Dance
Normally on Tuesdays, I share just one photo. But I had more than one that I wanted to share because last week was rehearsal and recital week for Sonia and Zoe's dance class.
There were lots of sequins.
I pinned up lots of buns.
And used a lot of hairspray.
And now dance is over for the summer, which is a little bit sad for Zoe.
Sonia mostly likes dance because of the glitz and glamour you get at the end of the year, but Zoe adores every single week of practice. Last year (her first year), when she found out that there's no dance in the summer, she said, "Why in the world would anyone need a break from ballet??" 😉
Her current life plan is to grow up and be a dance teacher, and when she found out you can actually study dance in college, she was quite intrigued. We'll see...she's 10, and a lot can change between ages 10 and 18.
But I won't be surprised if she sticks with the plan because I think dancing just might be her thing.
I am surprised that they don't offer summer classes, or a summer camp..
They look great!
This is a community center dance program, and they don't offer anything in the summer. But you're right, there are probably other programs out there for summertime. I wonder how she'd feel about doing dance in a new place over the summer.
If dancing is her thing, it could be helpful for her to have lessons at another studio. It might challenge her in a few ways due to the differences in instructor & fellow students.
Love the bow adornment on the buns. Nice job Kristen!
Yeah...my plan was to have her do dance for maybe one more year at the community center and then look into a more formal (and probably more expensive!) program if she really wants to throw herself into this.
I deserve no credit for the bow...it was a standard costume requirement! I DO deserve credit for getting Zoe's massive head of hair safely secured into a bun that stayed put. Ha. She's got such thick hair, we had to use 24 bobby pins, two ponytail holders, and lots of hair spray.
Sonia, on the other hand, inherited my skinny hair, and we have to use a foam bun helper to make hers work right. Two very different heads of hair!
Try spiral bobby pins or U shaped bobby pins in her thick hair. They are perfect for a high and tight (ballet bun).
Oh, ok! I'll search for some of those.
I always used a different type of pin; I think they were called "roller pins." I also have really thick hair, and when I was in ballet my hair was down to my waist. Bobby pins couldn't keep it up in a bun.
I know a few people like Zoe! What?!? Stop playing guitar/piano/harp for the summer!? I love that enthusiasm and delight that comes when our children find their groove. The next adventure is seeing how God uses that drive in their lives and it shapes their character. I often think of the scene in "Chariots of Fire" when Eric and his sister, Jenny, are discussing Eric's love of running - "But when I run, I feel His pleasure." That's what I see/hear/feel when my house nearly quakes with the sound of music. Enjoy!
I would love to hear about the affordability of dance. My daughter is only 1 and I've started looking into the cost of dance classes and they seem to be very expensive. I do not think we have any community dance programs: just private. When did you start your daughters in dance? Did you have to give up other areas of your budget to include it?
I would love my daughter to start Irish line dancing, but I know it is pricier than just ballet or tap. Any suggestions?
My girls do Irish dancing and it does not cost us anymore than if we paid for dance classes at a private studio. They love it!
Hi Jenelle,
I'm not sure if there is a huge difference in pricing in different areas or if dance prices are pretty standard across the board, but here's what my 10-year old does to give you an idea 🙂
This is per week:
1 hour ballet class
1 hour tap class
1 hour jazz class
1 hour hip hop class
1 hour 80's style break dance class
We pay $203/month. She has been dancing since she was 4 at the same studio, starting with just a ballet class and then adding on through the years. Our studio's monthly fee is calculated by the number of hours danced per week.
I paid around $240 for all new shoes at the beginning of the dance year and she is squeezing into all of them now......just 3 more weeks until recital, hope we can make it!! Costumes for this year's recital cost me $375.
Hope this gives you a glimpse into the "dance world"
This is just Sonia and Zoe's second year in dance, and yeah, they go to a community center ballet program, which tends to be a lot less expensive.
I think maybe my main piece of advice is to not bother with starting her super early. Sonia and Zoe started "late", but they are already able to easily keep up with the girls who have been doing dance since they were preschoolers. It seems like the preschool dance programs are fun and entertaining, but they don't actually make a huge difference in how skilled your kiddo will be by the time they're 10-12 years old. Kids who start later seem to be able to catch up quickly (I know I saw that with my piano students too).
I didn't start dancing until I was 11 and I moved through the first five dance levels at my school in one year. By 16 I was attending the Milwaukee Ballet School and auditioning for summer programs at the School of American Ballet, Joffrey, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Starting late didn't hurt me at all!
If a little girl wants to start dancing at a young age, why do you advise against that? My daughter was 4 when she started.......it was fun for her and gave her something to do with kids her age since she wasn't in daycare or preschool.
Just because your girls started "late" doesn't mean that is the correct thing to do.
Oh, I just said that in response to a reader who was asking about how to make ballet/dance affordable. I wanted her to know that if there's no way to fit dance into the budget while her daughter is a preschooler, it doesn't mean there's no future in dance for her. Starting late doesn't mean you can't start at all, you know?
So, that's what I meant. I have no issue with parents starting their kids in dance early, just for fun. I literally squeal over the three-year-olds at my girls' ballet rehearsals. They're so clueless, but so adorable, and their tutus basically seem to engulf them. I love it.
But I'm also grateful that girls who start later can catch up quickly, because that's the situation my girls were in. 🙂
Typically information about community center classes can be a little harder to find than private classes (being a more affordable option, they don't often have as large a marketing budget to get the word out). You may have already, but swing by any community/recreation centers to see if they have brochures or calendars with class information. Also check out your city's Parks and Rec. webpage or call their office directly to see what they offer. Calling can be especially helpful because you might learn (as I did) about "off-site" community classes that are offered at public schools or libraries instead of at dedicated recreation centers. And don't forget about non-profit after-school programs; they might offer dance classes as well. For example, Misty Copeland, the principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, took her first ballet classes at a Boys and Girls Club when she was 13 (which also ties into Kristen's comment about age 🙂 )
My 13 year old is the same way Kristin. Ballet is her favorite thing. She takes lessons twice a week at the best studio in Atlanta and wants to be a freelance choreographer when she grows up. Initially she wanted to own her own studio, but after talking with a friend who is a ballet instructor about the steep overhead, legal and business hassles of that, Ilana decided that what she really loves most is choreography, and she can do that without the stress of a studio. She can sell her dances to teachers. I did ballet too as a kid and absolutely loved it. Funny, because my daughter and I are both introverts who are uncomfortable in the spotlight, but somehow the dance stage is different for us!
... and I am sorry that I keep spelling your name with an "i" instead of an "e" KRISTEN. Yikes!
Oh, it's ok! There are so many different ways to spell Kristen (Chrysten, Christyn, Christen, Krysten, Krystin, Kristin, Kristyn etc.), I'm used to people misspelling my name.
My granddaughter studied dance in college and loved every minute of it. Good luck to your dancers!
Hi Kristen,
Have you ever taken Sonia and Zoe to the ballet? I'm grown up, and want to become a ballerina all over again each time I watch a ballet!
I haven't! Zoe has watched lots of videos of ballet, but she's never seen one in person, except fellow dancers at her recital (she does love that.)
Love the pictures, and oh, what memories they bring. Both of my girls took dance at a private studio, which was our only available choice, and we sacrificed some things to afford it. On the other hand, both were good dancers, and soon earned discounts on their dance lessons by being a teacher's assistant (which meant they had to learn their own dances and their little students' dances for the recital). My oldest daughter first assisted when she was only nine -- it's a small town, and assistant options were few for the teachers, clearly, but I have to say she did very well with her toddler's class even though she was so young herself. Both girls loved dance and soon ended up in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and tap. It was expensive getting all the costumes and shoes, but there was something else besides dance lessons they were getting, which was: confidence, discipline, persistence, patience, poise, recovering from mistakes, gracefulness, skill, interaction with girls of a wide age group, and learning to teach a skill to others. Both have benefited as adults from the intangible benefits of dance. Both attended dance camps in the summer as students; some camps were offered by colleges, some by dance associations. There are summer programs out there, but they sometimes have to be sought out. If your daughter loves it that much, start with asking dance teachers and dance studios about what's offered during the summer. And there is always looking online, of course.
I agree about the socialization etc. My son was curious about what happened at ballet class. The teacher had a no watch policy but invited him to take a class. He was hooked for a good few years and developed a new way of relating to the opposite sex. There is so much to dance and it isn't all pointes and pretties.
Thank you for sharing your girls with us. They are precious.
It is so awesome when you children find their "thing" and you watch them grow and excel!!! Out of my 6 children, my youngest found her "thing" so much earlier than the others. She is only five, and started riding horses this year. She has been asking since she was old enough to talk if she could ride, but we never took her seriously, because what little girl doesn't want to ride a horse? Plus it's very pricey. My husband and I finally bit the bullet and found a reasonably priced instructor who we really like! She is amazing at it, and loves everything from the grooming, to the riding, to mucking out the stalls! Zoe looks like she is in the same boat with her dancing as my little one is with her horses!!
How precious!! It takes me back to the good old days! I think dance is a fantastic hobby for kids.
I would highly encourage anyone who would like to become a dance teacher to go to small private studios and take multiple classes of possible. I started out assisting with classes at age 13 and then began teaching throughout high school. It was nice for me because I was home schooled and could help with the earlier preschool classes that were held during mornings when most kids are in school. I didn't earn a lot of money but what I did earn was enough to pay for two years at community college!
They look so cute - and intent on their dancing! Love it -
So super cute! Once the dancing bug has got you, that's it. I started ballroom dancing when I was 6 and went onto to being a champion. I gave it up when I met my husband as he didn't dance, we will be married for 30 years next year and he still won't dance with me, it's ok as it is the only thing we can't agree on. I have just recently returned to it and still, at the age of 49 it makes my heart sing.
Kristen I apologise for making two comments but they are vastly different. At a very young age, my second child, first daughter fell in love with French. By the age of ten she was determined to be a French teacher and set her sights on one of the few immersion programs available in our area. By 12 she had topped her school and had won a place in immersion. Now ten years later she is teacher French after earning two degrees by the age of 21. She is already enrolled in her masters. She just loves the language and is now in a very needy (poorly thought of school in a low socio-economic area) school where many parents speak French. She has discovered that being a teacher can be exhausting but fun and most of all she likes making a difference.
That's so great that she figured out what her "thing" was when she was so young.
I'm 35 and the smell of hairspray STILL takes me back to my own dance recitals! So glad to hear she's found something she likes.
I studied music in college and I wish that I would have studied something that would equate to a good job. Whenever I talk to young people about college, I always encourage them to study something that will make them some money, especially if they have to take out loans. Music and dance is a great hobby, but not so much of a career.
I think it depends. If you're hoping to just dance or play music for a living, you might be disappointed. But Zoe is going into this thinking that she wants to teach dance. If she said, "I want to be a famous ballerina!", I might think this wasn't a good idea. You can make money teaching the arts, though, so I think this could be a good path if it's what she continues to want.
This comment from Vancouver, Canada is sort of related. Saturday last, I treated myself to the musical "Billy Elliot" The musical basically about a adolescents male's desire to learn dance and ballet. This is over in Britain in the 1970s where there is a coal miners' strike and the Prime Minister of the day, Maggie Thatcher seems anti-union.
For me the high lights of the musical include how a boy in a tough, macho, working class culture deals with this seemingly female form of activity and how he deals with accusations that male dancers are "poofs" (homosexual).
Anyhow, events unfold and somehow the youth/young man despite adversity succeeds.
The sold-out audience seemed to enjoy the musical. The musical is extended in July 2016 at the Stanley Theatre, here in Vancouver BC, Canada.
Thank-you for allowing me to share my joy of seeing the musical.