Dance class troubles

[crowcaw]

I need help with dd and her dance class. She is almost 5 and has been in the same small local school for 1.25 years; same location, same teacher (who is great with little ones), mostly the same other kids. For the last several weeks she has broken down crying in the middle of class; sometimes she is able to sit out for a minute and regroup and other times she can't regain control and comes to me sobbing. When asked why she's upset she says she's nervous. What are you nervous about? Something is hard or new or she wants to be dancing with me. I think what's going on is she's just beginning to realize that there's a certain way things are to be done but she's lost. She's always been very much an off-in-space type kid in everything and though she has always loved to go to dance class, she's never really followed the group that well. When asked if she wants to keep going to class she gives and emphatic yes, but then the tears and clear distress once there. I don't know what to do to best help her. We talk about nervousness, fear, go down the path of what would happen if, etc, and though she talks about it, it doesn't seem to be changing anything in the moment. She's a very very sensitive little girl; also incredibly imaginative, energetic, quite athletic and graceful... Any ideas of how to help her through this?

[Purplegal]

OMG I could have written this post!!! My DD is 4 and has been going to dance for a year and LOVES LOVES it, but the past couple months has been doing the same things. With her she will freak right when its time to go in, and say she is scared or she wants me, etc. But when I ask if she wants to stop doing dance she always gets very upset, she really wants to. I'm not sure what to do either, so I will be watching this thread!
Does your DD go in just fine and then has trouble during the class only? Or does she have trouble at the beginning too? Are there a lot of girls in the class? Maybe she is feeling overwhelmed?

[nextcommercial]

Can she move from her normal dance class to a tumbling class in the same studio? Kids who have trouble following a routine can usually do well in tumbling, and it's fun! It's still a group activity, but it's not quite as "Team" oriented as a dance class. During the recital, some girls are only doing somersaults across the stage, while others are doing back flips. But, everybody has an important part.

My daughter danced at two different studios from age 4-18. We left one place because she wasn't really making friends, and just wasn't fitting in. It wasn't the studio's fault.. it just wasn't her niche.. but, the next place was. But, she always wanted to start out in tumbling because there wasn't as much pressure to be in step as there was in the tap/ballet class. Then, when she felt more comfortable, she'd sign up for more classes.

[crowcaw]

Purple -- DD has troubles both going in but then, if she makes it in, during class as well. Today she went in with a quivering lip, almost started crying in the first 5 min, then did well up until about 40 min and lost it. She got upset when they were changing from ballet to tap but did manage to pull herself back together and rejoin the class. It isn't a large class (7 kids total and one of them is her twin sister) but she definitely appears to be feeling overwhelmed.

Nextcommercial -- Tumbling is an excellent idea. It isn't offered at our current studio, but there are others close by. I wonder how her twin, who does really well where they are now, would react. If we can't get through this in the near term a switch might be a good idea.

[bobandjess99]

My dd seemed to hit a "perfection ist" phase as well...she is in tears all the time.

[babygirlie]

I was around that age when I quit dance. Loved dance but.. they made me stand next to the boys one day (there were two in class). lol. I wish I had stayed in but I too started to cry when I had to go. Not sure I ever told mom why. Just a thought!