A "why" dance question - mostly a vent

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Why is it so hard to find something for a 4-6yr old that isn't a basic combo class? Ugh. DD5 isn't a prodigy by any means, but she doesn't need 20 min of tumbling (think forward rolls (summersaults), frog jumps, etc..) or 10 minutes of learning to hop on one foot or skip. She doesn't need 5-10 minutes of basic stretching and bridges - she can already do all of her oversplits and bridge from standing. Yes, I know that is NOT the norm. I know MOST kids that age DO need that, but what about the kids that don't? Why isn't there an advanced K class or something of that sort?

 

DD is already on the competitive track for gymnastics, but would really love to take a dance class too. We had a family member offer to help out with that request, but I can't find anything appropriate for her. She took a basic combo class last year and that's still all she's old enough for. It seems like such a waste of time/money for her.

 

I've checked every studio in town. Nobody has anything until she's in 1st grade. Sigh. And no....there are no classical ballet studios in town. I checked.

 

I guess I'm just frustrated.

[jec3113]

We have to drive an hour to get what you are looking for, so that is what we do. The reality is most kids that age are just doing it for fun and exercise.

[bbmom]

Any chance any other gymnasts she trains with are interested? Dance is important as they advance in gymnastics, so maybe you could find enough girls to fill a class and approach one of your local studios about running it?

[amsunshine]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time! It's definitely not easy to find a quality dance studio. I would have recommended ballet for your dd, but I did see that you said there are no classical ballet studios in your town.

 

That said, it would be rare for even a ballet class for 5-6 year olds to be a lot more than what you are already getting (minus the tumbling--not sure why tumbling is included in a dance class). Ballet classes for students up to about 7 or 8 are usually "creative movement" or "pre-ballet" classes. There will always be basic stretching and bridges in those classes because the effects of those exercises are cumulative -- for example, they lead to beautiful arabesques when the students are older because they have strong and flexible backs from doing lots of bridges when they were younger!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Any chance any other gymnasts she trains with are interested? Dance is important as they advance in gymnastics, so maybe you could find enough girls to fill a class and approach one of your local studios about running it?

 

Well....her gym is actually 25 minutes away in a small town. If they were going to join a dance class, it would be in the next closest town, which would mean an additional 15 min of driving for me. If dance was her chosen sport, we would do 30-40 min of driving, but I can't do that on top of gymnastics 2x/week.

[amsunshine]

Well....her gym is actually 25 minutes away in a small town. If they were going to join a dance class, it would be in the next closest town, which would mean an additional 15 min of driving for me. If dance was her chosen sport, we would do 30-40 min of driving, but I can't do that on top of gymnastics 2x/week.

 

Just a word of warning, if dance (i.e., ballet) is her chosen sport, she will need to be in classes at least 2X per week by the time she is 8-9, 3X per week by the time she is 10-11, and it just increases from there on out.

[chepyl]

Some studios will evaluate a student and move them to another class. This is a bad time of year to join moat dance classes. We are weeks away from recital and adding new student i.to many of our classes is difficult. It is not an ideal time to evaluate a student and move them.around. No matter where they.are placed, they are behind. I would look for summer session classes and talk to the owner/director about moving her to a more challenging class.

 

I teach a ballet for gymnasts class for our neighbor gym and they do tumbling with my comp team. I know that a 7 year old competitive gymnastics can do a lot more than a 7 year old taking ballet once a.week for fun, just like my 6-8 year olds who compete can do a lot more than the rec dancers. They just practice more and are better focused.

 

I hope you can find a teacher who understands as well. We do exist ;)

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time! It's definitely not easy to find a quality dance studio. I would have recommended ballet for your dd, but I did see that you said there are no classical ballet studios in your town.

 

That said, it would be rare for even a ballet class for 5-6 year olds to be a lot more than what you are already getting (minus the tumbling--not sure why tumbling is included in a dance class). Ballet classes for students up to about 7 or 8 are usually "creative movement" or "pre-ballet" classes. There will always be basic stretching and bridges in those classes because the effects of those exercises are cumulative -- for example, they lead to beautiful arabesques when the students are older because they have strong and flexible backs from doing lots of bridges when they were younger!

 

This is true (regarding the cumlative effects)!

 

All the preschool/K classes around here are approx 20 min of ballet (lots of running pretty, a few plies, 1st & 2nd position, and walking on your tippy toes, skipping), 20 min of tap (lots of shuffles....and choas, lol), and 15 min or so of basic stretching and "tumbling" (frog jumps, log rolls, etc..).

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Just a word of warning, if dance (i.e., ballet) is her chosen sport, she will need to be in classes at least 2X per week by the time she is 8-9, 3X per week by the time she is 10-11, and it just increases from there on out.

 

Oh, I know! Gymnastics is the same way. I'm pretty familiar with both worlds (I was a competitive dancer & then coached gymnastics for 10+ yr as an adult). If she chooses dance we will not do gymnastics. There just isn't time for both.

[LibraryLover]

Just a word of warning, if dance (i.e., ballet) is her chosen sport, she will need to be in classes at least 2X per week by the time she is 8-9, 3X per week by the time she is 10-11, and it just increases from there on out.

 

Yep. lol My dd is at the ballet studio 5 days a week, This week she was there for 15 hours.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Some studios will evaluate a student and move them to another class. This is a bad time of year to join moat dance classes. We are weeks away from recital and adding new student i.to many of our classes is difficult. It is not an ideal time to evaluate a student and move them.around. No matter where they.are placed, they are behind. I would look for summer session classes and talk to the owner/director about moving her to a more challenging class.

 

I teach a ballet for gymnasts class for our neighbor gym and they do tumbling with my comp team. I know that a 7 year old competitive gymnastics can do a lot more than a 7 year old taking ballet once a.week for fun, just like my 6-8 year olds who compete can do a lot more than the rec dancers. They just practice more and are better focused.

 

I hope you can find a teacher who understands as well. We do exist ;)

 

I emailed/called around in the fall to inquire about special placement for her, but couldn't find anybody willing to even take a LOOK at her!

 

I was just looking today for a summer class. Only one studio in town (not one that is very well known & not my first choice) has their summer schedule up. I know the studio that we've been attending (both my DD's have collectively spent 4yr there) has a girl on their competition squad who is only 7, so they must have some sort of special provisions. She didn't get on the comp squad by age 7 by just taking preschool/K classes.

 

I just don't know how to get them to take me seriously without sounding like a delusional mom who thinks I have a proidgy child :D

[amsunshine]

Oh, I know! Gymnastics is the same way. I'm pretty familiar with both worlds (I was a competitive dancer & then coached gymnastics for 10+ yr as an adult). If she chooses dance we will not do gymnastics. There just isn't time for both.

 

Gotcha! So, you already know the drill!:D

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Gotcha! So, you already know the drill!:D

 

all too well, lol!

[catz]

My daughter's dance got more interesting when she got old enough for level 1 dance and she is one of the youngest in her level 2 grouping right now. I suspect she'll level again in the fall.

 

Preschool/K activities in general are tough for kids ahead of the curve - athletically or academically. Can definitely sympathize!

[Pink Fairy]

What about privates? And since she doesn't fit the normal profile, can she take class with older children?

[SKL]

I know what you mean. My kids are going to be in 1st grade next year, at a new school in a different city etc., so I did some research. There is a ton of stuff for preschoolers and then some stuff for age 7+. Not much in between.

 

I am not into the competitive stuff at this age (5), and one of my dds isn't cut out for it as far as I can tell. So I went to the Little Gym to see what they had to offer. They will not take my kids into the "school age" class until they are one month shy of their 6th birthday. My youngest turns 6 in January, so that means we'll have to attend the preschool gymanastics class until December, which is really a pain since it doesn't well accommodate the schedule of a full-time working mom of school-aged kids.

 

I tried to talk the franchisee into letting them in with the other first graders a few months early, but she sounded like it was carved in stone. My dds have been in tot/preschool gymnastics (and other coached sports / dance) for four continuous years already, but that does not matter. So it's going to be an interesting fall, I think.

Edited April 15, 2012 by SKL

[mom2scouts]

I didn't have any trouble finding such a class. Only children 4 and younger take combo classes. Our studio allows any child 5 and older to take jazz, acro, ballet, or tap technique classes. My dd was 4 in the fall but was still allowed to take a jazz technique class because she is on the competition team. She also does gymnastics at The Little Gym and is in an advanced level class that allows preschoolers to do Level 1 and 2 routines.

[Rosy]

Our dance studio does combo ballet/tap classes that teach actual technique for levels 1 & 2, and then the classes are separate from level 3 on. Dancers are placed according to ability. It surprises me that they wouldn't let her move up to a higher level...if they compete at all, they need to support their most talented dancers to be successful! Have you spoken with her current teacher about it? She should be able to recommend an appropriate class and vouch for your DD's getting in.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Our dance studio does combo ballet/tap classes that teach actual technique for levels 1 & 2, and then the classes are separate from level 3 on. Dancers are placed according to ability. It surprises me that they wouldn't let her move up to a higher level...if they compete at all, they need to support their most talented dancers to be successful! Have you spoken with her current teacher about it? She should be able to recommend an appropriate class and vouch for your DD's getting in.

 

She's not in dance this year, because we felt like it was a waste of resources since she wasn't really getting anything out of it. However, I don't think her teacher from last year really even knew her abilities, because she never really had the opportunity to show them. She was never challenged to do anything more than just do the basic motions that everyone else was doing. Ironically, her teacher was the competition teacher too.

[kroe1]

If you've had all that experience yourself, why aren't you teaching her?

 

:)

 

I've only been a dance mom for about 9 years, and I never took lessons myself. But I have noticed that almost all moms feel her kiddo is better than she is. And almost all little ones, no matter how good her technique, just do not have great rhythm. It seems to be acquired after age 5 or 6. I'll see a 2 year old on occasion who can tap her toe to the beat for a few seconds, but then she's off for a few seconds. My DD has now been at 3 different studios over the years, and all of her teachers have told me the same things about the moms. They always are shocked when I'm trying to hold my DD back a little bit for social reasons irrespective of her skill.

 

Perhaps you could teach your DD until she's ready for the advanced class at your studio. As you know, it would greatly help her gymnastics.

 

:)

[k2bdeutmeyer]

If you've had all that experience yourself, why aren't you teaching her?

 

:)

 

I've only been a dance mom for about 9 years, and I never took lessons myself. But I have noticed that almost all moms feel her kiddo is better than she is. And almost all little ones, no matter how good her technique, just do not have great rhythm. It seems to be acquired after age 5 or 6. I'll see a 2 year old on occasion who can tap her toe to the beat for a few seconds, but then she's off for a few seconds. My DD has now been at 3 different studios over the years, and all of her teachers have told me the same things about the moms. They always are shocked when I'm trying to hold my DD back a little bit for social reasons irrespective of her skill.

 

Perhaps you could teach your DD until she's ready for the advanced class at your studio. As you know, it would greatly help her gymnastics.

 

:)

 

Oh! I hope to never be that mom! I really just want her challenged - whatever that means. For some kids, that is simply walking on their tippy toes, or learning to hop on one foot/skipping. Unfortunately, for her, that isn't the case. I hate to pay money (or have someone else spending theirs) on something that isn't really helping her become any better than she already is.

 

And, well....this may seem ironic coming from the homeschooling mom, but there is no WAY I could teach her. She's fine with me coaching her on gymnastics when it's HER idea....that is until I make a correction. Then, she's just a bucket of tears. She cannot take ANY correction/criticism from me, no matter how nicely it is phrased. She just turns into an emotional mess.

[SKL]

She cannot take ANY correction/criticism from me, no matter how nicely it is phrased. She just turns into an emotional mess.

 

Are you sure she'd be open to criticism from a serious instructor of older kids, then? Maybe - I know kids are different for "other adults." But honestly, I shied away from a more serious dance studio because I'm not sure they'd put up with my youngest (whose motivation is also highest when it's "her" idea). I want this to be fun, not stressful.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Are you sure she'd be open to criticism from a serious instructor of older kids, then? Maybe - I know kids are different for "other adults." But honestly, I shied away from a more serious dance studio because I'm not sure they'd put up with my youngest (whose motivation is also highest when it's "her" idea). I want this to be fun, not stressful.

 

So far, she's been fine with her gymnastics coaching?!?

 

Honestly though, it isn't that I want a more serious or competitive studio for her, it's just that I want her to actually be getting something out of the class. I'd be fine with a recreational ballet/tap class that was challenging and new for her :)

[ma23peas]

I agree with your predicament! I could not sign my girls up for ballet/jazz/tap..I just wanted ballet! Finally, found a teacher when they were 4 & 5 that did a great job, but then we moved. The ballet here was very serious..and they were already sore from the 2 years they had! HA! Then they went with me to see Riverdance...that was the end..they've been Irish dancing since...they love it...talk about muscle tone!! Their calves are cut! :) And their stamina/endurance are amazing...you might check it out! :)