glowlight

I'm starting a new thread for discussion of Education and Careers after dance, as the original thread about the BBC documentary has been sidetracked by this discussion. I would love if some of us 'out the other side' parents and dancers could share experiences here. I'll start with.. after graduating from Northern Ballet School my DD worked for 5 years on cruise ships. She then decided she wanted to return to the UK and have a more 'stable' life. There were a few hairy months when she was working out what she wanted to do, then she got a trainee job in a small web design agency (she had never done any IT before and had no qualifications in this area, just an interest and one heck of a work ethic!) 5 years later she now runs a team of web developers. None of us would have envisaged that this was where she would end up, but her dance training and dance career have given her organisational and team work skills which have been invaluable in her new career.

Earlier this year I went to see Rambert's Peaky Blinders touring production. This used a combination of recorded music and live musicians who played on stage as part of the show. It was totally amazing and the lack of an orchestra didn't detract from the show at all. Of course we would all prefer that NB can retain their wonderful in-house orchestra, but necessity is the mother of invention - they may create something surprisingly awesome out of this challenge.

Let's also let our young dancers know that doing an academic degree is not the only route into another career when they hang up their ballet shoes. Many employers ask for a degree level qualification, and will consider a National Diploma in Dance as this. For those careers where a specific degree is needed (eg for nursing) then I believe that there are special funding arrangements available.

I am deeply saddened by this news, as the life orchestra aspect of a Northern Ballet performance is one of the things which makes Northern Ballet so wonderful. I also feel very, very sorry for the musicians affected. However I would rather that Northern Ballet make changes to their touring model, than stop touring, or worse still...go under completely. Let's continue to support live performing arts in all their forms because that is the only way they will be able to stay viable.

Breakfast - not all breakfast cereals are made equal - weetabix gives you a big bang for your buck and is quick and is easy to eat if you put milk on it (if she can keep milk and can stomach it in the morning - not everyone can) yoghurts are great, either on the go or before you leave home (that was my 'go to' breakfast and uni cereal bars - can be eaten anytime, anywhere. croissant / pain au chocolat - you can buy pre-packed, long life versions from many supermarkets and they are surprisingly good Any fruit - things like clementines are great because they come in their own packag Bread/crackers with marmite - if she can eat marmite A bread roll with butter and maybe jam or cheese ...can be eaten on the bus or at break time. Lunch - it seems like you already have a really good selection on your list. The only thing I would add is marmite (if she likes that sort of thing) and maybe different cheese options, although babybel is a great, convenient option. If she has access to a kettle or any hot water (even via a local friendly café or thermos) I would suggest instant noodles. I think my dd lived on instant noodles when she first went to dance school at 16. OK - it's not the most nutritious lunch - but if that can give her the 'hot food' fix, she could supplement with cheese, fruit and cold meat to make it more balanced. If she is in a big city she will be able to buy instant noodles cheaply from asian supermarkets (or slightly more pricey from a regular supermarket). In my experience, anything which requires preparation time won't work right now, she's just too tired at the moment for that. Try to keep it easy and simple.

Just want to add to what I said earlier, that I think it is REALLY important to get as good a set of GCSEs as possible (for those outside the UK these are the exams which our teenagers take at 16). This will set them in good stead to pick up academic study later if that's what they want to do. I just think that when it comes to that hard gained once in a lifetime opportunity of upper school, it should be embraced fully.

My very personal opinion is that if your dc is committed to being a dancer and lucky and talented enough to get a place at a vocational ballet school, and that school doesn't offer A Levels as part of its curriculum, they should throw themselves entirely into their ballet training at this stage. It is hard enough without putting extra stress into the equation, and you could end up in the position where neither strand is given the full attention that it warrants. Plan B's are a great idea, but don't have to be pursued in parallel. You can only train as a ballet dancer when you are young, you can do academic qualifications at any age, and the many non-dance skills which you learn during dance training (planning, work ethic, team work, persistence) will stand them in good stead whatever they choose to do when they finally decide to hang up their ballet shoes.

So sorry to see you go @balletbean. What I would suggest is to leave your account open, because you may have reason to back in the future. Maybe you will take up ballet yourself and post on your own behalf instead of your dd's! Or have dancing grand babies (I know that seems really improbable right now). I'm so happy for you that you got to see your professional dancer dance. Au Revoir.

Excellent point @capybara. The Charity Commission Website list several scenarios in which you can raise a complaint with them. One of these is 'serious harm to the people the charity helps or other people who come into contact with the charity through its work'. https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/Raising-Concerns/

I think one of the things that the Panorama documentary has given us is a start point for conversation. If your dc is old enough and not likely to be triggered by it (you alone can be the judge of that), perhaps you could watch it with them and see what conversation comes up. They may open up about things they have experienced directly or indirectly that they never would have discussed before. It may give you the opportunity to make it clear that body shaming is abuse and is not acceptable. And to encourage them to talk openly with you if they experience this sort of thing in the future. It's also important to remember that body shaming and other forms of abuse don't only happen in boarding schools, so even if your child isn't at vocational school, keep a constant watch for this sort of thing. The advantage of course is that they can come home at the end of the day.

Number 1 - see a physiotherapist - you want to make sure that you've got to the source of the knee problem so you don't make it worse. Number 2 - pilates with a good pilates instructor, preferably 1 to 1 or small group so that they can focus on your particular needs.

I am so grateful that my dd's childhood ballet teacher introduced her to auditions as a fun day out, to be enjoyed with friends. She set the expectation that being there was the experience, and if you got chosen, that was a lucky bonus. Obviously as dd got older it got more serious but it was a very good grounding to start from.

Be guided by your teacher. And if you follow the threads on this forum you will soon get a feel for what schemes others have found good. I was really trying to point out that you don't have to fill every evening, weekend and holiday with dance. Get the most out of what you can afford. For fun, yes. But she will get the most value out of sustained training over weeks and months.

My number one suggestion is to speak to your DDs ballet teacher, tell them of your dd's aspirations and ask for their advice and support. That's not to say you can't explore opportunities that you discover yourself, but it will be much easier with your teacher's support and encouragement. Many young dancers at that age will be looking at the 'Associate' schemes run by some of the big name ballet schools, such as Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst and Tring Park, and there are other schemes too. There is information on their websites. Look for options which are close to home where possible. Look for quality of teaching over quantity. Keep it fun. Enjoy the journey. It's a rollercoaster but I wouldn't have missed for the world.

'Call me Lion' by Camilla Chester is a brilliant book on so many levels. It is dance related but is really about friendship, motivation and stepping out of your comfort zone. 'No Ballet Shoes in Syria' is also brilliant, combing ballet with the story of a refugee girl finding her feet in a new country. It's very powerful. And for pure ballet fun I'd recommend Jean Ure's Dance Trilogy, which starts with 'Born to Dance'.

As with anything in the crazy ballet world, you have to decide what is right for you and your family. What works for one child won't work for another, and you should never feel that you should stretch yourself beyond what you can afford for the sake of a summer intensive. For working parents, summer intensives can provide an excellent form of child care! Maybe that's another reason why it works well for some families, but I do think that having a complete rest is important, especially if they are training intensively during term time. I think many companies have summer shutdowns to allow the dancers to rest and recover. During her teens my DD regularly did a 2 week summer intensive at Northern Ballet at the start of the summer, and sometimes another shorter one at the end of the holidays to get back in the swing of things.

@dancefaye - your dd is still very young and at the very start of her dance journey. Plenty of time to seek out a more nurturing environment.

Very excited for your dd, for you and all the NBS contingent. The best of luck to them all.

It seems that some of the 'problem' is around your dd comparing herself with one other child in the class. Is there a possibility of finding something outside of your dd's regular dance classes where she isn't in direct competition with this individual. At a similar age my dd got a huge boost in confidence by taking part in a contemporary dance project that no-one else in her dance school was involved with. She took part in this with her dance teacher's approval, and it really helped her confidence - and also her contemporary technique.

I think that it is more important to get your dance teacher's help with the photos, rather than a professional photographer. Or at least seek their advice on which photos are the best to submit.

I think there are two things which keep sports cheaper for parents: 1. Many grass roots sports clubs depend heavily on volunteer coaches. We tend to pay professional dance teachers to train our young dancers. 2. It is my impression that a lot of government funding goes into training athletes on the Elite path, especially targeted towards getting medals at the olympics for example.

Don't forget your hairbrush! My dd left hers in the car.

@Thelittleswans - if you are in striking distance of Leeds it might be worth considering Northern Ballet's Centre for Advanced Training which offers vocational level training but without having to go away to boarding school. Students stay at their local academic schools and do intensive dance training evenings, weekends and in the school holidays.

A couple of options which you can order online for delivery frozen: https://www.dingdongdimsum.com/products/veggie-patch-for-two https://www.yorkshirehandmadepies.co.uk/collections/vegetarian-vegan/products/curried-cauliflower (they do other veggie/vegan pies but this is the only one I have tried, but it is delicious)

@Anniedancemum - for me this was the biggest alarm bell in your post. In my experience this is not normal.