.

Both my dds (2 and 3) go. It is called a ballet class but in essence it is a lot of very excited little girls skipping round in a circle with wands.

They love it. Getting dressed up, the music, the props.

I love taking them, they are so happy when they do it, long may that continue. Much better than blessed rythmn time as well for teaching them, well... rythmn and music appreciation.

Anyone's DC do ballet in Chester?

My dd started at 4 and is still dancing 5 yrs later.

At 4 it was all about skipping and being a fairy! Last week she took her 3rd ballet exam - yes it is more formal now (RAD school) and yes hair and dress code is strict but it has gradually been introduced as the children progressed.

I buy her uniform via internet which keeps the price down. Ballet exams are optional; children still move up when they reach the level exam or not.

hula at a child that struggles to get up for 9.30 on a Saturday. Ours were up and playing together at 7 (not allowed before then) but thought we were still asleep as we didn't turn the light on. In fact most weeks we have done DS's homework before DD's tap and ballet which start at 9.30.

I know bozza. I have discovered we are very lucky on that score. If DD goes to bed late she will almost always get up late. There is a downside though. DD is a night person, not a morning person, which means she hates an early night. 7:30pm would be the very earliest she would be in bed and then she will generally read to herself until 8 at least.

All mine do it. DD1 is 10 and preparing for Grade 3. She is dyspraxic and ballet has been great for her motor skills - her posture is lovely too. Her teacher is very proud of her, not because she is a great dancer - she isn't - but because she works so hard and achieves her best despite her limitations. She does modern too.
DD2 is seven and has done Grade One (I think, or is she doing it next, oh god, I can't keep up). She does modern and tap too and just really loves to dance.
DD3 is five and skips around like a fairy. It makes her happy and wears off some of her endless energy.
That's the upside.
The horrendous expense is the downside: six classes a week, six lots of exam fees, six costumes for the biannual show, shoes every five minutes.
When I started out I naively thought it would be cheap because the classes themselves are not too expensive.
Tip of the iceberg!

I'm only a little bit really hula. My two aren't bad, if we can manage it they are both in bed at 7.30 and stay there til 7 without any trouble unless DD has a bad dream, and even then a 30 sec cuddle is all that is required. But the only way we can get them to sleep late in a morning is with a run of late nights like on holiday. Still it's not really ballet talk is it?

dd age nearly six has done it last year and this. She loves doing it, but tends to be tired by 5pm on a Friday, when her lessons are, so sometimes I struggle to get her there!

She does ballet 45 mins, and jazz/ tap 45 for both together.

Teacher (an ex Bluebell girl ) is pretty informal compared to the other ballet school in town, so not too much insistence on uniform etc, except for exams, where it's expected.

Dd loved being in last year's show. The Dvd is one of her favourites

I don't like the timing, and the drive to get there (but better than the other school) , and I wish they had somewhere comfy for parents to sit! Because the ballet teacher says the girls are better without parents in the room, I have to spend 1.5 hours in the tap studio .