This school offers free ballet classes for boys of all ages--but beware.
I suspect that the reason they offer free classes to boys is because they have a hard time retaining them in their school.
My son took the ballet and tap combo class for a total of about six months. He was happy, enjoyed performing, and looked forward to going to class every week. I enjoyed the fact that the teacher taught my son to do the more "manly" versions of what the girls were doing, and making him feel as if he is the man of the show. I was positive that the attention given to him would help him to realize how special boys are in dance. There was also a rule that "boys get two stickers," which was cute at first, but now looking back on it I see it more as a cheap bribe.
After a while my son started not to like dance very well, but I insisted that he stick with it because it was a love it/hate it sort of situation. But now I realize that he was probably just picking up bad vibes and couldn't express them correctly.
The school is extremely protective of their little girls--UNDERSTANDABLY. You have to be buzzed into the building which only adds to the safety and protection that the school strives to keep for their students. However, my ex husband would come watch our son and complain to me that the people of the staff were staring at him and making him feel uncomfortable for being there. The moms did too, even though I was there every week and he and I were obviously there together.
My fiance even volunteered for the big show at the end of the year to babysit boys back stage, of which the school maybe has 10. My fiance was glanced at sideways, looked up and down, and asked all sorts of rude questions by the other parents who were there to volunteer.
And I get that they were feeling him out. I get that nobody wants a creep who is just there to steal little ballerinas. But really? He's a parent with a student at the school!
I decided to enroll my son for ballet a second time as he'd come in late in the last year. When I went in, the female director/owner of the school praised me about how good my fiance was with the children. She went on about it for a little while, and ONLY AFTER HEARING HER PRAISE, I suggested that perhaps he should also sign up for a ballet class.
I should have seen what happened next coming from a mile away.
After only a few classes, my fiance and son were asked to completely leave the school after my fiance's hands slipped too high while lifting one of the girls. It was completely unintentional, and he was corrected on correct hand positioning. (I laugh so much at this because he'd of probably learned more if they allowed the male dancers to attend every class, but instead they are only invited twice a month.)
Furthermore, I had taken a cell phone picture (on the first day of class where photography is allowed) and posted it to Facebook. The photo was of my fiance lifting one of the girls into the air. A friend of his made a comment on the photo that was not exactly wholesome, but it was not a sexual comment at all. Another comment was made under it that was something to the effect of "you love doing ballet don't you," and that person has since deleted their Facebook, thus removing the comment, and my fiance's response to the now deleted comment was misconstrued as being directed at the inappropriate comment.
We're told that "a concerned parent" addressed the issue of the photograph and comments and that for this reason my fiance is kicked out of the school as well as my son, citing the "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" rule.
Mind you, my fiance was NOT friends with any of the other students on Facebook OR in real life. He did not talk to them any more than he had to in class. He was there to dance and be a part of the show.
Now I know why the classes are free for boys and yet there are hardly any there. Now I know why the only men in this class are one of the dads of the girls in the class and the director's husband.
I figure being asked to leave is a blessing in disguise. It was only a matter of time before something would get misconstrued or taken out of context to the point of lawsuit, furthermore I think about my son being accused of something like this when he's older and I know now that BALLET IS NOT FOR BOYS.
I'm all for the protection of the students, and I'm totally aware that there are bad people in the world. But this wasn't even discussed with us directly, my fiance was handed a letter and asked to leave.
Rather than attempt to fix the situation, I realize that this must not be the first time, and it won't be the last time that this has happened at this school. There's nothing I can do at this point except find the next big thing for my kid to love, and get him involved in something where his family's integrity is not questioned.
Just remember, if something is free, there's always a catch. Good luck. read more