How would you feel about this?

[mrsjules79]

I have a few friends whose kids are very immersed in dance so much that they are homeschooled so they can dance 30+hours a week. They are absolutely beyond talented and intend on pursuing a full time dance profession with any number of our professional dance, drama theaters. They are absolutely amazing and we have a huge theater arts market in Houston.

[msgme]

I'd like to think I would of been okay with it. But she has a friend who is going to school with a major in Comedy. she's paying $60,000 a year for a degree in comedy. Well she's paying half of it via loans and the mom sold her house to cover the rest. so dance at a moderately priced school would of been okay. she however chose English/Communication..

[Pjmm]

If she was driven and talented yes. I know someone who has a dance studio and performs. She can get scholarships like my son is although I'd prefer she had a fallback plan.

[RedBottoms]

Some dance studios can make good money-but you are right you do have to find the right area and it takes a while to establish yourself. But competition type studios are big money these days in the days of Dance Moms being such a huge hit and show. Those parents pay out big money to get their kids solos and duets and all that.

My son used to go to one of those studios and they were making good money. But if she wants to open her own studio the big thing is business classes are a necessity. That person that was making good money with a very lucrative studio-also had to close because she ended up doing some shady things tax wise and almost got busted. She had to shut it all down to avoid scrutiny.

So business classes are probably a must if you want to open your own studio. I am not sure college is necessary to open your own studio though. She can get just as much training in dance by attending conventions and working with another studio etc. But if she has a college degree even in dance-she at least has somewhat of a back up plan if the dance thing does not work out.

I would at least want her to minor or double major in something else as a back up.

Also I would not advise her to take out student loans. If she takes those out-she is never going to be able to get a business loan to start her dance studio most likely. It will be too much debt.

I had dreams of opening my own dance studio and I went to college not for dance. I really wish if I had to do it over-I would have convinced my Dad to give me a business loan and business start up money instead (he could cosign the loan) and just gone ahead and opened my business and taken some business classes. I think I could have been successful at it.

Being a mom and owning a studio is totally doable FYI. The classes are at night/late afternoon so you spend all day with your kids when they are tiny and then Dad watches them at night while you are at the studio. You also get weekends with them as most studios don't run all weekend long all the time.

Then when they are older-usually they want to dance at your studio so you see them that way. And studios take time off like winter break and fall break etc.

So you would still see your kids. My old studio they brought the kids with them to the studio and they hung out there and they would still see them

[mcginnisc]

Yes.. I would fully support my child. One of my closest friends has a dd in college for dance right now. She is a freshman and loving every minute of it. She's been dancing since she was 3 and is 19 now.
Your argument is silly IMO.. there are people that go to school and get all types of degrees and can't find positions. It's for anything. I've known people with degrees in IT that couldn't get jobs and then went back to school for a different degree.
I will not hold my children back from going after their dreams. I have one that wants to be a marine biologist and one that wants to be a vet or archaeologist. I joke with DH that we will have 2 basement dwellers because neither of those are lucrative careers...they will make my girls happy and fulfilled so who am I to divert them from those fields?

[Lolabearlow]

Giggle...

We couldn't really say a whole lot, Dh's bachelors is in fine art... And he got to HR Director with it.

[AsteroidStar]

Yes. Why would I want to tell my children that they can only follow their dreams if I approve of them?

Because you might waste tens of thousands of dollars on s degree she might never use. If my daughter wants to take out loans for a music degree I will support the shit out of her but if I'm paying, the degree will be more lucrative and she can pursue the art on the side. Many successful artists don't have degrees in their field anyway.

See, there is the thing. I don't consider encouraging my children to pursue their dreams a waste. Would I help them do it in a way that will protect them, absolutely, but I am already living my life. I don't find it appropriate to tell my children which dreams they can pursue and which they can't.

[Valentina327]

I would tell her that I want her to double major in that case. Tell her it's a back up because you may have to do something else until you can find the right studio to work for, buy and open your own studio, or if you get an injury and the dancing has to be sidelined until you rehab. I'd definitely make sure she has something more marketable in her back pocket. You can frame it in such a way that you don't crush her.

[Valentina327]

Yes. Why would I want to tell my children that they can only follow their dreams if I approve of them?

Because you might waste tens of thousands of dollars on s degree she might never use. If my daughter wants to take out loans for a music degree I will support the shit out of her but if I'm paying, the degree will be more lucrative and she can pursue the art on the side. Many successful artists don't have degrees in their field anyway.

See, there is the thing. I don't consider encouraging my children to pursue their dreams a waste. Would I help them do it in a way that will protect them, absolutely, but I am already living my life. I don't find it appropriate to tell my children which dreams they can pursue and which they can't.

I agree with you. However, as an adult and knowing that some careers are more difficult to break into than others, parents should definitely guide them to pursuing a "fallback" that they can support themselves with. It's the responsible way to handle it ... Because WE know that there are only so many prima ballerina slots open in the world.

[Ladyiq]

My youngest daughter is a freshman in college and she went in pursuing a writing degree, but not sure what she wanted to ultimately do with it. Its been 2 months and she has already decided that she wants to major in something else and minor in writing. I encourage her no matter what because she is still growing and discovering. Its her life to live.