So we've all seen youtube videos of the child dancer prodigals. We've maybe even seen them at comps. Maybe you have your own little 4 year old who can do all the "tricks" and more an average senior dancer can?

Maybe you've seen 7 year old Lada, on pointe doing kitri: www.youtube.com . . .

My question is, how do these teachers and schools achieve such a high standard so young? Their dancers must come in many times a week, practise so much, and they must have very dedicated parents. But we are seeing increasing numbers of children with ability beyond their years. To me it seems impossible.

How??

They must have skipped (some of) the basics of ballet/dance. And sometimes you can see it in legs not being strong enough, arms flapping around, a sloppy centre, no expression. For instance, Lara's musicality is 'not so good'.

In gymnastics a lot of young kids (let's say around 6) can already do salto's etc. It is also because they are smaller and have to struggle less with gravity.

And because ONE child can do it, it doesn't mean a complete class can do it. I've never seen a complete class of 5 year olds doing fouettes or something like that. It's always just one girl.
Meaning: all teachers have to work with what they get, and have to make selections about who is ready for X and who isn't.
Some teachers see potential in a student, put extra effort in her and show the results on Youtube or in competition. It doesn't mean the teacher is able to do that with all her students, or that she is using an (to us) unknown educational method.

Something to think about: when a girl can do all these things at the age of 7, how will it ever be possible to get her interested in a vocational school (like the Vaganova Academy) where - at the age of 10 - she will be starting with two hands at the barre doing demi-pliés in 16 counts?

And what will it do to her when she is rejected at the VA because at the age of 10 her legs aren't 52% of her total body length (this is necessary to be accepted.)

This is a video of other students of the same school/teacher. These girls are older, and what has become from them? They aren't in a vocational school = will not dance as professionals.
www.youtube.com . . .
In both girls I miss expression, in the second girl I miss musicality again and (as it is the same variation as Lara showed) I don't see much difference in the both girls (hasn't the 10 year old improved?). When the third (= the same as the first) girl is doing fouettes, I would love to have students to be able to do them like this, but I see plenty to work on! Just look at her arms.... (or her standingleg knee, or her traveling, or her pliés, or ....)

Its certainly (thankfully) not common....
Just like those genius kids who are 11 years old in college the ones who are doing those things are few and far between. And no matter what their bodies are not fully developed so its really impossible for them to execute some of what they do in a manner that is considered truly technically correct.

Some children and their parents live for the dance and perfection . These little ones have to have gifted talent, drive, parents who are driven (stage moms) and the right training. They are very few and far between, and it is amazing to watch them. I do worry that they will become bored with the whole thing, or as lidwina stated, they will lack the maturity of emotion as they get older.

We do have a few little ones in our school ages 5-8 who ateend classes 3-5 days a week, 1.5-3 hours at a time. They are all very talented and have driven parents. Some of these little ones are far better technically than our teens who have been dancing for years. It all comes back to God given ability...age means very little in dance to me, I find that abilty counts for much more. But the vast majority cannot be trained to dance like this at such a young age...they just are not developmentally coordinated enough to do so, not matter how high level the training.

Here is a video of a little 6 year old Irish Dancer(not my student) that is one of the exceptionally talented little ones.
www.youtube.com . . .

Lidwina, you are so right, it is amazing that at such a young age these girls can perfom such variations, but they are only doing steps, which I may add, are not performed well. My biggest concern is what is going on with their bodies. What kind of damage will they have from doing steps their bodies are really not ready to handle, especially the young 7 year old. Why have her on point when she can't really really lift her knees and muscles. But, I do agree that there are exceptions to the rules like those young kids who attend college barely becoming teens. I guess you have to play it by ear to determine what the student is ready to do, maybe their bodies are ready to do certain tricks, but they are not ready emotionally. I remember my son doing gymnastics tricks at three, without any help. He would run and do a forward tuck in the air and land laughing on the grass. Once he got in the classroom, he began to grow and things changed. I guess my point is that we must be careful and not push those that are not ready, especially if it's the parent that's doing the pushing...
just my five cents...

liv2dnz you're so right and any other teacher who might have to teach them will have so much to put right and have a resentful student who thinks your holding them back.

Just because they can do the step doesn't mean it's done right or that it's not damaging their joints, tendons and muscles in the long run.

Some teachers/studios believe in quanitity not quality. They introduce steps before mastering technique of the previously learned steps. I've had kids come to my studio doing "foutees" (ie kicking and spinning and looking like a jackrabbit!) yet they can't spot and they don't know what a pirouette is! Ugh! Technique matters!!!

You take someone with basic skills, and hone them, in those few skills. I have seen the same amazing dancers flounder in workshops because they are being taught just certain combinations, over and over. It would be like teaching me the Star Spangled Banner in Japanese. I would not understand a word of it but I could sing it perfectly.

I'm sorry...am I the only one who thinks the kids in the videos are a hot mess?

Almost wincing at some of the absent technique.

Those arms! Yikes! The 10 y/o looked scattered. It's just movement to them. There's zero technique and passion. Did anyone catch the 6 y/o? Those of you who teach ballet, I feel so sorry for you now that these vids are on YouTube... I can just hear the moms now. "But I saw this six year hopping on her toes on YouTube!"

It's one thing to nurture talent - quite another to push a child where they do not belong.

I had a gifted classmate who struggled to NOT do triple pirouettes, because they came so easy to her. She was built like a plumb line (very slender, no butt, minimal spine curve), and she would just put her foot in passe, and spin effortlessly every time. When she was 16, she won a ballet competition and wound up at ABT when Baryshnikov was its Director. She stayed with ABT for several years, but mainly in the corps, as she lacked the expression. She was very properly trained, so technique-wise she was fine, and had no physical problems.

Besides having supportive parents to fund her intensive training, she had an ideal body. But perhaps the ease with which she acquired technique, as well as her youth, contributed to her passionless dancing?

I also wanted to comment on the girl doing the fouettes on youtube. I thought they looked ugly because she was pulling back with her shoulders, and swinging with her rounded arms for the turn's momentum. She obviously lacked the power in her legs for correct execution. It's just sad to see true technique sacrificed for stunts.

I agree with tcsso, those arms...yikes!!
A friend who dances with NYCB forwarded me this You Tube page though with videos posted of a young lady names Alys Shee. She's Canadian. She is a BABY! But WOWZA! What technique!!
www.youtube.com . . .

That kid is a definite bunhead!! LOL

#1...who in their RIGHT MIND would put a 7 year old in pointe shoes? A complete fool...the feet aren't developed yet, so this kid is in for A LOT of injuries and won't be able to dance past her 30's (IF that!!!)
#2...the other video from the same school? Terrible!!! I mean, these girls have NO technique!! The older one is dreadful...potential, sure, but not if she continues dancing like a hampster on speed. The younger one has pontential...but I would not be posting either video on YouTube thinking they were prodigies!! sheesh it's sad.

This is exactly why we as professionals have such troubles explaining to parents and students why they are not ready for pointe. They see videos like this and say oh if this girl is doing then so can I.

I am so sick to my stomach by her arms.

my gawd! older students at last and ick it's terrible! I'm not talking about the lack of musicality o arms everyone seems to be talking about but the RUNS... they look like they are SHUFFLING into place for the next 'trick'... they run in almost PARALLEL! there is no DANCE between the 'moves' in fact... the retire in their pirouettes and fouttes look parallel!