glowlight

To me there seem to be a couple of clear messages coming out of this thread: 1) If it's going awry - don't be afraid to take your child out of the school. It doesn't have to mean the end of their dance training. If they want to continue dancing - there will always be other options for these talented children. But if they've had enough, there's nothing wrong with that. 2) Year 7 isn't the only option. There are plenty of children who join vocational schools in later years, and 16 is always an option if you can maintain good dance training at home. 3) Whatever age your child is, never make them feel that they 'owe you' for what you have invested in their training. For this reason I would always caution against taking huge loans or remortgaging your home to pay for vocational training.

You pose an interesting question @Elz and I am too far removed to have any idea of the answer. But my suggestion would be not to worry about this kind of thing. If you have a child or student ready to apply for JA (or whatever) this year...put in that application...take the chance... and accept (as in any other year) this may be your time...or it may be 'not this time'. Let's make sure Covid isn't a reason to constrain the ambition of future generations of artists.

Fortunately there are increasingly excellent options for training up to the age of 16 which don't involve going away. Excellent associates schemes, Northern Ballet CAT if you are in striking distance of Leeds, and I believe that the boarding vocational schools take day pupils - so that may be an option if you live within commuting distance.

@Julsgalaxy - the fact that you are asking these questions now, and recognise what a life changing decision this is puts you streets ahead. Use all the information available to you, and your own 'gut feel' when you have contact with the schools to inform your decision. Recognise that what is good for one child may not work for another, and vice versa. On the other side of the coin - another consideration is, if your dd really wants to be a dancer, do you have access to suitable quality teaching close to home? As she gets older, are you willing and able to spend most of your weekends travelling around the country to access the level of teaching she wants.

@Dancers Dad - as another string to your bow - have you or your dd approached Unite through social media? They appear to be quite responsive on Twitter. No guarantees that it will make a difference, but sometimes a multi pronged approach can help.

I don't have any recent experience ordering direct from Bloch, but did you use a credit card? If so it might be worth contacting your contacting your provider as they can sometimes intervene on your behalf. I think the same may be true if you used PayPal, but not sure.

@Dancers Dad - I do hope this will sort itself out without your dd having to leave Medlock, as it is very convenient for NBS, and there are great benefits to living with other NBS students when they are so young. If possible I wouldn't rush into making that decision. I honestly think it will start to settle down once 'Freshers' is over. One of the big problems is the NBS students go back before most of the uni courses start in earnest - so they are full on while the other students are still partying. On a practical front - I don't know how far you are from Manchester - but would it be practical for her to come home for the weekend? Or if you have friends or family in the area, go to stay with them to catch up on sleep? We were very lucky that we live around an hour's train ride from Manchester, so this was an option for my dd. AND - I would keep on to Unite about it as you have been. Maybe even ask for partial refund in rent?

Oh no! Well done Mum!

I went to an actual show at an actual theatre today. Thankyou to The Lowry for making everything feel so safe.

Oh @Dancers Dad - I feel for you and your dd. The reality of being away from home at 16 can be quite a shock. You are doing great by being there for her. That will be exhausting for you too. The mutual support of the other students, as well as the lifeline you are giving her from home, will help to get her through. The fire alarm thing won't go on for ever. On the plus side - at least you know the fire alarms are working!

Wheras my dd had had no desire to do A levels. It is very much a personal choice!

I don't know if this will help, but I had a quick trawl through the current websites and pulled together this summary. Establishment Accommodation Ballet qualification A levels Arts Ed at Tring (Tring, Hertfordshire) Boarding School Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance at Level 6 Wide range of A Levels offered. Pupils usually study 3 or 4 Central School of Ballet (London) You arrange your own accommodation Foundation degree/BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance Elmhurst (Birmingham) Provided by the school Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance at Level 5 or 6 A levels offered – a choice of Art, Biology, English Lit, Maths. Not clear how many people take English National Ballet School (London) You arrange your own accommodation Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance at Level 5 or 6 Moorlands International Ballet Academy (Clitheroe, Lancashire) Boarding School Not clear what qualification vocational students come out with – but there is an option to do Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) Qualification Wide range of A levels offered, but not clear to what extent vocational students study these Northern Ballet School (Manchester) You arrange your own accommodation Most students stay in halls within 5 mins walk of the school Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance at Level 6 Royal Ballet School (London) Provided by the school BA Degree in Classical Ballet and Dance Performance Option to study 1 A level in Art, English Literature, French or Mathematics Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Glasgow) You arrange your own accommodation BA in Modern Ballet The Hammond School (Chester) Boarding School Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance 2 A levels from a range of subjects I would consider carefully how important A Levels are at this stage, because if you only audition for schools which offer A levels you are limiting your choice quite a lot. I believe some students do A levels in their 'spare time' at other schools or colleges, but remember they are already doing a physically and mentally demanding full time course at a level which is at A level to degree level depending on the institution. When my dd got a place at Northern Ballet School, where A levels weren't part of the standard offering, my feeling was to let her put her all into her dance training while she had the chance. You can do A levels at any age. If you are lucky enough and talented enough to get a place at a vocational ballet school it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Olympics...Missing you already.

...but without this performance experience on their resumés it may have been even harder to get jobs.

I think it's to do with the licensing arrangement. The IOC awarded the Pan-European rights to 'Discovery', meaning that other broadcasters, such as the BBC, are working with reduced coverage compared with previous Olympics. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2021/olympic-games-moments Given this I think the coverage has been remarkably good. My favourites this year (so far) are the climbing and skateboarding.

I've often thought that 'pointing' toes is a bit of a misnomer...when you're actually looking to stretch/lengthen them.

What a fantastic achievement for your ds @Billyelliott. Huge congratulations to him.

For my dd, I think this was the big benefit of associates classes, but there are other ways to achieve this.

Just so we don't scare @Elz off...not everyone does as much as @Lusodancer's dd at 7.5, although obviously it worked really well for her.

It is such a long time since my dd was 7.5, but I would agree with @ballet power. Speak to her teacher, tell her your dd is keen to do more. Private lessons may not be the only option (may not even be an option - some teachers don't offer them) and another group class may be even better. You learn from watching others, and listening to their corrections as well as yours. Some teachers will let a keen dancer join a grade above, joining in in the back row. Even joining in the grade below class can be beneficial. And sometimes your teacher may recommend doing a class at another school with a teacher that she/he knows and trusts. Definitely let her audition for reputable associates schemes if you can afford the time and money. Look into performance opportunities such as English Youth Ballet (she's still a little young for EYB but soon won't be) Quality over quantity is definitely important. And most of all, especially at her age...enjoying it.

A great start. Congratulations to her @balletbean.

Happy birthday @balletbean. Hope the audition went well today. And if it didn't...just as with all the auditions she's done before it is practice for the next one.

When my dd was at vocational school (post 16) she used to do one 2 week intensive during the summer hols, and sometimes a few classes with local teachers just before going back. Generally summer was about resting the body and mind, relaxing, earning a bit of cash. When she was working on ships they usually at at least a month (often longer) between contracts with the expectation that they would rest during that time. Obviously resting includes rushing round the UK (sometimes round the world) catching up with friends!

Exciting to see that Matthew Topliss is moving 'across the road' to Phoenix Dance.

How wonderful that your dd has an idea of what she wants to be when she grows up. My thoughts on this...ballet is the foundation for all forms of dance so it would be a good idea to be qualified to teach ballet if she wants to run her own studio, or work in a private studio. Whatever syllabus your dd currently follows for ballet - I would look at that organisations website to look at the different pathways to becoming a qualified teacher. For teacher training, passing exams is probably more important than it is for those seeking a performance career. eg https://www.royalacademyofdance.org I would suggest talking to her current dance teacher about dd's aspirations and how best to achieve them given your location and personal situation.