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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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...[/quote]

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.
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