Washington Ballet experience
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Anonymous
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Anyone willing to share what it's like to be part of the WB over the years? DD was admitted in one the first levels of ballet, and I'm trying to get a better feel for the company.
- How strict / rigid are the teachers? Will younger kids still have fun? - Anyone with ADHD and was still able to make it? - Did you find the kids supportive and friendly with each other? Parents? - Anyone in the AAP program in the 'burbs (Virginia), and still able to find time for the practice, rehearsals for shows as well as doing well in school? - As the girls grow, is there support for a healthy attitude towards food? - Are there many kids travelling from outside DC? What is traffic like heading into DC from, say, Tysons Corner in VA? I know I can ask these questions during orientation, but by then, we'd be all signed up... |
Anonymous
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As the girls grow, is there support for a healthy attitude towards food?
No. The o.der ones all look anorexic. |
Anonymous
| Plus they have receding hairlines |
Anonymous
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Ballet properly taught is pretty serious. Once they enter the room and head to the barre, the dancers are expected to pay attention and be quiet. Aside from the fun the dancer might feel from perfecting something and working hard, the real fun part comes when they finally get a chance to perform on stage.
DD has danced many years and is in AAP - time management increases each year but if they love dancing they find a way at least until high school when training time starts cutting into school days. Find out who's in your DD's level that lives out your way. Start carpooling because as the years pass and they are in class 5-6 days a week, you'll want it. A little additional advice that no one will tell you early on this path: Realize that if your DD continues to love dancing, it will consume all of her free time and lots of your money. Even with car pools, you will be driving a lot. Your other kids may feel or will be neglected to an extent. You will not spend as much time with your child as you may wish and you will only see a few very short performances and 1 class per year - unlike other sports/music where you can see your child performing all the time. Becoming a professional is virtually impossible and they have a short career, often unpaid and then poorly paid if they get that lucky break. Ballet is extremely hard on the joints and back. Injuries are to be expected (more costs with dr visits, PT and possible surgery(ies) That said, it is absolutely amazing what these gifted and athletic performing artists can do and they love it. I just wish as a non dancing parent I knew what we were getting into way back when. |
Anonymous
My DD has done three years at Washington School of Ballet, starting at age five. During the early years, teachers are quite serious about classroom etiquette, but also realistic wrt expectations. My dd -- who tends to focus on what she finds interesting, which is not always the desired target of focus of her teachers/parents -- has always had fun, and her teachers say she's making great progress, and that she's very focused in class (!!!). DD has always enjoyed dance/music, and it turns out this is an excellent way to channel energy. If your DD was accepted, I imagine it's because they think they can work with her; my attitude has always been to take it year by year. So far, so good. As the program posted on the Internet indicates, classes are once a week for PB 1-3, then ramps up to twice a week for the next three years. After two years of pre-ballet, children are eligible to do nutcracker; several threads going on about that time commitment, which is rehearsals on both Saturdays and Sundays between mid-October and Thanksgiving, then maybe 5-9 performances through the year-end holidays. My DC goes to a local independent school, so I am not familiar with demands specifc to AAP programs; in deciding on nutcracker -- which is optional -- you and your dc might consider whether your dc has weekend homework or needs to work on weekends to hone skills (and how long it takes her to get through this weekend work), and whether your DC needs/enjoys unstructured time or wants to pursue many other activities. We don't commute from va., but I know several families that do. My DD has enjoyed meeting the other girls in her class, and at this point, it's not competitive. My daughter has the vague idea that some foods have more calories than others, but that comes from a friend at school whose mom is concerned about her DC's weight, not from ballet class. Children in her ballet class of varying shaoes/sizes. But my experience is only of the first three years -- what's now called PB 1,2,3 -- 8:02 offers what I found to be an interesting perspective on what may be in the offing. |
Anonymous
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You might want to check out some of the discussion boards at balletalert.com. Lots of long-time posters and good perspectives on the whole ballet journey--in other words, many people like 8:02.
As noted in other threads, there are also other options besides WSB--it's not for everyone. |
Anonymous
| There are some other recent threads on this that you might want to look at but here is my two cents. Generally speaking, the atmosphere is more strict than some other schools. Within that, some teachers are more strict than others, and some are more likely to mention nutrition and body issues than others to the young girls. My daughter, who is 8 and who started there when she was five, has never mentioned her teacher speaking to the girls about nutrition or body issues, but I have heard from other parents whose kids had different teachers who were uncomfortable with some things that teachers said in the classroom about those topics. But I think at the lower levels it is largely not an issue. I would say that I would think twice before trying to get there from Tysons Corner. They are very strict about being on time, and it just seems like a stress you don't need. They also for the most part, don't give you much choice about what class you are in. You might want to have your daughter take classes somewhere more convenient, and if she loves ballet and is really committed, audition again later on when the stress of that drive would be more worthwhile. |
Anonymous
That is from the buns. It is not unique to Washington Ballet School. |
Anonymous
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Does WBS allow children to play other sports? I studied ballet as a child (Pennsylvania Ballet) and was forbidden to do so. I want my daughter to have more freedom if she studies dance. She has already asked me if she can take lessons and seems to have the body type that ballet teachers love. She is only 3.5 years old, so I am concerned that a school like WSB or Kirov would set her on a serious track quite early.
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Anonymous
A LOT can change between age 3.5 and age 8, when the ballet programs start to turn into "real" ballet. Now your preschooler wants to be a ballerina, tomorrow a fire fighter, and next month a pony with wings. I think you are stressing about this way too early. |
Anonymous
| Rent the movie "first position". |
Anonymous
I don't have experience with Washington Ballet and I don't know if they allow sports. However, my 11 year old DD is at another studio taking five classes (different genres) of dance per week, which doesn't allow her any TIME to play sports. I'd love for her to play on school volleyball or basketball teams but the practices and games are all after school at the same times as her dance classes. I imagine in WB it would be the same, since they keep increasing the number of classes the kids have to attend each week as they get older. Same goes for school plays, etc. No time to ever attend anything after school because of dance schedule. Something to think about if you want kids to be more well-rounded. My DD is perfectly happy just doing dance because she loves it so much. It is her sport, instead playing soccer, etc., she dances. |
Anonymous
| My DD is in Pre Ballet 3 at WSB. So far we have been able to continue with sports however next year the Ballet 1 class is two days a week so it will make it a little harder. At this age I would not limit my DD to one thing. Also, like pp said, 3.5 is a little young to be worried about such things. I would not start your DD at WSB until she is at least 6. |
Anonymous
| Thanks all! Very helpful. I started ballet at 3.5 and by age 5 was already in performances so they started the no sports rule pretty early ( my Russian ballet teacher said it would make your muscles change their look). I'd rather that DC start in a movement based program versus a serious school, so will probably look somewhere more low key. Thanks again. |
Anonymous
| If you live in Maryland try Maryland Youth Ballet. Better facilities, and focus is 100% on the students and their development. WSB has to share its limited resources and facilities with a professional company. |