Comments on: Life as a Dance Mom – Finding the Balance Between Friend and Fanatic

By: Juliette @ Laguna Niguel carpet cleaners

Juliette @ Laguna Niguel carpet cleaners — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:11:56 +0000

Wow! This life of a ballet mom has just been turned up to high speed in one year. My daughter is 9 and she is in her first competition next week. She has had many rehearsals for 2 dances she will be in and she is just beside herself with excitement for the day to come. She is one that shows know nervousness at all and exudes confidences. So the nervousness I have for her , I hide well so she doesn’t see it. She absolutely loves ballet and told me that if I ever made her stop doing it she would hate me forever. That was with a laugh with it as well, but I know deep down in my heart how much she loves it. With all that I do running a business with my husband Laguna Niguel Carpet Cleaners ( got to plug my business ) and all the classes I take her to there is not enough time in the day or the week to get everything done it seems. I have been thrust into being a super women. Is there hope for a ballet mom? Please tell me if this ballet insanity ever stops. Classes, rehearsals, costume fittings, all the expenses, recitals, competitions and the list goes on. From one ballet mom to another. Juliette

By: Mariangela

Mariangela — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:32:48 +0000

I will have to respectfully disagree. Again, opinions are just that. IF you are luck enough to have a school in your area that is both highly accredited (with an adult company AND good Jr company program) that ALSO nurtures the LOVE of dance in a child, good for you!

In my area I don’t feel we have that. The ONE professional school can and has done harm on the child’s spirit at young ages, and this is what I speak of.

A good point was also made above that if the dancer is at an age where they are ready to go pre-professional and apprentice, leaving their friends behind will be a MUST at some point, and one of the many hard things they will have to deal with in the dance world.

My child is just at that decision now. At first she was sad, thinking about possibly leaving her friends, but now she is seeing the other options around her and realizing the world of dance is BIG and her school is just a small pebble in a BIG pond.

But again – opinions are just that. To each his/her own!

By: danceadvantage

danceadvantage — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:05:03 +0000

You’re right to emphasize this point/distinction, Lesley. Not sure that Mariangela was suggesting that solid training in a school be ignored in the quest to find a school that fosters a love a dance – safety is a concern with schools that do not offer a good technical foundation. Her daughter having a strong ballet focus, I think perhaps she was implying that it’s not necessary to start out at the most elite school available. But, she may want to comment on this herself.

In my experience the strongest studios (as you stated) are those that nurture a love of dance while teaching solid technique at every age and level. Note for anyone reading: solid technique = age appropriate technique – some think that good technique is evidenced by young children doing advanced skills but this is not necessarily the case. Also, solid technique can sometimes be different from pre-professional technique in the ballet world – i.e. generally if a student does not eventually attend schools and workshops with a pre-professional focus, his/her career in ballet is limited, though a career in other genres may not be. This is because the detailed movement language of ballet is so very codified.

Also, to play devil’s advocate on your comment – a teenager that knows they require more solid instruction but won’t leave their studio to get it may not have the desire/dedication necessary to pursue a career in dance. If it’s a matter not of career but of safety (the school they are attending is not providing solid and safe technical instruction, the environment is abusive or negative, etc) then parents probably need to put their foot down when it comes to changing schools or drastically reducing their child’s involvement (if he/she won’t agree to leave). Just my thoughts – thanks very much for you comment!

By: Lesley

Lesley — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:04:29 +0000

While I agree that the nurturing of a student’s love of dance should be paramount, I feel that you should strive to find a strong studio with that nuturing included…it is so hard to change studios when you are a teenager and many good dancers won’t pursue a better education because they don’t want to leave their friends at their current studio.

By: Posts about mom entrepreneurs as of March 6, 2009 | Bizzie Mommy

Posts about mom entrepreneurs as of March 6, 2009 | Bizzie Mommy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:25:39 +0000

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