Creating & Stretching your Dance Schedule

So getting back to school has reminded me of something...homework really sucks. The hours in the day get really busy really quickly with dance, school, and the dreaded homework (not to mention sleeping, eating, and other life functions). So with so few hours in a day, how do you decide how many to devote to ballet?

Answer the following questions to choose your dance schedule!

How much money are you willing to spend on dance?
-Take into consideration the cost per class, the cost of costumes, supplies, etc.
Want to dance more then you can afford?
-Choose a studio with the lowest cost per class.
-Get a job as a teacher helper at the studio, or just a regular job somewhere else.

How much time do you need for school work?
-Take into consideration amount of homwork, tests, hours of school, etc. Dance is important, but unless you're becoming a professional, school comes first.
Want to take more dance than school work allows?
-Bring your homework to the studio and do it between classes.
-Use free periods at school to study & do work.
-If you can schedule frees at the end of the day so you have time after school to do work before dance.
-Skip a class every once in a while if you have a test/project coming up the next day.

How many classes does the studio offer?
-If you want to take just ballet and they only offer it once a week, that's all you can take.
Still want to take more classes?
-Try going to multiple studios. Just make sure recitals don't overlap.
-Try taking supplement classes. Technique, stretching, core conditioning, yoga, etc. will all help ballet preformance.
-Try taking related classes. Lyrical, Modern, and Jazz especially use ballet elements.

How much relaxation/break time do you need?
-Is dance all you want to do all the time? Or do you have many other interests? Prioritize.
Want to dance 24/7 but don't want to crash?
-Take at least one day per week as a break day. You need to rejuvinate.
-Take free periods at school to just chill with your friends.
-Don't schedule dance around your favourite TV show.

What are your goals?
-To just have fun? To become advanced? To be a professional? Schedule for your needs.
Remember...
-If your just having fun, schedule as many classes as you want.
-If you want to become advanced, schedule multiple times per week.
-If you want to become professional, dance as much as possible (and still healthy).

So hopefully now you have a better idea on what you want from your dance schedule. Also, for you die-hard dancers, hopefully some of these tips helped you to expand a big dance schedule.

Bye for now, Ballerinas!