dancemom2

Unless you are at a Vaganova-based school, most age 7 dancers will be wearing tights in the U.S. I also recommend convertible tights. It is common at our studio for harried moms and younger students to forget (or lose) their shoes and it's easier for kids to take class barefoot than in slippery tights. U.S. ballet schools often have uniform requirements or preferences listed on their website, so I would start there to see if your student will need a specific brand or type. Local rec classes will be more relaxed in their requirements. I would then visit a local dance store to make sure you get the correct size the first time - employees are usually pretty good about looking at a child and knowing what their size will be, and will often give discounts for specific school-affiliated students (usually about 10%). You can also find tights at discountdance.com or allaboutdance.com. Both have large inventories and frequent sales. And if you haven't yet found it, there is a good U.S. sister-site to this one. It's called Ballet Talk for Dancers, and you can find it at https://dancers.invisionzone.com/.

lspendl828, sorry for the late response; I've not been on the site for several days. We are in the U.S., so yes, we purchased them here. But I've seen them on amazon.co.uk via its "global store" so it looks like you can order them there. But I'd just google the model number to see if you can find them elsewhere. My DD has to wear uniform tights M-F, but wears these on Saturdays when she has free dress because the waist is so comfortable.

I don't know if they are available in the U.K., but Capezio has a low-rise transition tight. My daughter has several pair of model 1872, Ultra Soft, Low-rise.

DD's first summer attending was off the wait list and very late in the game - she received invite in June.

Anyone using Sharpie, be careful. Regular Sharpie black pens can go a bit purple. I had better luck with a brush tip fabric paint pen from Marvy Uchida. The black was true with no hint of purple, and the brush tip was easy to slide under the casing and around the leather sole to ensure no pink peeked through. I found black pointe shoe ribbon by calling local dance stores until I found one that had some left over from a bulk purchase they had made for another area school performance.

When I went back to work after not working for several years, the one course I found very beneficial was an online Excel course. MS Word and the like are fairly easy to play around with to figure out how to do a bit more than just typing and setting margins (i.e. columns, tables, etc.), but Excel can be a bit trickier to learn. If nothing else, a beginning Excel course will teach you how to use if for the basics, as well as what the program CAN do if you put in more time playing with it. I use it daily in my office job because I actually find it easier and more time efficient than Word to do many basic organizational tasks, lists, etc. I can easily format and sort my information before inserting it into a Word document.

Sorry, but what is OTT?

American here. I've only heard it pronounced Don keehoetay.

The post was not a critique of her performance, it was a highly inflammatory attack on Ms. Copeland, ABT, and American ballet in general. Regardless of whether this was "par for the course" as you "understand" (have you seen her perform?) or an anomaly, the post was just plain nasty and uncalled for. Definitely written from under a bridge.

15+ was Summer Course A. My DD attended week 1 last year.

Yes, but it made it impossible to get a fitting in the store. DD had hoped that by visiting the mother ship, she would finally have options to the "off-the-rack" Freed she wears. It was disappointing to be told they don't carry any shoes at all in her width so she shouldn't bother going in.

Freed told me (last summer) that they don't carry the very narrow sizes in the store. They had to send shoes for my DD directly from their warehouse.

Just received email. Acceptance to Covent Garden w/ accommodation for DD.

I just wish they would adhere to their published/promised date. If it will be March 1st (or 10th or 15th), give that as the date. Waiting is stressful. RBS knows it is stressful, yet plays this game. It just feels like there is a certain amount of conceit and disrespect for applicants and it leaves a bit of a sour taste. US schools will provide info if student has a deadline, but RBS's attitude is that if you still want to go when they get around to letting you know, great. If not, on to the next paying customer.

Website says by the end of February: Applications for our Summer Programme have now closed. Applicants will be informed whether or not they have gained a place by the end of February.

DD turned 15 very shortly after ENB summer and was placed in the lowest level of the 15+ session. She very much enjoyed the course and thought it well worth attending. She has applied again for this year.

LGBTQIA Definitions and short explanation of why these terms are being used from US organization, NOW (National Organization for Women): http://now.org/blog/now-updates-acronym-lgbtqia/ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual A bit of a memory test as well as a tongue twister. Perhaps if they reordered, we could come up with something easy to say and remember like RADAR or SCUBA...

leotardmum, I don't have a break down for ages or levels, but these are numbers that RBS included in DD's waitlist notification email: a total of over 2,700 applications for 632 places available.

Actually, I asked for pointe shoe glue and cyanoacrylate, and the woman in the London shop responded, "JetGlue?" so apparently it isn't just we ugly Americans who "need" to use trade names. And although we can find Hot Stuff and one or two non-trade name brands of pointe shoe glue, JetGlue is far and away the most widely available option in the US. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go Hoover my sitting room, then wash the dishes with a bit of Fairy liquid...

Quick update: Dancia just opened a new 'Windsor' shop (actually in Datchet) a few days ago. I haven't yet been because I ended up hitting up the London dance shops, but I might try before we head back to the states just to check out what they have. Unfortunately, the main item I needed to find while here - JetGlue or its equivalent - apparently isn't sold in dance shops. The woman at Dancia in London told me they aren't allowed to sell it because doing so requires a license. So my question is: what do dancers here use to firm up the box of their shoes?

Thank so much, all. Much appreciated.

Thank you, Legseleven and Pointetoes!

I am looking for a dancewear/accessories shop in or around Berkshire (preferably closer to Maidenhead/Windsor), as well as a decent UK online supplier. My Google searches for local shops bring up mostly school uniform providers. Any recommendations will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks, all. Was able to change our plans for just a small fee, so my DD will be attending WL weeks 3 & 4. She's over the moon.

Thank you, taxi4ballet. We're in the U.S., so DD has spent many January & February weekends auditioning for various US-based summer programs. I'm wondering specific to future RBS acceptance. She was first waitlisted, so obviously not first choice. I'd like to get a feel for whether attending (or not) this summer will affect her chances of being accepted again in the future.