NotaPushyMum.Com

For a very long time DD (13) has known she wanted to be a dancer. In the beginning she was very focussed on dance, but more and more her dreams are centred on becoming an actress. I think she spends a lot of time scouring the internet for information on finding an agent, drama training and auditions. She also knows a suspiscous amount about how famous child actors have begun their career!
However as Plan A was always dance , that has been where our money, time and effort haave been directed. She now has a full scholarship at a residential dance school. I have told her that I think that even if her goal is drama, she is still probably better off at her dance school (She still loves dancing). From reading this site it seems that the acting world is just as competitive as dance, if not more so. And given that she is over 5 foot and we don't live in the south east her chances are much reduced.
I just wondered what other people thought? Does my logic stand? I have no first hand knowledge of acting. Is acting an even longer shot that dancing? Even though there are a lot more opportunities in acting, will there also be a lot more children going for it, as the requirements are nowhere near as rigid? And how do you find out if a child has potential, with dancing so much of it is down to body type!

If she is a good dancer, then she may have a career lasting nearly ten years, and by her 30s need to start looking for something else. As an actress, she can be working for as long as she is fit and healthy. Quite a few busy actresses were originally dancers - their determination really helping them, while it's far less easy to be an actress who can't dance, and have to learn.

The choice sadly seems to be a career where it is age limited, but fun compared against one that may not be so er, physical but longer lived. Neither career offer much of a chance of getting a mortgage, of course.

I gave up teaching in 2004, going back to 'doing it for real' - and I'm so much happier, but poorer. At my age, it doesn't matter really - but if I ever need another mortgage, I doubt they'll want to touch me. Sobering thought!

Ineterstingly there are 2 professionally trained ballet dancers on the Acting course my DD is on, mid twenties. Probably for the reasons paulears has given.

Hi balassa,
The only thing that occurred to me when you said she was scouring the internet for acting agents etc, was the possibility that she had become unhappy with the prospect of becoming a dancer, or had problems at school and this was her way of trying to find an 'out' of her current situation by finding an alternative. I've found with having teenagers myself that they don't always spell things out to you !

Providing that's definitely not the case with your dd, then I personally can't see much would be gained by changing schools at this stage if you are both happy with it. She must be very talented to have obtained a scholarship! Professional acting work can be quite hard to find for teenagers once they grow and don't look like children, but perhaps you could find her some good drama courses during school holidays, so that she feels she is getting some experience in acting, which will also making getting an acting agent a more likely prospect. She would certainly never be ruled out of a part in say musical theatre with all her dance experience either, so I'm sure the dancing would prove very useful to have in any performing career. Maybe some singing lessons too and she would be the triple threat !

Wish I could dance. I have no sense of rythmm and I could never pick up the steps, or if I did forgotten them in two minutes !
Wishing your dd every success and happiness !