YorkshirePudding

No. My DS has a similar birthday an in our experience they always move strictly by school year, so they change each September

Of those listed above I can vouch for Northern Ballet, MaillotRose (Harewood, and some classes in East Moreton) and Sara Packham (Keighley) depending on where you are between Leeds and Bradford.

I would just add, it's definitely worth auditioning for all the resilience reasons BlueLou says, but also to benchmark whether or not the dream is realistic or whether it is helpful and healthy to redefine success more broadly. My DS loves dancing, but just isn't really very good at it and no amount of 'follow your dreams and they will come true' hocus pocus is going to make dance a realistic ambition. (I keep meaning to start a 'DC who love dance but arent particularly good' thread to celebrate the small triumphs of the recreational dancer). But because he has ventured out from our teeny weeny dance school into the bigger world and seen this for himself he knows this to be the case and views dance as something he really enjoys and wants to improve at in order to support other aspects of performing arts. And so the dream evolves into something that better fits the child... I'm not suggesting you give up at the first 'no' or even the second or third if it feels like you are in the right ballpark, and I'm not suggesting anything at all about your DD and her dancing. I'm just saying keep realistic as well as optimistic. And as CeliB says look at offering lots of different opportunities. It can be really easy to assume when you read this forum that chances of success are relatively high. They aren't. And the only way you will know is by having a go. And there are lots of fun times to be had on the way, and whatever the ultimate destination the journey is never wasted and you will be wiser more experienced travellers wherever you end up. Good luck!

I saw this last night in Leeds and it is a total joy, so these look like a bargain! Enjoy!!

I completely agree with this - I don't know you Lisa but it is clear just from reading what you write that you are articulate and literate, that you are happy to offer well reasoned opinion on areas where you have knowledge and expertise, and equally happy to seek help if you have identified areas where you can improve your knowledge. Add to that the dedication, self discipline and team working skills required of a professional dancer, and the resilience and interpersonal skills developed through travelling and working abroad, and raising your son I think you potentially have much to offer an employer. I don't know what sort of community you live in, but I wonder whether one relatively informal place to start gaining office and admin skills would be asking around amongst the small businesses you know and therefore who know you? So if there are people who know you and with whom you regularly pass the time of day you could ask if they know of anyone who might need a few hours of admin help, because you are looking for work. They will already know how you conduct and present yourself and therefore may be more imaginative in their approach to recruiting. Your actual CV experience in that situation therefore becomes less relevant than when you are competing with others at an agency who may have taken a more direct and linear route to the same destination. It's just possible they may have something themselves, or if not that they can personally recommend you to someone they know and then even if what is out there is not what you originally were looking for it might enable you to gain experience and training to equip you going forwards. For example - you were a school governor - might your local primary school need office help or telephone cover for an hour or so across lunchtimes? Any small local independent shops/businesses you regularly visit, might they need help in the back office, phones answering or anything similar, or know someone who does? A very good friend of mine who was left on her own in the lurch with her kids his debts and their mortgage by a disappearing husband, went out to a local café waitressing aged 50 after 20 years out of the workplace. She really believed she had nothing to offer an employer. 3 years later she has ended up in a creative head office role at the café chain because she did everything she did to the best of her ability, whether it was potwashing or stocktaking and somebody there was forward thinking enough to see the life skills she had gained could be turned into something really useful for everybody. So I genuinely believe that there are open minded employers out there who want good people to succeed. You just need to put yourself in the way of as many as possible, and potentially be willing to kiss a few employment frogs before the right one comes along. Very best of luck!

My DS was 8 at the time and was asked by a Mum if he had any pre-audition advice for her even younger DS and he said quick as a flash 'just be yourself and remember you get a lot more "nos" than "yeses" in this game!'. I'm sorry your DD is upset but I do think children develop very healthy resilience from the process and they move on from the disappointment far more easily than we parents do sometimes. I can confirm we have indeed already had far more nos than yeses (and he is only 9!) but in hindsight the yeses have been a better fit for DS than the nos would have been, and I hope the same is true for your DD. As others have said no can mean 'Not yet' or even in our experience 'Not quite this', opening other doors we might never otherwise have noticed.

I have never asked permission, just told school what the children are doing and when they would be collected and returned back. Both their primary and secondary schools have always responded with a 'good luck and let us know how you get on..'

Well that is a very good point, and I personally think it might have been more effective to have a smaller print and explanation on the wall if they wanted a debate. However it is all over social media so I think people have accessed it in other ways, or have responded to the principle of its removal.

In an interview with the curator on the radio this morning she described the temporary removal and the leaving of the space on the gallery wall as an opportunity to provoke a conversation about the piece. She was wanting visitors to the gallery to leave a post-it on the empty wall with their thoughts on the picture, its subject matter, and its removal. As a counterpoint to that a 19th century historian responded that whilst the project has provoked a response it may not be a terribly helpful one in terms of a conversation about the objectification of women in art, media and society compared to curating the picture in a different context or provoking a conversation about its subject matter set against historical perspectives. Still... we are all talking about it and we wouldn't have been otherwise. I can't get too outraged about deliberate curatorial provocation though. Seems to me that if people engage with art as being relevant to them (even if they do so in a negative way) the curator may have achieved at least part of her objective.

Is there an option to do only one of the two weeks tutugirl, or is it all or nothing? Week 2 is a no go for us unfortunately.

Hi. Any news on likely dates for next summer tutugirl? I know it is planning ahead but DS wants the entire summer schedule organised to try to accommodate summer school!

Come to Leeds. We have Northern Ballets Little Mermaid and West Yorkshire Playhouse doing the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Not a nut to be cracked at all round here!

I went on Tuesday night with DS (8) who had begged to go having read the book. I was a bit hesitant but he was transfixed, his only wriggling being to pat me on the knee to make sure I had spotted each character as they were introduced. I totally get the criticisms of the plotting of the original book voiced above, but I think the underlying themes of the child who looks unflinchingly full square at horror yet without understanding, and the adults who understand the horror and yet look away, came over very clearly. The music was discordant, as others have said, but seemed to work effectively for both me and DS. It's not an 'enjoyable' night out given the subject matter, but I thought it was powerful and certainly worked for DS who was transfixed by the male leads in particular.

Ditto from my little DS. Had a fab time (thank you tutugirl) and in awe of your bigger DSs. Amazing show. DS already bemoaning the fact he has to wait a WHOLE YEAR to do it all again!

Thank you Sophie-Rebecca looks interesting. Yes he is dancing, and is looking forward to the Northern Ballet open boys classes starting in September, although lack of boys in normal dance school classes does not seem to deter him at all.

Whilst I agree that the debate is no longer on the original topic, I for one have found the robustly held, and well argued viewpoints from all on here who are far better informed than me, very enlightening and informative. It is difficult to convey nuance and tone online and a passionately held opposing view does not necessarily mean antagonism is intended by anyone. I know it is the right thing to pull the topic back on course, but one of the delights of a diverse community is the knowledge that can be gained during a diversion, so from me, a thank you to those who have contributed. I for one am now much more aware of the issue and therefore better educated and better able to treat everybody as they would wish to be treated. As an adult learner of dance myself I applaud anyone who puts themselves in for examinations or commits themselves to education. Bravo Dormouse, Sophie, and everyone else who is continuing with lifelong learning in whatever form.

Standing ovation tonight too, with Javier Torres as Casanova, and well deserved. It was simply breathtaking at times, and there were audible gasps both arising from the audience's emotional connection to the story and also at various points from the sheer sensuous and sensational artistry on display. See it if you possibly can!

I'm sneaking off to see it on Tuesday all by myself. Can't wait!

I took my 7 year old DS to see this today. He loved it and was definitely in awe of the male dancers. He followed the story very clearly and it was a perfect next step after having seen the Nutcracker as his first ballet experience. I loved it too and thought the music was wonderful. Highly recommended!

I saw it at the weekend having not seen the film. I enjoyed it but was a bit perplexed as to exactly who all the chaps were... there seemed to be a lot of largely indistinguishable men in suits of varying black or stripiness and I wasn't always clear if it was the same cast member playing a different part with a different coat on, or the same character doing a different thing. My ignorance I'm sure, but I thought the music was wonderful and the dancing exquisite.

Oh I'm so relieved it's not just me... that sinking feeling when you smugly pull the leotard out of the bag for a swift change, only to find it looks like DS has mystically played rugby, or made tomato soup in it since last time...

We've just had a notification from DS's dance teacher about BBO Dance Days 2017 with reference to as yet unspecified 'eligibility criteria' The dance days dates are 11th - 13th April at Elmhurst School Might it be these that you are thinking of rather than scholars auditions?

Thank you. That would be fab x

I am finding these impossible to get hold of. Anybody got one knocking about they no longer need? Many thanks

We were with two schools for a short while because of a scheduling problem that meant DS couldn't do tap at his original school. We told both schools, and the teacher at the new school was very clear she wanted to be sure that the previous school knew and were ok about things as they were fairly close geographically and she didn't want to be seen as poaching. Even with everything all out in the open it was slightly stressful as when I came to pick up I would hear DS every now and again saying in a lesson 'my other teacher says...' which made me want to curl up and die inside. It was a big relief when he gradually moved all his lessons over to the new school. So I would say definitely tell everybody and even then it can be slight minefield!