Lifeafterballet

In my experience some of the cruelest teachers go unchecked as they get the best results for the school 😔Never mind the physical, psychological and emotional damage that the children endure in their classes. After 8 years watching vocational ballet classes I personally still don't have a clue technical and correction wise about what is good or bad. But I can sense a happy, positive and nurturing class. An environment that is totally inclusive of every child and a willingness to develop them so that they blossom into the best dancer that they could be filled with confidence.

Dd/Ds didn’t have professional photos taken until they were entering grad year and applying for jobs. Up til then it was Mum or Brother/Sister with a camera in the conservatory or studio. I personally don’t feel that professional photos are necessary until it is for companies. Even then they did their filming with an iPhone on a tripod balanced on a chair themselves and not professionally.

Not in London but worth the trip to Birmingham is Kate Frost 😊 Fabulous classical and creative photos at a very reasonable price.

100% agree, if you can stay in til graduation that is 😔 Both my children graduated from Elmhurst to gain ballet company contracts, a bit physically and psychologically broken, both not well managed sadly, but that’s ballet training in our experience. The A levels and the Diploma were a god send as our daughter changed paths and went to University instead of the ballet career. Girls 100% need a plan B not just because of the employment difficulties. I’m happy to answer any specific questions you have x

She was awarded the Harid Conservatory scholarship at YAGP NY finals and a short term to Houston Ballet Academy too. As we only had to pay for the flights etc she attended both. Harid use their SI to audition for their year round program. At the end of the course they email the students they like and make them offers. I think other US SI do this too.

My daughter won a scholarship to attend an American Intensive in Florida. She skipped the last couple of weeks of her vocational school year to go but it was so worth it. She had an amazing time and made lots of friends from all over the world 🌎 We had to pay for flights, but they collected her from the airport, insurance and for some of the weekend trips. With all that and then the tuition fees and boarding costs we would never have afforded it without the scholarship. We had to provide a full vaccination history too.

Estonian National Ballet run a summer intensive for young adults and semi/professional older dancers. If your heart isn’t set on the US then Estonia /Tallinn is a beautiful place and the course is taught by the AD and dancers of the company. Also, it’s only a 2 hour 40 minute flight from the U.K. and you can get a return ticket at a very reasonable price. 😄

Open to offers x

They weren’t links exactly but uploaded photos of a child with their hair in different styles. I stupidly looked 🤣 caught me after a bad exhausting shift 😔 and trying to be helpful 🤣 I’ve used that website to turn my photos of leotards for sale etc into links. What are people like ??? 😒

I think it all depends really on what is most important to you and your child. Academics, ballet training etc ? As has been said before what suits one child and family is wrong for another. There are lots of sacrifices in this business 😒 Nothing is perfect. But my experience is that if your child is motivated and hard working they will achieve wherever they are. Many of my children's friends dropped out of A levels, either opting to do just the one or none at all. Juggling two and vocational training is tough and the school was poor at supporting them and their choice to stop. It was down to us parents to stress the importance of completing them. And boy is my daughter grateful we did that 👩‍🎓

Ds just did A levels, and Dd did GCSEs and A levels. They were both done and dusted pre Covid and I agree that their class sizes were smaller than the current ones. There were a variety of abilities within the gcse classes, where as our older non vocational son was streamed on ability. I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or bad as it’s not my area. All I believe is that if your child wants to learn and is enthusiastic and engages then we found Elmhurst to be fabulous academically. I am very grateful for not only the academic support my children received but the psychological and emotional support at the tough times.

Ballet classes are getting increasingly bigger but A levels in particular aren’t for every student and compared to the local college my older non vocational son attended they are a lot smaller. My two younger, vocational children, had a more personal experience. They did just as well as their sibling but alongside intense ballet training.

I think it all depends on how motivated the child is to have a plan B / backup. Elmhurst in our personal experience had excellent academic teachers who were incredibly supportive and went above and beyond, especially at A level. The very small class size is a real bonus. The Maths teacher there is particularly fab !! Both my children did very well and this set them up nicely for a change of direction 😊

https://www.gramilano.com/2021/12/tears-of-a-ballet-mum-sabine-naghdi/

Ds’s second contract in Europe had a probation period of four months. Because of this he didn’t want to commit to a long term rental contract. But we found that a majority of the apartment rentals had no time frame and you just had to give a months notice to leave. I’m not sure whether this is the norm in Europe. Another option, which he did for the first couple of weeks until he found an apartment, was airBnb. More expensive but you can get some good deals if taking out contracts for over a month.

We are exactly a year ahead of you following a similar journey. In December 2020 our daughter did one last performance, took a selfie in her beautiful snowflake costume and hung up her pointe shoes. She hasn’t danced since. Like your daughter got her first choice university and has never looked back. She is blooming 🥰 After the initial feelings of loss and sadness for her it was absolutely the best decision and we are so proud of her bravery for walking away from her addiction that caused her so much pain. We have never seen her this happy and healthy in over 8 years. She has made some amazing new friends and is living a new dream. It has taken a year for us to start the recovery from ballet training. Financially that will take years 🤣 We feel less anxious and so much more positive about the future. I sleep a lot better and cry less. Was it worth it ? Probably not. I sometimes on a this forum feel like the dementor of ballet. Sucking all the happiness out of the room 😢 But parents need to know what they are signing up for and not just get sweep away with it all. We don’t have a chip on our shoulders,we aren’t angry, we hold no grudges as we know what goes around comes around and those bullying, spiteful people that our children and us encountered can’t surely have the love, support and wonderful future that we have together. I’m so happy for your daughter and congratulations on her securing a place at university🥳 Some people talk of the resilience and other positive skills that ballet children acquire during their training and my daughter has, but balance that with the physical, psychological and emotional damage that she endured and the demons that still lurk in the shadows and I would say the negatives out way the positives. Keep looking forward 💪 🥰

Good morning, it sounds from this and your other posts that your daughter is doing really well and getting a lot of support, encouragement and opportunities at her current school. It looks like she is really happy there. You may find British ballet schools very different. In our personal experience you hand your child over to them at 11 and stay away, until they don’t want them anymore or they are broken 😞 Sorry to appear negative but if you take a look at other threads on this forum about lower school ballet training in the U.K. you will get a variety of experiences and an insight into the reality of vocational training. It’s not all it’s portrayed to be sadly and you need to be prepared for the bumpy road ahead. If you don’t have to move to London then personally I would leave your daughter where she is happy and flourishing. We followed advice and made poor choices with our daughter. With RBS it’s not just getting in, it’s staying in. Not many make it to the end for a variety of reasons. I hate to be the Grim Reaper on this forum but I feel sad when I think of families and their young children entering into vocational ballet training not aware of some of the issues they may encounter. Enjoy your trip to London, it’s a fun city 😊 and the very best of luck with your plans.

I think the U.K. ones are easier to work out the costs involved and IMO a little less risky but not so glamorous on a grad destination list 😒

It’s so so sad for our hardworking graduates 😞 The schools publish their graduates destinations and successes portraying that their students have gone into fabulous worldwide ballet company contracts when actually if you do your research it’s a sad set up like this 😢 ££ im so happy my dd is out of it now. I say this as I sit at Gatwick waiting for my flight to watch Ds dance. The dream does happen for some but I know he is just extremely lucky though 😅

It’s a move in the right direction in supporting our graduates in showcasing their talents and gaining contracts. 👏 Not as expensive as The Grand Audition either. The challenge will be to get artistic directors into the seats to watch. My children graduated recently in back to back years. Two artist directors attended Ds’s performances and two male contracts were offered. None attended Dds 😞 and so no contracts. Sadly I feel getting ADs to travel to the U.K. or to attend at all is tough. My children’s school AD tried really hard but they just didn’t come, not even from the schools associate company. It was a real let down. I feel that the only way to go is to travel and audition at individual companies like everyone else and suck in the cost £££££ 😬. Well done to BBO for trying though and I wish them all success.

We love rugby and both our vocational ballet children played. The comparisons are interesting in the success rates but the journey is so different. Ballet could learn a lot from their training, support and passion. Worth a listen 👂

Sadly, this was our 8 year experience too 😞, a repetitive cycle of sadness. I too wish that we had never started on that pathway or had been able to break the addiction or dependency earlier before it became all that Dd identified as or believed she was. There are a lot of very unhappy children in vocational schools. Eleven, in our experience, is far too young to go away. It seems like a fantastic opportunity at the time and you all get swept along in the madness. When the unhappiness starts you are all so absorbed by ballet/the school and fearful of what you are losing that you can easily both find excuses for incredibly awful situations. If I had only really listened to our family and non ballet friends advice then Dd would not have endured all those years. But you look for support in those who are in your world and in the same environment and that makes it all a bit foggy. My work colleagues, not a clue about ballet or vocational schools, were fabulous. Looking back their advice, that I completely ignored, was so right. They could see it how it really was and were putting my Dds welfare before her career. But sadly by then none of us could let it go. My advice would be to go with your heart and gut. Listen to your Ds but ultimately you are the adult and have to make that decision. Ballet isn’t the be all and end all. My Ds went on to be a professional ballet dancer, he didn’t start vocational school til he was 17, and my dd is now at University after finally choosing to stop after securing a ballet contract post graduation. It was the best decision she ever made 😊 A little late in the day but she is dealing with the demons amazingly and experiencing all those things she missed out on since 11. Being gifted and talented isn’t always what it is cracked up to be. Happiness first 😃

Now sold 😊

Still available x

Still in its tutu bag waiting for a new home 🏡