Hello:
I just wanted to say How disappointing it is to see that the only cities that cater to adult dancers are either new York or San francisco, my friends and I have been dancers all of our lives some danced with the cincinatti ballet, joffrey,washington ballet etc or trained at their schools, we range in the ages of 20 till 35 and we are having a really hard time finding classes, where we will be challenged, taken seriously, and continue with our growth as dancers, studios seem to either cater to 17 and younger, or 50 and older, honestly the adult ballet classes at most places are for older adults that have had minimun exposure to ballet etc. It is even worst trying to find a pointe class etc.
Has anyone else have run into this problem??
please share, and for those of you teachers out there, please think about this.

Hi -

Although I am not a student or a teacher, this past year I have been involved in the planning and restructuring of a ballet school. One of the things we added this year was adult ballet classes, a beginner and intermediate/advanced class.

We have found it difficult to select times that are suitable for a lot of people. For example, there are college students that want to take class in the evenings but moms of students would like something during the day.

I have been conducting some informal research to reach a viable solution. What kind of schedule would you like to see offered at a ballet school?

Hello, b, and welcome to CriticalDance. This is a very legitimate and valid gripe! I am in the San Francisco Bay Area; there are many options here for dancers who wish to take challenging classes, as you mentioned. There are many "open" classes where you often see professionals in class with talented teenagers and adults who have had serious training and wish to continue their study and stay in shape. I think that in an area that doesn't offer many of these "open" classes, perhaps the studio should allow accomplished adults (who may now be pursuing a college degree or working in another field) to participate in the advanced level school classes. I do know that many schools tend to discourage adults from participating in classes with upper level teen students. You might speak with the director and ask if you could take class. Perhaps they may make an exception for you. This was the rule at the school I used to teach frequently for, but we would make exceptions in special cases. If the adult had solid technique and fit in with the class, we would allow and encourage him/her to take class. It wouldn't hurt to ask! Also, be sure to check out the local community and junior colleges. There are some amazing people teaching at some of these colleges. At Santa Rosa Junior College, for example, there is a former Principal dancer from the Kirov teaching ballet! Good luck!