All About Ballet

[Ckingzl]

phtthp:

need to check with the respective cc, what is the minimum age to accept girls for ballet.


Some cc do not accept 3.5 yo. They ask parents to bring them back, when the child is older

Some are called ballet creative class for younger group. You can try checking with http://www.facebook.com/dancerunway

[marmalade]

Thanks for the replies… Yes i did check out the ccs, but either timing not right or they don’t offer class for the younger group. Also, they prefer adults to stay out of classroom or max 10 mins in just 1 lesson. but i know my girl will take at least 5 lessons to get warm up.


will check out dancerunway, but i saw in their facebook they offer classes in Bedok which is not good for me.

[phtthp]

Why is there a hurry or rush, to enrol her for ballet at 3.5 yo ?

Let her enjoy her childhood first.

[marmalade]

phtthp:

Why is there a hurry or rush, to enrol her for ballet at 3.5 yo ?

Let her enjoy her childhood first.

haa...yes, i thought so too but she kept saying that she wants to learn ballet which surprises me as we have a piano at home and she doesn't tell me she wants to learn even though I play and sing with them and she sometimes tinker a bit and then runs off. I suspect is Angelina Ballerina but for her to tell me she is interested in is something is big to me. That's why.

[Mummyjoy]

Hi,


My girl is now 3.5yrs old (turning 4 in nov). She is v keen on ballet n dance. Had been asking for ballet classes sincere than a yr ago but we tot she was way too young then.
We are keen to consider sending her for classes now. She had recently went to stepping out studio at city square mall.
Does anyone have any comment on this sch? Or do u have any good teachers/ballet school to recommend?
I stay in novena/balestier area.
Thank you.

[Oh My Gosh]

marmalade:

phtthp:

Why is there a hurry or rush, to enrol her for ballet at 3.5 yo ?

Let her enjoy her childhood first.

haa...yes, i thought so too but she kept saying that she wants to learn ballet which surprises me as we have a piano at home and she doesn't tell me she wants to learn even though I play and sing with them and she sometimes tinker a bit and then runs off. I suspect is Angelina Ballerina but for her to tell me she is interested in is something is big to me. That's why.

IMHO, there is no need to start ballet so early. With the changes in RAD's minimum age requirements, the youngest age to take Pre-Primary examinations (1st examination in RAD) is 5 years old as at 1 January of the year the child is taking the examinations. Hence, unless your child is born on 1 January, that will be when she is in K2. Most ballet school starts proper coaching for the steps 9-12 months ahead. So if you start ballet at 3.5 years, there will be a 2 years gap before the formal coaching kicks in. Unless your child is really really interested in ballet, \"dancing\" around for 2 years may wear out her interests.

[kissiekiss]

marmalade:

hi anyone can recommend a ballet school/ballet teacher for 3.5 year old who is shy yet eager to learn ?


my gal is interested in ballet and i signed her up for trial lesson at The Ballet & Music Company. However she doesn't follow the steps and only observe the class. And then when she reached home, she got her little bro to do all the warm up exercises and also dance with her. :roll:

If i were to enrol her for a full term, i am afraid she will take a while to warm up and i have to sit and dance with her in class.

Any suggestion?

Hi,

My girl(Yr2008) has been with Dancepointe since 2.5yr till now. From 2.5yr to 4.5yr, it's more of getting to know if your child is interested in dance and music as well as learning about the basic music rhythm and the simple basic moves. She is currently having her Grade 1 and Junior Apprentice Programme this year.

Dancepointe has a few outlets and I love how the teachers teach her. The teachers who had taught her or is currently teaching her are awesome. I am amazed by their passion in dance as well as teaching at the same time.

[Dancerunway]

Hi,

We are newly setup Ballet school and hope to provide your child with the best ballet education through small classes.

We are offering free trial class. Please refer to www facebook com / dancerunway

[sky minecrafter]

marmalade:

hi anyone can recommend a ballet school/ballet teacher for 3.5 year old who is shy yet eager to learn ?


my gal is interested in ballet and i signed her up for trial lesson at The Ballet & Music Company. However she doesn't follow the steps and only observe the class. And then when she reached home, she got her little bro to do all the warm up exercises and also dance with her. :roll:

If i were to enrol her for a full term, i am afraid she will take a while to warm up and i have to sit and dance with her in class.

Any suggestion?

Hi marmalade

My dd is the same age as yours.

I agree with your concerns. Parents find themselves sitting in class when their children cry. The school does not like it but there is no choice.

This is my experience. My dd is enrolled in TB&MC since last Oct. The Russian teacher was great with kids but she left abruptly in Mar. This week she was there, next week she was gone. There were temporary arrangements for a whole month.

When the new Chinese teacher came on board, there were lots of crying in class. After half a month, things did not get better and I gave my feedback to the school. They told me to switch to another class.

At the end of Term 2, I was notified that the Term 3 classes I paid for are not going to happen. The Chinese teacher will not be there and the new teacher is not determined. The usual class time will no longer exist and I have to try to work around with what the company can offer.

I tried to explain that I paid for the time slot because I have commitments and other time slots do not work well for me. There was then still two weeks left to Term 3 and so I would like to have my money back. No deal, company policy, the school replied.

After numerous times of speaking to the reception lady and emailing the management, the school still felt that their company policy overrules all consumer rights. On 20 Jun, the school finally decided that it can try to accommodate our time. The Chinese teacher is apparently not on a work visa and the school had hoped that the application for one would work out, but it did not.

The new term starts 27 Jun and we still do not know what time the Term 3 class will be and who the Term 3 teacher is going to be. There are still uneasy children and so I submitted my withdrawal.

I have dealt with enrichment centres for more than 10 years; I have never met an organisation like TB&MC.

In any case, my dd adores ballet and I really want her to enjoy quality lessons. A friend recommends Palais Dance Studio. I have contacted the principal and will be making arrangements for a trial lesson.

[marmalade]

Thanks Sky minecrafter for your information.


" The Russian teacher was great with kids but she left abruptly in Mar."
I am not sure you are talking about the same Russian teacher but I asked one of the students’ parents how they find the class (we attended a trial class and we were in the same class), the mummy also mentioned that they prefer the Russian teacher but she left. The current teacher is an Indonesian Chinese ( i didn’t ask, but I suspected so) and i find her alright as she is quite good with young children but in terms of techniques, since i was only there just once for trial, I can’t comment much. Anyway, it is a beginner’s class so mostly on very basic stretching exercises and ballet etiquette. I would think is ok since the mummy didn’t complain about her.

"No deal, company policy, the school replied. "
Is there anything stated in the contract on this ?
I was thinking if you could also go through the Small Claims Tribunals which is governed by the State Courts to file your claim if all else fails.

Yes, I agree with you that the management of The Ballet and Music Company need to be shaken up. I was at a different branch but I was not so happy with how my enquiry was handled. There was a promotion that a trial could go for $16 (instead of the usual $40) and no one knows what to do and so I was told to go in with my child first while they (1 local and 1 Chinese) checked it out. They have this unhappy look and after the class, the Chinese Receptionist just directed me to the local recept who was in another room while she settled payment for another trial mummy. And I was told again by the local recept to go the main counter to settle my trial fees. Later I realised that it was because the Chinese recept wanted to sell the school to the other parent (a foreigner) who is paying the full trial fees. When it was my turn, she just curtly asked for payment and only mentioned about the new term starting 2 weeks later when I enquired. Initially I thought of enrolling for 1 term just to let my girl try it out but after this episode, I don’t feel good about the way the school is being managed and i was thinking if they were to change teachers again, then my gal will suffer as she doesn’t adapt well to environment changes though she likes ballet.

It’s good that you have a school in mind. I am still looking around. Thanks for sharing !