I took ballet from V&T about 20 years ago now. T was very rude and dismissive if you weren't doing something correct. V was a little more friendly towards me however he was obsessed with weight and both V&T teased girls for not sucking in, for having body fat. I knew many girls who had ED's because of it and one girl that was much older than me was a great dancer, told to lose 20lbs or she'd be kicked out. We had a Russian student come into our level. t especially would talk to her in Russian... she picked on one girl so mercilessly and called her a name which ended up translated to dummy. She would cry after every class and left. They'd also tell the Russian girl to pair up with their favorites. Both V&T had their favorites and it was obvious. No gift not as many private lessons you bought would change that. Luckily V liked me. As I got older, I got over ballet and preferred more energetic classes with more leaps/turns/acro... it helped me later on make varsity in song leading in high school freshman year and we won quite a few titles nationally. Back to V&T, if your child is truly gifted take them here, if not go somewhere else cause your child will be either picked on or ignored. My last class, I guess I wasn't the best I could be... T literally stared at me like I was a brick wall and said "your form is terrible", by then I'd had it and said "that's why my mother pays you money, to teach me" and stormed out. Like I said I always hated ballet and much preferred the energetic forms of dance than really challenged me, especially with acro tricks. I'd outgrown ballet. It's the best foundation for any starting dancer, but V&T are/were HARSH and ABRASIVE in how they talked to us and teased some (luckily not me) about being bloated or looking like we gained weight. I saw many girls cry after class, many sucked up, and many girls running to the bathroom to vomit a cup of noodle between classes -not making this up. That's how I was told the best method to puke is, eat a lot of liquid and you'll puke easier. They have their faves in class and if your kid isn't one of them, you're wasting $$$ cause they will either be teased or overlooked. If your child wants to truly focus on ballet, V&T are probably the best, but if this is just an after school recreational activity and they honestly aren't the best, take your child to classes elsewhere. Also the ED issue was no joke, neither was how certain students are favored over others and they pair girls up according to their favorites who they praise, then ignore or frown upon the rest. I cannot get Tattiana's frown or dismissive face out of my head, nor Victor teasing a girl and rubbing her stomach saying "looks like someone had Taco Bell before coming to class!" I was a slim Jim, but it even made me question my own weight. I know how they were trained in Russia was undoubtedly a million times worse, but to the softer American young girls, their comments and looks leave a lasting impression. The Russian girl would translate to us after our classes and she would tell us the honest truth. That V or T would tell her to not even talk to certain girls as they'd "hold her back" and "waste of space" to put it lightly.
Like I said, I'd be on the lookout for odd eating habits, weird attitudes after class, weighing themselves on the scale often, look thru the observation window and see who gets praise and who gets frowned at or yelled at...
This was my experience many years ago. It's left a lasting impression on me. Even tho I only took ballet until I learned pointe and then got over it for more exciting routines, not all this robotic, technical stuff, and having to do the nutcracker every year; pay attention to your child's attitude about class. I only came clean to my parents about the ED thing last year and they had no clue that was going on, nor kids getting harshly critiqued or ignored for not getting something correct. That's one more thing. They critiqued their faves into what was a better form, those that were struggling just got told they suck or were flat out stared at - blank face, before they moved on to look at the next dancer. Anyways. My experience, years ago, perhaps they've softened their touch with age. read more
