5. If at all possible buy ...See MoreI've been on a mission to learn as much as I can about dance in order to support my daughter who has decided that she wants to dance professionally. Hopefully other parents of dancers on Tnet will benefit from this info.
So far I've learned:
1. Classical ballet training is the root of all great dancing. The two methods of dance instruction are Vaganova and Cecchetti.
2. Ballet dancers pancake their toe shoes to keep them looking nice for the stage. Pancaking means to rub foundation (yes, the make up) onto the shoes.
3. Juilliard accepts 7% of the dancers who audition each year. The cost to attend Juilliard is $50 grand a year.
4. A teenager who is serious about dancing needs to dance 15-20 hours per week + take 3-6 week summer intensives that are all day long. Most of the summer intensives (the big ones -the good ones) are by audition only, so you have to be accepted first -before you pay $2-5 grand.
5. If at all possible buy tights, leotards, and dance shoes (with the exception of pointe shoes which must be properly fitted) online at a discounter (vs. at a local dancewear store that charges twice as much).
6. There is a HUGE difference between a pre professional dance studio and a regular studio with year end recitals. Look for a pre-pro dance studio that is a feeder school to a semi-pro or pro ballet company. Make sure the studio is using the Vaganova or Cecchetti curriculum (or a combination thereof in the later years).
7. In order for a ballet dancer to be well rounded and marketable they should also take tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop.
8. Yoga and pilates helps with stretching and flexibility.
9. Pointe dancers who dance a number of hours per week should have 2-3 pairs of pointe shoes that they rotate out. You can slip a drier sheet into the shoes to keep them fresh. Pointe shoes can be cleaned with a sponge and soapy water (do not immerse).
10. Most studios will not put dancers into pointe shoes before the age of 12. Although if a dancers feet and ankles are strong enough they may start sooner. They should also master a certain level of ballet technique before beginning pointe. Look for a studio that offers pre pointe with permission of the teacher first. Take your dancer to a sports pediatrician to make sure their feet and ankles can handle the pointe shoes. Never, ever, ever put a small child in pointe shoes. You can buy "baby pointe shoes" from China -if you don't mind ruining your child's feet and risking injury.
11. If you Google the pro ballet you want to see for coupon codes you can save as much as 50%. I have orchestra tickets to the Houston Ballet -center seats for 1/2 the price, simply from a quick search for a code on Google. (We are going to see Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare and ballet - perfect combo.)
12. Top professional ballet companies in the US: American Ballet Theatre (ABT-NYC), Joffrey Ballet (NYC/Chicago), Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet...
-Each of these ballet companies offers a summer intensive (by audition of course). Juilliard and the Chautauqua Institution also holds well known summer intensives. There are many other intensives available throughout the country, but these are the top. If your child is a serious dancer the should begin attending summer intensives around age 12 or 13.
13. Don't wait until your child expresses a strong interest in dancing professionally to make sure they are in a good dance school. The early years in ballet are as important as the early years in reading.
14. Dance is expensive and time consuming. It's also a joy to watch your young dancer blossom.