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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]Avoid any school that has a competitive dance program.  
[/b]
I would stick with a classical ballet school[/quote]

Why?[/quote]

I'm a new poster, not the one above, but to add -- a "competitive dance program" means a school focused on dance team competitions. If you see a bunch of trophies from dance team competitions in a studio window, run. While some kids adore doing that, it also can be very, very high-pressure and can suck the joy out of dancing. Yes, I know there are kids who love it, parents who think it's a blast, etc. but I know too many kids who started that route and burned out fast.

OP, for your five-year-old, if she is just going to taste dance as an activity, a studio with a competition focus is going to distract her with the shiny idea of costumes and winning. Competitive dance parents will come here to ream me for that, but whatever.

While I would not necessarily say a "classical ballet school," which conjures images of the Kirov etc., yes, a studio that has a solid grounding in ballet is best because it's the foundation for the strength you need for other styles. And OP, you don't even know yet if your DD wants to dance at all, much less dance for "a few years" or further.

Take time to go observe, on your own without your DD if you can, some classes for kids her age at a couple of non-competition studios. See the vibe, see if the kids seem happy, if the instructor is patient and fun, if the instruction is age-appropriate but also just challenging enough the kids are going to do things properly. Look for safety -- no klds allowed to hang on the wall barrres, no roughhousing among the little kids, and "sprung" floors (raised flooring designed to take the stress off legs and feet when dancers move and jump).

My own DD started out with kiddie ballet through a county rec center with a great teacher who taught even three-year-olds the appropriate French names for very basic things, but who also made everything fun. A six- or 10-week rec center class would be a good way to let your DD try to dance and see if she wants to commit to more classes at a studio after that. Be aware that studio classes do run on a schedule covering the entire school year and then most expect dancers, once past a certain age, to take summer classes as well, to keep up their conditioning and skills.

I would really start simply rather than thinking of this as something she should keep at for a few years. She's young. She might dance the rest of her life or she might take one class, have fun, then have as much fun in karate or art class. Start out easy.[/quote]

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