Interested Parent

Yes for DaDa just as Hairbelles says. School get a pot of money, they audition and list wanted students in priority order (how much they want them/talent not how much they can contribute), parents complete income forms so school now knows how much of the pot is getting used as they go down the 'talent list' offering places. When the pot runs out they may offer wailing list places. Of course some of those offers will be declined and so the money left over can be assigned to another offer on the list, i.e. a waiting list place.

Gosh didn't realise the fees were so high at LSC! £13,770 and only able to get a 6k loan! I was sure it was around 9k last year?

NO!!!! I was lucky enough to get to all my DDs EYB performances but when we got the DVDs I could never see her! My mother always came to the performances and would openly ask me to let her know when she was coming on stage and point her out ((: it's all that makeup and those hair do's! Nightmare.

If you have grandfather, uncle etc that was a member of The Masons/Masonic Lodge you can apply for some funding but you might be late for that now. As AnnaC says your dd could try again next year and in the meantime do A levels locally and keep pushing to get some funding.

How about Danceworks, Pineapple and DanceAttic?

Dear Cara and BalletMadGril. Reading your posts has just cheered me so much. Best of luck to both your DC, I am sure they will both do well!

Just off the motorway. They can catch a bus from train station to very close to school. They have houses available for accommodation sharing and at audition will show you photos and info on them. No funding but if you apply for the bursary you will have a second audition and could pay quite a bit less. My DD chose another school in the end but the teaching seemed good and the staff were lovely. BTW if you're stopping over the Premier Inn is only 5 mins drive from the school.

I would thoroughly recommend Helene at Dancique. My DD would get a good fitting at Freed but within a few weeks the shoes (and any new ones) caused problems. It was a constant battle. It's difficult for our young dancers who do not really know what a shoe should feel like. We educated ourselves using the website given on here and discovered DD had a compressible foot meaning that off pointe/flat on the floor she looked wide but when en pointe in the shoe her metatarsals were compressing and she was sinking into her shoe causing bruised toenails and severe pain in her toe joints. We went armed with this knowledge to Dancique and they fitted her with a beautiful shoe that has literally allowed her to keep dancing.

I've had this problem all my life and didn't realise that it was adding to my headache problems until I saw a Physio and looked at myself walking in a mirror from the side. I couldn't even activate those stabiliser muscles under and below the shoulder blades. So my physio had me stand with my back against the wall, very close so that the wall was pressing against this area. I then rolled my shoulder blades back as advised by Dr Dance and could just about feel them. You can also do this lying on the floor and pulling your shoulders back to touch the floor. The physio told me to do 3 x 20 reps of activating/squeezing these muscles every day. After 6 weeks and also paying attention to my overall posture my headaches had reduced from 3 a week to 3 a month!!! Amazing. BTW my DD has this problem but has also learnt to control it with exercises.

Golly. Why is it so expensive!!

My DD had issues with pain in her legs, muscle fatigue and stomach aches. We went to see a consultant for her 'injuries' and he had scans done but also blood tests for vitd deficiency. He advised that many young people are low in vitd for all sorts of reasons suggested above but it was the high energy training since starting voc school and her low vitd levels that had contributed to her injuries. I don't think anyone should just start taking vitd but I do think it's worth getting a blood test done for kids who are involved in high energy training. This way your gp can prescribe the right dose if needed to bring those levels back up and then advise on the right maintenance dose going forward. Made a big difference to my DD.

Hi Anaballerina. Talk to your ballet friends around you. Ask them how they feel. You will be surprised how much you have in common with the homesickness worries and how many other students will be feeling this too. My DD did this last year and it helped enormously knowing she wasn't the only one.

Yes I too think they need to see some emotion. It's important for them to know that these feelings of sadness and missing someone are very normal so you need to show that a little too. In my experience if you expect 'stiff upper lip' and your child feels they have no control, they will find that control in other ways such as what they eat and we all know that can lead to all sorts of problems. My DD couldn't wait to go to voc school at 16 but when she got there she struggled enormously. I put on a brave face and kept her calm and focused but occasionally we both cried together (and her Dad!) and I think that showed her that none of us are perfect, we should share our true feelings with those we love and trust but we also learn from that and become stronger, more resilient people for it. Ironically this year she can't wait to get back and I'm an emotional mess ((-:

Thank you.

So my DD has come to the end of her first vocational year (post 16) and her ballet teacher wants her to work on 'flexibility and mobility in her back to improve her extensions and arabesques''. She also needs to fully anchor her shoulder blades. Could anyone give advice on exercises, thoughts/imagery or maybe a Physio is needed to help her improve?