BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 My daughter is begging for ballet lessons and we've encouraged her to request that everyone pitch in on it for her birthday (at the end of December so we would likely begin in January) but I have absolutely no experience with dance lessons. I never took any as a child, nor did any of my siblings. I asked on some local Facebook groups I'm apart of for recommendations in our local (30 mins away for us) town for the best dance studios. Out of 3 there were 2 that were pretty evenly recommended. Should I just pick one and go with that or do I visit them and look for certain things and then choose? Is it typical to drop off for lessons, as that's something I might not prefer to do all the time? And I think I would like recitals to be optional, or is this a negative? Thanks for any help as I prefer to make informed decisions and am feeling clueless when it comes to this! [emoji1] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Ballet lessons will generally be drop-off, some studios have a parent observation area. In general students focus better if they can't see mom watching. If the school does recitals your daughter will feel left out if she does not get to participate. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 That's true and I would like her to do some recitals I'm just not always sure it will be feasible to *always* do them and therefore would prefer it to be optional. I think it would be a great growing experience for her to do them and one of the studios I'm looking at only has one a year which doesn't seem too difficult to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Our studio has a waiting area with an assortment of toys. I stopped waiting once lessons got longer than an hour, but no one there cares either way. Sometimes I wait if i don't have anyone else with me. Ask if there are additional fees for recitals or costumes. Ours doesn't have them, but at other local studios they can get really hefty. We only have a recital in the spring (Nutcracker at Christmas when you are old enough). The recital is technically optional, but usually fun. One year was Alice in Wonderland, another was The Little Prince. If your dd is older than, say, 7 you may want to ask how she would be placed. I would at least go into the two studios to see what they are like and what kind of "vibe" you get. You might ask if they have a recommendation for where to get shoes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 You should contact the studios before you visit them to find out if she'd be able to start in January or not. Some may not allow her to start that late. Also, DD's studio requested costume deposits in October. I'd ask if recitals are optional. But I know that at DD's, big portions of class from January onward were about learning the show piece. No idea how they'd handle a child who wasn't doing the show, but you could ask. Be prepared that recital costs can add up. Close to or around $100 for the costume, mandatory ticket purchase, flowers, note in the program, new tights (because tights fade over the year), photos. It wasn't terrible for once a year, and lessons were reasonable, but it was probably close to $200 for the show. Ask if they have to buy special costumes for the recital. DD's studio had a waiting room for parents, and about once a month, they had the parents come in for the last fifteen or so minutes so they could watch. That was a nice compromise. We were allowed to drop off or wait. I'd see if I could observe class. Our studio had girls of all shapes and sizes, and there was no emphasis on weight control or any body shaming. The instructors were firm but didn't yell or bark. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 I'm backing up to how you are paying. You are suggesting your dd request money for birthday to pay for this. I don't have a problem with telling friends a child wants money towards something. The thing that concerns me is ballet is an ongoing expense. are you going to be able to continue lessons if she likes them and the studio fits. I'd ask about extra costs. Recital fees, costumes, tickets to performances... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 I prefer studios with only 1 recital a year. We were at a studio that did it twice, plus had something in the summer. Also, that particular studio kept inviting the parents in to watch the dances during the class time. I did not like that. The place we are at now has one recital a year for the entire studio. They do the Nutcracker in the fall also, but that is separate from the classes, so it is not worked on during class. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 I'm backing up to how you are paying. You are suggesting your dd request money for birthday to pay for this. I don't have a problem with telling friends a child wants money towards something. The thing that concerns me is ballet is an ongoing expense. are you going to be able to continue lessons if she likes them and the studio fits. I'd ask about extra costs. Recital fees, costumes, tickets to performances... I agree with this. The recital fees and costumes can cost as much as the classes themselves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 If you want dance on a budget, perhaps a rec center would be a good place to try. They often have classes that are more fun and don't have the expensive recitals. But you would have to ask the specifics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 I'm backing up to how you are paying. You are suggesting your dd request money for birthday to pay for this. I don't have a problem with telling friends a child wants money towards something. The thing that concerns me is ballet is an ongoing expense. are you going to be able to continue lessons if she likes them and the studio fits. I'd ask about extra costs. Recital fees, costumes, tickets to performances... I agree with this. The recital fees and costumes can cost as much as the classes themselves. We can definitely afford it in the long term so that isn't an issue, DH and I both just felt that we wanted DD to really *want* to do it as well and not just have it be a passing interest so we agreed that when she would ask we'd just suggest she ask for it for her birthday as that was enough time we felt if she was still interested then we'd take the plunge. And we keep birthday parties to grandparents and aunts/uncles so it would just be a suggestion we would be sharing with family. For us the hesitation isn't the money as much as the time. We live half an hour from the studios and so something like dropping DD off would be difficult unless I'm just going to sit in the car with my younger kids and wait which would not be nice during our hotter part of the year! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 If you want dance on a budget, perhaps a rec center would be a good place to try. They often have classes that are more fun and don't have the expensive recitals. But you would have to ask the specifics. I wish this was an option!! In our area I would probably have to drive an hour to get to a town with a rec center that only maybe offered ballet and I can't commit to a two hour drive once a week right now. [emoji20] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 Are you maybe conflating recitals and competitions? Most studios only have one recital at the end of the year, and I can't imagine skipping that . . . at least half the year is spent learning the choreography of the recital dance(s). Some studios also do competitions, and those could be much more frequent. We deliberately chose a studio that doesn't focus on competitions. Not only do we not want to commit to multiple weekends, the competition studios tend toward "sexier" costumes and choreography. I would also check out the studios' websites and see if there's a difference in the qualifications of the teachers. At our studio most of the teachers (including for the preschool classes) have a BFA or MFA in dance, and experience dancing in a professional company. Thanks for the suggestion on checking teacher qualifications, I will do that! I definitely am not interested in doing competitions, both of the studios that were recommended have competition groups you can audition for from what I can see on their web pages but there is no way I could fit that into our schedule. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 And thank you to everyone else for their input! I will have to plan a time to go and visit the studios without DD to find out if it is even a possibility to start in January and to the person who suggested asking about placement I will do that as well as DD will be turning 8 in December. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Oh, and I would also ask how many classes a week most kids her age are taking. At ours, 7-8yos usually took one class, sometimes two if they did ballet and tap. Teens needed at least two because if they took pointe, they also took at least one other class. Some of them took three or four classes a week, which I can understand for serious dancers as they get older. But there is a studio around here that expected 7-8yos in class 5-6 times a week, seriously. Totally different expectations. Also, ask about fundraisers. At ours, the students were welcome to participate in some fundraisers to earn money toward their personal accounts, which could then pay for costume fees, etc. But they were not mandatory. I detest most fundraisers and don't have people to sell to, so I just paid for things myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Are these strictly ballet studios? If your dd is interested in ballet and you want to look beyond rec programs, I'd look for a strictly ballet studio. I, personally, would not go with a studio that has a competition group. I'd want studio that had the sole focus of classical ballet. with regard to the driving and what to do with the younger child issue, when I had that problem with an activity, I researched the area for shopping and library. Depending on the activity I planned my weekly shopping around the activity or did library time with the younger kids. I could usually get the changed routine to balance. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Many studios will allow your child to have a free class in several different dance styles to see if she likes it. Ask about this when you call or visit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Many studios will allow your child to have a free class in several different dance styles to see if she likes it. Ask about this when you call or visit. Yes, trying out a class is typical here. My DD's studio has a recital in June, and the only other "thing" is at Christmas when they put on a "show" during the normal dance time, for family, in the normal studio area. They can wear holiday colored leotards, and people bring cookies and such for afterwards. But it isn't the big thing that the recital is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickerplum Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Ask if they have copies of recent performances. That will give you a good picture of the instruction. After watching a live performance at our dance school last year (ahem - note we're no longer there) it was obvious that there were areas lacking in good instruction. Also, if crazy/revealing costumes are a concern, ask to see pictures of past years. Our current studio allows new students to try out as many classes as they want for two weeks for free. You could see if anyone offers that. Good luck! I hope she loves it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I can't imagine many children would go for not participating in a recital. That's what they all live for. Often when they are young the choreography for the class dance is part of the class. Check them out and enjoy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Summer camps are a good place to try it out. It's a short term commitment and often no recital. When my kids were little, I stayed in the waiting room with my son while my daughter danced. It only lasted an hour until she was older and started taking multiple classes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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