glowlight

As with everything you have to cut your cloth to fit your budget. My dd saved a lot of money through her part time job which paid for most of her audition travels. I think she had 4 trips to Europe and lots of travelling within the UK. She did, however, become more discerning about which she would go for as time went on, and she knew that the money was finite because she had earned it herself. I think you start to get a feel for which ones really aren't worth going for and you realise, as Julie said, when they state a height bracket the chances are they mean it. Its definitely worth cultivating any friends and family who live in useful places to save on hotel bills. Of course some people get jobs through being 'spotted' by artistic directors when they come to school, so it's not that expensive for everyone.

AmelieMum's mention of singing reminds me that my doctor suggested that playing a wind instrument would help, so I played the recorder when I was little and then took up the flute when I was a little bit older. I also used to sing a lot. It really does help to practice controlled breathing. So if dd is looking at taking up an instrument maybe conisder a wind instrument or voice to give that added bonus of helping her breathing!

I have had Asthma since I was 2. My parents 'protected' me as a child and I was discouraged from doing any exercise. Now I am an adult and can make my own decisions I have discovered that the fitter I am the better my asthma is. Yes I have to take medication to keep it under control, but it is not a big issue. One tip I was taught when I was a child was, if I was struggling for breath and starting to panic, to take deep, slow breaths OUTWARDS. Don't try to breathe in. Blow out. If you empty the lungs they will naturally refill, and the more you have breathed out, the more air will refill your lungs. May not work for everyone, but it works for me.

HFBrew, you are quite right, this kind of thing should have been made clear in the contract. Adding this requirement as an afterthought puts potential employees in a very difficult position. I had a chat with DD about this new requirement from Costa and she was very surprised to hear that Dancersdad's ds had to pay for his safety training. She hasn't heard of this happening with other cruise lines. She was also very surprised to hear how much it cost. Yes, everyone on board has to undergo basic safety training, and I know that she has had to do extra training since the Concordia disaster, but this was paid for by the company.

Is the contract direct with Costa or through an Agency? I may be wrong, but the issue may be that if he is not a direct employee of Costa the company doesn't have to foot the bill. So in a sense its a bit like when you are self employed in this country and having to pay your own employment costs. It isn't unusual for dancers to have some upfront expenses when starting a cruise contract. When my dd started she had to pay for the very stringent medical which the company required, which cost a couple of hundred pounds, and for her US visa (which I think was about £150). I know that all her friends who have worked on cruise ships have had to pay these expenses themselves. I also know that they have to get the medical redone every 2 years at their own expense. I would say though, if he can possibly afford the upfront cost, and unless he has a definite offer elsewhere, that over the length of his career as a dancer he should see this simply as a cost of getting started (in the same way as the cost of going to auditions is a cost of getting started) and should go for it. He will soon find that he has covered these start up costs by what he is earning on the ship. Edited for Typo

My feeling is there is no harm in doing classes at a lower level than his 'main' class. It certainly won't hold him back and may give him a chance to consolidate things he has learned, rather than always be stretching himself to learn something new. Also, as this is is only opportunity to dance in a group, this is very valuable as it is important for him to learn about his own spatial awareness in relation to others. He may also learn from the corrections the others get and hopefully he will enjoy the social aspects of dance. Think of dance as a 'Team Sport' like football, rather than an individual sport like tennis.

Whilst ballet may help gymnastics I'm not sure that the reverse is true. The posture required for gymnastics is quite different from the ballet posture and the two tend to develop very different body shapes. When they are very young I would think there is no harm in trying both - after all your dd may be an olympic gymnast in the making, but once things get serious she would probably have to choose one or the other.

I would suggest you start by asking DD's regular dance teacher, or her Scholars teacher if they can suggest a suitable physio. If you wanted to put on the forum whereabouts in the country you are, people may have ideas, but that's entirely up to you. If you think its possible it may be broken, take her to A&E after school today to get it X-rayed.

Regarding Scholars - can I suggest that she goes but sits out and watches the class. A lot can be learned from watching, and it also means that if they learn anything new it won't be completely new to her next time. It is standard practice in vocational schools (and probably in companies too) for injured dancers to watch class if they cannot take part. Of course if the journey there means she has to walk a long way or be on her feet for a long time its probably best avoided.

It is such a shame that boys who do ballet are still, in some circles, seen as strange. And what a shame that the cruel comments of ignorant people have made you feel that you need to pull your son out of classes in order to protect him. It is, however, something that he will have to deal with at some point. All of the dancing boys and men that I know have had to deal with this, but they seem to handle it with confidence and strength because they are doing something they really want to do and they know that there is no reason why they shouldn't be doing it. Many are even proud to know that they are doing something which people don't expect of them, especially when they are able to show of the exceptional strength and fitness they have developed through dancing. It sounds as if your little boy, although still very young, is quite determined about his ballet, so in the long run I don't think he is likely to be put off by people talking. But in the meantime it sounds as if you have a good compromise for his current situation. A couple of other thoughts and ideas Talk to his friends' parents and see if you can encourage any of them to go to ballet with him, perhaps through the theatre group. Look out for boys only events for your son to attend. You will find that there are actually lots of boys doing ballet, although I think many start later than girls which may be why your son is the only boy in his classes at the moment. Make sure you spread the word quietly but firmly that there is nothing wrong with boys doing ballet and that you are proud of what your son is doing. Don't forget that Rio Ferdinand trained in ballet: http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15545631 Good luck to you and your son (and if the teacher is an ISTD examiner I would stick with ISTD. As others have said, it doesn't really matter which syllabus you do!)

Or perhaps she broke of mopping half way through to check the forum (if she's anything like me)

Dancersdad - it is so inspiring to hear of someone actually trying to do something to help solve the problem of funding, rather than just bemoaning the situation. Especially given that by the time you were doing this it clearly wasn't a fund that would have been able to benefit your son. Even though it didn't work out it, I take my hat off to you. Congratulations to your son on his Costa contract and good luck to him in is professional career.

Maybe she fell asleep over the mopping bucket

Excellent post DancersDad. Can I just add a couple of points With regard to DADA awards - You still have to pay a small proportion of the annual fee (around £1800). However if you are on a low income (and I'm not sure what the cut off is) you can apply to have the parental contribution paid for you AND for an award towards living/boarding expenses. If the child normally lives with only one parent, I understand that it is that parent's earnings which are considered, so I have heard of families jugglingtheir access arrangements so that the child lives with the parent with the lower income. I believe that Dada's are open to European Nationals (I'm think my dd had some German friends who were on Dada's). Dada funding is under review so may change next year. Student Loans - a few post 16 courses are degree courses so are eligible for student loan funding. So this means the student takes a loan for the cost of fees and living expenses which then has to be repaid over their working life (if they earn above a certain threshold). This has the advantage that you don't have the expense up front, but does mean that they are not eligible for a student loan if they should decide they want to do a degree in the future.

Maisie Lou - it may be worth having a look at the Centre for Advance Training (CAT) in Ipswich http://www.danceeast.co.uk/academy/recruitment/the_basic_facts.aspx As to how you know if your child has what they're looking for ....well you don't until they get offered a place. If she's keen I would say its worth trying again, as different schemes look for different things, they may have more places one year than another, she may perform better one day than another. My dd was unsuccessful the first time she auditioned for an associate scheme, but successful for the same scheme the following year. If she has a succession of 'Nos' and absolutely no 'Yes's' over the next few years, you probably will want to call it a day, but I certainly wouldn't say you should be put off by the first 'No'.

time for a glass of wine Ja Sm Edited for spelling

At Northern Ballet School, my dd had some non- practical classes (maybe one per week) and they had to complete some written work which was marked as part of her diploma. The bits I remember are: An essay on some aspect of the history of dance. They had to do a survey and analyse and write up results - I think dd did something about people's attitudes to musical theatre They did an outreach project - creating a performance piece with children from local primary schools and performing it at The Bridgewater Hall. They had to plan the project an liaise with the school themselves. After this was performed they had to write a report about it. They also had to maintain a folder which had their notes from the theory classes they did (physiology, health and nutrition etc) and they had to keep a record of performances they went to see, performances they were in, CV's, auditions etc. This was maintained over the 3 years and had to be handed in for marking at the end. BUT - most of the course is practical.

C4D - I've sent you a pm

Don't be put off bloche completely. They do a number of different styles and you may find one of the others suits your dd better. My dd liked bloche suprima, and she also got on well with grishko, which seemedd to last her longer. But as others have said, it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right style for your foot, and tis can change as time goes on as the shape and strength of the foot changes. Definitely worth trying a number of different styles and brands, but there are many good pointe shoe fitters in the North. You don't have to go to London.

Convertible tights have a small hole in each foot so that they can either be worn over the foot (eg when worn with shoes) or can be rolled up for bare foot work. Great if you have to go straight from ballet class to contemporary. Sometimes schools ask auditionees to wear convertibles so that they can take a look at their bare feet.

Orthotics are insoles which fit inside your regular shoes to adjust the position of the foot. In my case my foot rolls inwards, and this gives me pain in my foot and toes. I was referred by my GP to see a podiatrist who prescribed Orthotic insoles, which seem to really help. Sometimes a 'problem' with the position of the foot, such as it rolling in or rolling out, throws other parts of the leg out of alignment and this can cause pain in ankles, heels, knees, even the back as things rub or get strained. So a physiotherapist may prescribe Orthotic insoles to correct this. Orthotics are usually individually made to suit the individual. Edited to add - this is just my experience of Orthotics, I'm not a medical person so may have got some things wrong!

Northern Ballet School also takes students at 17, 18 and older, and I know of a girl who went to Elmhurst at 17. For contemporary courses the minimum age is often 18. Young people develop and change a lot between 15 and 17 - so what appears insummountably difficult to her now may be much more do-able in a year's time However - I have the impression (and nothing really to back this up) that when ballet companies are looking for apprentices they favour 19/20 year olds.

Not quite the same, but I wear my orthotic insoles in ordinary trainers, and the podiatrist told me this was ideal. If dd wants to wear sandles in the summer - look at Birkenstocks or something similar. Although you can't wear orthotics with them they give a bit more support to the foot than a regular sandle.

I think it can be the accommodation which hikes the price up, especially if they are providing supervision. Schools which own their own accommodation (eg Hammond, Whitelodge) can probably offer summer school accommodation relatively cheaply compared with those which don't. I think your ds is probably too young to stay somewhere on his own, but if you were free to join him for the week you could weigh the cost they are charging for accommodation against how much it would cost for the two of you to stay in a Travel lodge or Youth Hostel nearby, so that you were only paying for the fees.

My dd did not go to vocational school until she was 16 and she is now working as a dancer, albeit not in ballet. My personal impression is that those who go to vocational school at 11 are possibly more likely to have a career in ballet, but not all are successful, and I certainly know of some girls (and perhaps even more boys) who have trained locally and gone on to have successful careers in ballet. And even more who have gone on to have successful careers in other forms of dance. If your dd is home bird it is possible that she may not thrive at vocational school in any case. I would say though that you need to make the most of associate schemes and summer courses to complement other training she is getting locally.