Ballet? Yes or No?

[ekra]

Did your dd do ballet classes? How long did they keep it up for?

DD1 says she wants to go to ballet classes. She currently goes to gymnastics and swimming. She's 4. I'm not overly keen on her going to ballet but it seems mean not to let her go if she is asking to go, although she's not begging me, merely mentioning it from time to time.

On the other hand, I suspect part of her desire to go to ballet classes is to wear pretty clothes.

She does very well at gymnastics and I'd like her to keep that up. I also want her to learn to swim, so I'm not dropping the swimming lessons.

TBH there are other things I would rather she took up if she has spare time and energy for an extra curricular activity. She's a very energetic, never still type of child and I think ballet may be too slow and disciplined for her.

So, is ballet class a rite of passage most girls goes through? How long do most girls keep it up for?

I'm sure I'll get a mixture of responses here.

My DD started at 4 and is still going now at 8. She loves it, no pressure, exams if you want but not compulsory. It's getting more serious now, they've done the groundwork and the fluttering around and now they are doing barre work. I thought she might find it boring but she's still enjoying and I've never had to drag her there, IYKWIM.

My DD does both gymnastics and swimming and I have purposely kept off the subject of ballet as much as I can. I am an avid ballet fan, was a member of the royal opera house for years when we lived nearer London and did ballet as a child. However I did it because my gymnastics coach told me to do it for the dance elements of the floor routine and I hated the ballet! Have you thought about more of a general dance class? I would much prefer my dd to do dance such as salsa, tango etc as it looks much more fun and I think better exercise. It does strike me that ballet is quite structured and at first they don't progress much and you have to shell out for all those clothes!

My DD1 is 9 and about to do her grade 2 ballet exam. She also does modern. She will never be a professional dancer, nor would she wish to be, but I hope she will carry on with dance until her mid-teens. At four she was exactly the sort of child that you would think would be all wrong for ballet, round and tubby with huge co-ordination problems. You could see when you watched her class that she was much worse than all the other little ones - but she didn't know that bless her, and she absolutely loved it.
She has always worked hard and concentrated in class and when I get to watch one of her classes now, although she doesn't stand out for anything special, she doesn't stand out for the wrong reasons either. She is slim, has a beautiful straight back and holds herself really well.
DD2 is 7 and she loves ballet too and DD3 has just started at four. It is costing quite a lot between the three of them, but when I look at DD1 I see what the long-term benefits can be. As long as the child enjoys what they are doing and is prepared to work hard and concentrate in class, I really think any child, no matter how clumsy, can gain a huge amount.

My mum is a dancer and ballet teacher so I went to lessons. I'd never be a dancer - I can't remember steps and have little coordination, however, it has given me good posture. I think it is a good thing in general. DD will go when she is three - my mum will make sure of that. I think she'll enjoy it.

Ekra I have not read the thread but hope you can learn from my experience

I was DESPERATE to go to ballet when I was little but was never allowed. I used to sit in my room with The Ladybird Book of Ballet and put wooden building blocks in my pumps so I could try to go up en pointe

I think I would have been a cack ballerina and probably got sick of it quickly, but, never being allowed, I have nursed the desire for all these years until age 34, and in a fit of post natal madness, I started attending ballet classes.

Is this really what you want for your dd? Think about it. I thank you.

Both my sister and I attended ballet classes when we were younger (I was 10 and sis was 7) and it was the best thing we ever did!! Agree it builds stamina/good exercise etc but most of all it encourages discipline. I was never going to make a dancer as my achilles tendons were too short. I gave it up at 16 when GCSEs then Alevels took over my life and I didn't have the time to commit to dancing anymore. My sister however went on to become a professional dancer and has worked all over the world dancing. She is currently a dancer at the LUXOR in Las Vegas (not ballet) but a requirement of her job is to be professionally classically trained. I agree that ballet also turns into Jazz/Tap etc and can then become expensive especially when you have shows/competitions/exams etc but I am so glad I did it and can still do a double pirouhette and triple time step even noe at the age of 33!!

Ekra, i would say, if you can afford it and you think she would manage an extra activity, let her give it a go. i did ballet from 4ish till 18 and although i'm as graceful as a heffalump now, i really enjoyed it - in fact, when i was about 12 i had to give up through illness and really missed it so was allowed to go back after a year. i was the worst in the class as we got older but i tried really hard and enjoyed being in the shows that we did periodically. I even sometimes think about going to an adult class now but dont have the time at the moment!

FWIW, i never had any longing to do tap, modern or anything like that!

Wish I had time to read the whole thread but agree with BalletMum about the age thing. My dd (now 6.10) has been going to ballet for 2 yrs. She wants to stop, although she's a perfect build for ballet & shows some talent. I think she's bored! She wants to dance, not to practice positions, steps & stretches. I told her actual dancing would come once she has the basics, like learning to crawl before you can walk, etc. I hope she stays with it but I won't push.

I've just signed up my 3 yo DS for ballet class - we had a trial class and he seemed to enjoy it.

It's not just about pink frilly stuff in our house!

Patrick Swayzee (sp?!) had to start somewhere I told my sceptical DP...He's totally persuaded now after he's seen him do some 'steps' around the home.

There's so much gender bias related to ballet - mostly from the girls themselves - one little dd said - 'look mummy - that boy can't be a ballerina'

DD has been going since she was 4 and enjoys it. The class she goes to is more about fun and social engagement at this stage, although they can take exams as they progress but are not expected to.

They do one show every 2 years and it is lovely to watch if not a littel amusing!

The older girls who go to the other classes are a wide range of shapes and sizes. The slimmer ones are not surprisingly the most agile and seem to be the stars but there are a larege (no pun intended) of bigger girls who were happy to get up on stage and show what they can do and they did it well.

I like it because it introduces the need to work together with a degree of discipline. She likes it as she gets to wear a pretty dress, has made new friends and the teacher gives them a sweet at the end!

Our class is also only £3.80 a lesson which is great

FrannyandZooey - did you practice all the positions in the front/end papers of the book too? I must have known that book from cover to cover! Glad I'm not the only one! I desperately wanted to dance, never got the chance though. Probably just as well, considering I'm "built for comfort not speed" and have large feet!