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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not sure if this has been mentioned or not but if she's talking about "lyrical" dance, as the OP mentioned, she's a competition team dancer and not a serious ballet student at a pre-professional school, which is where professional ballet companies recruit from, to use a sports word. Lyrical is a blend of ballet and jazz and isn't taught as a dance form at serious schools (e.g. WSB, Maryland Youth Ballet).

My point is that the idea she should be starting a career in a professional ballet company now instead of going to college probably is not realistic or a helpful discussion because unless she's been winning scholarships at YAGP or is a prodigy, most likely she doesn't have the training for that.

Contemporary dance is another story, but they don't have the same strict requirements. Telling the OP that her daughter has already missed the boat if she wants a career in dance isn't accurate.

My college roommate was a dance and art double major and went to law school. Best of both worlds.[/quote]

Bingo!

OP is talking about a dance degree so discussion about professional ballet companies and how she missed her window already are not relevant to this particular discussion.

OPs daughter has many more windows open to her by going for a degree (hopefully with a practical minor) by ruling out ballet companies.

[b]Modern & contemporary companies, Broadway, Disney/amusement parks, cruise lines, regional theater, regional dance companies (including ballet), commercial dance (LA), dance management, teaching dance, choreography, the convention circuit, competition judging, and studio ownership are all areas of dance that tend NOT to focus on teenagers right out of high school and prefer to work with dancers who are young adults out of reputable university dance programs.
[/b]
Your window of access may be very limited in classical ballet, but that is a small, shrinking, niche area of dance.

The other areas have much more opportunity and access than strict classical ballet.[/quote]

And none of these jobs pay squat. Seriously?  Paying top dollar for a daughter to go and study "lyrical dance" at a college?  No way, and I was a professional dancer for many years.  Either she has the talent now and should go with it, or go to college and study something that has a good job entry point.  She can then dance on the side for personal enjoyment as I did.  No one can support themselves well on dance alone except for the rare stars that come along and in their cases you never hear what college they went to (Nureyev, Barysnikov).  Even Twyla Tharp studied not dance, but history at Pomona College.  I've never even heard of a "lyrical dance" major.[/quote]

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