JUNE / JULY 2017 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AUDear Parent
WhenIwasastudentinAustraliainthe
1990s,veryfewofusleftschooltostudy
full-time ballet before year 10 (around 15
yearsofage).Wewereencouragedto
complete our School Certificate (or
equivalent) at a regular school. I still believe,
formostdancestudents,thisisaperfectly
acceptable age to consider full-time trainingunlessthey’vebeenchosentojoinan
institution, such as the Australian Ballet
School, which combines dance, academic
study and pastoral care in a highly
professional and serious manner. Balancing
ballet/dance training with academic studies
is a challenge for every aspiring teenage
dancestudent,particularlyfromyear9
onwards.Theworkloadincreases,asdo
teachers’expectationsforbothdanceand
schoolwork. A lot of energy is spent
negotiating and travelling between schools
andstudiosandit’seasytofeeltheallureof
a“oneplace”option.However,ifnotwell
researched and wisely chosen, this can be a
falseeconomyofenergy.
High schools provide a well-honed
structure for students to get their learning
done–dedicatedlessontimesandface-to-
face teachers to hold them to it. Most high
school principals are very accommodatingandsupportivetostudentswhoshowgreat
potentialinextracurriculafieldssuchas
danceandoftencreditscanbenegotiatedfor
theirwork.Therearealsoanumberof
specialistperformingartshighschools(state
andprivate)thatprovidestudentswiththe
all-round education they need, along with
trainingindanceandothercreativearts.
Itisararestudentwhoisdisciplined
enough to achieve the same results studying
bydistanceeducationwhiledancingfulltime,
whichisoftenthemethodinaprivate
full-time dance school. Generally, something’s
gottogive.Andgenerallyitistheacademic
work.Oneballetschoolprincipalconfidedin
methatshehasneverwitnessedastudent’s
educationbeadequatelyfulfilledthroughthis
method,assheputit,“thebareminimumis
enoughandrarelydotheyfinish.”
Statisticallyfewdancestudentswillgoon
to become professional dancers whether they
embark on full-time training or not. For those
whodosucceed,thecareerisarelatively
shortone.Idonotmeantodiscourage
studentsfrompursuingacareerindanceif
thatistheirpassion.But,nomatterwhat
amount of talent a young dancer has,
academic studies ought not be neglected60 /ADVICE
Thebareminimumisenough
and rarely do they finish.”
Whatageshouldyouleaveschoolandbegin full-time dance?
Ask Emma
Q
No matter what amount
of talent a young dancer
has, academic studies
ought not be neglected.Juggling academic
schooling and ballet
training for our teenage
daughter is becoming
increasing challenging.
Doyouhaveany
suggestions regarding
howtohandlethe
pressure to train almost full-time at a
very early age. Is this really necessary?- Parent of 14 year old ballet student