My husband and I were discussing my son’s treatment at his current dance studio. It’s been a constant source of conversation since September, and with student evalutations coming up this weekend, it’s a hot topic. I cautioned him not to sound like one of those parents who think their son should get special treatment just […]
Books for Young Boys Who Dance
Recently, I came across a list of books for young boys who dance (while trying to see if I could find my blog on Google by searching for “boys dance”…to no avail). I never knew there were so many books available for young boys who dance. Julian is much too old for them now, but I […]
No One Likes to Change, Least of All Boys
If you thought I disappeared into the Internet ethers, you’re wrong. I was tied to my keyboard by another writing project. I was asked last minute and given three days to write a cover piece for Movmnt magazine on magician Criss Angel’s newest collaboration with Cirque du Soleil and choreographer Wade Robson. It’s an amazing […]
Ballet Corrections: Just One Person's Preference?
Julian has been studying ballet since he was 3 years old. That means this boy has been in ballet tights for 11 years. For the last three years he was enrolled in an intensive program at Ballet San Jose School that required him to take three hours of ballet at a minimum six days a […]
Talk, Talk, Talk, Dance, Dance, Dance
Despite the fact that Julian hasn’t had much luck over the years with friends, he’s a very social creature. Being a dancer, has made it hard for him to fit in socially, however. Most young male dancers experience this. For a really social kid like Julian, being accepted anywhere makes him very excited. And when […]
Patience: A Virtue Lost on Boys Who Dance
Julian has never been one to wait for anything. Like most boys – or maybe kids in general – patience represents a virtue lost on him. He rushes headlong through his dance education every chance he gets. He is impatient. He wants to move up, move forward. Luckily, his teachers tend to slow him down. […]
What A Boy Wants: Learning to Ask for It
Okay, so I’m a human potential, personal growth advocate. It’s what I promote in my other life – when I’m not managing my son’s dance career and acting as his personal chauffeur, cook, maid and cooley (and being treated as such). (If you want to know more, go to www.purespiritcreations.com.) And I was a New […]
Scholarships and Free or Discounted Classes for Boys Who Dance
I don’t know about anyone else, but Julian’s dance costs are eating us alive. Two years ago, we really got in over our heads. Julian had two competition numbers on top of his regular classes, and he was competing as an independent, which means we were unaffiliated with a studio. This also meant that every […]
How to Wear a Dance Belt (Or What A Mom Might Have to Teach Her Dancing Boy…)
Okay…well…I really didn’t want to get into this, but I’ve been encouraged on by my faithful reader, Queenie, and, by my son, Julian. Yes, he feels it is very important for me to share the privileged information he received from his ballet teacher, and which, I must add, he was very pleased to receive, so […]
Alone Again…How Many Boys are in Your Son's Ballet Class?
Today I received a comment from someone (see yesterday’s post) whose 13-year-old son is lucky enough to be in a boy’s ballet class. Not only that, it’s taught by a male ballet teacher! Whoo hoo! But she rightfully was grateful that, even though there are only four boys in attendance, her son has a class “that […]
Flower Buds and Turn Out – For Boys Who Dance, Too
The editor at Dance Teacher magazine cut lots of information from my article on Denise Wall for lots of reasons – mostly because of space, especially after she asked for more information on Danny Tidwell – and I had to cut an immense amount of information simply to meet her word-count requirements. However, I wanted […]
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Today was photo shoot day at Teen Dance Company. We were there at 9:15 and didn’t leave until 1:45, missing Nutcracker rehearsal. But Julian had fun, as did the other 20 dancers. And they all looked so nice! The girls all showed up with their hair and make up done and looking oh, so pretty! […]
What Does a Boy Need from a Dance Studio?
After that long post yesterday, I thought to myself: What does a boy actually need from a dance studio, and does a young male dancer need something different from a dance studio than a young female dancer? To the latter questions, I answer, “Most definitely, yes.” In fact, in many cases boys who dance need […]