MAK

Thank you for this. It reminds me of a conversation I've had a few times with my daughter about the acting world, which she has some involvement in/experience of, and whether we should try to rewrite history (and characters) or create new, interesting roles for the world that we live in. Maybe it's akin to the likes of Matthew Bourne (and others) pushing those boundaries and creating exciting new work that both existing and future audiences will love and eventually (hopefully) this will have a knock on impact on the training and physical requirements in the earlier stages of these dancers' careers. Just thinking out loud here.

I'm interested to know - if the dancers in principal roles had curvier figures and perhaps looked more like women than young girls (and I'm not by any means saying that some don't, I'm very much generalising) would regular ballet audience members be put off? For me, when I watch dance, I'm inspired by those dancers that draw me in with their incredible artistry as well as exceptional technical prowess. Inevitably with the amount of exercise they are undertaking, professional dancers tend to be lean. But do they really need to be skinny, and in the case of the female dancers, have a kind of pre-pubescent look?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66720433 The article mentions that 50 dancers were interviewed. I imagine there wasn't the time to give a sufficient amount of time and respect to a higher number of individual stories in half an hour but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The rest of my (long, sorry) post is not in direct response to Ballet_novice and is just how I've felt having had time to watch and process the programme and read the article. There were lots of things that rang very true for me. Whilst I have never suffered with an eating disorder myself, I have had three very close friends that have, as well as a family member and several other friends and acquaintances. Two of my close friends were hospitalised and one very nearly died (she was 18, not a dancer). The issues causing their conditions were extremely complex and food just happened to be something they could control. Those of us that loved and cared for them were really careful not to use language around them that might worsen their feelings. We were teenagers living at home. I absolutely cannot bear to imagine what might have happened to them if they had been living away from family and non-dancing friends (of various sizes) and been regularly complimented and rewarded for the bodies they gained by depriving them themselves of food. The hospitals were doing everything within their power to incentivise them to eat, even if just a little. One friend was told if she could manage to put on a kilo she could go home for Christmas for example. Quite the opposite of having your chances improved of getting a lead role in a ballet or a Company place by continuing to starve yourself. These dancers had already proved their ability and potential by gaining places in these prestigious schools, selected over thousands of other applicants. It would no doubt have been the dream they'd dedicated most of their young lives to and the excitement they must have felt when invited to join must have been overwhelming. I'm absolutely in awe of these young people and their families for finding the courage to abandon that dream and walk away in order to survive - albeit permanently scarred. There will always be people in any environment that come through it unscathed. There is also a strong argument that prospective ballerinas are likely to be perfectionists and self-critical, competitive and potentially more prone to eating disorders. My personal view is that with this being the case already, it is incumbent upon the schools who are responsible for these children during their time there, to be even more responsible for ensuring they are supported, protected and healthy.

Amazing news, congratulations!

Hi, Does anyone have a pair of dance heels in black leather size 4.5 or 5 (street shoe size) with a 3 inch heel and T Strap that they'd be happy to sell? My daughter needs some asap for rehearsals for her dance show but she won't use them after the show so second hand in good condition would be the best option for us if we can find any! Picture as an example. Thank you!

Sorry I should have phrased that differently as my use of the word "all" is inaccurate. Apologies. Can't edit my original post but i hope everyone hears soon.

No vested interest but I do really feel for all the Central Associates who were at classes all day on Saturday and did/could not receive phone calls, only to find out later that other Finalists had heard. Even though they may well get good news tomorrow it's a shame the news couldn't have gone out at the same time.

I watched the BBC interview with Torvill and Dean afterwards who picked up something I thought was glaring after the event - the fact that her coach didn't hug her when she finished (especially when she had done so after she had been in gold medal position after the short programme, the first time she had skated after the drugs scandal had become public). Both T and D were highly critical of this lack of support and comfort. Then the presenter (I think Hazel Irvine but might be wrong) went on to say that they were getting (at that time unconfirmed) reports that someone had translated the comments the coach had made immediately after the performance and it was along the lines of :"what happened? Why did you give up?' etc. I'd like to say I was surprised but...😩

Hope it was good news 🤞

Yes we thought similar and those we know who auditioned for other year groups had their results through just over three weeks after the audition. I had wondered if the half term would make a difference but perhaps not if the relevant staff are still in situ.

Nothing here. DD auditioned on Mon 24th and I know the school breaks up for Half Term tomorrow, so not sure whether that means an extra week to wait?

DD enjoyed the morning and said she felt the standard was very high. The group auditioning was quite small - 9 or 12 dancers - so they will certainly all have had the chance to be seen!

Thank you @Silversparkle I will see what I can glean after the event! I do know that the three days of first auditions are showing as fully booked on the website.

Sorry can't answer any of your questions but DD will be at Tring on 24th Jan so though I'd post in solidarity! Good luck with the auditions 🍀

It is slightly ambiguous but is the same wording they have used in other years and as Margarite has said, after Finals your dc can potentially be offered main company, tour, waitlist for either of those options (places do come up) or a "not this time". Good luck!