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Balletmumfor2

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Everything posted by Balletmumfor2

  1. Hi Pointytoes. I think we will be interested in this. Unfortunately my DD is in bed now so I will check with her in the morning that its suitable and get back to you.
  2. The things my dd struggled with buying at 16 was a replacement sharp knife for the kitchen and getting paracetamol for headaches. She had to send an SOS message to her Dad for paracetamol and and hayfever tablets, and he was a bit concerned when she emailed his work with a message stating: 'thank you for the drugs;they have arrived safely!' She does have a mini nectar card on her keyring to collect points.
  3. Dd's teacher recently wanted tan coloured pointe shoes for a stylised ballet they were doing as they had bare legs rather than pink tights. They 'pancaked' their shoes as usual using calamine but added a small amount of foundation to make them more tan coloured.
  4. Loads of them at OPES are not on pointe. They cater for all ages & abilities. Fab summer school with lovely teachers and a relaxed informal atmosphere. Feel free to PM me if you want to ask anything as my two have done it two years running.
  5. I think the price of a tyre greatly depends upon the size and usage. We have a family car and do a lot of motorway driving and high mileage so our tyres also cost over £100 each. A smaller car has smaller tyres which work out a lot cheaper.
  6. I have contacted my friend from this forum who offers this service and she has given me permission to message you her email which I've done. My eldest has darned all her own shoes since the age of 15. Youngest, aged 14 sews all her own ribbons and is planning to darn her new shoes this summer when she has more time. I can't wait to relinquish this job!
  7. Last year the Central results seemed to come out in batches. A few people we knew got 'yes' letters then had 7 days to accept. Other people we know heard nothing at first then got a 'yes'. We didn't hear anything for ages but then got reserve list which later changed to a 'yes'. It was a long and stressful wait. Good luck to those waiting.
  8. Hi Chaperone. After the audition a few are asked to return for a half hour recall after both morning and afternoon auditions are over. Last yr this consisted of a brief class of splits & stretching only. I suspect it was to check potential flexibility / turnout and the like for those who had not demonstrated these aspects during the audition itself. Your dd should know if she is required to stay for this or not after her 2 hr audition. Hope this helps. Best of luck to your dd.
  9. Manchester MA's is the same set up mentioned above with one class comprising of all 3 year groups. There are currently 4 year 9's so this will release 4 spaces if no-one else leaves. Class numbers do vary however so they could potentially offer 6 places maybe if they saw children they really wanted.
  10. The year my youngest dd did finals there were 3 on waiting list. They were told they were not in order and who would be offered first would depend on who'd dropped out. Although one person turned their space down this was not till later on when all the new children had had their visit so as far as I know none of the 3 took the space. At least one had already accepted a place at another school by then and bought uniform etc.
  11. Hi TillyJ. I think it was subsequent posters who mentioned the older buildings. As someone who works in a school, I totally agree with you that first impressions, including a welcoming atmosphere, are crucial to sell a school to the best candidates, which is what every school needs to do.
  12. I agree with the above post. My dd also joined Central in September gone & we have always had a very pleasant welcome / reception there. I mentioned it to my dd who said maybe the regular reception staff were not present being the half term weekend. Central does treat students like young adults however & all correspondence is done through them rather than parents. I think this is in preparation for the world they are entering where they need to be very independent. There is a warm welcome atmosphere there most of the time. Buildings are tatty but so are the pointe shoes of principal dancers. Don't judge things on looks alone.
  13. My dd visited school nutritionist recently and as she is so pale skinned, was told she should try to supplement her Vitamin D. Nutritionist said many dancers have low levels due to the amount of time spent inside in studios. I know she is now adding vitamin D rich food to her diet but will have to check with her exactly what she now eats. I know it's very simple as she has to provide all her own food.
  14. When my dd's did shows such as EYB, my husband scanned in the flier and then in a similar font to the rest of the writing, wrote 'Starring Joe Bloggs' across the top. This produced a personalised poster/souvenir for each child. We bought A4 clip frames to put them in. My dd's still have the framed personalised posters and they are lovely momentoes of the shows they have been in. Hubby does work in computers but am sure it wouldn't be too difficult for someone with a bit of computer know-how. On occasions, he has produced an original poster including a photo of the child my dd has taken backstage in costume with details of the show they were 'starring' in. We have also given small themed presents linked to the show such as ruby slipper key rings at the Wizard of Oz for example.
  15. If you do decide to go with the regular class leotard, how about a small bow for the back of her hair just to make her feel special. MA's wear a matching ribbon bow tied onto a hairpin pushed into the top of the bun. JA's often have the same or two smaller bows if the centre wears the crossed plait hair style. I know my two girls liked their bows which weren't worn to their regular ballet classes and anything which makes her feel special will make her dance confidently and most importantly enjoy the whole experience. Hope you have a lovely day and get some nice souvenirs from the PTA stall.
  16. Selected waiting list is a reserve waiting list. If anyone doesn't accept their place or pulls out for injury or other reason you will be notified. My youngest got her place from this & older dd was offered a chance to do a second week a few days before the start. You may be asked whether you wish to remain on the list until it starts. Many will turn waiting list down as they commit to an alternative ss instead.
  17. Hi Primrose. Are you sure RBS associates still use Kate Simmons. My dd's have been associates for 11 years and did associate classes at Centre Pointe in Denton, Manchester. We were under the impression that the only other centre in the North was at Newcastle and that is only in the last couple of years.
  18. My two dd's have done several auditions over the years as were both Associates. In their auditions, numbers were allocated according to age. Younger mids ended up at one end of the bar & older ones at the other. I once asked if it was possible for my two girls to audition on the same day for mids and sa's as it entailed a day off for my husband. I was told it would depend on my youngest dd's age as the oldest mids are often on the same day as sa's depending on numbers auditioning. Ja auditions are very simple. First a look at front, back & side with feet in parallel. My dd told me some children were given a cross at this stage. Then frogs, splits etc. Then pointing feet with socks off. At this stage it is all about do they have nice feet, good turnout, long legs to torso etc. There is little dancing in this audition. Skips to ascertain musicality. Obviously in older auditions they are looking for more technique. I was very surprised by the range of physiques in sa's as children in mids and ja's are often quite similar. The panel do talk out loud at times. My youngest dd said she was sure she had got finals in year 7 as she heard them mentioning her number favourably as she did turning skips past the panel. Although I was sceptical about this she was recalled to finals that year. With such large numbers auditioning they can afford to be fussy. There are always a few children who don't seem to fit the mould however & are just beautiful dancers. Even associate teachers are often surprised by the ones picked so I don't think decisions are made before the actual audition. They like to compare all the children together. You need to go with no expectations so no-one is disappointed. Having done 11 years between them, we are waiting to see if younger dd will get sa's this yr. However, I have no idea since it will depend who else they see at auditions and which children go on to vocational schools. Enjoy the experience & anything else that comes from it is a bonus.
  19. My DD uses Pledge multisurface wax in her shoes. It replaced Johnsons Klear floor wax which is what she was told to use on a rbs pointe shoe workshop. Much cheaper than shellac or other official pointe shoe products. Its available from Amazon or eBay or Morrisons also sell it.
  20. I'm not sure how she can surmise its down to her hair. My youngest dd has very thick hair which is longer than her waist. She is currently growing it so she can eventually have it cut to make a wig for someone with cancer. There is apparently a charity which does this. My eldest did have a problem with her head position which was only pointed out recently at 6th form vocational. She was asked if she ever suffered from headaches at the end of a long class and was told her head position was too high. 3 weeks later after conscious effort her headaches are gone and her whole posture is improved. I think it would be very difficult to state a head position was down to hair!
  21. Regarding turnout, my dd was a ja, ma and sa and made ss and finals twice. She had the other desirable features but not perfect turnout. Exercises are given at associates to work on this aspect. She still doesn't have perfect turn out now.
  22. Hi Amos73. I doubt height is the issue as there are some very small ja's and mids. I think proportions i.e. long legs and short torso are probably more important. As there are only a limited number of places however, it is probable that your daughter was just not one of the best 7 or 15 children in terms of physique and technique they saw out of the hundreds that applied. There are so few places and they will of course take the best they see. That's why others are often successful on future occasions as they are suitable but there were just not enough places for all. Since it was your dd's teacher who mentioned her physique, why don't you ask for clarification from her as to what she believes is unsuitable for royal. Then you can see if you feel this may be an issue or whether there were just better dancers on that particular day. Too often we look for what is wrong with our children rather than considering, with limited places, that there was just someone better.
  23. My dd's dance school also wears Primark knickers but they wear the black microfibre shorts. The smallest size seems to fit age 7 right up to older teenagers. A few years ago I bought some of therefore myself as they were really comfy but unfortunately they were soon 'borrowed' to be used as dance shorts. They come in packs of 3 for about £6 & look just like micro shorts.
  24. If I remember correctly from what my dd read to me, Central ask for two pairs in the first instance so they can check fit/suitability and then10 pairs for the first term! As my dd has high arches and goes through shoes quickly there will definitely be darning & hardening to try to make them last a bit longer. Having several pairs on the go allows them to dry out fully between wearings. As she will be based in London she can always collect more shoes from the Freed shop as she needs them.
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