Would Kara now be classed as a trained dancer as she has done 100 hours training a week for three months? + did tap/ modern/ ballet etc. as a child?

Or does that still not make her a trained dancer?














* I know I've asked this before but didn't get many responses last time so will ask again

No .I base that on tha fact a number of past winners , for example Ramps , made a point of saying ,that he didn't learn to dance he learned routines and this is very true ,

Emma Bunton on the other hand always said she had learned to dance .

I'd have thought being fully trained would mean you could do all the basic steps to the dance styles you've been trained in, and be able to compose routines using these that have added flair and style in keeping with the dance.

It might also meant that you could follow a routine choreographed by someone else, because you'd know all the steps they wanted you to do and how to do them.

Training's an ongoing process - I think some of the SCD pros still take classes even now to keep themselves on top of their game - so it would be wrong to say that you can be 'trained' full stop.

It's also not right to say that training means you're going to be any good - you might have a better understanding of what you should do, but that may not make you able to do it!

Apparently it takes at least 10,000 hours to become an expert in something

http://www.squidoo.com/10000-hour-rule

100 hours isn't much in relation to this theory, so I'm guessing Kara has a long way to go.

So, I'd say Kara has a natural ability, the potential to become a dancer and she has had an incredible start, with a fantastic and exacting tutor. <- that last bit is subjective

Firstly - 100 hours a week? What are you on? At most, it'll be 30-35 hours a week.

Secondly; No.

As the above post says, the figure that's commonly bandied-around to become "expert" is10,000 hours of guided practice.

She's done (maybe) 300 hours of training. And that training is aimed at routine-based movements. Thar's not the same as dance training.


She's nowhere near being a trained dancer. And she never will be.

What she can achieve, and it's a remarkable achievement, is to appear close to the level of a trained dancer for 90 seconds each week.

I think you need to revise your math. 100 hours per week is over 14 hours a day. Lose Saturdays and it's 16+.

How many years would 10,000 hours take then?

around 8 years?

Ah, but how many hours of training a day? Get's out trusty calculator...

I guess that'a an awful long time. I played the piano from 7 till 16 (9 years), but I've only 'trained' (practised) on the piano, except during school exams and holidays, maybe on average one and half hours a day. That's only around 5000 hours total. I would considered myself as a 'trained' piano player, yes.

So for dancing, I think half of 10,000 hrs would have made sense. Maybe if you are 3 or 4 years as a dancer doing those hours, you are considered 'trained'?

As for Kara, it's clear she has the talent, and her talent in dancing goes a long way, esp. when she's taught by a good teacher. But no, I wouldn't consider her as a 'trained' dancer in any way, shape or form. Otherwise we would have to agree that Alesha is a trained dancer and fully qualified to judge on the panel.

But Kara could become a trained professional dancer in the future because she shows exceptional potential; and she might decide to try that career, but it would take years.

I agree that it seems like too many hours. After all people need to go to school etc. before the age of 16 and can't train for that many hours per week.

100 hours a week training? I've heard celebs / pros in the past say that they have had 20-25 hours training a week. Has Kara said that she is training for 100 hours per week, I would have thought that was physically impossible to dance train for that amount of time.

Perssonally I don't think its hours that = trained.

I thinks its certificates or qualifications and Career wins (like Domestic/National trophies & International World Champinships titles) that determine a trained dancer to that of an amateur dancer

Like a trained lawyer or nurse (as mere examples) isn't a dancer someone that has to learn the trade, take the exams and then have some solid evidence of achievement to prove that they are actually trained? Or is a dancers world of amateur to Proffessiona progression different to most peoples? I know the entertainment and Arts world (of dancers, singers, actors) can sometimes vary to the traditional job/careers out there.

No. She's too old to start. Professional dancing is a young person's game.

Plus, frankly, the money's rubbish.

TBH, Most girls I know did some form of dance training as a child. It was the thing to do in the 80's. (Not so much now, my niece goes to 'acting lessons' ...I ask you!)

I did tap/modern/ballet/latin and ballroom as a child and from ages 14-18 5 nights a week for 4 hours a time. I also performed in uni productions and did some choregraphy for these performances. I do not class myself as anything but an amateur at best.

A trained dancer to me, is someone who earns a living as a dancer.

And considering both Matt and Pamela have had dance experience in the past, I think this makes it one of the most balanced SCD finals we'll ever see.

It's not just hours - you need to ensure that the hours are guided correctly. In other words, you need to train to become trained.

Funnily enough


There are any number of medals and whatnot around, yes.

The only people I would consider to be trained dancers are those who started as a child and have trained over several years, not hours.

I don't know how it works in ballroom (I only took it up ballroom at 18) but I started my ballet training at 6 and trained solidly until I was 18. We're talking 6 hours day. I then studied other kinds of dance, which was easier for me because I had a very solid training in dance behind me. Along the way I performed in public, took endless exams, was taught abroad and at home and worked with different teachers.

Most of the exceptional ballroom people I've seen started as children as well. Professional dancing demands a huge amount of commitment and training and is physically very demanding . It's very all or nothing.

It's not something you can just pick up and do professionally because you're a good little mover (apart from music videos!).
Last edited by sofakat : 15-12-2010 at 18:25

I agree with you sofakat.

My early back is in classical ballet, having started lessons at the age of 5. I trained at White Lodge (Royal Ballet School), so have had an extensive training in classical ballet, Character, Contemporary, Irish and Scottish dancing.

But then I discovered Ballroom and Latin American! I took medals in all the girls steps and then all the boys steps. I have competed all over the world, winning both National and International Championships. I am now a Professional Ballroom/Latin dancer, teacher and officially licensed adjudicator.

Anyone who gets through White Lodge has what it takes I also loved the fact that we did so many other dance forms too. I still love a good czardas

Ballet is such an amazing grounding for so many things. I think anyone who is serious about dance should start with ballet, but then I am completely biased. The discipline and the training is second to none.

Am so thrilled that you have gone on to achieve so much wysiwyg. How fantastic! Your hard work and determination paid off. Yay!

Someone with thorough orthodox training and have gone through the mill since childhood would be like regular army. To go back to the OP, could gifted Kara be like a guerrilla fighter arriving by parachute? Would Kara do outstandingly well in serious competition if she was minded to put in the effort? Sure her body would not stand up to the rigours.

In the Darcey programme at New Year it was suggested that superlative Cyd Charisse had no stamina, and by inference could not sustain 28 competition dances in one day. If she cannot top computer rankings, nevertheless for me she remains the best, albeit in short bursts on film.