Off Topic DD's Ballet Progress Report + Video

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I thought it would be fun to share what dd has been doing in ballet so far. The classes are very small so she gets a lot of individualized attention. In this video, 2 of the the students were on vacation so it was just dd and another student. They choreographed this piece by themselves during last night's class. Dani is the one on the right with the dark brown hair:

[video=youtube;dj3BUaYsgFc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj3BUaYsgFc[/video]
 
Very nice! I do wish Alex had a desire for ballet! It is so beautiful to watch! She is doing awesome on pointe!
 
Wow! My daughter is 10 and trying to balance ballet with gymnastics. Any suggestions? Most people tell her, including some ballet instructors, that she must choose. Yourdaughter does a nice job, is she in gymnastics a lot? Looking for advice, thats why i joined this group.Thanks
 
So pretty!! Love watching the en pointe stuff...I find it amazing!
My DD will be doing dance 6 hours a week this year and gym for about 10 hrs...she is likely going to have to make a choice after this year...but for now she will dance AND tumble. I must be crazy... ;)
 
Wow! My daughter is 10 and trying to balance ballet with gymnastics. Any suggestions? Most people tell her, including some ballet instructors, that she must choose. Yourdaughter does a nice job, is she in gymnastics a lot? Looking for advice, thats why i joined this group.Thanks

See my reply above, but my DD is also 10 and doing competition dance AND gym this year. Her coaches say that she does not really need to choose until level 7 or so. What level is your DD?
 
Thanks everyone!! My dd is in a lower competitive gymnastics league that only practices 10 hrs a week (2 days a week). She is also only a level 5 so it hasn't interfered with the ballet yet. We have been very lucky in that the gymnastics practices days do not interfere with the ballet classes so she is able to do both. I find that the ballet and gymnastics complement each other beautifully! I say to try and keep your dds in both for as long as possible--especially if they love it!
 
My DD is 11, and does 8 hours of gym a week spread over three days, plus takes ballet, tap, and modern classes. She is never going to be an elite gymnast, but gets a lot out of doing both - and at 8 hours a week of gym I can;t see her having to decide between the two - she still fits in homework and time with friends - although is a bit of a whirlwind!

10 would be very young for pointe in the UK - they don't let them anywhere near pointe shoes until they are 11-12, and even then it's lots of strengthening exercises at the barre before they go to centre work - something to do with the bones in the feet. I know nothing about dance teaching (or gym coaching!) - I just think it's interesting how different things are in other places
 
Beautiful! Now I can see why her floor routines are always so gorgeous!

I'd be interested in hearing Dani's opinion about the pain of pointe vs the pain of gymnastics. My dancing DD has another year before her studio will start her en pointe and she is DYING to be able to do it. However, she's always had a much lower pain threshold than my gymmie (they're twins and, when they were babies, I ALWAYS made them check Kathy's ears when I brought Tory in showing signs of an ear infection and she ALWAYS had one too... she just never complained about it) and I have always heard that dancing en pointe HURTS and wonder if Tory is going to stick with it or if it's just going to be too painful for her.
 
Beautiful! Now I can see why her floor routines are always so gorgeous!

I'd be interested in hearing Dani's opinion about the pain of pointe vs the pain of gymnastics. My dancing DD has another year before her studio will start her en pointe and she is DYING to be able to do it. However, she's always had a much lower pain threshold than my gymmie (they're twins and, when they were babies, I ALWAYS made them check Kathy's ears when I brought Tory in showing signs of an ear infection and she ALWAYS had one too... she just never complained about it) and I have always heard that dancing en pointe HURTS and wonder if Tory is going to stick with it or if it's just going to be too painful for her.

Thanks MaryA!! Dani doesn't complain too much about her feet hurting. It does have a lot to do with which pointe shoes you wear also. She started out with Freed Studio II's and did fine with them. Then she switched to Mirella Advanced Pointe shoe (they didn't have the Freeds in her size so we opted for something new) and she is starting to complain a little bit. These new shoes are lighter but they have a little bit less support. It is also very important to keep the toenails trimmed nicely because when they get too long, they can dig in and cause pain. I do see now why they want to hold off untill the students are at least 11 or so before going en pointe--it is a lot of stress on the feet! Usually by age 11 or so, the feet stop growing so chances of growth-related injuries are less. Dancers also probably get used to the foot pain just like gymnasts get used to the pain from rips.

Good luck to both your dds this year!!! Keep us posted on the dancing as well!
 
Dani looks amazing :) I love that they did the choreo themselves! It looks & sounds like she is at a great dance studio, from your posts and her obvious love of ballet. I did about 3 years en pointe as a teen and have actually enrolled in adult ballet class for the fall! Thank God I don't have to wear a leo! ;)
 

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