I have my daughter enrolled in ballet and she hates it. It isn't fast paced enough for her and she ends up doing her own thing and ignoring the teacher. She needs a class that is a little less traditional and a little more fun at a reasonable price. Any suggestions? I'm willing to travel to Portland/Beaverton/Tigard for an exciting class.
I took mommy-and-daughter belly dancing at the local community center. My daughter didn't like it, but she loved ballet ;), so maybe you'd have better luck ;)!!
Lots of moms seem to choose tap or jazz. Portland Parks and Recreation always has an incredible selection; I'd be really surprised if you don't find something good in SW Portland.
I'm in exactly the same situation. My daughter is/was enrolled in a ballet class at Laurelhurst Studio, and the teacher is just awful. She yells at the kids and rudely shushes them. Her routine is incredibly ambitious for this age. I stopped taking my daughter 2 weeks ago, even though there are 2 more classes left.
I would NOT recommend Laurelhurst.
We live near OBT, and we checked it out, but it's quite expensive, and I'm hesitant to put my daughter into such a "serious" program at her young age.
However, in speaking with other moms, I heard that Portland Ballet's classes are good, at a fairly reasonable price. http://www.theportlandballet.org/Classes/CreativeBallet.htm
Good luck!
May I suggest Classical Ballet Academy in the Sellwood area. 7970 SE Milwaukie Ave., ###-###-####, www.classicalballet.net. At 4 yrs old their classes are more creative movement & an introduction to ballet. Miss Michelle is my favorite teacher for the little ones (my daughter is 12 and is assistant teacher in a couple of her classes) but the other teachers are good as well. The trick to ballet at this age is having the right teacher who is patient and can keep their attention. My daughter has taken classes from the director, Sarah Rigles, since she was 4.
She might be trying to tell you that she doesn't want to take a class. At 4 years old it might be more fun for her to just have a dance time at home with a friend, where you put on a variety of music and have scarves and swirly skirts for 1/2 hour. It would be fun, silly, and give her movement time. She might be more focused and ready for dance instruction when she's a little older, but I would still listen to what her desires are.
I was forced into ballet classes when I didn't want to for years as a child. I did learn classic ballet steps but would have preferred to not have been there. I enjoy dancing freely on my own. I wish my mom would have heard me. My younger sister loved ballet.
I put my daughter in gymnastics at Metro Gymnastics. She loves it! It is faced paced with each class geared towards their particular age and attention level. They are taught lessons without realizing it and learn to listen and follow instructions in order to do the next round of "tricks." My daughter never gets bored in class and she looks forward to it every week! You should take her to observe a class and see what she thinks. They even have open gym days where you can pay for her to go to one class before you commit.
