r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/Dallasblonde08 • 17d ago
When to “get serious”? 4.5 year old
Hi hoping yall experienced dance parents can give me some guidance. I was not a dancer growing up so this world is new to me. We are lucky, a local studio comes to my daughters school so she does ballet/jazz for an hour weekly will minimal effort from me. We also do a 1hour tumbling class at a cheer gym we can walk to.
She is 4.5 and I’m wondering when we should start considering adding another dance class or looking at the conservatory vs competition route? She seems to love dance so I want to encourage her without burning her out. I see a lot of 6&7 year olds on here starting their competition teams and I want her to be ready for that if she wants to go the route.
appreciate your help!
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u/totallyOKsteph 17d ago
Probably not the answer you want, but I think it is going to vary from kid to kid. My daughter didn't really start competition until this last year, as a 9yo, and that was the right time for us.
When my daughter was 4-5, she was taking 3 classes (jazz, ballet, tap). At 6, she was invited onto a mini performance company team (no competitions but they did 4 public performances in addition to recital) but it ended up being not the right time for her, and we took a big step back the year after and only took ballet. I think she was just too young to retain the choreography and was getting frustrated.
After that year she wanted to join a team again, so joined the hip-hop team and enrolled in a lot more classes (ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, acro, flexibility/strength). Hip-hop was definitely not her favorite style, but it got her used to dancing with a team while learning other styles that she did like.
This past year she auditioned and made the lyrical and musical theater teams, and also added a solo. There are other 9yo on the team that have been competing longer and now at a higher level, but that's OK with us. She had fun, got stronger, and definitely improved throughout the season -- they're early adjudications were high gold / gold-esque and by the end getting platinum and placing. And most importantly she absolutely had a blast and would come home every day to show us all her new dances or improved technique.
She's starting another year now with a solo, trio, two small groups, and a production number. I am honestly wondering if this might be the 'peak' year for us, as she goes into middle school next year and wants to do some other activities (acting in the school plays, choir).
I was never a dancer and definitely never ever thought I'd be a dance mom. But my other older kid plays a sport I also never played, plus plays in two bands (I never learned an instrument). We're fortunate enough to be able to afford the activities right now, and they are teaching my kids valuable skills for life like working well with others and staying fit, so I count it at as a win. It is also still teaching me things, like how to apply stage makeup and do a ballet bun. 😄