Thoughts about ballet

One of my fellow dancers had asked me if I thought the 6 to 10 classes per week requirement (for the advanced levels) was too high.  At first, I said yes but then I thought back to when I was 13:

I was taking (I think) 9 classes a week.  

Mon & Wed: Ballet
Tues & Thurs: Ballet, Jazz
Fri: Ballet (private lesson)
Sat: Ballet, Modern (and a pas de deux class, but I don't really count those because it's an easy class).

In high school, I was taking 6 ballet classes and a modern class a week.  I took class every day, without fail.  

So I have to change my answer to no, it is not too many classes.  However, I don't think this requirement at the studio produces the desired effect.  These dancers sometimes will take 2 or 3 classes a day (lower level classes) but then not come the next day.  It's more effective to take class every day, then multiple classes every other day.

Plus, how much are you working in class if you can take 3 classes in a row and not be tired?  One good class should wipe you out.  I'd rather work at 100% for one class and go home.

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After about age 11, I've been in the top level at whatever studio I was at.  I wasn't a prodigy, there just wasn't dancers in a higher level (the one exception was when I was 13 - there were adult/semi-pro dancers that were obviously better dancers, but they don't count because they weren't in the school levels).  Anyway, so I never got the thrill of "moving up" and thus, kind of pooh-pooh how the studio handles promotions.  The director will pretend to make it a hush-hush thing, which of course makes more of a spectacle than if you just promote the student outright.

However, by that same token, I have also never danced roles where I was just standing in the background as scenery.  My first performance on pointe was a solo variation.  So though I never got to experience getting promoted, I also never had to endure mundane roles.  I guess it's a win-win situation :)