Another ballet question - should we join company?

[snickerplum]

So we're switching dance schools (yea!). My daughter was evaluated and asked to join company. She's 10. The commitment is big ($, her time, 50 volunteer hours on my part). It also would allow for several more performance opportunities, which is one thing she loves.

So....

How old was your child when she joined company?

Is it worth the time and money?

What are other benefits?

Why should she join?

Part of me says do it! Part of me says give her a year to adjust to her new school.

[Farrar]

I don't know the answer, but kids that age at ds's school are never invited to join the studio company. The youngest eligible are 15.

 

In other words, it seems too young to me, but I don't have a wide variety of experiences with different schools, so I don't know.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Farrar

[kitten18]

My dd will very likely join company next year, she will be 13 (almost 14) then.

[catz]

Well at our studio, you don't join "company" until you're (almost) an adult (like some really amazing dancers became company members at 17), but you can join their performing arts ensemble.  I suspect this is a semantics issue?  Kids start that as young as 8-10 and my dd did start at that age.  It's been great for her.  I think this year will be her 4th or 5th year.  We does dance the full schedule at her level plus extra rep and rehearsal practice every week.  I mean early on it was like a 2 hour difference a week.  So for a homeschooled kid that wanted to do the full schedule, it wasn't that big of a leap. 

[redsquirrel]

It seems young to me as well, but I don't have a huge amount of experience.  But, with many schools, if you get to their company age and don't join then you don't take as many classes, don't get parts in the ballets etc.  I would find out what happens if she says no.  I would especially want to know because it's a new school.  Maybe she won't like it or want to switch.  OTOH, maybe it is an offer she can't really refuse?  It's hard to know.

 

For my boys, the absolute youngest to join is 8th grade. But they can, in theory, audition at any time. But, for girls, it is generally related to hours they have had of pointe instruction. You cannot be in company if you haven't been on pointe for at least a year, but it's not the time, it's the proficiency that matters.  And there are different levels of seniority in company with differing levels of commitment.  DS1 had zero interest until 9th grade and then chose the lightest commitment because I was more worried about him adjusting to life in public high school.  That meant as a 10th grader (last year) he had to take the highest number of classes in order to move up in seniority this year. This year he will have a higher level of seniority but a slightly lower level of commitment. He's gone through the year more dedicated to training and can now focus on performance..I think that is the theory anyway.

 

DS2 has much more interest in company and he will prob audition in 8th grade and just go through the year of very intense classes that year...before he goes to high school. That is was a bunch of other homeschooled dancers did. They got their 'heavy' year out of the way before going to high school. But noooo, not my older kid. He had to make it as difficult as possible.

 

It has been worth the time, but I don't know if it is worth the money. My dancers are boys and we don't pay as much as the girls. If we had to pay, we simply couldn't afford it. The benefits are more instruction and more parts in the shows. Non-company kids don't get parts in the shows. Sometimes they aren't even in the recitals. They come and go depending on their school schedule and I don't think it bothers them at all. 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by redsquirrel

[Rebel Yell]

Is this an actual performance company, staging known ballets attended by the community and not just parents/family/friends, or does "company" mean competition team?

[Farrar]

It seems like there's not really a set definition of "company"...

[Storygirl]

Our old studio had a student company, which children were first eligible to join at age ten (fifth grade). Before that age, any child could audition for Nutcracker and the spring full-length ballet, but children who were company age but chose not to join the company could not participate in the full-length ballets. Basically, all children joined the company unless they quit. Our studio owner and company Artistic Director were the same person, and she was all about the shows.

 

In other studios, the company is for older dancers or for just some of the dancers who want a performance track. If you new studio is like our old one, and you don't join the company, your daughter may feel left out or be considered less serious by the AD. But if there are a lot of children who choose not to join, it may be a good idea to wait a year to get a feel for the studio before making the bigger commitment.

 

What will she miss if she doesn't participate? Are the additional opportunities worth it? Can you talk to a few families who have been at the studio for awhile to get the scoop?

[kitten18]

Is this an actual performance company, staging known ballets attended by the community and not just parents/family/friends, or does "company" mean competition team?

Yes, that's a good question. You need to find out what company means at your studio.

[snickerplum]

It's not competitive, but more training and performances. And money and time. :-)

[snickerplum]

It's a company of 50 I think. And the school is quite large. The school and the company (a non-profit) are separate but connected.

You are considered more serious in company, but I don't think that's bad for the non-company. Some just want to have fun and that's great.

The performance pieces and shows are well known and not just for friends and family. :-)

[justasque]

So we're switching dance schools (yea!). My daughter was evaluated and asked to join company. She's 10. The commitment is big ($, her time, 50 volunteer hours on my part). It also would allow for several more performance opportunities, which is one thing she loves.

So....

How old was your child when she joined company?

Is it worth the time and money?

What are other benefits?

Why should she join?

Part of me says do it! Part of me says give her a year to adjust to her new school.

 

Generally pros would be:

--She has a consistent group of friends outside of school/homeschool friends, which can be very valuable in the tween years when friendships can get rocky when one friend matures sooner than another and they all learn how to navigate friendships in general.  When one set of friends is not going well, she still has the other.  (This might be a reason to start this year instead of waiting.)

--She is learning a lifetime sport; one she can enjoy in her 20's, 30's 40's and beyond.  The exercise is good now and will be good later in her life too.  I dance with women in their 70's; they are amazing!

--If she sticks with it, her teen years will be too busy for her to get into much trouble.

--If the school has company classes and recreational classes, generally the company ones will be more serious/challenging, with more serious classmates, and thus in some ways more value for the time/money.

 

Cons would be that it can be expensive, and will require considerable commitment to getting her to classes and events consistently.

 

I bartered for dance, which cut the costs considerably.

We made dance decisions - how much, which kind, where - year by year.  Some years more, some less, depending on what else was on the dancer's plate.  

[kroe1]

Is this just a ballet school or a competition studio? Maybe it is some sort of hybrid. Around here, company (or competition) teams start at age 6. It means weekly travel, lots of sewing and stoning costumes, and dads building and hauling props. It is a family commitment as well as a commitment for the child. It also means the child will be at the studio 10 to 25 hours a week.

 

It is a lot of fun for the families who are willing to commit. This year DD's team became a grand national champion. While this means absolutely nothing for adult life other than the scholarships, her team has been working for this aggressively. The journey itself was what taught many life's lessons.

 

Finally, ask other parents about costs. I spend roughly $15,000 a year to be a dance mom. The costs build greatly as the dancer ages.

 

Just because your child has not danced at the studio, should not deter you from joining the company. Company dancers usually get the best teachers, tougher schedules, more complex choreography, and better costumes. A child who does not do company one year may find he is falling behind.

[redsquirrel]

Is this just a ballet school or a competition studio? Maybe it is some sort of hybrid. Around here, company (or competition) teams start at age 6. It means weekly travel, lots of sewing and stoning costumes, and dads building and hauling props. It is a family commitment as well as a commitment for the child. It also means the child will be at the studio 10 to 25 hours a week.

 

It is a lot of fun for the families who are willing to commit. This year DD's team became a grand national champion. While this means absolutely nothing for adult life other than the scholarships, her team has been working for this aggressively. The journey itself was what taught many life's lessons.

 

Finally, ask other parents about costs. I spend roughly $15,000 a year to be a dance mom. The costs build greatly as the dancer ages.

 

Just because your child has not danced at the studio, should not deter you from joining the company. Company dancers usually get the best teachers, tougher schedules, more complex choreography, and better costumes. A child who does not do company one year may find he is falling behind.

 

Is this competition team strictly classical ballet?  I've never heard of competitive ballet schools, only competitive dance schools that also teach some ballet. I only ask because people are often asking me if my boys compete every weekend. The only dancers I know who do that are at schools that teach things like Irish step dancing or other types of dance, like hip hop.

 

I know that there are some ballet competitions, big ones. I've known dancers who went to compete in those as individuals, not teams or schools. But I've never heard of weekly travel etc for competitive ballet, like for, say, Irish step dancing. I'm just curious.

 

[kitten18]

It's a company of 50 I think. And the school is quite large. The school and the company (a non-profit) are separate but connected.

You are considered more serious in company, but I don't think that's bad for the non-company. Some just want to have fun and that's great.

The performance pieces and shows are well known and not just for friends and family. :-)

Sounds like it might be ok to just try out the school this year and then join company next year. Can you ask and find out if some people do that?

 

Our studio is pretty small, by the time you get to age 13ish you're either invited to join company or you leave. I've only known a handful of girls who stayed but didn't join company.

[snickerplum]

We decided to go for it! She's excited and looking forward to getting started!

[Farrar]

Is this competition team strictly classical ballet?  I've never heard of competitive ballet schools, only competitive dance schools that also teach some ballet. I only ask because people are often asking me if my boys compete every weekend. The only dancers I know who do that are at schools that teach things like Irish step dancing or other types of dance, like hip hop.

 

I know that there are some ballet competitions, big ones. I've known dancers who went to compete in those as individuals, not teams or schools. But I've never heard of weekly travel etc for competitive ballet, like for, say, Irish step dancing. I'm just curious.

 

 

In the ballet moms thread, I asked about this awhile back because it was also outside my experience - none of the three serious ballet school options around us even do competitions at all. I can totally imagine that our school would literally turn their noses up at it. The answer I got was that ballet competitions are newer but that they're growing and that the number of schools that are serious pre-professional schools that participate is also growing.