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I thought about reviving the old thread, but since it hasn't been posted on in over a year, I decided to make a new post.

 

Can I get some good thoughts for my dd16 (an Irish dancer) this weekend? It's been 2 years since she competed in solo dances because of injuries. She continued dancing on teams through Nationals in the summer of 2016. At that point, she took a long break, but her broken toe refused to heal, so she had it surgically repaired in February 2017. Her orthopedist didn't rush us to surgery, because the break was in an area of the toe that has poor blood flow, so it sometimes doesn't heal well. Fortunately, dd's toe has healed great. She planned to return to dance in August 2017, but was delayed until November due to issues with low blood pressure. So, this weekend is her first competition since she's been back. She's nervous and excited, and truth be told, I am too.

 

Anyone else want to share what your dancers are doing now?

Edited by LizzyBee
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Best of luck to her at the competition!  Let us know how it goes!

 

Senior year for my dancer.  She will not be continuing in dance other than as an avocation.  Right now she's choreographing and rehearsing for a local teen talent show that gives scholarship money as prizes -- round one is in about a week, I think. 

 

Also prepping for a 24-hour dance marathon she participates in each year.  She'll be teaching in the middle of the night, and will be filming her class outdoors with drones as part of some video she's making ... ok, really, I have no idea what's going on with this, lol.

 

Senior showcase will probably happen in May.

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I'm sorry your kiddo has been dealing with an injury, but glad she is feeling well enough to get back onstage!

 

I really have little to contribute (except for the "where is he now" below), because my son is more or less grown up now and handling his performance stuff on his own. So, I no longer feel like a "dance parent." I sure do miss those days, though.

 

A quick update for those who might be interested:

 

My son graduated from home school/high school 3.5 years ago. He spent two years at a mid-sized private university double majoring in musical theatre and applied dance before deciding that he wasn't enthused about either the education or the social scene on that campus. He came back home and spent the next three semesters checking off boxes to complete an associate's degree and transfer to the local campus of our state U system, which happened this semester.

 

He'll be finishing his B.A. with a major in theatre studies and a minor in dance. 

 

He's continued to dance, although he's not as focused on it as he was for a while. He is part of a performance troupe that mixes theatre and dance with circus arts and some puppetry, so nowadays he is about equally likely to be onstage doing magic or manipulating a puppet as he is to be dancing. And when he does dance, he sometimes does so while either wielding or surrounded by fire.

 

He is still in love with costuming, too. In addition to making costumes for himself and his girlfriend for various conventions and events, he's gotten a few small commissions from folks he knows in theatre. And he ended up making his own costume for the theatre/dance/circus/puppetry group, because the one the professional costumer made just wasn't especially well done.

 

Just a few weeks ago, he was hired as a puppeteer for another company, which he's also enjoying (and which provides a much more regular paycheck).

 

He subs as a teacher as his old dance school a few times a month, and the owner/director there recently reached out to ask if he might be interested in co-directing a youth ensemble she may be starting in a few months. So, we'll see if that develops into anything.

 

He's definitely taking the scenic route through college, but when I force myself to take a wide view, I can see that he's gaining a lot of great experience and building a really interesting resume/portfolio. It'll be fun to watch how this all turns out for him.

Edited by Jenny in Florida
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My 14 year old daughter trains in classical ballet.  She just finished audition season (auditioning for summer intensives).  Her decisions have been made and she has decided to attend 2 intensives this summer for a total of 8 weeks.  In the meantime, she is starting rehearsals for her studio's spring performance.

 

Good luck to your daughter this weekend! I hope she has a great time!

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Best of luck to her at the competition!  Let us know how it goes!

 

Senior year for my dancer.  She will not be continuing in dance other than as an avocation.  Right now she's choreographing and rehearsing for a local teen talent show that gives scholarship money as prizes -- round one is in about a week, I think. 

 

Also prepping for a 24-hour dance marathon she participates in each year.  She'll be teaching in the middle of the night, and will be filming her class outdoors with drones as part of some video she's making ... ok, really, I have no idea what's going on with this, lol.

 

Senior showcase will probably happen in May.

 

Thank you. Sounds like your daughter is having a busy and fun senior year. Your description of the video project made me laugh. :-)

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I'm sorry your kiddo has been dealing with an injury, but glad she is feeling well enough to get back onstage!

 

I really have little to contribute (except for the "where is he now" below), because my son is more or less grown up now and handling his performance stuff on his own. So, I no longer feel like a "dance parent." I sure do miss those days, though.

 

 

 

Thank you! I enjoyed reading the update about your son. 

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My 14 year old daughter trains in classical ballet.  She just finished audition season (auditioning for summer intensives).  Her decisions have been made and she has decided to attend 2 intensives this summer for a total of 8 weeks.  In the meantime, she is starting rehearsals for her studio's spring performance.

 

Good luck to your daughter this weekend! I hope she has a great time!

 

Thank you! Good luck to your daughter in her spring performance! 

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My 14 year old daughter trains in classical ballet.  She just finished audition season (auditioning for summer intensives).  Her decisions have been made and she has decided to attend 2 intensives this summer for a total of 8 weeks.  In the meantime, she is starting rehearsals for her studio's spring performance.

 

Good luck to your daughter this weekend! I hope she has a great time!

 

I would love to know more about intensives.  Any advice you could give? 

 

Is this the first time she has gone? 

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Sure, I would be happy to share my thoughts!  No, this is not my daughter's first intensive.  She did her first one when she was 11 (for two weeks), and she has done one every year since.  So, this will be her 5th year.

 

How old is your daughter (or son)? My thoughts/advice would vary depending on how old your child is.  :001_smile:

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Sure, I would be happy to share my thoughts!  No, this is not my daughter's first intensive.  She did her first one when she was 11 (for two weeks), and she has done one every year since.  So, this will be her 5th year.

 

How old is your daughter (or son)? My thoughts/advice would vary depending on how old your child is.  :001_smile:

 

All of them dance

 

11

9

7

5

2

 

 

All of this is brand new to me and I know nothing.  Ok go

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Good luck to your daughter, Lizzybee!

 

My dd13 is getting more and more serious about ballet. She will head off to her third intensive this summer. She's dancing about 20 hours a week and between that and auditions and ballet competitions and summer decision making we are all beat! And auditions for the spring show are just around the corner... it never ends!!

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Wow! You could have a whole dance team! LOL!

 

Ok, my daughter dances at a classical pre-pro ballet studio.  She started "ballet" at age 3 and fell in love with it immediately.  She now trains 20-25 hrs. a week.

 

She went to her first intensive at age 11.  It was totally not necessary at that point, but she really wanted to go.  So, we went to the audition (she was 10 at the time). I think it was more nerve-wracking for me than for her! But we figured that it was good for her to start getting used to the audition process early, so that she would be comfortable with the process when the auditions really started to matter.  So, her first intensive was 2 weeks long and it was technically more of a "workshop" than an intensive.  It was a great first experience though.

 

She did another two-week intensive when she was 12.  When she was 13, she did 2 intensives for a total of 7 weeks.  Last year she went to one five-week intensive.  This summer she will go to two intensives for a total of 8 weeks.  

 

For serious ballet students, intensives are pretty much expected at some point.  However, my daughter started going to them younger than was truly necessary.  She just really wanted to do them, and they have been a good experience for her. But some people say that you can wait until about 14-15 before it is necessary to go away, if you are getting decent training at home.  

 

Audition season starts in January each year and most ballet companies hold auditions during January and February.  To find a list of auditions for the upcoming season, Pointe Magazine puts out a listing of intensives in their November-December issue each year.  I don't know where you live, but if you live near a decent-sized city, you probably have some companies that come there to hold auditions. Various companies have different length intensives.  They typically range from 2 to 7 weeks. There are a ton of intensives all over the country.

 

Audition classes are a good thing to experience. My daughter likes to go to gauge herself against other dancers her age.  It also helps her to assess her training at her home studio.  Just like colleges, some intensives are very selective, others are moderately selective, and some aren't very selective at all.  There is even one excellent program that doesn't require an audition at all.  It is first-come, first-served.

 

Most intensives have a placement class on the first day of the intensive to figure out which level to put each student in.  A few assign levels at the audition, and you find that out when you get your acceptance letter.

 

Most intensives have ballet technique everyday and pointe everyday or several days a week (depending on the level of dancer).  Some intensives focus heavily on ballet and might even have two ballet technique classes a day, plus contemporary ballet several times a week.  Some intensives offer pas de deux, variations, repertory, jazz, flamenco, Pilates, modern, contemporary, hip hop, etc. It varies widely by intensive, so you have to evaluate each one carefully.  

 

Some intensives focus on a certain type of ballet training-- Balanchine, Vaganova, Cechetti, ABT, RAD, etc.  Some are more contemporary ballet based.

 

These are the things that popped into my head as far as an overview. Let me know if you have any further questions! I am happy to share what I have learned.

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Irish dancers here.

 

The CLRG school we were with closed the studio closest to us, leaving just their main studio an hour away. That was too much of a commute so we had to leave the school.

 

We've moved over to the only other school in our area, which is affiliated with one of the smaller Irish dance organizations. I've got everyone except the baby signed up for classes right now--including an adult hardshoe class for Dh and I.

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Wow! You could have a whole dance team! LOL!

 

Ok, my daughter dances at a classical pre-pro ballet studio.  She started "ballet" at age 3 and fell in love with it immediately.  She now trains 20-25 hrs. a week.

 

She went to her first intensive at age 11.  It was totally not necessary at that point, but she really wanted to go.  So, we went to the audition (she was 10 at the time). I think it was more nerve-wracking for me than for her! But we figured that it was good for her to start getting used to the audition process early, so that she would be comfortable with the process when the auditions really started to matter.  So, her first intensive was 2 weeks long and it was technically more of a "workshop" than an intensive.  It was a great first experience though.

 

She did another two-week intensive when she was 12.  When she was 13, she did 2 intensives for a total of 7 weeks.  Last year she went to one five-week intensive.  This summer she will go to two intensives for a total of 8 weeks.  

 

For serious ballet students, intensives are pretty much expected at some point.  However, my daughter started going to them younger than was truly necessary.  She just really wanted to do them, and they have been a good experience for her. But some people say that you can wait until about 14-15 before it is necessary to go away, if you are getting decent training at home.  

 

Audition season starts in January each year and most ballet companies hold auditions during January and February.  To find a list of auditions for the upcoming season, Pointe Magazine puts out a listing of intensives in their November-December issue each year.  I don't know where you live, but if you live near a decent-sized city, you probably have some companies that come there to hold auditions. Various companies have different length intensives.  They typically range from 2 to 7 weeks. There are a ton of intensives all over the country.

 

Audition classes are a good thing to experience. My daughter likes to go to gauge herself against other dancers her age.  It also helps her to assess her training at her home studio.  Just like colleges, some intensives are very selective, others are moderately selective, and some aren't very selective at all.  There is even one excellent program that doesn't require an audition at all.  It is first-come, first-served.

 

Most intensives have a placement class on the first day of the intensive to figure out which level to put each student in.  A few assign levels at the audition, and you find that out when you get your acceptance letter.

 

Most intensives have ballet technique everyday and pointe everyday or several days a week (depending on the level of dancer).  Some intensives focus heavily on ballet and might even have two ballet technique classes a day, plus contemporary ballet several times a week.  Some intensives offer pas de deux, variations, repertory, jazz, flamenco, Pilates, modern, contemporary, hip hop, etc. It varies widely by intensive, so you have to evaluate each one carefully.  

 

Some intensives focus on a certain type of ballet training-- Balanchine, Vaganova, Cechetti, ABT, RAD, etc.  Some are more contemporary ballet based.

 

These are the things that popped into my head as far as an overview. Let me know if you have any further questions! I am happy to share what I have learned.

 

Thank you  for all of that.  My kids have danced since they were 2 or 3, but now this is what the oldest really wants to do out of everything she has tried.

She just learned about intensives as they were dancing at a park and rec studio until a month ago. 

 

How do you know what intensives are good? 

Does your dd go to different intensives every year?  At different schools?  Is that what you should do or is it fine to keep going to the same one? 

There school is training them in Balanchine ballet, so do you go to only intensives for that style? 

 

 

Pointe magazine?  I need to go look into that.  

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Thank you  for all of that.  My kids have danced since they were 2 or 3, but now this is what the oldest really wants to do out of everything she has tried.

She just learned about intensives as they were dancing at a park and rec studio until a month ago. 

 

How do you know what intensives are good? 

Does your dd go to different intensives every year?  At different schools?  Is that what you should do or is it fine to keep going to the same one? 

There school is training them in Balanchine ballet, so do you go to only intensives for that style? 

 

 

Pointe magazine?  I need to go look into that.  

 

 

How good an intensive is can be somewhat subjective. What is good for one person, might not be good for another.  And what might be a good intensive for someone one year, might not be good for them another year at a different point in their training. You honestly need to assess each intensive each year to see if it is what you "need" that year.

 

That being said, there is definitely a hierarchy of intensives as far as prestige goes.  The top tier includes all of the "three-letter programs" like ABT (American Ballet Theatre), PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet), SAB (School of American Ballet), and SFB (San Francisco Ballet).  Other top programs include Miami City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Chautauqua Institute.  There are also top International programs such as Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

 

These are all fabulous programs, but sometimes smaller less "prestigious" programs can be a better fit.  The main thing is that the program is addressing whatever the dancer needs to work on at that time and that she is getting enough attention and corrections.  There are definitely some smaller, less known, hidden gems out there. And one well-known program with very solid training doesn't even require auditions at all.

 

My daughter has gone to 4 different intensives at this point. She went to two different programs her first two summers. Then her third summer she did two programs, neither which were the same as the first two summers. Her fourth summer she went to one of the same programs that she did her third summer. This summer she will be attending that same intensive (for the third year) as well as adding a completely new one. So, after this summer, she will have attended 5 different intensives.

 

As far as what is "done", that varies as well.  Some people love an intensive so much that they keep returning to the same one each year.  Others go to a different intensive every year.  There really is no wrong answer.  If an intensive is helping a dancer grow and improve every year and it is one that she enjoys, there is no reason not to continue going there.  However, if someone wants to sample different intensives and styles, that is okay too.  

 

No, you don't need to stick with Balanchine style intensives.  There are some people who believe that it is best to stick with the same style of ballet when a child is young, so it doesn't confuse them, but then it is great to expose them to other styles as they get older, so that they can get more well-rounded.  Others think it is fine for them to take other styles when they are young.  Your daughter's teachers might have an opinion about that.  My daughter has taken intensives in ABT-style, Balanchine, and hybrid styles.  This summer she will be studying at one Balanchine intensive and one Vaganova. Vaganova is what she studies at her home studio.

 

To learn more about specific intensives, you might want to check out a board called Ballet Talk for Dancers.  It has a ton of information, but it can be a bit overwhelming.  I should also warn you that they are super super strict over there.  They do not allow any comparison between programs at all. The moderators seem to be omnipresent and are quick to reprimand people for discussing things in the "wrong" way.  Just a warning! Still, you can learn a lot by reading over there.

 

Fire away with any other questions you may have!

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Now a retired dance mom since DD17 is away at college. I was briefly called out of retirement this week to help with stoning at a local dance studio. I also went to one day of a competition to see DDĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s old team compete. But, I really felt awkward not having a kid there.

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How good an intensive is can be somewhat subjective. What is good for one person, might not be good for another.  And what might be a good intensive for someone one year, might not be good for them another year at a different point in their training. You honestly need to assess each intensive each year to see if it is what you "need" that year.

 

That being said, there is definitely a hierarchy of intensives as far as prestige goes.  The top tier includes all of the "three-letter programs" like ABT (American Ballet Theatre), PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet), SAB (School of American Ballet), and SFB (San Francisco Ballet).  Other top programs include Miami City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Chautauqua Institute.  There are also top International programs such as Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

 

These are all fabulous programs, but sometimes smaller less "prestigious" programs can be a better fit.  The main thing is that the program is addressing whatever the dancer needs to work on at that time and that she is getting enough attention and corrections.  There are definitely some smaller, less known, hidden gems out there. And one well-known program with very solid training doesn't even require auditions at all.

 

My daughter has gone to 4 different intensives at this point. She went to two different programs her first two summers. Then her third summer she did two programs, neither which were the same as the first two summers. Her fourth summer she went to one of the same programs that she did her third summer. This summer she will be attending that same intensive (for the third year) as well as adding a completely new one. So, after this summer, she will have attended 5 different intensives.

 

As far as what is "done", that varies as well.  Some people love an intensive so much that they keep returning to the same one each year.  Others go to a different intensive every year.  There really is no wrong answer.  If an intensive is helping a dancer grow and improve every year and it is one that she enjoys, there is no reason not to continue going there.  However, if someone wants to sample different intensives and styles, that is okay too.  

 

No, you don't need to stick with Balanchine style intensives.  There are some people who believe that it is best to stick with the same style of ballet when a child is young, so it doesn't confuse them, but then it is great to expose them to other styles as they get older, so that they can get more well-rounded.  Others think it is fine for them to take other styles when they are young.  Your daughter's teachers might have an opinion about that.  My daughter has taken intensives in ABT-style, Balanchine, and hybrid styles.  This summer she will be studying at one Balanchine intensive and one Vaganova. Vaganova is what she studies at her home studio.

 

To learn more about specific intensives, you might want to check out a board called Ballet Talk for Dancers.  It has a ton of information, but it can be a bit overwhelming.  I should also warn you that they are super super strict over there.  They do not allow any comparison between programs at all. The moderators seem to be omnipresent and are quick to reprimand people for discussing things in the "wrong" way.  Just a warning! Still, you can learn a lot by reading over there.

 

Fire away with any other questions you may have!

 

Thank you for all of that.  I thought that everyone went to different ones every year.  

 

Are Jofferey intensives good?  

 

I feel like whatever "mom" you get put as, unless you have done it there is so much to learn. 

We may try out some in are area or do the ones from their academy. 

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Joffrey intensives are kind of controversial. First of all, you should know that Joffrey Ballet in Chicago is not the same at Joffrey in New York.  They are actually two separate programs.  Joffrey in New York is the program that has all of the intensives throughout the country.  From my understanding, that Joffrey tends to be more popular with competition dancers because they offer jazz intensives, musical theatre intensives, etc.  I honestly couldn't tell you about the quality of those intensives because they aren't our focus.  As far as going to one of their ballet intensives, Joffrey is not highly regarded. The programs tend to be very large and people that I know who tried them thought they were a waste.  The way Joffrey works is that a dancer auditions and Joffrey sends a huge list of all of the locations that she has been accepted to.  I have never heard of anyone not being accepted to Joffrey.  That being said, I am sure that they can be a lot of fun, but there are many intensives that are considered to be more valuable for ballet training.

 

I think that trying local ones or the one for their own academy is a great idea! Then you can spend time learning more about various intensives for a future year, if she wants to continue along that path.  

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I thought about reviving the old thread, but since it hasn't been posted on in over a year, I decided to make a new post.

 

Can I get some good thoughts for my dd16 (an Irish dancer) this weekend? It's been 2 years since she competed in solo dances because of injuries. She continued dancing on teams through Nationals in the summer of 2016. At that point, she took a long break, but her broken toe refused to heal, so she had it surgically repaired in February 2017. Her orthopedist didn't rush us to surgery, because the break was in an area of the toe that has poor blood flow, so it sometimes doesn't heal well. Fortunately, dd's toe has healed great. She planned to return to dance in August 2017, but was delayed until November due to issues with low blood pressure. So, this weekend is her first competition since she's been back. She's nervous and excited, and truth be told, I am too.

 

Anyone else want to share what your dancers are doing now?

 

 

Thinking about you and your daughter today.  Please update and let us know how it went this weekend!  I don't know a whole lot about Irish dance and I would love to hear more.  

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Joffrey intensives are kind of controversial. First of all, you should know that Joffrey Ballet in Chicago is not the same at Joffrey in New York.  They are actually two separate programs.  Joffrey in New York is the program that has all of the intensives throughout the country.  From my understanding, that Joffrey tends to be more popular with competition dancers because they offer jazz intensives, musical theatre intensives, etc.  I honestly couldn't tell you about the quality of those intensives because they aren't our focus.  As far as going to one of their ballet intensives, Joffrey is not highly regarded. The programs tend to be very large and people that I know who tried them thought they were a waste.  The way Joffrey works is that a dancer auditions and Joffrey sends a huge list of all of the locations that she has been accepted to.  I have never heard of anyone not being accepted to Joffrey.  That being said, I am sure that they can be a lot of fun, but there are many intensives that are considered to be more valuable for ballet training.

 

I think that trying local ones or the one for their own academy is a great idea! Then you can spend time learning more about various intensives for a future year, if she wants to continue along that path.  

 

Hmm thank you for the opinion.  Stinks because they offer something for all ages. 

 

I didn't know that Joffery wasn't highly regarded.   Since I don't know anything about the dance world I thought Joffery was tops.  We were thinking of having our kids go to the academy there. 

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Hmm thank you for the opinion.  Stinks because they offer something for all ages. 

 

I didn't know that Joffery wasn't highly regarded.   Since I don't know anything about the dance world I thought Joffery was tops.  We were thinking of having our kids go to the academy there. 

 

What are your goals with dance?

 

Unless you have a child aiming for a career in ballet, you don't necessarily need to be looking for elite. You don't want someone who teaches bad technique that could lead to injuries, but kids who are mostly dancing for fun also don't need to be training with folks who train professional dancers.

 

What programs are local people happy with?

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Audition classes are a good thing to experience. My daughter likes to go to gauge herself against other dancers her age.  It also helps her to assess her training at her home studio.  

 

Dd loved to go to intensive auditions even if she wasn't planning on going to summer intensives.  Part of it was that she could see what was happening at various schools, part of it was curiosity to see which intensives would accept her, and part of it was that she considered the audition an extra dance class.  

 

For the record, she always discussed taking the audition classes with her teacher beforehand, whether she was considering going to an intensive or not.

 

Edited to add:  She also enjoys the theater audition process, so she's possibly marching to the beat of a different drummer than most people.

Edited by GailV
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We've moved over to the only other school in our area, which is affiliated with one of the smaller Irish dance organizations. I've got everyone except the baby signed up for classes right now--including an adult hardshoe class for Dh and I.

 

Shout out to you and your dh doing hardshoe!

 

The most fun ceili team we ever saw was an all-adult team.  They were at a feis, and having a blast!  It looked like way more fun than the kids seemed to be having.

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Yes, I remember thinking the same thing about Joffrey.  I think the confusion comes from the fact that Joffrey Ballet in Chicago is a well-regarded professional company.  I am not sure of the specifics but something happened where the Joffrey program in New York is allowed to use the name Joffrey as well.  The two companies are unaffiliated though.

 

I agree with maize that you should assess a program based on your goals at the time.  I know many people whose kids started out at one place and if their goals changed, they reassessed and moved to a different place.  My daughter did exactly that.  She attended one ballet company for years, but we eventually realized that she needed something different for her training, so we switched studios.  That's very common to do.

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What are your goals with dance?

 

Unless you have a child aiming for a career in ballet, you don't necessarily need to be looking for elite. You don't want someone who teaches bad technique that could lead to injuries, but kids who are mostly dancing for fun also don't need to be training with folks who train professional dancers.

 

What programs are local people happy with?

 

I do not have any personal goals with dance.  

I love that is good exercise and mentally challenges them.  I like that they love it.  We have tried a lot of things and this is what they like right now. 

 

 

They are still young so things change from month to month.  The two older ones have thought about professional dancing, but who knows if they will really want that.  They younger ones say yes and want to be a million other things too. 

 

I am just trying find more channels for trying things that they are interested in. 

 

They just switched from a park and rec studio that is good. They dance all the way up to pointe so that is awesome and insanely cheap.   But they love that they are learning lots more at an academy that has a professional company.   They like it so I think they want to stay doing it.  Maybe just do one class at the old park and rec for fun and being in the recital. 

 

 

We just started going to a place where people are more serious about dance.  Girls go to intensives or switch studios.   This was not something that I knew about before.  People are happy where we go and there are maybe 2 other studios in the area they talk about being good.  That being the parents at this studio, both of which have intensives.  

 

 

Edited by mommyoffive
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I do not have any personal goals with dance.  

I love that is good exercise and mentally challenges them.  I like that they love it.  We have tried a lot of things and this is what they like right now. 

 

 

They are still young so things change from month to month.  The two older ones have thought about professional dancing, but who knows if they will really want that.  They younger ones say yes and want to be a million other things too. 

 

I am just trying find more channels for trying things that they are interested in. 

 

They just switched from a park and rec studio that is good. They dance all the way up to pointe so that is awesome and insanely cheap.   But they love that they are learning lots more at an academy that has a professional company.   They like it so I think they want to stay doing it.  Maybe just do one class at the old park and rec for fun and being in the recital. 

 

 

We just started going to a place where people are more serious about dance.  Girls go to intensives or switch studios.   This was not something that I knew about before.  People are happy where we go and there are maybe 2 other studios in the area they talk about being good.  That being the parents at this studio, both of which have intensives.  

 

That's great that your kids are loving it, and that you are now at an academy that is attached to a company.  Definitely a step in the right direction if you want good training and they are at all looking at the possibility of dancing professionally.  Your academy's summer program would likely be a great choice for a first intensive.  So much progress can be made during the summer.

 

I think auditioning for outside summer intensives becomes important when you have a dancer who a) has finished at least their first year of pointe training and b) is starting to get serious about pursuing ballet.    Most intensives will offer pointework every day and auditions will have a pointework component (unless you are looking at a junior-type program), so it's best to start when the student is ready to handle that.  Auditions are invaluable for observing the capabilities of other students of the same age and seeing where your dancer fits, and acceptances (and even rejections) can be great sources of feedback on your dancer's progress (although there will be times where audition results don't make sense even to the student's instructors!).  Auditions are also great for getting a feel for the style of different schools/companies and what feels best to the dancer as they start thinking about their future careers.  Even if you wouldn't plan on sending your dancer away until they are 14 or 15, starting the audition process a year or two before that will get them used to the process so they aren't so nervous when it really starts to count. 

 

I will tell you, as a mom the audition process can be very stressful.  I feel like my dd is applying to college yearly.  The agony of waiting for those emails and wondering where she got in and where she will be spending her summer can be brutal.  January is a very angsty month around here!

 

 

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I will tell you, as a mom the audition process can be very stressful.  I feel like my dd is applying to college yearly.  The agony of waiting for those emails and wondering where she got in and where she will be spending her summer can be brutal.  January is a very angsty month around here!

 

 

That's for sure! Waiting for the email results can be brutal!  It is such a relief now that she has made her decisions for the summer.

 

And it seems that she returns from summer intensives, starts school and Nutcracker rehearsals, and before we know it, it is already time to audition again! So crazy!

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Dd loved to go to intensive auditions even if she wasn't planning on going to summer intensives.  Part of it was that she could see what was happening at various schools, part of it was curiosity to see which intensives would accept her, and part of it was that she considered the audition an extra dance class.  

 

For the record, she always discussed taking the audition classes with her teacher beforehand, whether she was considering going to an intensive or not.

 

Edited to add:  She also enjoys the theater audition process, so she's possibly marching to the beat of a different drummer than most people.

 

 

My daughter absolutely loves auditioning too! So, your daughter is not alone in that.

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Ooh, glad to see this thread revived.

 

My dancer, ds13, aka BalletBoy, did auditions for intensives this weekend. He is probably not going away, but he did them for the experience. I actually wish he would go... but for non-dance reasons. His brother had such a good experience going to sleepaway performing arts camp for three weeks last year that I wish he could have a similar experience. Not sure if the intensive would be a good way to do it though. Anyway, Nashville Ballet today.

 

I don't know if he'll be able to continue with classical ballet long term. He's just physically tight compared to the other boys. He has some more growing to do and his body really is incredibly honed in some ways though. He works his butt off. We'll just have to see.

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That's great that your kids are loving it, and that you are now at an academy that is attached to a company.  Definitely a step in the right direction if you want good training and they are at all looking at the possibility of dancing professionally.  Your academy's summer program would likely be a great choice for a first intensive.  So much progress can be made during the summer.

 

I think auditioning for outside summer intensives becomes important when you have a dancer who a) has finished at least their first year of pointe training and b) is starting to get serious about pursuing ballet.    Most intensives will offer pointework every day and auditions will have a pointework component (unless you are looking at a junior-type program), so it's best to start when the student is ready to handle that.  Auditions are invaluable for observing the capabilities of other students of the same age and seeing where your dancer fits, and acceptances (and even rejections) can be great sources of feedback on your dancer's progress (although there will be times where audition results don't make sense even to the student's instructors!).  Auditions are also great for getting a feel for the style of different schools/companies and what feels best to the dancer as they start thinking about their future careers.  Even if you wouldn't plan on sending your dancer away until they are 14 or 15, starting the audition process a year or two before that will get them used to the process so they aren't so nervous when it really starts to count. 

 

I will tell you, as a mom the audition process can be very stressful.  I feel like my dd is applying to college yearly.  The agony of waiting for those emails and wondering where she got in and where she will be spending her summer can be brutal.  January is a very angsty month around here!

 

Thank you for taking the time to write all of this.  You have taught me so much today.   Maybe we will start auditioning next year just for fun.  Maybe that is the first step. Even if they never go to any intensives that are away. 

I will have to explain this all to them and how it works. 

 

Yes the academy's summer program is something that we are thinking about, but it is only for kids 12 and older so only one could do it.  Some of the other places around have camps or "intensives" for the younger kids.  So we may try those out too. 

Who knows maybe it will be the right place for them to stay and we won't go any place else.  We love all their teachers right now so who knows. 

 

We were thinking of doing the Joffery camps in Chicago for the younger kids this summer, but your feedback on them I am not so sure.  Would you think that  their academy is even worthwhile? 

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Thank you for taking the time to write all of this. You have taught me so much today. Maybe we will start auditioning next year just for fun. Maybe that is the first step. Even if they never go to any intensives that are away.

I will have to explain this all to them and how it works.

 

Yes the academy's summer program is something that we are thinking about, but it is only for kids 12 and older so only one could do it. Some of the other places around have camps or "intensives" for the younger kids. So we may try those out too.

Who knows maybe it will be the right place for them to stay and we won't go any place else. We love all their teachers right now so who knows.

 

We were thinking of doing the Joffery camps in Chicago for the younger kids this summer, but your feedback on them I am not so sure. Would you think that their academy is even worthwhile?

Ask your children's teachers what camps or intensives they would recommend.

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Ask your children's teachers what camps or intensives they would recommend.

 

I will for sure, but I was just looking for advice from people who don't have an iron in the fire you know what I mean? 

 

 

We were thinking of moving and looking at the Joffery Academy in Chicago because it is near a place we would want to live.  It is also so affordable. 

I really wanted to figure out if it was a quality academy. 

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Ds got into Ballet Austin and Nashville Ballet for the summer... but he doesn't want to go. Just his studio. (He was required to audition at this level for practice though... he didn't do any of the "big" auditions though).

 

Anyone else dealing with "mean girl" culture at their studio? Obviously for ds, it's "mean boy" culture, though it's really sort of catty and mean girls like - it's not like the boy dynamics I saw when I was teaching middle and high school - much more like the girls. Sigh. They're not nasty bullies, there's no horrible anorexia issue at his studio, the teachers are rigorous but not mean... I just... wish it wasn't like this socially.

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Ds got into Ballet Austin and Nashville Ballet for the summer... but he doesn't want to go. Just his studio. (He was required to audition at this level for practice though... he didn't do any of the "big" auditions though).

 

Anyone else dealing with "mean girl" culture at their studio? Obviously for ds, it's "mean boy" culture, though it's really sort of catty and mean girls like - it's not like the boy dynamics I saw when I was teaching middle and high school - much more like the girls. Sigh. They're not nasty bullies, there's no horrible anorexia issue at his studio, the teachers are rigorous but not mean... I just... wish it wasn't like this socially.

 

Congrats on getting in.  Even if he doesn't go, that is such a good ego boost I am sure.

 

 

Luckily at the current time there are no mean girls or boys at all.  That is hard to deal with I am sure.  Hopefully it changes. 

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I will for sure, but I was just looking for advice from people who don't have an iron in the fire you know what I mean? 

 

 

We were thinking of moving and looking at the Joffery Academy in Chicago because it is near a place we would want to live.  It is also so affordable. 

I really wanted to figure out if it was a quality academy. 

 

 

I honestly don't know much about Joffrey-Chicago's year-round training, but Joffrey-Chicago is definitely considered to be the "good" Joffrey as far as ballet training.  The other "Joffrey" programs that I mentioned above (the ones all over the country that accept everyone to the summer intensives) are the ones that many people avoid.  Joffrey-Chicago is not part of that system.  So, I think that I would definitely look into the Academy if you move to that area!

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Ds got into Ballet Austin and Nashville Ballet for the summer... but he doesn't want to go. Just his studio. (He was required to audition at this level for practice though... he didn't do any of the "big" auditions though).

 

Anyone else dealing with "mean girl" culture at their studio? Obviously for ds, it's "mean boy" culture, though it's really sort of catty and mean girls like - it's not like the boy dynamics I saw when I was teaching middle and high school - much more like the girls. Sigh. They're not nasty bullies, there's no horrible anorexia issue at his studio, the teachers are rigorous but not mean... I just... wish it wasn't like this socially.

 

 

We definitely had mean girl culture at my daughter's old studio.  Her new studio is much smaller, and she genuinely likes all of the girls and thinks they are all really nice.  It is a nice switch.  

 

Ironically, there was one mean girl at the new studio when DD switched.  She ended up leaving and going to DD's old studio.  Yay!! I think she is a much better fit there!

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I honestly don't know much about Joffrey-Chicago's year-round training, but Joffrey-Chicago is definitely considered to be the "good" Joffrey as far as ballet training.  The other "Joffrey" programs that I mentioned above (the ones all over the country that accept everyone to the summer intensives) are the ones that many people avoid.  Joffrey-Chicago is not part of that system.  So, I think that I would definitely look into the Academy if you move to that area!

 

Thank you for that info.  The money we could save on tuition could pay for the move!  

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Ds got into Ballet Austin and Nashville Ballet for the summer... but he doesn't want to go. Just his studio. (He was required to audition at this level for practice though... he didn't do any of the "big" auditions though).

 

Anyone else dealing with "mean girl" culture at their studio? Obviously for ds, it's "mean boy" culture, though it's really sort of catty and mean girls like - it's not like the boy dynamics I saw when I was teaching middle and high school - much more like the girls. Sigh. They're not nasty bullies, there's no horrible anorexia issue at his studio, the teachers are rigorous but not mean... I just... wish it wasn't like this socially.

Dd got into Nashville also, after deciding to try out last minute. The audition was interesting, she had a good time. She won't go this summer, though. Perhaps next summer.

 

The summer intensive are expensive! Whew! If she decides to go I'm going to have to make a new line in our budget.

 

Our studio does a 4-week M-F, 3-8 intensive that she has done for a few years. I think younger dd will be eligible this summer also.

 

I keep waiting for the mean girl thing, but we haven't run into it yet.

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Silly question. 

 

What do your dds wear for their buns?   

 

Someone told me to find something called a Bun maker.  I looked online for it but I don't know if this is the right thing.  We already have this

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Remington-Perfect-Bun-Hair-Styling-Accessory-White-SB1W1BL/27661562?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=1678&adid=22222222227019603483&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40843101152&wl4=pla-78656217752&wl5=9018747&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=27661562&wl13=1678&veh=sem

 

 

But I am looking for something mesh or hair net like that goes over the bun.

 

 

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My 11 year old sticks with bobby pins and a hair net. My 8 year old uses this...

https://www.discountdance.com/mobile/mobileDetail.php?cn1=accessories&cn2=hair-accessories&PageNumber=1&styleFocus=WHIRLJL&camp=GoogleShopping_WHIRLJL&utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=WHIRLJL&utm_campaign=Products&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwp_UBRD7ARIsAMie3Xbshy4E-DlIb2mzuk1-Nu9GLZ7pbR4prHUbzmfSHE5TqTOzUUPrt1gaAmQlEALw_wcB

I do her hair for her, and while I have no problem with bobby pins and a hair net, I can do it with this on less than 5 minutes, a few pins to make sure it stays and weĂ¢â‚¬â„¢re good. No need for a net.

My oldest auditioned for her first intensive and got in, so now we are just deciding how many weeks sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll go (there are 3, but she doesnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t have to attend all of them).

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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These work well and fast for buns 04954f3a4fc4efecdae5732ef58403b1.jpg

Goody makes them, sold at Walgreens. They worked great for now adult dd's very long thick hair, and she still uses them to put up her hair.

 

 

wow, I have never seen those before.  

 

I found this great video on how to use them.

 

 

 

I was thinking all I needed was a hair net thing to keep the bun more secure.  

 

 

OR this kind looks easy too.

 

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Our studio does a special optional workshop at the start of the year to teach bun making tips. They really come down on the girls who aren't doing them. One girl we know who had hair that wasn't easy to put in a bun or pin back got in trouble a bunch.

 

And yet they won't even mention to ds when his ponytail looks like birds built a nest on top of it.  :glare:  :huh:  :lol:

 

I would just make my job as his mother so much easier if the officials would just say something sometimes. At 13, this does seem to have mostly resolved itself. Finally.

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Our studio does a special optional workshop at the start of the year to teach bun making tips. They really come down on the girls who aren't doing them. One girl we know who had hair that wasn't easy to put in a bun or pin back got in trouble a bunch.

 

And yet they won't even mention to ds when his ponytail looks like birds built a nest on top of it. :glare: :huh: :lol:

 

I would just make my job as his mother so much easier if the officials would just say something sometimes. At 13, this does seem to have mostly resolved itself. Finally.

Yes! No matter how much I politely (or heartily) suggest a shower, or brushing hair, or laundering leotards nothing happens until a teacher makes a comment. Oh well, at least it gets done now.

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Our studio does a special optional workshop at the start of the year to teach bun making tips. They really come down on the girls who aren't doing them. One girl we know who had hair that wasn't easy to put in a bun or pin back got in trouble a bunch.

 

And yet they won't even mention to ds when his ponytail looks like birds built a nest on top of it.  :glare:  :huh:  :lol:

 

I would just make my job as his mother so much easier if the officials would just say something sometimes. At 13, this does seem to have mostly resolved itself. Finally.

 

I would love it if our studio did a bun maker workshop.  I am not a girly girly at all and I can't do hair at all.  I can't wait until my girls can do their own hair. 

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