Yep, we’ve all heard that parent talking about their kid who cleaned up at all the ballet competitions. At age ten. That’s great, but from what we’ve researched, just over 50% of dancers, who have won the big awards at ballet competitions at ten, are no longer dancing five years later. 

So, how to tell if your dancer is good enough? What does good enough mean to your child? Do they want to go pro? Or, do they see it as a ticket into a good college? Hint – it can be a great ticket, but not for the reasons you think.

The key to answering this question is that you always need to be looking at a bigger stage.

When people with some credibility told us our son had what it took to have a professional career, we listened and then went home and laughed about it. At the time, our son WAS NOT GOOD. He was 11 and was not a good ballet dancer. But, the teachers saw something in him that we simply did not. 

This is why it is so important to listen to your student’s teachers. They usually do have your child’s best interest at heart. It can be a hard conversation to have, but your studio is usually the first place talent is recognized. If your dancer says they want to dance professionally, listen to them and then go meet with your dancer’s teacher! 

When our son told us he wanted to dance professionally, we asked every single teacher he had between the ages of 10 and 15. Not one of them was spared our interrogations! It usually went something like this: “Sam says he wants to dance professionally. Is this realistic?” 

You’d be amazed at how much teachers want to help students achieve this goal. You’d also be amazed at how accurate they usually are.

One important thing to note is that you should view your dancer’s studio as a partner in your child’s training, not a service. We hear over and over, “I’m paying good money for ballet classes. She should be getting more out of it.” Maybe. Or perhaps, the studio knows exactly what to do and is taking a slower or faster pace with your dancer for a reason.

Another great place to figure out where your dancer “fits” is summer programs. No matter what anyone tells you, all kids stack rank the other dancers. I saw this when I coached my daughter’s first grade basketball team. At that age, we didn’t keep score. But, guess who did? Every. Single. Kid. 

It’s no different in ballet. Your dancer will get a great sense of where they fit compared to the other students attending. They should view this as an opportunity to see how they play in a bigger arena. In addition, pay attention to where your dancer gets admitted. Are they getting into the “top” programs or are they finding more success in that next tier? It is a good idea for your dancer to try to attend the best program they can get into. Typically, the better the program, the better the dancers. 

Many summer programs also feature an end of summer show. Take a look at how your child gets cast. Are they getting leads? Corps parts? First cast? Third cast? You’ll figure out pretty quickly how your dancer stacks up.

If you want other objective advice, look for private lessons where the teacher has no skin in the game with regard to your student. We got great, constructive feedback from a number of teachers from whom my son took private lessons over the years. One thing that we did was whenever we traveled to see family, we scheduled a private lesson, usually with a dancer from the professional company located in that city. We did that in places as big as New York City and as small as Boulder, CO. 

Finally, ballet competitions are a great way to get a lay of the land talent-wise. While not for everyone, ballet competitions offer your child a chance to learn a classical piece, get some good coaching, perform it and then get feedback on the performance. Most competitions also offer something called master classes, usually taught by former or current professional dancers. 

My son did Youth America Grand Prix when he was 11. He had no expectations of doing well, but, in the master classes, he found himself surrounded by male dancers who were extremely talented. Seeing all of this talent, especially the vast majority of whom were better than he was, is what really flipped a switch in him and made him want to pursue ballet in a more serious manner.