chloe123

My daughter has taken classes in the grade above her for the last few years now. Mainly it has been a good experience and the pros outweigh the cons. One drawback though is that if they remain in their original group for exam work then it may get repetitive. eg if she is doing grade 4 exam but also taking grade 5 classes as an extra and then moves up to grade 5 'officially' how would your daughter feel about the fact she's already covered that work?

As a children's nurse I understand that sadly there is an increase in the number of children with rickets. It is difficult in UK climate for some people (eg darker skinned, living in the North, covering up their skin) to get enough vitamin D from sunlight. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended by the NHS for all very young children - I'm not sure of the guidance for adults and older children.

My daughter also got hers from planet dance in Leeds.

My daughter is 12 (year 8) She goes to an ISTD school. She is in grade 4 ballet grade 5 tap grade 5 modern 3 ballet classes a week 2 tap 2 modern She is a 'semi serious' dancer. She's certainly not going to be a professional ballerina. She doesn't do enough ballet and doesn't do associate classes etc. She has though done a few extra things such as English youth ballet and local performances. She has hopes of a career that is somehow linked to performing arts but not specifically ballet. Hope that helps.

My daughter did English youth ballet and Regional youth ballet within the same year. I am happy to give you our experience but obviously it is only one dancers opinion out of many. Regional youth ballet was in the main a positive experience. It does not seem to be well advertised so it is difficult to find anything out about it. There seemed to be a fair bit of time spent hanging around during rehearsals. Having said that, the performance was a good standard and my daughter enjoyed it. It was sometimes difficult to get a reply to email queries. My daughter didn't find it particularly challenging as she was dancing in a group of slightly younger girls but it was still enjoyable. Although some issues, it was mainly a good experience. English youth ballet seemed to us to offer more opportunity to make progress. It was challenging and the girls were grouped more by ability which worked well. It was very well organised with virtually no hanging around other than for timetabled breaks. The dancers without main parts were still kept very busy. Parents were kept up to date with everything and it was well advertised. The performances again were of a high standard. If I ask my daughter if she would do regional youth ballet again she says 'probably' - if I ask her if she would do English Youth Ballet again she says 'definitely'

My daughter is 12 and is just starting ISTD grade 4. The group above her are mainly 13 / 14 and are soon to do their grade 5 exam. She takes between 2 and 4 ballet classes a week. Remember that this forum has a lot of dancers / parents who are on the path to a professional dance career. I felt like my daughter was seriously behind when I first started reading this forum. But then I realised that for someone who dances seriously but as a hobby (and also does other dance styles) this is probably quite normal.

The NSPCC does have statutory powers to intervene on behalf of children - it also has an advice line so it is a good first port of call if you are unsure what to do about a child protection issue. I don't disagree about contacting the police but it can be a very daunting thing to do so having someone to talk it through with can be very helpful

This is a really difficult situation but I think you have a responsibility here to the other children. What she is accused of doing is illegal and abusive. You may not feel able to discuss directly with the parents but either way I think you need some professional advice. I would probably ring the nspcc advice line as they will talk it through with you. Other options might be to ring children's social care or the local police. The fact this has happened in a dance school is irrelevant really x

She can fit them on easily with ballet shoes but only just with pointe shoes underneath

My daughter is a 4 and she fits in the small if that helps?

It's a shame that the only one in the north is Giselle as it was also Giselle for a northern one this year. That was a decider for us so we will wait to see for the year after.

This is bizarre. Your daughter is a person as well as a dancer! Hips are not only relevant for dancing. The teacher wouldn't have been offended if you'd been to the GP for example about an ear infection would she? Any health issues that are worrying you should be reviewed by an appropriate health professional whatever that issue might be.

thanks t_rose, that's a big help

Thank you Jane, I will do that x

Just to clarify, I was just asking to try to find out about small, local productions. We've no intention at least for the time being of auditioning for anything in London. Unfortunately it's just not practical. I understand that high quality west end shows are unlikely to hold open auditions and see thousands of children. But what about children who just want experience on a much smaller scale? We live near York and have seen on several occasions open auditions for things in Leeds or other local areas but it's very hard to find out about them. My daughter has done a few amateur shows and is just looking to maybe take this a step further. She loves ballet but also dance in general and musical theatre. I've requested to join the forum suggested. Many thanks everyone.