Stirrups36

Festivals = no! (And do say hello to those supportive dads, It is sometimes a 'little overwhelming')

Lower school Audition tomorrow. Better check the dance kit. Wouldn't want to forget his ballet shoes like we did for the RBS finals. Nice of the audition team to wait for us to arrive though after we phoned and explained. Did get some funny looks walking in seconds before the director did though. Never mind. Now, hotel for the next one. Hmmm. Wonder if I can fit in a run on those nearby hills. Better take my laptop to do a bit of work as well. Audition day. Why are all the women not talking to me? Have I got too many spots? They all seem to know each other and know EVERYTHING about ballet. Why did we have to be late again? Ok, I'm going to take the plunge and... Talk to one of those women that is not in the conversations. I wonder why they aren't talking to her? Ah! She's from Scotland/Ireland/Fiji wherever. <later> I think she thinks I'm a stalker... This is the third audition I've said hello. Upper school auditions: should we have invested in creating a personal YouTube channel? Wonder if I can get a run in during the audition. Note to self: Airbnb is for under 30 year olds. Never again. Nice of that young German couple to move their washing in the spare room though! Waiting for letters: oh look, there's a letter. <much later> letter... Bill... NOW there's stress.... Aaarrrggghhh... (but at the end of it all, we are going to watch his class tomorrow and then PDD with the girls and are so proud).

Resisted posting for so long... Age 3, he was always on tiptoes and 'up' and a friend who had done ballet before suggested he go along to her daughter's ballet lessons. They danced together until about age 13, but DS went off to vocational school at 11. Tap and jazz classes were local. Ballet classes a little further away. Aged about 5, he stopped for about 3 months when he whispered to me at the back of a class 'Daddy, can I play with boys not girls now?' But he soon went back. Even if associate schemes were not always possible, boys classes (and there are many more now) were key to continued success along with his every week classes. So, back to how did he start? Just because we know someone who knew about ballet. That was it. Otherwise he might have been a multi-million pound football player... Oh!

Yes, they do A levels alongside the Trinity course. A restricted choice of course, but if you want something may be able to accomodate. For example, my son could not do French this year, but maybe next year it would be possible. All depends on staffing and timetables.

Father of a dancing boy here. Good that other classes are being done as well as ballet. That combination and versatility is in great demand. Musicality just as important as flexibility and everything else and different dance styles help. So does going to boys associate classes (he started doing these at about 9 years old). Just enjoy the time and prepare the bank balance... Other points from above posts: Looking at hair - that will never end. Ballet dancers seem to have a certain relationship with mirrors... Any mirrors... In fact any surface with a reflection! Some relations will never 'get it' e.g to me as my son is in upper school now - 'so, what's he going to do when he leaves school?' And one brother in law who just doesn't talk about it at all. Telling friends - my son didn't until he was about 10/11 and then only to closest friends. In fact, he did ballet at a different class to the others as there were no girls from school going to that class. Sport- classes did mean that he was good at sport. There were some issues when he used to be picked for junior school football without having to go to practice... I'm sure you can imagine! But there has to be a choice at some point. Going to vocational auditions with a black eye from Rugby was fun! (Him, not me...)

Given the recent publcity about another vocational ofsted report, Maybe to be expected.

A good few minutes of video. Not patronising, not joking, not judgemental. Not doing down one sport/art at the expense of another. Not saying this is how it should be for everyone (as it isn't). And no subtitle of "West Virginia's Billy Elliot'! http://bit.ly/1QD0WF9

Elmhurst has just had its latest Ofsted report published. Outstanding work... Literally! http://bit.ly/1Q2OEYe

Looking forward to seeing this next week. The reviews here really add to the expectation. (And seeing our son in his first 'walk on role' at 16 yrs old will just add to the experience)

Son is at Elmhurst, where he just finished 10 GCSEs. same as the others unless there were specific reasons not to. Some also took exams early in year 10. He is doing 2 A levels - he's the only French A level student - alongside the Trinity Diploma over the 3 years, which is an Honours degree level course (Level 6). So yes, it's about wider choice. At Elmhurst, the choice at 6th form in particular is I think, more limited. They are quite upfront at all the meetings from right back at year 7, that being at Elmhurst is to prepare for a career as a dancer, and if you want a wider choice, or they feel you aren't suited to it (hence the 'assessing out' process...) than maybe a different school would be better for you. From looking at graduate destinations, there are those that have not gone down the dance route, and got into some good universities. the preparation and skills they have learned over the previous 7 years will have stood them in good stead. After all, there are no rules that say yo can only go to university at 18. If they decide to do something different, I am sure an extra year of more relevant academic study would be easy to do and looked on kindly by Universities.

It's the audition that matters. Photos are usually just for use a reference.

There's also a Facebook page for SIBA that has loads of pics and videos - as on the website. But it is 4 weeks long. My DS has done it 3 times now. Better for older than younger boys. I would say 14/15 minimum to get the best out of the month.

5 years on and it seems to me that they get very used to it being pretty much 5 years of socialising (along with the ballet of course). Every night is a sleepover, every night is a tea night. Son comes back from summer school and the day after, he's off into london to see school friends. As has been said, it will be much easier for your son to continue the dancing at vocational school. It is much harder (though of course, not impossible) for a boy to continue in general school and dance ballet.

I think the issue of time and end of school performances is pretty much the same everywhere. Especially only in a week, it's difficult to fit everyone in. On other summer schools, Some years we saw a lot of our DS, other years hardly anything. As for settling in, the first overseas summer school our DS did, he was pointed to his room and left! At 14... Overseas... But sink or swim is the phrase and fortunately he swam. But that first phone call from him was a bit worrying. When we phoned the organiser. The response was - well, he will have to grow up a bit then, that's what this is for! But said in a nicer way than it sounds here. Good they all had a good time, Elmhurst is great.

They will have a ball. As has been said, a lot of the early years consist of repeating the basics again and again and again and so on... Get used to seeing them dance a lot less than you will have been used to! But year 7 are taken on potential, and so it doesn't matter what has been done in the past, it's what is going to be done in the future that counts. Then at some point, it will be obvious that some are better then others and that is just the way it is, in whatever life they choose - academic, sport, dance. But just being there now, what an opportunity.

DS Had 1 GCSE last week, the rest is taken up with class and summer show rehearsals. Even with 2 GCSE exams on the same day, dance Class continued. Now there is no academic and a 'lie in' each day, but lots of dancing. He actually said last week was exhausting! (Not a word I heard him use during revision and Exam time...) They have a prom, as some are leaving at the end of year 11 to go to various places.

I've had some experience of this. There are centres around that take candidates. Shop around, as the ones listed in the examination board guides are often the most expensive. I just emailed the exams officer in schools and asked. They enter students as 'guest students' so they don't show up in the stats (watch Channel 4 Dispatches tonight for an explanation of how some schools have used this procedure in a 'creative' fashion!). Oxford Home learning - all home study and tutor support on phone and online by message and email. Study when you want. Interhigh - online 'synchronous' lessons timetabled in during the evening. i.e. a tutor teaching an online class of students around the country. need to be at the lesson on a computer. The have a number of performing arts and sport students that need a more flexible schooling.

Never did festivals. Maybe vocational school has that aspect as well, but in 5 years all we have seen is generally supportive. Or maybe it is all the same but done more discreetly!

Go and try it. Hard work, and the teaching does not compromise at all. which is a good thing in my opinion. English bodies!!! I wonder if that comment just backs up some of the quite animated discussions on other threads... but the Vaganova training, if done from an early age will develop muscles differently (as far as I understand). So if you did a couple of Vaganova lessons each week, then yes, your body would probably look different to one that did 1 RAD class per week.

'Article 19' blog is always good for a little controversy. Here's their take on the press release and they do not sit on the fence. In fact, I don't think that phrase would ever be in their vocabulary! http://bit.ly/1I0lLEo

Having to make decisions is a great problem to have!

Why are there never any cast lists available? Money? Or does the cast change often?

Funding, gut feeling, plus graduate destinations and academic. For such things, I like a spreadsheet (hiya Katymac) with headings on the various aspects, and a weighting for each one. E.g. If you think academic is very important, you might give it a weighting of 2. Something less important, like food in the canteen, maybe weight at 0.6. And so on - location, funding, teachers, graduate destinations, friends going there, facilities, pastoral care, boarding facilities etc etc Then score each aspect out of ten for each option. You should get a score that reflects your feelings by multiplying the score by the weighting, and then totalling all the final scores. Or just go with your gut feeling!!!

and check the spam boxes just in case. (btw, we had a couple of US offers for DS and Elmhurst it is)

hard work I am afraid! just getting some good exercises and doing them every, every, every day. As Harwel says, slow and steady. Then they can start posting their stretching selfies on instagram! that's the prize (not a ballet career of course!)