dramascientist

Hello everybody it’s been a long time since my last post, over a year and I have to say it’s not been the greatest. I just had a read of the audition results thread and had a little smile to myself about how excited everybody is about the start of their journey. I can still remember the thrill of receiving offers and the excitement of the journey. Unfortunately ours did not end so well. Half way through DDs final year at Vocational school she began to struggle with the stress of the dancers life, eating less and less and other disrtructive behaviour. In the end we had to pull her out and bring her home. A year on she is recovering but I do not know if she will ever dance again. My heart bleeds when I think of all her talent going to waste, not only the dancing but her acting, singing and music too. It’s been very hard to come to terms with it, it has been so much a part of our lives together since she started at ballet school on her third birthday (she will be 20 in June). I almost feel that I can’t remember the good times because they are so overshadowed by the way it ended. I struggle to talk about it with her or DH because he blames ballet and the school whereas I know some blame lies at the feet of DD because she did not talk to us about how she was feeling. So I suppose I just want to say enjoy your journeys, savour very moment but take care to talk to your DCs, check they still want it and are not continuing because they think they should or because they think they cannot do anything else and have no other talents. DD or rather ex DD is beginning to find she does have other strings to her bow but Sometimes I long for that little resilient girl who got a no from RBS so learnt another language in 6 months so she could accept a place at the national ballet school in the country where DH and myself worked. I miss you all Dramascientist

Probably Pas de Chat, DD went to a National Ballet School in Europe and it was free! We were very lucky!

May I ask who the teacher is from the Estonian National Ballet? DRSC

I don't know if anybody is interested but I saw an advert for auditions for children in Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre in London. Closing date 23rd March. For further details and an application form email Jessica Ronane, Children's Casting Director at matilda@jessicaronane.com. DD too old and tall but others on here may be suitable. Good luck DRSC

Sorry just to add we all know it's nigh on impossible to get in to one of these summer school but we all still try, if you don't want to pay the £25 admin fee to be told no .......don't apply it's as simple as that.

I am sure it is the same in sport, music etc. Training at the top establishments is elite by its very nature, how many little boys (or girls) will be selected for elite training in one of the premiership programmes? surely the odds are the same no matter what subject it is, these schools are looking for that elusive "it" factor that so few of us have.

Oh dear Scoobydoo of course I feel for you in the same way, it can be so hard to see them upset but what a lovely girl your DD must be to wish her friends well when really she is crying inside. I am sure that WL staff must also feel so awful themselves at having to say no when there are so many talented dancers and even if you know rejection Is part of the game it doesn't make it any easier to bear. I do hope your plans work out and that your DD feels better soon. DRSC

Hopeful I sense that you are in a little bit of "shock" at the moment and I had noticed that also that you had not posted. Perhaps you felt the same as me when DD got her offers from upper schools that you didn't feel like posting the result because a. It is something private after all, b. You are perhaps feeling guilty because some people do get a no and you do not want to seem to be "gloating" and c. Sometimes people do feel negative about different places and you do not want your joy to be tainted. That is fine I think on this forum we celebrate and commiserate in equal measure, we look for answers when really there are non, it's just life, fate call it what you will. In the end I think that it is lovely that there are still those children who are not afraid of hard work, will strive for excellence no matter what and will eventually be the kind of adults who make the world a better place, that is all we want for our children in the end, that and their happiness. So hug that joy to yourself, if it was us in your place we would do the same and I am sure I am not alone in wishing you and your DD happiness in the future at WL, may the fates be kind and her hard work rewarded. DRSC

Oh no you poor thing, I hate it when stuff like this happens, did it once with plane fairs for DD to come home at Easter from BW! Such a horrible feeling! Hope you can sort something out!

Ah thanks I looked on the website but couldn't see it!

Hi where is Nicola Shelby located? Thanks DRSC

A very useful thread for us with DCs graduating this year!

Oh I used to love doing Greek, bare feet, no tights, waving arms, lots of spinning really fast and no arabesque or pirouettes. Nice chiffon costume aaaahhhh the freedom!

Sometimes flat turnout can also be a curse. I was born with "clicking hips", tendons so loose that the head of my femur would "fall out" of the socket. Of course as a dancer I was flat turned out and because my mother was my teacher she was able to teach me how to control my very loose tendons. However, as I have got older and I only do one class a week teaching a fun ballet class I have noticed that the strength is going and sometimes I feel like my hip is not quite in the right place and can bother me. When my DD was born they were concerned she had the same problem but in the end they said they thought it was okay. So once again 180° turnout but sometimes she gets a niggle in her hip too, particularly when she is training, rehearsing hard. So be careful what you wish for I guess I am saying, just as with hyperextension needing a lot more strength, flat turnout can have its problems too.

So people still do care about each other, how lovely, it actually brought a tear to my eye!