What is a good age to start Ballet classes?

My 5 yr old daughter is begging me for ballet classes. Is she to young to start?
Any advice about choosing a school and teachers?
Thank you.

Five is not too young, many girls start as young as two or three. The sooner she takes classes, the more time she’ll have to excel.
Choose a school that meets your needs. How far do you want your daughter to go with dance?
If you want her to excel then you, as the parent, need to be in control of that. Professional dancers wouldn’t be where they are today without that element of parental pressure as a child. If you do want your daughter to be the best she can be then you need to find a studio with a good reputation and capable staff. Speak with the teachers, ask about their credentials, ask if they follow a syllabus and use grades (RAD is most recognized world wide), and ask about the structure of the classes. Of course, at five your daughter isn’t going to be learning worlds of technique, her body isn’t physically ready for it. Between seven and nine is when serious ballet training should start. You may also want to ask about where former students have gone on to dance. If nobody has left that studio with a job then you may wish to search for another academy. If she’s dancing for fun and recreation then you can stick with a less expensive studio. However, IF your daughter does decide (around age 10) that she’d like to pursue either competitive or professional dancing, then you may need to change academies.
First things first, how much are you willing to spend? At this age classes will be cheap, but as she ages and grows as a dancer her schedule will become more demanding. A serious dancer will be taking classes several times a week, whereas a recreational dancer may take an hour class once a week. Prices vary accordingly. Also take into consideration the costs of competitions, travel to and from competitions and conventions, workshop and intensive fees, the costs of private or small group lessons, the cost of shoes and costumes, etc. if you do decide to take classes in a competition and recital oriented studio as opposed to a pre-professional level academy
Again, at five it’s all cheap, but within the next five years you need to decide how far your daughter is taking dance.
I’d also ask current students how they feel about their studio. I grew up in a small town and opportunities for training were limited. Two studios in particular had rather prominent reputations. Studio A was known for being a place where everybody was welcome, everybody had a great time, the choreography was bright and fun, the whole town came out to watch the performances, and they won several awards, etc. However, Studio A did not offer the serious technique training that Studio B did, they focused more on showmanship. The students of Studio B hated their teachers, hated their classes (dreaded them, in fact), were always put down, the choreography was bland, they came in last every competition, and the general attitude was negative. Studio B’s owner was also very quick to badmouth Studio A to anybody who’d listen because Studio A “had lousy technique”. The girls from Studio B had ok technique, but bad attitudes and poor stage presence.
Now, would you rather have your daughter dancing in an environment where she is valued and it’s happy and bright, even though she doesn’t go on to be a prima ballerina, or would you rather have her cry before every lesson because her teacher is a nightmare and classes are strict and structured? I’m hoping you’re never finding yourself in such a situation, but if you do then know that Studio A is the better choice, especially at such a young age. If you start your daughter off in an austere studio it may turn her away from dance for life. Dance should be enjoyable, not terrifying.
You may find this link helpful: http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/choose-studio.htm
as well as this http://dance.about.com/od/getstarteddancing/a/Good_Studios.htm
Your opportunities will of course vary depending upon where you are and which major cities you’re nearest, and I wish you luck. I ended up having to move to the city to pursue dance and while I think it was the best choice I ever made, it did put a fairly large strain on my relationship with family.
(In response to Mintchip, I didn’t suggest she sign up for a studio that follows the RAD syllabus, I just let her know she should ask about it. A lot of parents I deal with have been misinformed and either ended up putting their kids in a studio that did/did not follow one and it was the opposite of what they’d hoped for. Mintchip IS correct in saying that you won’t find graded ballet in the major schools. However, if she’s hoping to pursue it for the sake of exams and the like, or wishes to get teaching certifications, or has no aspirations of joining the professional performing world, this may pertain to her interests. It’s all personal and depends greatly upon where you live and what your options are. I had no choice but to follow it because I was in a hick town in the middle of nowhere)

Adult Ballet Class

Pem America Ballet Lesson Quilt Set Ballet Lessons hand made quilt. Twin set includes 68 by 86 inches quilt and one standard sham. Quilt is a combination of patchwork designs showing ballet dancers. Cover is cotton with cotton fill. Quilts are machine wash and tumble dry. Quilts are hand made in China…

Brand New Ballet Lessons Quilt set The gorgeous Quilt set features pretty dancing ballerinas for your little dance princess. The perfect room for your little girl. Face cloth and fill are 100% natural cotton. Prewashed for out of the bag comfort The set is hand crafted with embroidery. Machine Washable. Ideal for all seasons. Great for a gift…

Ballet Class- Full / Queen Quilt with 2 Shams $99.99 Hand crafted set includes 1 full/queen quilt (86×86 inches) and 2 standard shams (20×26 inches)….

New York City Ballet: The Complete Workout, Vol. 1 and 2 $19.98 Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 11/07/2006…

Baby Ballet $4.83 Budding ballerinas ages 4 to 6 receive a thorough introduction to ballet at the tutelage of “Miss Rosemary” Boross in this 36-minute video. The program features Rosemary Boross, a student helper, and a small class of preschool age dancers as they explore the basics of warming up at the barre, stretching, center work, dancing across the floor, and revérénce. Miss Rosemary first describes and demo…

Sesame Street – Zoe’s Dance Moves $4.88 Movie DVD…

Ballet Class: Intermediate – Advanced [VHS] $8.99 …

Ballet Workout [VHS] $9.47 The title is somewhat a misnomer: this 83-minute video isn’t a “workout” so much as a ballet class. If you’ve taken ballet in the past–or if you’ve always wanted to–pull on your tights and leg warmers and enjoy this video. Melissa Lowe, a former soloist and principal dancer with several ballet companies, leads two levels of workout. Level 1 is for those with little or no ballet training; ballet …

Ballet Class: For Beginners [VHS] $12.00 David Howard’s Ballet Class for Beginners is an excellent learning and teaching tool especially designed by America’s foremost ballet master to introduce the beginning dance student to the technique and vocabulary of classical ballet with the emphasis on posture, placement, and movement potential. Featuring Allison Potter with music by Whit Kellog….

Element: Ballet Conditioning $7.45 ELEMENT MIND & BODY EXPERIENCE:BALLET – DVD Movie…