Looking for alternatives to the children's dance industrial complex

[sadie17]

@apor2017 I took a combined tap and jazz class as a kid... you might not learn to pirouette or pointe but you can honestly still wear a pink leotard and tutu which is the main thing I cared about at that age. Anyways I think I did it for two years?

Main thing is my mom always checked in and asked if I still wanted to do an activity. My teenager self was mad I quit so many things when I could have been a prodigy but now my adult self is proud I tried different experiences and learned not to take on too many things.

 

[robin459]

@apor2017 Let her explore these things without any pressure and see where it leads. It may become a great passion or it may become nothing but don't deprive her just because of your own worries. She may end up resenting that

 

[marke2]

@apor2017 My 10-year-old just started ballet last year. She goes to a girls-only studio that is pretty chill. It's not a competitive program, no one (even high school girls in pointe classes) wears makeup except stage makeup by the recital, and I haven't found them to be pushy about taking more classes. We are doing ballet because she refuses to do core PT, so maybe that's why they haven't been pushing us to sign her up more, or maybe I've found a unicorn studio.

There's also Sunday Funday classes in our area - which are basically run by students of above studio who are looking to earn a little on off days. They'll sign up a bunch of kindergarten students for $10-15/lesson and do ballet for an hour and then crafts for another hour in someone's basement on Sunday. My five-year-old went last year and really enjoyed it. She learned the basics (positions and balancing, mostly) and it was very low-pressure. We might send her to the same studio my 10-year-old goes to when she's in first grade.