Boys_can_dance

Yeah, not too worried about safety, as boy. I’m more concerned about not being too far away, as that would be excluding him from many evening activities. I’ve had a look at the YHAs around London, and they’re expensive!😮

Hi- my son went as a 10/11 year old, then left. I don’t know much about the senior program, but do know a bit about the school in general. Maybe I can help a little.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions for hostel or cheaper hotels/B&B that might be suitable and not far away from Covent Garden’s, maybe with other participants staying? Or does someone want to share an AirBnB? First 2weeks. Thanks 🙏 Anja

I agree. I was sent to the uk to stay with friends of my parents age 12 and little English ( could understand fair, speak little), and it was fine. I started talking after a week and haven’t stopped since, lol 😂

My son has, year 10, but as day student. UK national, but resident in Germany currently. We will have to find a place to stay. Any suggestions/ experience?

Indeed, the teens can be dreadful. I have an ADHD girl also, unmedicated until she developed severe anxiety at Uni. She didn’t want to take medication, she ‘likes herself better’ without. She does however now use it for her studies- she’s doing medicine. My DS didn’t even learn to talk properly, as he wasn’t able to listen to people well enough to pick it up. No learning done at all in reception/year one, but as soon as was medicated, made up for lost time and never looked back! I found DS accepted the medication much easier, as he was much younger when he started it( girls are usually diagnosed much later!). The ballet teacher has taken to at least demonstrate what he means in a scetchy way, and lets DS move along, instead of making him stand still, that helps massively. Little things like that can already be enough, and cost them so little.

Could you please give me the link/info regarding the DADA? DS getting to senior school age, and he has English passport, residence Germany. I seem to have come up with the result that he’s not entitled, but if you know better, I’d only be too delighted!

Hi- my DS has ADHD. Medicated, as without medication he was (and is) entirely non-functional due to the severity of his symptoms. He’s in year 10, therefore due to progress into senior school August 23. He is coping well. The school and ballet school are aware, and accommodate his different learning style. He’s very open about it, all his classmates know, he tells people readily -he has found that other people’s tolerance of his little idiosyncrasies is much better if they know.

Sorry, missed this. DS spent a year in Munich first, but it didn’t suit him, the style was very Russian dominated and strict, with some bullying by other boys about lack of German etc, and the teachers basically saying they couldn’t do much, as they couldn’t be there all the time. They’ve recently started to adress both issues, but I think it may take a while. Berlin, im not sure. They’ve just changed the entire school management and a lot of the teachers after a massive scandal about teachers bullying and/or overworking students, bad leadership, lack of pastoral care, favouritism with neglect of the not quite so good pupils. DS is now approaching senior school, but as of now I’m not prepared to consider either school again. Pallucca in Dresden I don’t know too much about, other than them having a higher amount of “other” dance styles, so more Allrounders. Dresden, however , has a not insignificant problem with the extreme right/xenophobia, you need to be clear about that if moving there Hamburg suits us well, it’s tolerant and caring, makes allowances for DS ADHD. Solid grounding in classical ballet with a large amount of contemporary ( bcs Neumeier), but very little Modern and Character. But Neumeier is retiring summer 2023, so nobody knows who comes next and what that will mean to the school. The other school that has a good reputation with no scandal attached and a stable leadership ( in that case, Russian educated Polish, I think) is John Cranko in Stuttgart. I know however nothing at all about it. if I was you, I’d also consider Kopenhagen. None of the German schools have an open day for potential applicants. Hamburg has the ‘Theaternacht’, where the public can come and see everyone train, but that’s just been. Best of luck.

We were in the same position- both high earners, but 6 (adult) kids, and a potential huge contribution to any UK ballet school for our youngest. We moved lock, stock and barrel to Germany, where DS has been training happily the last 4 years ( entering 5th), at €150/month, this year no fee due to private scholarship from a local sponsoring organization ( not applied for, complete surprise). We haven’t looked back. Even boarding, Germany is way cheaper. We chose Hamburg, as the school , both admin and teachers, is in the majority English or English speaking, and the local Grammar School they cooperate with has a language unit where non German speakers will learn the language.

Can someone please confirm that week 1 starts 19. July, so on a Tuesday? Seems odd to me?

Yes for DS week 1/2 boys 14-15!

What age group are we talking? My son was there for a year age 11, he left to go to Hamburg instead... we also moved to Munich, so he was a day student. Change to Vaganova was difficult initially. Teaching is solid, very high standard. Tone is rather rough, you’d need a thick skin. Under 16 they’re really not set up for foreign students, they expect enough German to follow lessons. We left Munich because of bullying at the Ballet School, and absolutely no response from teachers when we reported it 😡 The first response we got was when we withdrew him.

Are these girls only, or also suitable for boys? edit: typo

Hi- but late, but maybe you’re still interested. My son is 13, and currently at John Neumeier in Hamburg, now completing 2nd year. We’re very happy with the school so far. The division of school and dance we have not experienced as a problem, but we have chosen to send him to the school that has cooperated with the ballet school since inception, so are very tolerant of the dancers and their special requirements, and run German courses in the school for non- German speakers. He spent one year at the ballet school in Munich, but disliked it immensely, it was very disorganized, and they were very intolerant of non-German speakers there, including the other children (!!), so not a good option. A fair few of the teacher there were Russian, and had, shall we say, interesting teaching methods, especially the Russian male teacher we encountered. Part of the advantage in Hamburg is that a lot of staff are native English speakers, including the head of school, Mrs Delmaine, and therefore also have a less abrupt approach. My son spoke absolutely no German when we moved over, which has impacted his grades somewhat, but he’s getting there. And that’s a child with severe ADHD, that has problems structuring his language even in his native language at the best of times.