Have we gone totally mad?
Bejewelled tiaras glitter, a group of lithe young tweens in head to toe black lycra slink past with tall silver torches in their hands. A lion walks past, a pair of brilliant flamingoes and a group of jittery teeny-tiny ballerinas, three in tears because they wanted to be at the front of the line.
Welcome to the end of year concert season.
It’s a brave new world I have entered this year with my preschooler starting ballet and my eight-year old son deciding he wants to be a famous actor (on YouTube of course) and joining drama classes.
I’ve learnt how to sweep a mop of tangled curls into a ballet bun, how to stitch those little elastic straps onto a pair of miniature leather ballet shoes and that if you don’t set an alarm to remind you to buy tickets for the end of season concert you will miss out.
End of year concerts are a far cry from when I was growing up, back then the local ballet school – a converted room above the garage of a frustrated prima ballerina’s suburban home – was transformed for one afternoon into a theatre by a large sheet strung from the ceiling as a backdrop.
Our mums stuck their heads in and watched us prance around in our stockings and leotards while our older brothers hung about the driveway throwing rocks and picking passionfruits off Miss Angelique’s vine.
There was no booking tickets online through a hard to navigate website that makes Ticketek look old fashioned. There was no assigned seats or endless days of dress rehearsals.
Top Comments
My kids' (1 daughter, 1 son) dance school is amazing, and rather than moaning about the expense, I celebrate the confidence, self-esteem, physical and mental health benefits, skills, experiences, friendships, and role modelling they get from dance, drama and theatre. They are teenagers now, and rather than hanging out on the streets or staring zombie-like at a screen after school or on weekends; they spend their spare time dancing, singing and acting. It helps their bodies, brains and social skills develop and provides endless opportunities to learn the value of hard work and increase their resilience. Concerts and shows allow them to showcase what they have learned, and have a chance to shine. The students support one another and learn valuable skills such as accepting others regardless of their talent or ability. Their teachers pour every bit of themselves into ensuring each child gains as much as possible from their classes and concerts; and as they still need to feed their families, I completely understand why they have to charge for tuition and costumes. If you want to complain about ticket pricing, consider complaining to venue operators and local councils or state governments about the exorbitant fees charged for venue hire! I would rather pay $25 - $30 for a ticket in a comfortable theatre with raked seating; than cram into a poorly designed hall where I can't actually see anything and still pay $15 or $20. Also, I love being able to purchase tickets online, and grandparents have no issue paying for their own tickets! If you don't want to pay for the DVD or photos - don't buy them (people who produce these also have businesses to run and mortgages to pay so can't offer their services free of charge). Whether my kids end up with a career in performing arts or not, I wouldn't change their opportunity to experience it all now, and I am happy to be driving them to all the rehearsals and classes. I know that i am giving them a gift that can never be replaced - they are only young for such a short time. I am also glad my son prefers dance to soccer or football - each to their own I guess, but UI can think of nothing worse than standing in the rain watching a bunch of kids chase a ball around!
If you don't want your kids to do concerts then don't do them! At most schools it is optional. Parents have NO idea about how much money, time, blood, sweat and tears it takes to put on a concert. How about you add up how much your uniforms, shoes, fees and weekly entry fees are to your kids basketball and football games and see how much you spend on those throughout the year. Oh and while I'm at it, parents pay your bloody tuition. Dance schools are not charities!!!