Friday, November 11, 2011

Benchmarking for Dancers

I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with a friend of mine about life; and as usual the conversation spun around to ballet.  Having been former studio mates, we took a few moments to catch up on old friends and where various students are now. 

As we discussed some of the students we began to see a pattern emerging.  Some students,who at one time were bright and shining stars, were beginning to level off and others, "sleepers", were beginning to emerge.  Isn't it interesting how a child can seem like a superstar at age 12 and by age 15 or 16 things can change?  I might add this works in both directions.  But, I wondered what happened and could it be avoided.

My friend suggested that it might be a good idea if a family of a seriously committed student were to sit down at age 15 or so and have a conversation with the studio owner  about the child's potential.  Benchmarking as it is with the director of the stuido.  I, however, told her that this would not yield the results that were desired.  I doubt if any studio owner would tell a parent that a child should give up their professional aspirations.  First, from a bottom line perspective, who would want to drive away customers.  Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, teachers are also invested in their students and they believe that any child will benefit from dance education.  Why would a teacher want to tell a parent that the child has limited opportunities for dancing and run the risk of losing the relationship with the student? 

So...if you cannot trust the studio to level with you about your child's future, how do you get a realistic benchmark of your child's potential?  Additionally, what do you do with that benchmark if you have one?  For the record, benchmarking is something that can be done as early as age 8 and should definitely be done for the older dancer in order to formulate a training plan.  I would however caution, that benchmarking is only effective if you are comparing same to same.  You cannot compare a child who has been dancing one year to a child that has been dancing for seven or eight.  If your child is new to dance, just let them enjoy it and find their way.  For a 12 year old or greater that is getting a late start, I would not subject them to benchmarking until they have been dancing at a pre-professional level for a couple of years.

Does your child love dance?  Generally speaking kids love things that they excel in.  If your child is starting to avoid dance, it may be indicative that they are struggling in class.  This could be because they are not attending as often as the others, that they are struggling with a physical limitation, social issues or perhaps physical limitations.  If you notice that your child is wanting to avoid dance, start asking some probing questions.

If your child continues to be enthusiastic about their training, then it seems to me you might want to assess their potential relative to their age.  Keep in mind, this is potential only.  Where is your child in relationship to their same age and experience studio counterparts?  Are they in the same classes?  Are they higher or lower?  If they are in a lower level, is it because of an injury, a late start in dance, are they new to the training methodology or are they just not progressing?  If they are not progressing, I would encourage a meeting with the teacher/coach to develop a plan to get them on track. 

Important observation:  Do not assume that if your student is new to dance or new to a studio or method and they are placed in a lower level that means they have no potential.  This is why I advocate placement classes at an elementary level.  Level has little to do with potential but more to do with knowledge of the vocabulary.  Just remember...Albert Einstein was in first grade once and even idiots can graduate high school.  Grade has nothing to do with ability or potential only mastery of the concepts.  Similarly, do not assume that if you are in the highest level that you are ready for the stages of the Met, it means you have mastered the concepts in proceeding levels.

If your child is at the top of their peers when it comes to age/level/ability,  it is time to look to external benchmarking.  There are two diffferent options to achieve this goal.  One is infinitely less expensive than the other.  The first option is to enter them in a ballet competition.  This is expensive and time consuming but can be a positive experience for your emerging superstar and it can be an eye-opening experience for a potential diva.  If your student is truly an emerging star and your studio supports it, entering a competition may  allow them to get the extra challenge that a high achiever needs.  If your studio is not supportive, and by that I mean willing to invest the time for at least variations coaching, please do not enter a ballet competition.  If your child does not perform well, it does not necessarily mean that they aren't a talent.  It could be reflective of the studios overall training.  If it is a training deficit that you notice at the competition, you might want to observe what dancers perform well (notice I did not say win) and check into that studio.

The second option, and a much less expensive one, is auditioning for summer intensives.  What I am about to say, may be deeply offensive to some.  In the summer intensive world, there is a hierarchy of programs.  This does not mean that the programs that are "so-called" D-list are not good and that the world's strongest student wouldn't gain from attending.  It refers to the competitiveness of the program and their overall acceptance rate.  Truthfully, there are A-list programs that I wouldn't encourage my biggest enemy to send their child to and there are D-list programs that I would send my children to.  But, I am strictly talking for A List through D List for Benchmarking purposes and as an assessment of a programs overall competitiveness for placement and acceptance.

A List Programs 
School of American Ballet--Arguably, the most competitive program in the country in terms of admissions
San Francisco Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet
American Ballet Theater--New York
Kaatsbaan

B List Programs  (I would be thrilled to have my children train at any of these programs)
Washington Ballet
Miami City Ballet
Houston Ballet
Boston Ballet
Chautauqua

C List
Pittsburgh Ballet Theater
Bolshoi
Kirov
Gelsey Kirkland
Ballet West
Saratoga Summer Dance
ABT Orange County

D List
Joffrey
ABT Alabama, Austin, Detroit
The Rock
Harid

As I have already stated, some of the B, C and D List Schools and the ones that don't even make the list are excellent programs; and I would argue that your child may get MUCH better instruction going there than to ABT New York or SAB or some of the more prestigious programs.  Remember, this is a benchmarking discussion.

So, I would suggest if you are curious how your child ranks against his/her peers, take her to a couple of auditions out of each category.  The typical cost for an audition is $35 and you will have an answer within a week or two. 

Assessing the Results

1.  If your child is not accepted to any audition, you might want to worry.  If your child is passionate about this, and if your child has been dancing for a while, I would consider investigating new training for her.

 2.  If your child is accepted to only programs off of the D-List, be happy.  Celebrate with them and then consider your training, is she going every day she can?  Is she working her hardest?  Do you have time to close the gaps?

3.  If your child is accepted to the C-list,  they have some potential, and if there is time and they are getting good training, they may be able to make a career out of this.

4. If your child is accepted to all of the schools on the B-list, and maybe even gotten scholarships to the C or D-List.  Start to breathe a little easier.  Your efforts are probably not in vain.  Given time, hard work, commitment and great training, your child will probably find themselves dancing in smaller regional companies and if the fates are kind, maybe even something better.

5.  As for the A-listers.  Congratulations, your child has a lot of potential, they are one of hundreds of amazingly talented kids throughout the nation who are working hard to achieve their goals and they are well on track.  If they play their cards right and continue to work hard, they might have a chance to make it to the stages of New York.  But, they have to stay injury free and continue to get good training, and work hard.  Take nothing for granted.

6. For the Ultimate A-listers--the scholarship divas.  Breathe a huge sigh of relief, if they continue on the track they have been on, there is a good chance that this will pan out.  But, there are no guarantees and you must be vigilant, humble and focused on the path ahead.  Take nothing for granted and work hard.  There are thousands of kids striving to be in their shoes and they will catch up if your child decides to take some time off.   Stay healthy, eat right and be kind and know that just because they are on track today, things can change.  There are no guarantees.  By the way, this is a tough position to be in, because it is an easy one to fall from.  And that is a painful fall.  I would encourage the child and family that is in this postion to approach it with the utmost humility because things can and will most likely change.

Please be aware that there are hundreds of exceptions to these cases.  My child auditioned at age 11 and was not accepted into any program. At age 12, dk was accepted into D List programs; age 13, B list programs with scholarships to C programs;  and Age 14...A list programs with scholarships!!  If I would have based my decision on what to do with dk's future at age 13, we would have missed out on the elation that came our way at Age 14.  By the way, at Age 15, DK got into an amazing professional training program with scholarship.

Understand that benchmarking, in any enterprise is to be used as a tool for growth not to decide whether to stay or quit.  If you are using benchmarking to decide if you should force your child to give up on their dreams, I would caution against it.  There are too many other variables at play.  But, if you are using it to cautiously assess your child's training and prepare them for a realistic future in dance, while giving them the tools to become an "Ultimate A-Lister"--proceed.  I believe all children should have a Plan B and that is an education.  It just depends when you move onto Plan B, age 18 or Age 43 after a long fulfilling professional career or somewhere in between. 

Overall, a dance education is not an investment in the stock market that will promise you great returns.  It often feels like a big black hole that one throws their money in.  But, it is an investment in your child.  The life lessons that can be learned from dancing and working hard toward a goal are incalculable.  Exposure to the arts is more valuable than you can imagine (more on this later), and all children benefit from the discipline that one learns in dance.  Additionally, children who dance are less likely to experience childhood obesity and are less likely to become involved in peer pressure that seem to plague most adolescents.  But, it is not cheap and there are absolutely no guarantees that even the most promising of young dancer will fulfill their professional aspirations. So, try to live in the now and enjoy the ride but keep an eye on the road ahead.  If you see roadblocks, prepare for them, make decisions that will help your child.  Try not to be a stage mom, but empower them and support them, give them the tools they need to achieve their dreams--great coaching, pilates, and stretch classes come to mind.  Most importantly,  remember this is your child's dream (right?)  and the only way they will succeed is if you keep perspective and let them live it.




4 comments:

  1. I'm surprised to see Harid in the D list. When my daughter was entering 9th grade she would've given her eye teeth to attend Harid year round. Conversely I'm also surprised to see ABT NY in the A list...I thought that was a huge program with not so much personal attention.

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  2. I actually agree with you, I think Harid is a great program (I have a couple of friends whose DK's have gone there and are very happy) and I think ABT is overcrowded (first hand knowledge). I would be more likely to encourage my dk to go to Harid over ABT New York.

    But, keep in mind, I am only talking about A List through D List for benchmarking purposes. If you are wanting to assess your child's potential from the point of view of competition for acceptance then look at sending them to A list auditions. A List has nothing to do with the caliber of the program. In my opinion, there are great programs out there that would probably be considered F List. But, I think that they would be much better for my child.

    Programs that are A list have as more to do with the fact that there is a company affiliation than with the fact that they are great for instruction. But, because everybody has heard of ABT, people are more likely to come out and audition for their SI. Therefore, it is harder to get into ABT--NY.

    Sadly, it is a more sophisticated dancer that has heard of great programs like Harid, and CPYB (no audition required), and others like them.

    But, thank you for reading and sharing your opinion. That is what I want out of this blog is an opportunity to discuss ballet and our children's training on a very candid level. So kudos to you for having the courage to say that ABT NY may not be worthy of the hype!

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  3. And the benchmarking continues once into a summer intensive. At Boston Ballet, for instance, there are levels 1-5 (5 being the highest) and then levels 1-4 are split between A's and B's. My daughter had the distinct impression that the B groups at each of those levels just didn't have the "it factor" to really be competitive. The 4A group has performed a Balanchine piece for at least the last two summers and the 4B group has performed a character dance at the end of summer in-studio show. Only the 3A group performs, not the 3B's, and not the two lower levels. The 5's have soloists who also get to perform. So I would think that you'd be able to assess where you stand after placement class even more thoroughly than looking at your acceptance to the program. Of course that means attending the program, which will run you a tad bit more money.

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  4. Thank you for that observation. I agree that if you can go, that one should take the opportunity to benchmark within the program. Some of the programs, can offer benchmarks not only by level placement and performance opportunities but by invitations to winter term. But, like you said you have to go to these programs, and that costs money.

    Thank you again, for your insight!!!!

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