Sorry to learn your history. Can I ask, do dancers suffer with particular complaints/illnesses that can be put down to their ballroom dancing. Looking at some of the latin dancers, I wouldn't be surprised.

Well there's the usual pulled muscles, ligaments, sprains, not to mention black eyes and general bruising!

As for ongoing serious medical issues, it depends to a large extent on how well you look after your body. I danced on a torn knee ligament because I was desperate not to miss a championship competition. I was stuffed full of painkillers and strapped up between rounds and didn't feel a thing! It was stupid of me though, because that knee still hurts like hell every winter.

As for my arthritis, a lot of that is down to heredity. Mum has it and her Mum before her. My Doc said that it was always on the cards that I would get it too, but did say that my lifestyle was a contributory factor. My joints were put through so much.

I also wonder what damage we did to our bodies by ingesting so much hairspray and fake tan!

My teacher (Hanna Karttunen) has had many operations on her knee as well, although I don't know exactly whether it's completely related to dancing, she's advised to keep away from wearing heels as much as possible.

Not easy when you're a dancer I guess!

Sorry to hear about your own problems Thess, must have been awful - hope it's ok on a day to day basis and you have the reward of a son which must help a lot

This programme certainly produced a lot of debate and different views.

I talked about it with both my pro teachers. One who knows Ellie because she has lessons at the school where he teaches and the other one teaches Tabitha some of the time.
We kind of agreed that children who are talented and want to get to the top need to practice, practice, practice and be very single minded about it. Both of them were baby ballroom dancers themselves and survived to both become champions. However I found out Ellie's dad is quite an objectionable personality and he does push too much. Tabitha's mother also is very pushy.There is a fine line between being encouraging and supportive and being too pushy. Too pushy then with kids this young they could be put off and then a talented dancer is wasted. I was told that Mason gave up because his mother was too pushy though his dad was OK.
The shouting out at competitions often happens and the opinion on that from someone who has been there, done that and now teaches and judges is that it is bad manners but it happens.

Kind of what I suspected!

Is disappointing to hear because no child should ever feel that that are being pushed into a career at 10 but at least I know it's not channel 4 editing.

The shouting is definately bad manners but can we expect anything else from pushy parents who want their little darlings to succeed!

But it seems that its not just pushy parents shouting but something that is accepted in ballroom competitions - strange, but that's what makes the world go round.

It's perfectly normal at every competition that I've ever attended, but of course you don't find coaches screaming out instructions to their couples or anything like that during the rounds.

But do you like it or would you rather people quietly appreciated the dance and cheered afterwards?

Personally I would rather that they kept quiet during the performances. parents shouting at their offspring canot possibly alter their performance by that stage, might even be distracting. It certainly is bad mannered. The judges would rather the audience kept quiet during the actual competition.

That's what I think too if I was judging I would want no distractions

I'm surprised you say this. Yes, his parents do own a dance school but he always looks like he's enjoying himself to me!!

I loved hearing people voice their support to me while I was competing but I'd be embarrassed if I was the only person getting that support.

No I think I'm with dippydozy on that comment ...contraversial though it may seem to some folks!

I saw Darren and Lilia perform live just recently and though he is obviously technically excellent,and put on a good show of performing (both of them)....I felt it was just that - performance. I didn't feel a great love of dance itself coming from him....he was sadly lacking in soul in comparison to other SCD folks I have had the pleasure of experiencing live,who totally love dance.Maybe that is to do with Darren always having been pushed into it without much option (even if he likes it!) rather than it being his own choice to do it? Or maybe not?

Yep,that's a tricky one isn't it !
Not everyone has someone to shout for them anyway,even if it was felt acceptable to do so in general!

Some young American dancers to enjoy.

Stan Faynerman (15) and Patrycja Golak (12)
Jive/quickstep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxRhuhl0oB0

Austin Joson (11) and Liza Lakovitskaya (11)
Tango
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6jKO3y-htU

Approached this with trepidation - young dancers after seeing Baby Ballroom, but these were fabulous! Thanks so much

Really impressive how the 11yr old boy who was shorter than his partner still managed to impose his authority on the dance. I predict a new Vincent !

I have to say that when I was competing, the shouts and screams didn't register with me at all. I guess I was too busy at the time! I was aware of applause for certain parts of a routine but generally I would tune out the audience shouting.

On the programme it seemed that the girls' father was the only person standing at the edge of the floor, barking out what he assumed was support. It actually sounded intimidating. And whatever happened to giving praise? No matter how I'd danced, at that age my parents always told me "well done" whenever I came off the floor.

The critique and the post mortem always came in the car on the way home - never at the comp itself. In my opinion you can do damage to a persons confidence by telling them what they did wrong and how they can be better, between rounds. Far better to pick out what was good and say "well danced"

Agree, I thought it was so mature and he had such presence.

You know I'm not a dancer, but I'm 'mum' to my horse and rider at competitions. I offer positive support throughout - my gauge is if it can be fixed mention otherwise keep quiet.

On that basis, once the competition is over - nothing can be fixed - so I would keep quiet. If they had further competitions on the day, I would really think carefully about what advice I offered, possibly running throught some well established routine to get my rider talking about what they wanted to improve for the next round.

We often give a camcorder to an over-anxious owner, its really helpful and gives them something to do.

Obviously we discuss what has happened at the end of the day, but that would always be led by the competitor (they are out there and they need to understand what is right and wrong, so by them critiquing themselves they learn).

At the next training session would be where we would take what we learnt and try and improve. It would be at this time that my rider would expect me to add my thoughts on the competition, using the camcorder recording to highlight my point.

I think that's a sound approach Gritty. Allowing the rider to lead the discussion on what could have been better puts ownership of the situation in their hands.

Funny to hear you utilise a camcorder! One partner and I used one to record a couple of practice sessions so we could check our technique. It was amazing to see the differences between performances as we progressed.

It's definitely a useful tool for the serious competitor, no matter what discipline or sport it is.

Oh absolutely I love him to bits and would not have missed him for the world!

I so agree. If that girl is still dancing three years from now it will be a miracle.

It's so sad to see a gifted dancer put under so much pressure, when there clearly is no need. If success is going to be on the cards, then it will happen. She will have the inner drive she needs to be able to transcend her parents will and dance on her own terms. For this to happen, her parents really do need to back off a bit.

Although myself and my son do ballrom . Latin etc we have not competed in these disacplines

My daughter however has competed since the age of 4. Not in ballroo and latin but in ballet, modern stage dance, tap, song and dance and group work.


Cant remember if when she first went to dnce class it was her idea or mine ( actually prob my mum's as she was a dancer)

any way one hour session a week quickly esculated to several a week

My daughter now almost 16 has aalso been involved in many other out of school activities ( Guides, drama etc)
How ever last year or the year before she decided to give up the guides and drama to purly concentrate on dance ( and her GCSEs- she attends a high school and will achieve 12 A*-B grades going by what is predicted by mocks)

She has knwn in her heart of hearts that she wants to teach dance ( not perform) for many many years. I myself would prefer her to have a more steady career ( me being a more scientific person her being arty) but I do understand what it is like to know from an eaarly age waht you want to do with your life and to be wholey focussed on this _ I knew I would nurse from about the age of 7.

My daughter dances 6 days a week and at weekends this can be all day just before comps and exams

She is already teaching baby class and her work experience (she organised it herself) was with a free lance dance teacher.)

She never has a prob with not getting homework or revision done and has a healthy social life with both her dance and non dance friends. ( she is currently out with a group of friends somewhere in town)

Dancing and competing has given her confidence and an attitude that you have to work hard to achive your potential. Group work and duets etc encourage team work and for those who want to perform in shows etc performance experience also an insight in to what an audition is like. She loves dancing and never stops when at home- last night she cooked dinner and was doing barre work excercises at the same time. She also know that at comps you try your hardest, but the judges opinion is only that of one person and the judges often say well it comes down to personal taste.

Daughter has been competing since she was 4 and I have attended these week long comps with her for the past 12 years ( we both work back stage at one comp too)- yes our comnps are held on a stage! parents etc are not allowed to shout out infact they will be removed from the theatre if they persist.

what is nice about the comps we do is the girls and boys all greet each other as old friends and wish each other luck. They comgartulate each other afterwards too and love to watch the others from the wings.

you do get a handful of those who know they are the best if you get my drift but thay are in the minority- also some hellish parents too.

All of this is hard work for the kids and hard work and time consumming for the parents.

I am a single parent and spend no end of time playing taxi to her to get her to lessons and yes we have gone without things ( I make sure my son does not go without he too has his hobbies and stuff). If she turned round and said she wanted to stop, I would be a little dissapointed but it is ultimatly her choice, I would never pressure her ( never had to to attend one single leson or practice she is keeer to go than me) infact sometimes I think it would be nice to et my life back.

she loves it and I a happy if she is

ps my son used to compete in ballet etc but is much happier with the ballroom etc ( and loves the fact that at almost 14 he is the only boy in a class of nice young ladies
Last edited by Georgi M : 17-02-2007 at 12:33

Aw Georgi M, you sound like the perfect 'dance parent' !!

Seriously, you are giving your son and daughter your support while letting them know that whatever they do is up to them.

Your daughter sounds very focused and while it would be good for you, for her to have a steady job, isn't it far better to see your kids do something that makes them happy? The ultimate job satisfaction.

Reminds me of a saying I heard way back about a way to make sure you never did a days work in your life. The trick was to find a job that you absolutely love doing, then it isn't work at all !!!

We all have our favourite professionals and admire them for their drive and skill etc but we shouldn't ever forget the parents, who act as unpaid dressmakers, stoners, taxi service, counsellors (when it all goes tits up!) etc.