Lady Marmalade Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Sigh. Our dance school is under construction, so the start to our new semester is delayed a week. My kids are going bonkers! However, my DD will have her second week of pointe instruction. :) I posted upthread that she wasn't able to go up this year due to scheduling conflicts, and I just decided out of the blue to look around and see who else might offer pointe instruction that fits with our schedule. I found a place, met with the director there and got approved instantly for DD to join. I took DD for her first fitting, and she had her first class this past Tuesday. I was SO proud of her, as she started following instruction and the instructor stopped class to ask her if she was sure this was her first pointe class. She danced right along with the girls who started going up at the beginning of summer. She was absolutely beautiful, and she loved it. The pointe shoes are a perfect fit and she feels zero discomfort. The price of the shoes was a bit to swallow, but I'm hopeful that once her feet stop growing I can order ahead from different places online and take advantage of sales and special offers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 My almost 19 yo dancing dd is off at college. She is majoring in dance (ballet focus) and also taking all the prerequisites to get into Physical Therapy school. This will be her 15th year dancing. I am kind of in withdrawal at the moment. She didn't get her driver's license before she left (no time!) so I was the ballet chauffeur and I worked a lot at the dance school, costumes and front desk. I haven't been at the studio since dd took her last open class before leaving for college in the middle of August. Plus she was last kiddo. So no homeschooling and no dance. I can't say I miss it exactly. I like the big blocks of time to get projects done. But it is QUIET around here. And it is the time of year for Nutcracker auditions . . . :001_smile: When you figure it out, please let us know how to survive life after being axed as a dance mom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Wow, my dd's hard shoes are $150 and I thought that was bad. Soft shoes are available for as low as $45, but her dance teacher is particular. The ones he wants her to get next are $72. To make it worse, the vendors who come to the southern feisanna don't carry the brand we're using now, so i have to pay shipping, too, and if the size isn't right, I have to pay shipping on exchanges. I can't really complain, though. With her old hard shoes, she had blisters all the time. Since we switched to Pacellis, she hasn't had a single blister. Her skin kind of rubs off, but it doesn't get raw and sore like it was with the old shoes. Yes, switching to more "normal" dance after ID is interesting because the standard ballet and tap shoes are so much cheaper. We were supposed to have Hullachan soft shoes for competition teams, plus everyone over a certain level tended to use them for all their soft shoe uses. Here's a piece of total, useless trivia -- Hullachan used to make hard shoes, and my older dd has one of the last pair that were out there in some shoe vendors stock. She absolutely loved them. OTOH, younger dd's first pair pointe shoes were only about $85 to $100, which seemed cheap compared to the ID shoes. BUT, after about 2 months she already needs a new pair since her left foot has apparently had a growth spurt. :glare: The ID hard shoes may be more expensive, but they typically last longer because they stretch so you can wear them a bit longer in spite of growing feet. And everyone assures me that some kids just need to get new pointe shoes on a fairly frequent basis because they break down shoes more quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Nice hearing from seasoned dance moms. My daughter's classes start next week and I can't wait because it's been months and months of them waking up saying 'I dreamt I went to ballet, can we go today?" Hoping the classes I picked worked well since I know little about them and it was a full year's registration at once (and also way more affordable than anything else - and I'm fairly confident they will want the full year too). But we're talking littles here, so it's probably nothing like the classes older children are taking and our goal is certianly to have lots of fun. Still need to get tap shoes for my youngest, surprised they do tap so young. And I might have a pair of tap shoes a little too big for my older daughter so might need to pick up another pair of those too along with some footed tights - I don't think the footless tights we have will work as well for tap shoes as they did for the ballet shoes. Also half thinking of just sewing the bottom of the footless tights closed because they're way too long anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Those of you with competition experience, my daughter will be doing a jazz duo. The teacher asked us how much practice time we want a week. What has been your experience? We don't compete until at least February, maybe March. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Uhoh, I hope I didn't kill the thread! Nutcracker roles have been posted out here. Son will be a Party Boy and a BonBon. Guess they are using older kids for these roles this year. Should be interesting. Daughter got Mouse and BonBon but I don't think she'll be doing it. She's doing the duet as well as two company dances for her competition school and her time is filling up with those rehearsals. Speaking of which, I'm having the fun of picking out costumes for her duet. Anyone ever done that? How is your September going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 Uhoh, I hope I didn't kill the thread! Nutcracker roles have been posted out here. Son will be a Party Boy and a BonBon. Guess they are using older kids for these roles this year. Should be interesting. Daughter got Mouse and BonBon but I don't think she'll be doing it. She's doing the duet as well as two company dances for her competition school and her time is filling up with those rehearsals. Speaking of which, I'm having the fun of picking out costumes for her duet. Anyone ever done that? How is your September going? I don't think you killed the thread. I suspect most of us are just busy now that the academic and dance year is truly underway. I know it's true for me. My son is taking three classes at the community college (dual enrollment) and two more online, plus self-studying for a CLEP exam he hopes to take in November, and he is at the dance studio for at least two or three -- or five -- hours Monday through Friday. (And I'm working two part-time jobs in an apparently vain attempt to actually pay for all that dancing.) So, my board time has been seriously curtailed. Over all, though, September has gone well. My son has now settled into the dance school routine for this year. He's taking tap and jazz on Mondays, ballet and tumbling and a "wild card" class (essentially an hour of whatever the teachers decide the senior students need to work on that week) on Tuesdays, and hip hop and lyrical on Thursdays. He has rehearsals for his tap duet on Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays and rehearsals for the large group modern competition dance on Fridays. He is also assistant teaching three tap classes and helping out with the mini-level competition team rehearsals. They had their first official choreography weekend last week, which meant he spent much of Friday and Saturday at the studio on top of the regular weekly stuff. They are busy figuring out which competitions and conventions the team will attend, and it's starting to look like a pretty busy spring for us. Information is also starting to filter out of the studio regarding this year's holiday performances. Last week, we got word that my son and his partner are far enough along in learning and rehearsing their tap duet that it may get included in the holiday concert, which would be cool. He does seem a little frustrated that most of the other members of the senior dance line aren't as invested in this as he is. Most of them are juniors or seniors, attending local high schools, and quite busy with school and social stuff. And it often requires lengthy negotiations to work out schedules for extra rehearsals and events. My son's attitude is that dance comes first, and he doesn't put anything on the calendar without checking the dance schedule and, if in doubt, touching base with the studio owner to make sure there's no potential conflict. But, with one exception, the other students consider dance as more of a recreational activity. I've reminded him (gently, without actually using the words "I told you so") that this was one of my concerns when he opted to stay at the current studio rather than investigating a more traditional pre-professional program. But I've also reminded him of all the things he loves about the studio and the very good reasons he made the choice he did and encouraged him to accept the mild frustrations as the price of being where he has chosen to be. In general, he seems tired but happy, which is exactly the way I like him to feel. And, at least so far, the workload has not dissuaded him from thinking he wants to pursue a dance major in college. So, I guess that's a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Dd8 is an angel and dd5 is a bonbon in Nutcracker! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Those of you with competition experience, my daughter will be doing a jazz duo. The teacher asked us how much practice time we want a week. What has been your experience? We don't compete until at least February, maybe March. Thoughts? I do not know how much time is the average. DD's studio requires one hour a week for each duo and trio beginning in August through the end of competition season which means the whole year. Those classes are taught on Saturday making it convenient since the kiddos are at the studio most of Saturday anyway. I am excited for you that you get to pick out the costume. That is not an option for us moms. I have picked out, designed, and unfortunately paid for many theater costumes over the years. I now secretly want to be a costume designer or, at least, own a bedazzler. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 How is your September going?It was going fine until last night. There is a local competition in October. My DD's dance team won it last year. DD was not a part of this team last year. She was heavily involved in theater. This year one of the judges is a former teacher of DDs and a past director of hers. He looked at the audition tape of the dance last weekend and apparently loved it until he found out DD was part of this team. Then he startedd picking holes in it so badly that the studio owner has pulled the group from the competition. I knew DDs former teacher was not happy when DD left his care this past summer. But I had no idea he was that bitter. Now DD has to face a team that knows they were pulled from the competition because of her. I am not sure what to do about it, if anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 We (the girls) not only get to pick the costume, they help with choreography, picked their own song, and actually had to take the initiative to ask if they could do a duet (or trio). Of course, the choreographer and owner have final say but it has already been a huge learning process for the girls. It has been an amazing experience. Looks like we (the girls) have decided to practice for an hour a week. So right now she has company rehearsal for a 1hour and a 1 hr conditioning class on Mondays, 1.5 hrs ballet Tuesday,1 hr hip hop and 1hr Lyrical Wed, 1 hr company tech and 1 hr company ballet Thur, and 1hr duo practice Fri or Sat. Wheee! Minniewannabe, that is truly awful. You would think that the judge would remove himself if he knows someone and has such strong feelings about a competitor. We have a local competition in April. It is the first time having it. Now I am wondering who the judges are going to be. You would think they would get judges from out of the area. Eek! I hope the team is understanding that its not her fault. How'd you ever find out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 We (the girls) not only get to pick the costume, they help with choreography, picked their own song, and actually had to take the initiative to ask if they could do a duet (or trio). Of course, the choreographer and owner have final say but it has already been a huge learning process for the girls. My son has opted to do most of the choreography for his tap solo, too. And he also picked the song and is choosing his costume (which will likely be pretty much street clothes). He has been working on it since last spring and is currently in negotiations with his teachers and the studio owner/director to decide whether he will continue more or less on his own -- with an eye toward entering competitions in the student choreography category when it is available -- or have the teachers come in and help him punch up and polish the piece. He is leaning toward continuing independently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 It was going fine until last night. There is a local competition in October. My DD's dance team won it last year. DD was not a part of this team last year. She was heavily involved in theater. This year one of the judges is a former teacher of DDs and a past director of hers. He looked at the audition tape of the dance last weekend and apparently loved it until he found out DD was part of this team. Then he startedd picking holes in it so badly that the studio owner has pulled the group from the competition. I knew DDs former teacher was not happy when DD left his care this past summer. But I had no idea he was that bitter. Now DD has to face a team that knows they were pulled from the competition because of her. I am not sure what to do about it, if anything. That is absurd and completely unprofessional. I'm so sorry your daughter has been put in this position by an adult who should know better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Uhoh, I hope I didn't kill the thread! Nutcracker roles have been posted out here. Son will be a Party Boy and a BonBon. Guess they are using older kids for these roles this year. Should be interesting. Daughter got Mouse and BonBon but I don't think she'll be doing it. She's doing the duet as well as two company dances for her competition school and her time is filling up with those rehearsals. Speaking of which, I'm having the fun of picking out costumes for her duet. Anyone ever done that? How is your September going? I HATE picking out costumes for duets and trios. Hate it! I find it incredibly difficult to find something that all the dancers like- and all the moms like- and the teacher likes, and then sometimes we have to come up with a second and third and fourth choice because a teacher decides to use that costume for a group (which takes precedence at our studio) or the costume is unavailable. I highly suggest, though, that you pick early and order as early as you can. Last year we had costumes not arrive in time for our first competition and we had people scrambling to borrow the previous year's costumes from people. As to the time for duet practice... Our studio schedules it in just like a regular class. We go for 30 minutes a week. It costs a little more doing it so frequently, but I really think it's going to be worth it. (DD is doing a tap trio this year.) Our previous studio scheduled it for a total of 10 hours throughoug the dance season. This was usually broken up in 30 minute increments, and scheduled whenever it could be fit in. So sometimes you would go almost a month without meeting with your teacher. Or you wouldn't meet at all between competitions to get your corrections. It was a mess. So I recommend as consistently as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Erika, Thanks for your input. That helped a lot. What resources have you used for finding costumes. We are allowed to get ideas from wherever, and we have looked at four companies already but haven't found the one the girls want to go with. Any companies you prefer or other sources you know of? We are hoping to pick something and order within this week. We meet on Saturday to discuss. Thanks for the info in rehearsal. Hadn't even thought about in between competitions. Will definitely need to figure that out as two of our competitions are a week apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Erika, Thanks for your input. That helped a lot. What resources have you used for finding costumes. We are allowed to get ideas from wherever, and we have looked at four companies already but haven't found the one the girls want to go with. Any companies you prefer or other sources you know of? We are hoping to pick something and order within this week. We meet on Saturday to discuss. Thanks for the info in rehearsal. Hadn't even thought about in between competitions. Will definitely need to figure that out as two of our competitions are a week apart. Ha-ha, do you want a list? Our trio teacher just sent us this info via e-mail for picking out our costume. I will say that I have issues with Revolution Dance. The last two years I have had to repair/re-sew SO many costumes from this company. Their costumes truly are beautiful- they have unique design ideas that are gorgeous. But their construction skills as a company are seriously lacking. In one particular memorable experience last year, I had to cut off a pair of shorts last minute and re-sew them on because they were sewn in sideways. They also used selvage material on one costume and you could visibly see it. I had to go purchase similar fabric and make careful adjustments to remove the bad fabric. We've had issues with getting costumes in time from both Pumpers and Marcea, but if you're looking to order now, I would think you would be just fine. Typically more expensive costumes $90+- most of these costumes can be customized with different colors and sometimes fabrics (but not always) Pumpers http://www.pumpers.com/index.cfm?NavID=1&SubNavID=0 Reverence http://www.reverencedance.com/Costumes/ Marcea www.marcea.com Triple Threat DanceWear www.triplethreatdancewear.com Ferreira www.ferreiracostumes.com Georgie Girl (2014 Catalog not released yet) http://www.georgiegirlcostumes.com/ Typically less expensive, however, some costumes are $100+ Costume Gallery www.costumegallery.netCurtain Call, www.curtaincallcostumes.com Cicci www.ciccidance.com . . . Fina/Dansco www.dansco.com Weissmans www.weissmanscostumes.com Kelle Company www.kellecompany.com (2014 Catalog not released yet) Artstone, artstonecostumes.com . . . Libert's www.liberts.com . . . Wolff Fording www.dancecostume.com A Wish Come True www.awishcometrue.com Revolution www.revolutiondance.com . . .Algy Performs http://www.algyperforms.com/ Some of the catalogs that you may have purchased daily dancewear from are starting to partner up with costumes companies or designing their own that really are wonderful. Dancewear Solutions http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/default.aspx Discount Dance Supply http://www.discountdance.com/ Just for Kix https://www.justforkix.com/ Custom Made Costume Sites or Resale- these companies you would deal with on your own. http://www.pathallcostumes.com/http://www.thelineup.net/ http://jordangraceprincesswear.com/category_33/Custom-Dance-Costumes.htm https://www.encorecostumecouture.com/ http://www.dittydesigns.com/ http://www.contoursdesigned.com/shop/about-contours http://www.act2dancecostumes.com/ *this one does both custom and resale http://picasaweb.google.com/107194025331073860748?gsessionid=dn3CxCr6C8MKrMmOwDTCRw *this one does both custom and resale http://www.fairyflowersonline.com/dancerdealscostumes.asp http://www.dancextensions.biz/coex.html http://triplethreatdancewear.com/about.php http://www.kats-designs.com/ Custom Resale http://www.costumeswap.com/ http://picasaweb.google.com/109378894310041313835 https://www.facebook.com/DanceCostumeConnection (Just found this one recently and she has amazing stuff! Costumes are typically costume and originally $400-$500 costumes being resold at $100-$300) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 You are awesome! Thank you. I suppose daughter and I will be doing "costume research" for homeschooling today. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 DD just started year 11 at the same school -- lyrical,ballet,tap,jazz. Same school as when she was 2 with a teacher who was DW's former student (just to make us feel, you know, OLD). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 dd doesn't do competitions. Her studio is strictly ballet. She won't know her parts in the Nutcracker until the beginning of Nov. She's got 12 hours of ballet classes a week. She had a master class last week too. She takes a dance class at her high school (fine/performing art credit requirement). Tomorrow she is auditioning for a dance company at the school. The dance company is different from the dance team which wears glitter and performs at football games. For her audition she has to choreograph a 1 minute piece. She picked music over the weekend and worked on it. I suggested she do something lyrical and she said she was doing modern then she had to explain the difference to me because I'm clueless (I really am with regard to dance). I think she picked some good music, which will probably be quite different from most of the girls. She gets very nervous about auditions and I hope she does not back out of this. I think doing auditions is good experience, even if the result is not what we want. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 That's one of the things I love about dance. All the experience they get such as auditioning (job interview), working hard, working your body to its limit, pushing yourself. all of these things will (hopefully) translate to good skills for future jobs, whether in dance or other areas. I tried getting my daughter to try ballet company but she's not having it right now. Dance company is her love, though we don't do football games. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 DD12 is Clara in the Nutcracker this year (along with other 2nd act roles on alternate nights)! DD10 is a party child, and various other 2nd act roles. It's going to be a fun winter season! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I suggested she do something lyrical and she said she was doing modern then she had to explain the difference to me because I'm clueless (I really am with regard to dance). I think she picked some good music, which will probably be quite different from most of the girls. She gets very nervous about auditions and I hope she does not back out of this. I think doing auditions is good experience, even if the result is not what we want. LOL - what is the difference between modern and lyrical? I seriously have no clue either! I do agree auditions are such a good experience. I have a son who does theater that walks into every audition with confidence. He's gotten cast into a few roles I thought he'd never be ready for. There is definitely something to be said for being able to control your nerves and focus your energies in situations like that. He got a callback last week for a major role on a huge local stage. He's never auditioned there before. I don't suspect he'll get it (there is one role for a boy 12-16, he's 12), but I was absolutely stunned he got a callback. My daughter's studio has a performing arts ensemble group of about 30-40 kids ages 8-18 that do the full dance program and do additional performing. They do excerpts of the Nutcracker for 6 weeks at local malls. This year my 9 year will be a party girl. She's so excited! :) Her dance studio is doing a dance theater version of Peter Pan she will audition for in a couple weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 DD12 is Clara in the Nutcracker this year (along with other 2nd act roles on alternate nights)! DD10 is a party child, and various other 2nd act roles. It's going to be a fun winter season! Clara!? Wow - she must be so excited! :D Congratulations! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 It was going fine until last night. There is a local competition in October. My DD's dance team won it last year. DD was not a part of this team last year. She was heavily involved in theater. This year one of the judges is a former teacher of DDs and a past director of hers. He looked at the audition tape of the dance last weekend and apparently loved it until he found out DD was part of this team. Then he startedd picking holes in it so badly that the studio owner has pulled the group from the competition. I knew DDs former teacher was not happy when DD left his care this past summer. But I had no idea he was that bitter. Now DD has to face a team that knows they were pulled from the competition because of her. I am not sure what to do about it, if anything. Agreeing with the others who said this is just awful. In Irish dance, the judges are brought in from other regions and all of the paperwork uses the competitors' numbers so that the judges and the people posting results don't know who the dancers are. I suppose if someone moved to a different region, they could end up in front of a judge who was a former teacher, but it would be a rarity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 How is your September going? This month, DD got a new wig that she loves, but it's significantly heavier than her previous wig. She's learning the finale reel, which will allow her to participate in the finale at local performances. She's been wanting to learn it for a long time, so she's excited about that. Each person in the finale reel has a solo part and they get to choose what they want to do. Some of the girls do cutesy things like moonwalk steps and claps, but Katie's teacher impressed on her that fancy footwork shows her skills more than the cute stuff and made some suggestions along that line. We're gearing up for three competitions in October. She just needs to place in two more dances (reel and hornpipe) to move up to the next level, and I hope she can do it in October so that we can be done competing for the year. The new studio isn't going to open as early as hoped, I don't think, but the negotiations are still moving forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Am I the only one who thinks that Lady Marmalade's costume listing post should get a sticky? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I just saw this thread for the first time since I don't hang out on the Chat Board so much. It was really interesting to read through it all. There's so many differences between studios, it seems. It's especially nice to hear all these words of wisdom from moms of older dancers. Ds9 just moved up this year to the "academy" division at his studio. It was a big jump in time (three times a week) and money (sigh). But so far he seems really happy about it. I like that they had an all boys class once a week so he has a little gang of boy cohorts that he sees. And I was relieved to realize that he is not eligible for the Nutcracker this year because the time commitment is so big. But I think he may be next year, so that's ... something to think about. We chose our studio because of their reputation. They have a pre-professional program and have had a number of dancers go on to companies. One of my worries is that long term, ds will burn out on ballet and it will be hard to find a happy medium amount of commitment so he can continue to dance for pleasure instead of being on this particular path. I also worry that he may never have the sort of form and flexibility that's really required. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I also worry that he may never have the sort of form and flexibility that's really required. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There have been times when I thought my dd would never get the timing and coordination needed to be a good dancer, and maybe we should just give it up. But we stuck with it, and her dancing has gotten really good in the past few months. Her teacher is a world champion dancer. Another mom and I were talking to him recently, and he said he wasn't really that good until he was 15. He had started dancing when he was 7. He said that's why he doesn't give up on any student; he thinks anyone can be a good dancer if they're willing to put in the work. I was really encouraged by his words. The last teacher we had didn't have the same attitude; there were kids who she said would never amount to anything. Of course, she didn't say it to the kids or their moms, but she would make comments like that to the owner, and she gave the most attention to her favorites. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 One of my worries is that long term, ds will burn out on ballet and it will be hard to find a happy medium amount of commitment so he can continue to dance for pleasure instead of being on this particular path. I also worry that he may never have the sort of form and flexibility that's really required. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Ballet is a slow process. Enjoy the journey -- it is truly amazing and a privilege to watch dancers develop over time. Every year typically brings new skills and challenges. If your ds is at a quality studio, and it sounds like he is, relax and let the teachers work their magic. Have you discovered the Ballet Talk for Dancers Forum yet? Lots of dancers, parents and teachers there with loads of wisdom from having "been there, done that". Here's the link. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 DD12 is Clara in the Nutcracker this year (along with other 2nd act roles on alternate nights)! DD10 is a party child, and various other 2nd act roles. It's going to be a fun winter season! That is so awesome! Congrats to her! LizzyBee, I tell my daughter that all the time. Focus on technique and you will be fine. Hard work does pay off. I'm surprised at the number of people I have met with boy dancers. I think I know more online parents with boy dancers than girl dancers. I wonder if that's because if your boy dances, you are more committed or maybe more apt to look for support. There are millions of little girls that dance but I rarely hear talk from the moms online. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 That is so awesome! Congrats to her! LizzyBee, I tell my daughter that all the time. Focus on technique and you will be fine. Hard work does pay off. I'm surprised at the number of people I have met with boy dancers. I think I know more online parents with boy dancers than girl dancers. I wonder if that's because if your boy dances, you are more committed or maybe more apt to look for support. There are millions of little girls that dance but I rarely hear talk from the moms online. I don't know, I think I talk about my son dancing because I am SO proud of him for choosing to dance and loving to dance. He lives and breathes for every moment on the dance floor. But I wouldn't say I'm any more committed than I am for my daughter who also dances. It's hard to be a boy dancer, I think, but not hard to be a boy dancer's mom. :) I will say though, that I try not to spend too much time online discussing boys, because I hear all the time how boys catch breaks on tuition or get to dance here or there for free, or have more opportunities... and that frosts my cookie a bit because I am paying a small fortune for him to dance. In the years that he's been dancing we've never gotten a break at any studio or convention simply because he's a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 I guess I didn't mean that you were more committed to the child...I think I meant that if your boy dances that it's a big deal. But many little girls dance just for fun so until they are "serious", it's not as big of a deal, maybe? I have a girl and a boy and when my boy started dancing, I knew it was a big deal. It was a big deal for him to decide to do this against everyone. He was only one of two boys in the entire park district and the other boy was a dance teacher's son! With my daughter, until she made serious time in dance, it was just another activity for her. I guess that's just what I meant. I mean, when she was 3 I was all like...oh, that's cute. It wasn't until the year she was in company that I was all like "I'm a dance mom". KWIM? I don't think this is coming out right. If I offend, just ignore. LOL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 I guess I didn't mean that you were more committed to the child...I think I meant that if your boy dances that it's a big deal. But many little girls dance just for fun so until they are "serious", it's not as big of a deal, maybe? I have a girl and a boy and when my boy started dancing, I knew it was a big deal. It was a big deal for him to decide to do this against everyone. He was only one of two boys in the entire park district and the other boy was a dance teacher's son! With my daughter, until she made serious time in dance, it was just another activity for her. I guess that's just what I meant. I mean, when she was 3 I was all like...oh, that's cute. It wasn't until the year she was in company that I was all like "I'm a dance mom". KWIM? I don't think this is coming out right. If I offend, just ignore. LOL I totally get it. I made sure we were serious before DS started dancing, lol. We were driving home from a successful Nutcracker weekend for DD when this small voice piped up and said "I want to be in the Nutcracker next year." Those little words changed his life, and he's never regretted it, but I did make absolutely sure at each step that what he was about to do was really what he wanted to do. He still gets a little grief from DH's parents (though we only see them once a year), as DFIL is always asking if he wants to play basketball or soccer or volleyball or golf or... something other than dance. You know, a real sport. My DS never skips a beat, looks him in the eye and says that he's never seen an athlete sweat like he does when he's done dancing and that dance IS a sport. A very hard one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Our studio decided to add the second half of the Nutcracker to their Christmas show. Auditions were this past weekend, and I have some happy dancers. :) DS is playing the Nutcracker Prince and a Snowflake. He'll be sharing duties with his best friend, so they'll trade off for different shows. He is beyond excited. DD has three parts. She is a Snowflake, a Spanish dancer, and something called a Candy Twirl. No idea what the last one is, but there is only two of them cast in that part, so it will be interesting to see what that is. Our first practice is right away this Saturday. Hooray for Nutcracker season! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 Erika, that's wonderful! Hope they both enjoy it. My daughter officially declined her parts in the Nutcracker. Makes me sad cuz I think she'll end up regretting it someday however, her BFF will be in the nutcracker the same weekend as the one she would have been in and she would rather go see her friend than play a mouse or Bon Bon. Oh well. At least I have one in it. Rehearsals start in a couple weeks but I think he doesn't have to rehearse until Nov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 Erika, that's wonderful! Hope they both enjoy it. My daughter officially declined her parts in the Nutcracker. Makes me sad cuz I think she'll end up regretting it someday however, her BFF will be in the nutcracker the same weekend as the one she would have been in and she would rather go see her friend than play a mouse or Bon Bon. Oh well. At least I have one in it. Rehearsals start in a couple weeks but I think he doesn't have to rehearse until Nov. That's a pretty special friendship to turn down Nutcracker roles to go see a friend dance! What part does your DS have? My son is also excited because this will be the first year he doesn't have five costume changes. Since he's the prince (or a snowflake in the opposite show) he can't fill in with any other parts. He's very relieved about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 He's a party boy and a Bon Bon. It's only his second year in ballet and last year was a rec program. Yes, it is a special friendship but also she was unhappy with her parts. She was really hoping to be an angel. When she got the two roles she didn't want, and some of the rehearsals were butting up against her dance class times at her other school AND her bestie was going to be in the nutcracker at the same time, she decided the odds were stacked against. Your son is the prince at 9? That's really neat. I think our prince and Clara are much older. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamppost Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 DD6 is starting her 3rd year on the competitive team (which sounds completely nuts to me as well :) ) I wanted her to be on the team because it's pretty much the only way to get any performance time other than just once a year at recital. This year she's taking ballet, jazz, and acro (plus tumbling at a different place) and then she has rehearsal time for a hip-hop dance and a jazz dance for competition. Her jazz dance is currently choreographed with her doing an aerial, so hopefully she can get that skill more solid so they don't have to take it out. She has landed it on the floor before but definitely isn't consistent. Her other acro goals for this year are a press handstand (just starting to work on that), front walkover (she just can't stand up from that one- needs to go faster maybe?) and a back handspring on the marley (she has it on the gym floor.) Tumbling is her favorite thing so I'm glad her studio does acro and incorporates it into their dances. My husband swears she won't do the team again next year because of the cost (dance is our second-biggest single expense other than our mortgage-yikes) so unless he changes his mind maybe we'll just have her do the Nutcracker next year, since she's old enough now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I feel ya on the money issue. Thursday I have to pluck down money for the three costumes. Then next week its the competition fees. Thankfully, the costume for the duet isn't running too expensive. Yay. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Yep, the money will kill ya'. I tell you, competition in the upper ages is going to run at least $5000 for classes, competition fees, travel, and costumes. I keep thinking I should be saving that money for college. Ack! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Yep, the money will kill ya'. I tell you, competition in the upper ages is going to run at least $5000 for classes, competition fees, travel, and costumes. I keep thinking I should be saving that money for college. Ack! I guess we can hope that will all this dancing, that they get a scholarship for all their trouble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 He's a party boy and a Bon Bon. It's only his second year in ballet and last year was a rec program. Yes, it is a special friendship but also she was unhappy with her parts. She was really hoping to be an angel. When she got the two roles she didn't want, and some of the rehearsals were butting up against her dance class times at her other school AND her bestie was going to be in the nutcracker at the same time, she decided the odds were stacked against. Your son is the prince at 9? That's really neat. I think our prince and Clara are much older. He's a very tall 9 year old. He is the same height as his friend who is also playing the prince, and that boy is almost 12. DS's competition team is ages 7-9, and I'm spending the year holding my tongue because no one in that group is even close to him in height- he's over a full head taller than everyone else (and imo, will stick out and we'll get challenged about his age, so I'll have to make sure I have his birth certificate with me this year). His hip-hop group is with a group of kids 11-14, plus him, and he fits right in. Our Clara's are 10 and 11, which is the norm for our group. Clara has always been around 10 for us. The Prince fluctuates, as it depends what boy we have available at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 DD6 is starting her 3rd year on the competitive team (which sounds completely nuts to me as well :) ) I wanted her to be on the team because it's pretty much the only way to get any performance time other than just once a year at recital. This year she's taking ballet, jazz, and acro (plus tumbling at a different place) and then she has rehearsal time for a hip-hop dance and a jazz dance for competition. Her jazz dance is currently choreographed with her doing an aerial, so hopefully she can get that skill more solid so they don't have to take it out. She has landed it on the floor before but definitely isn't consistent. Her other acro goals for this year are a press handstand (just starting to work on that), front walkover (she just can't stand up from that one- needs to go faster maybe?) and a back handspring on the marley (she has it on the gym floor.) Tumbling is her favorite thing so I'm glad her studio does acro and incorporates it into their dances. My husband swears she won't do the team again next year because of the cost (dance is our second-biggest single expense other than our mortgage-yikes) so unless he changes his mind maybe we'll just have her do the Nutcracker next year, since she's old enough now. That's amazing that your DD can do an aerial and is so close in all those other tricks! If she sticks with dance, she will be so ahead of other girls her age in few years. That's one of my regrets is that we didn't start DD on the competitive track until she was 9. She has to work so much harder than most of the girls her age because they were doing so much more at a younger age. She did basic ballet/tap/jazz until she was 9, and if I would have known then what I know now, she would have been taking tumbling at the very least. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 dd #3 just got cast as Cinderella!! and dd#4 was cast as one of the four seasons. much excitement in the house. much rehearsal in the future. and its just tough to be cinderella's sister, even if you are younger and can imagine you might be cinderella one day.... cinderella is a hard worker and very encouraging to younger sis, but its hard.... ann 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I'll have to ask how old our Clara is. I thought ours were older but I could be mistaken. I don't think m full grasping how big kids that age really are. Which is odd since I haven't grown an inch since 5th grade and my son has sprouted in the last couple months. Yay for your daughters. That's really great. Do any of you watch Breaking Pointe. I am watching it with my daughter (with a lot of discussion ) and they are doing Cinderella. It is quite fascinating. A couple of the main characters on the show were cast as a couple of the four seasons. :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Those of you with ballet boys, where do you get your dance leos? Son needs dance leos and white tights for nutcracker coming up. They wanted nude leos but I can't seem to find any. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 Those of you with ballet boys, where do you get your dance leos? Son needs dance leos and white tights for nutcracker coming up. They wanted nude leos but I can't seem to find any. Thoughts? My son has never been asked to wear one. I'm pretty sure the usual online sources like Discount Dance Supply carry them, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Now that DD13 is on competition teams, there are several guest choreographers who come to the studio for a few weeks. Unfortunately, their numbers are more risqué than the regular choreographers and teachers. How have you or would you handle this? I really hate spending all this money for DD to become a pole dancer. ( It is not that bad.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Now that DD13 is on competition teams, there are several guest choreographers who come to the studio for a few weeks. Unfortunately, their numbers are more risqué than the regular choreographers and teachers. How have you or would you handle this? I really hate spending all this money for DD to become a pole dancer. ( It is not that bad.) I worry about this a lot for the future. This year both kids are on teams that do not have the guest choreographer. Next year DS will be, and DD is hoping to be. I just have no idea. I feel like I could talk to the studio owner and just express my concerns, and maybe she would have some good advice for me. As it is, I'm trying not to be concerned about the costume selections this year. I'm hoping all will be well, but with a new studio, you never know. I've already promised myself to bite my tongue if something comes in more skimpy than I would like, and then send a note at the end of the season to the owner expressing my concerns about the future and seeing what she has to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Those of you with ballet boys, where do you get your dance leos? Son needs dance leos and white tights for nutcracker coming up. They wanted nude leos but I can't seem to find any. Thoughts? We've never needed one yet, sorry. I do have Movement Connection in my bookmarks for when we need to look at boys/mens dancewear pieces. I don't see leos, but don't boys usually just wear the men's tights and a pullover shirt? Oh, I also have River's Edge Dancewear in my bookmarks. That one might be more promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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