glowlight

The way I always looked at it was...you can do academics later in life - you can only train as a dancer when you are young. If it is what your child passionately wants to do, if they are gifted enough and lucky enough to get a place at vocational school let them grab it with both hands and enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Most of the professionally trained dancers I know are very employable in other fields as well because of their strong work ethic.

Did anyone else get to see Dracula in their local cinema this evening? Wasn't it wonderful? Although we are lucky enough to live close enough to Leeds to see Northern Ballet regularly, it was perfect on a work night to be able to stay close to home and see it in our wonderful local independent cinema with a mug of tea in hand. I really hope there will be many more live broadcasts by Northern Ballet.

Oh LinMM - what an inspiration you are. Most 70-somethings would be happy just to be walking properly 6 months after their accident, let alone dancing. Good luck with your recovery.

Even a class down a grade might help...extra time in class to perfect technique won't be wasted. I'm afraid my knowledge of summer schools will be very out of date now so I will let others advise on that.

A few thoughts... 1. Even if she doesn't get accepted for a programme, audition experience is always valuable. Good practice for next time. (My dd got a no from the 1st associated scheme she auditioned for, but got a place in the same scheme the following year) 2. Even as a late starter, at the age of 10 I would say she stands a chance if she shows potential. 3. Ask her teacher at her local dance school about how she could increase the amount of ballet she does. Her teacher may be prepared to let her go to another local school for some top up classes if she has a good relationship with the school. Or the teacher may let her attend a grade above or a grade below the one she is in for extra practice. These are things which could start almost straight away rather than having to wait until next September. 4. Make sure her teacher knows that she has a passion for ballet and might want to pursue dance as a career. 5. Consider summer and easter courses - a great way to experience a variety of teaching and break up the school holidays.

No's are hard, for DD and for parents, but are an important part of life as a dancer. In some ways learning how to deal with that disappointment when young can help when they are older when there might really be much more riding on it. The ability to dust yourself off, get on with it, and maybe try again is hugely valuable. She's still very young and there is plenty of time.

Take her to watch live performances. Give her every opportunity to perform in different ways...school plays, messing around with friends, festivals, dance school shows, reading to younger children (but don't make a big deal if she doesn't want to) Accept that it will be more difficult for her in front of friends and family (at one stage I my dd told me I could only go to watch her if she couldn't see me in the audience). Trust that it will come with time.

I would echo balletbean's suggestion to look at Northern Ballet School. My dd went there 10 years ago - so my experience may be out of date, but they seemed to produce rounded employable dancers.

Have you tried spraying your hair with water first to make it damp all over (the sort of hand held spray that you buy to spray plants with is ideal)? This should allow you to style your hair how you want. Then spray all over with hairspray. It should set solid. No need for gel. I used to use this technique when doing lots of buns for dance school shows, and I think there were only two girls that it didn't work for (mainly because they had very short hair).

Could you ask at NSCD if they know any teachers who teach RAD syllabus locally? Explain the situation and I'm sure they will help if they can. Or maybe contact Yorkshire Dance (who are based in Leeds City Centre) and see if they know anyone. If nothing else they may be able to help with studio hire. They have studios available for hire and I think they have a standby system which offers studio hire at a very reasonable rate if the studios aren't booked commercially.

There used to be a really good dance shop in Colne. Haven't used it for years so I don't know if it still there. I think it was called 'Song and Dance' or something like that.

My DD went to NBS some years ago, so my knowledge may be out of date now, but I can share my thoughts. It is true that the majority of graduates do not get work in classical companies, but that needs to be considered in the context that the intake is split into 'Classical Focus' and 'Jazz Focus', with the majority on Jazz Focus. I think there were maybe 6-10 girls on classical in my DD's year and 20 on Jazz. My experience was that the dancers they trained were employable and realistic about how to make a living as a dancer. A lot do cruise ship work, which infact is what my DD ended up doing, which can be a steady, reliable career with the added perks of international travel. I think that in my DD's year everyone who wanted to work as a professional dancer at the end of the course (which was most of them) was employed as a dancer within 6 months or so of graduation. I feel that Manchester is a great place for students. Not as hectic, big and expensive as London, but there is lots going on. And there is an International Airport near Manchester.

Getting a new business venture off the ground can be really challenging, and the sector you are in is very competitive. A couple of thoughts on things which might help: 1) For the associates programme your relationship with your local dance schools is key. Talk to them (in person if possible) to make it clear that you are offering an associates scheme in which you will work with them, that you are not trying to take over the students' training completely. Offer to do some workshops with them so that they can see you at work. Maybe a summer school or Easter Club so that they can see how you work before entrusting their students to you. 2) Your marketing needs to be very clear in what you are offering and be up to date. You seem to be using Facebook a lot, but your website doesn't give a full picture of what you are doing At the moment your website says that you are setting up an associates programme and feeder school for your company. If I was a local dance teacher reading the 'feeder school' aspect might suggest to me that you want to take over the students training There is no mention of what the commitment will be for the associates programme (how many days a week for example), and what the cost will be. I would want to know this before I contacted you. Also it says Auditions in January 2019 - so if I was looking at that I would think the opportunity was passed It shows last production as Cinderella in 2018 and nothing new since then. This makes it look as if the company isn't really doing much (but from facebook it looks as if it is) 3) Be open about who you are and who will be teaching on your programme Your website doesn't say who you are (as an individual), where you trained, what your professional experience is, what your teaching qualifications and experience are. These are all things which will give prospective customers confidence in what they are buying from you You should also publish this information for other teachers who are working with you. 4) Use your own professional network Get people you have worked with in the past to endorce you with comments on Social Media You undoubtedly have worked with people who now run their own schools, bring them into the loop with what you are doing, and see if they would like to send students to you 5) The more you get your company out there doing performances the more people will know your name - that will be good for both the company and the associates programme. Hope some of this helps. Good luck

And on the non-ballet front. I hope she has a wonderful time at Imperial. I did my degree there many years ago and loved it.

The main purpose of trying different shops is that a single shop won't necessarily stock all brands, and they may not have a full range of sizes in stock. So I wouldn't recommend going to loads of different fitters, but if you are making a special trip it might be worth trying a couple - especially if they stock different brands. You can check this when you make the appointment. Going with shops which have come recommended is an excellent idea. And rest assured it isn't as scary as it feels at the moment! Enjoy a lovely day or two out with your DD. And maybe fit in afternoon tea while your are out!

If she wants to keep the option of going to vocational school open for the future I would say, if both is possible, do both. If you can only manage one go for vocational. Don't break yourself, or your DD by trying to do too much!

As it's almost the end of term this suggestion possibly doesn't really apply, but how about seeing if she can watch her regular classes. As others have said you learn a lot by watching others and your brain is still doing the learning even if your feet aren't. Also it means she will still get to see her friends. As they get older it becomes quite common to see students with injuries observing class. Learning how to deal with injury is all part of the training!

What an exciting time. Here are a few thoughts. If possible use a shop which comes recommended - or be guided by your teacher Phone ahead and make an appointment Allow plenty of time (it can take a couple of hours, especially the first fitting) Tell the fitter it is her first pair of pointe shoes and that you don't know anything about it. The fitter should be able to guide you through. Don't be embarrassed if DD tries on every show in the shop - it is important to be happy. Different brands and different styles suit different people. eg. It doesn't matter if everyone else in her class has Bloche. If Freed suits her feet better, go with Freed. Ask if you can return the shoes if your DD's teacher doesn't approve the fit. I don't know if this is common practice, but the shops around us were happy to do this. BUT that means don't sew ribbons on until the teacher has seen them. Don't be afraid to go away empty handed if you are not sure.

As long as your local shop has a pointe shoe fitter I would say give it a go. You may need to make an appointment - and a fitting can take some time - allow at least an hour if you are trying new styles and makes. You may even find that what the local shop offers suites your DD better. Feet change over time (especially young feet) so it is worth being open to different styles

My DD used to plug in to Eminem pre-auditions to zone out all the 'competitive stretching'. For MrsMoo2 - in this case I would suggest let your DS enjoy the workshop as a workshop. He doesn't even need to know it is an audition. And as the others will be there just for an workshop there shouldn't be lots of competition around him. It should be fun. The difficult bit is for you to keep calm

A couple of things to consider: Don't be self conscious of being the only person in the class with bare feet. If you have a teacher who tailors her class to each individual in this way you will learn quicker. It may help to think about stretching your feet rather than pointing them A good point depends partly on the structure of your foot, but also on strength, which will come with time and work. Don't be hard on yourself. Give yourself time to become stronger and enjoy the process.

It was around 11 years ago that my daughter started full time training, away from home, at the age of 16, so my experience is coloured with hindsight. She lived in UNITE student halls, open to all students. UNITE did try to group the dance students together, so in her first year she was in a flat with 4 other 1st year students from her course. The course had a mixed age range intake - but this was more of a benefit than anything else. In her flat she was the youngest. The eldest was 10 years older than her. They looked after each other and developed strong bonds which lasted into their professional careers. She still needed a lot of support, was often homesick and I don't know what we would have done without mobile phones, but at the same time she seemed to love what she was doing, and wouldn't have wanted to do anything different. I'm not sure it would have been that different if her first taste of being away from home had been at 18. As a parent you have to let go, but still be there when needed. But isn't that just part of being a parent? If this is something your daughter really wants to do, and she understands the basics of looking after herself (cooking and cleaning) then don't rule it out. But there are other options if she doesn't want to be away from home.

Thankyou for all your lovely messages. Who knows, I may be back in the future, but for now I'll be off enjoying the British summer. lol!

Lol - I've been trying the gradual weaning - it hasn't really worked! If anything I've been posting more!

Next week marks the second anniversary of my dd's graduation from Northern Ballet School, and I promised myself that this was the time for me to dip out from the Balletco forum. This will be hard. I have to confess a certain addiction to this site, and I will really miss hearing about how your dd's and ds's are doing, but as time goes on my experiences become less relevant to you and it is really time for me to move on. Thankyou all for being wonderful virtual friends...and remember ... it's about the journey.