Your child’s ballet education is no small investment—we understand the time, money, and personal sacrifice it can take to help your son or daughter reach for their dreams! We know from experience there’s no shortage of early mornings, late nights, extra private lessons, custom costumes, and endless support that you devote to your child.
Because you already do so much, it is not always easy to let someone else to handle the educational process. With all that you pour into this process of ballet training for your child, it makes sense that you would want to have a say in every aspect—and you should. But once your child steps over the threshold of the dance
classroom or into the wings of the stage, it’s vital that you allow his or her coach to take leadership and that your child understands this shift in authority. If a dancer hears competing or conflicting messages from both the parent and coach, it can take a toll on their focus and their dancing.
Remember that your child’s ballet coach has the technical knowledge and personal experience necessary to guide your child to success in ballet. The more room you allow the coach to lead, the more confident they’ll feel pulling the best effort out of your child during each lesson, whether that means challenging them with a new style of movement or going “back to basics” to work on technique.
Coaching a ballet dancer for a competition requires a high level of expertise that only a coach can provide; your confidence in their expertise reassures them that your child will also respect the training process and get the most benefit out of it. It’s always fair for you to ask questions of your child’s coach, but it is equally important that you respect the answers. Your mutually trustworthy relationship with the coach will serve your child in the best possible way, helping them feel both supported and encouraged—and in turn, allowing them to realize their full potential as a dancer.