If DD has a passion for ballet but not trying to be professional, when to pull the plug?

[Anonymous]

Don't impede, don't promote. If her schedule is too much for the family unit, or too much for you, you are entitled to enforce a change. Otherwise there's no crystal ball re: where this goes and although it would be reassuring to know, it's typical of parenting

[Anonymous]

End game can just be good exercise.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, can we please get away from the dance as a kids activity thing. Yes, it is done on non-school hours. But, it is a vital art form. It does not need to be pre-professionsl or pull the plug. Art can exist for arts sake. However it fills her heart and enriches her life is valid. The self expression is valid. The more time learning then the greater the tools she has to make dances. Yes, this requires a commitment for the child and the parents. But, jeez, just because it is not a career path does not make it not a very good use of time for body, mind, and spirit.

[Anonymous]

OP, most extracurricular activities are time consuming. My youngest is in marching band. It’s every day after school until 6pm. Friday night football. Saturday competitions. My oldest played football. Practice Monday-Thursday. Games Friday. Practice again on Saturday. During off season it’s strength and conditioning. Another one of my kids rowed. Practice five days a week. Regattas all day on Saturday.

This isn’t unique to ballet.

[Anonymous]

If she loves dance, why quit? There are always classes with varying degrees of time commitment. But you might need to look around a bit more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, most extracurricular activities are time consuming. My youngest is in marching band. It’s every day after school until 6pm. Friday night football. Saturday competitions. My oldest played football. Practice Monday-Thursday. Games Friday. Practice again on Saturday. During off season it’s strength and conditioning. Another one of my kids rowed. Practice five days a week. Regattas all day on Saturday.

This isn’t unique to ballet.

NP. I have a violinist kid, and the playing time is significant. I sometimes wish extracurricular activities weren’t as intense. The way they’re set up, you can only devote yourself to one seriously.

[Anonymous]

Before toe shoes. They will seriously mess up her feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, can we please get away from the dance as a kids activity thing. Yes, it is done on non-school hours. But, it is a vital art form. It does not need to be pre-professionsl or pull the plug. Art can exist for arts sake. However it fills her heart and enriches her life is valid. The self expression is valid. The more time learning then the greater the tools she has to make dances. Yes, this requires a commitment for the child and the parents. But, jeez, just because it is not a career path does not make it not a very good use of time for body, mind, and spirit.

+1 from the PP who is the former basketball mom. But in addition to an art form, it's also a sport, but people don't see it that way. Dance is pretty amazing, the longer you think about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, can we please get away from the dance as a kids activity thing. Yes, it is done on non-school hours. But, it is a vital art form. It does not need to be pre-professionsl or pull the plug. Art can exist for arts sake. However it fills her heart and enriches her life is valid. The self expression is valid. The more time learning then the greater the tools she has to make dances. Yes, this requires a commitment for the child and the parents. But, jeez, just because it is not a career path does not make it not a very good use of time for body, mind, and spirit.

+1 from the PP who is the former basketball mom. But in addition to an art form, it's also a sport, but people don't see it that way. Dance is pretty amazing, the longer you think about it.

Yes. My sister has always maintained that growing up, during rough periods dance was sometimes the only thing that kept her sane and in control. For those with a real feel for the art form, it’s a method of self-expression and a creative outlet. It’s a way of processing and understanding your world. The fact that OP’s daughter is creating her own pieces outside of class suggests that she may be one of those people who feel deeply about dance as art and expression, not just a physical activity.

That said, keep an eye out and make sure that she’s enrolled in an appropriate studio that will allow her to maintain that creative outlet without undue pressure to meet certain aesthetic standards (weight, etc.). Some are better than others in this respect.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know where you live but check out Joy of Motion. They have a dance company/ensemble that I think is a good fit for kids that love dance but may not want the rigor of a Washington ballet. It’s true as they get older, the time commitment increases. My daughter started out in ballet intensive but was loosing interest. JOM is a good fit for her bc it is a mix of ballet, modern and jazz.