As a director who over saw a school running over 80 classes weekly, I've experience a few conversations with parents who have expressed that their child is “bored” in class. I have even experienced this with my own daughter as well, and can relate to the struggle to understand a dancer's boredom. After all, no parent wants to pay for ballet lessons that their child feels bored in. But what does “I’m bored” really mean? Below I outline the common occurrences I’ve seen with dancers that may relate to your dancer's situation.
“I’m Bored” means I want to be the leader
For many children who start classes at age 5 or 6, ballet might be some of the first structured classes that they’ve encountered. Young students who are not used to structure will need time to adapt to listening to an instructor and following directions. For my own daughter, although she had attended pre-school and creative movement, beginning ballet was a lot more structured for her with a lot less free dance and play dance involved. Her bored comments began after about the 3rd week participating. In class, she looked to be having fun with smiles and laughter so this comment was a bit of a shock to me. When I asked her what about class seemed boring to her, she admitted that she didn’t like following the teacher and wanted to do her own thing. After discovering this, I explained to her that she needs to follow the instructor’s class and practice what the instructor asks for if my daughter wants to be a great ballerina some day. This conversation helped her to refocus in class and adjust to having a more structured program.
“I’m Bored” means I’m in the wrong class
I’m bored will sometimes be an indicator of a student who is not placed in the right class for their age. Consider the age difference of your student versus the others in the class. If your student is significantly older (think of a 9-year-old in with 6 year olds), they might be saying “I’m bored” based on the class progressing too slowly compared to what they need. They might also feel embarrassed in a class with younger students and may be using “I’m bored” as a means to express their discomfort. In this situation, check to see if your studio has a more appropriate class for their age/level placed. If not, it might be worth a look at other studios in town to see if there is a better fit.
“I’m Bored” means the level of training is not good
Sometimes “I’m bored” might be a red flag for issues going on in the class. Try to observe a class if your student mentions “I’m bored” to you. You’ll want to check and make sure the class is productive and using its time efficiently. Double check that there isn’t too much movie time in class, or that the class isn’t talking too much instead of learning technique and combinations. For a student who wants to grow and progress, these things can become frustrating and ultimately lead to boredom in class. If you do encounter this problem with your studio, it might be worth it to send a discreet message to the director about your student missing out on valuable instruction time.
Does “I’m Bored” mean that I’m too good for this class?
This is a tricky one to answer as there can be many layers to what is involved in a studio’s placement and how many levels they have to offer. For a lot of parents, hearing “I’m bored” feels like that means that my dancer is has progressed beyond the level of this class. If you suspect that this might be the case, I would recommend having a conversation with your dancer’s instructor about their progress in class. Your dancer’s instructor should be able to give concrete details on areas where your dancer can improve and focus on in class. Give the instructor a week or two to be able to observe your student as well. Don’t be offended if they can’t give you details immediately after class as it sometimes take a class for extra observation.
Finally, don’t forget that ballet is not for everyone. Sometimes “I’m bored” means that a student just isn’t into ballet, and that’s okay! We want everyone to enjoy ballet class so don’t forget to check in on if your dancer is truly enjoying learning dance!
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