Lifeafterballet

Thank you x

Does anyone know who the teacher was ?

If you are approaching Birmingham / Elmhurst from the M5 then I find the Longbridge Premier Inn very nice. About 15 minutes drive to the school and I have never paid above £35 for a room !! Nice restaurant and bar next door and a huge Sainsburys opposite.

Thinking well ahead ! There is a discount for 2 MDSs but not for one MDS and one DaDa, which will happen when one goes into 6th form. Imagine two on a DaDa ???? We are auditioning for these scenarios. It's a worry ! Happy mum, there are already siblings at school. Might be worth having a chat with the parents of one of them xx

When my 16 year old ds went to finals for upper school he was asked by a physio how many hours of dance he did a day ! He replied " 5 hours a week." After that and the standard in the class he knew it was beyond him, having only been doing ballet locally for 4 years, he felt that he couldn't compete. Now he is an SA with RBS he knows even more the standard that is expected and is finding it really challenging. I also have a dd in her 4th year of vocational training. I still can't figure it out ! Earlier or later ? My heart tells me that it is when the individual child is ready and that a good relationship / connection with the teacher is essential for them to blossom. Age may not be a factor !!

My dd did Coppelia with BRB and Ds did Matthew Bournes Lord of the Flies. Experiences neither of them or us will ever forget. Very special times. It is hard work and stressful but so so worth it. Elmhurst students always go to watch the performance and cheer them on ????

I heard that YBSS is Saturday 16th July. Elmhurst break up on that day after their final show so it's a well organised parent who can get them to York in time with all their kit ! Dd did YBSS this year but only because she had a weeks break between school and the start of it. It would be pretty tough to do it back to back I feel ! My Ds is none vocational and doing A levels. There is no chance for him to attend any of these summer schools either. So off we go to Morocco. By far the best summer school I have ever been too ????

It takes out the vocational students too ! Elmhurst don't finish until the Saturday of the first week ! I hear that YBSS is earlier next year too !

We have Elmhurst experience and they offer the standard 9 GCSEs including double science. They are open to negotiation on children doing extra subjects in their own time too. This year they are starting GCSE Italian instead of French. There are choices for children of all academic abilities. Looking ahead, the A level choices look limited, compared to Tring for example, but it's a work in progress and things are changing / developing year on year. As said before, having a plan B or post dance career plan is important, but it's the ballet training that the child is predominantly there for and some sacrifices / compromises have to be made.

Supposed to be October but not sure !!

There wasn't as many as I thought there would be ! We had a lovely day in London and Ds enjoyed the class. Good luck to all those there today ????

My advise would be to visit the schools. Open days or on audition day. We knew as soon as we walked in that it was the right school for Dd. There are sacrifices to be made but also so many positives. We could not have let her go anywhere else ! It's weighing up what is right for your child and family. We live 200 + miles away from school so dd stays weekends. In year 7 she didn't even want to come home at weekend leave ! Now she would love to ! We think it gets harder as the seriousness of the career pathway they have choosen increases. Spending quality time together during holidays I feel is far better than having her here for tea every day ! The two of us are off to Morocco for a ballet summer school tomorrow ! I certainly wasn't a ballet mum but I have learned so much about the world she is entering into ! It's scary ! But there is always plan B ! Academics are important ! Do your homework before you commit ! And Good luck xx

So very sad ????

Watched A1 too this morning ! Wow ! My dd looked so little ???? The standard was very high ! Well done to all the dds and dss ! Very proud parents today x

Don't the RAD offer GCSE and A level Dance ?

Just a thought ! If it were that bad why would they be doing it in our vocational schools ? The curriculum is the same wherever !

Funny, we feel the same about GCSE and A level PE ! Lol ! I guess we were lucky ! Dd will do GCSE dance at her vocational school so it will be interesting to compare !

I had to twist Dss arm to get him to take GCSE Dance. He loved it ! And is now taking A level Dance. He has learned so much about choreography, expression etc that it has really complemented his ballet. Parents were invited to watch all of the GCSE and A level work in an evening sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the performances ! The standard some would say wasn't particularly high but the enthusiasm, passion and love of dance shone through in these young people. I would rather watch that any day over an RAD class.

The school use TOA Taxis for the students. 0121 427 8888 x

That's very sad ???? At Dds school the day pupils are included in all the activities. As are the non residents at the summer schools. A majority of Dds year group go home every weekend so trips etc are mostly attended by the ones that can't ! No child should be left out whether they are boarding or not.

I think if we had known others that were going that week then Dd may have been confident to go on her own. As it turns out we know a couple of girls. I may have missed out then though ! Lol ! I look forward to meeting your girls. I think my Dd knows your little dd already. Harwel, I'm sure in some of the pictures I have seen a couple of boys. Might be worth emailing !

Price wise it is the same as this years Senior Elmhurst Summer School. Of course then there are the flights. We collect Avios points for BA flights so this makes it a lot more affordable.

Thank you Angel x we are going week 2. Dd won a bursary at the Christmas masterclass but didn't want to go on her own. We are really looking forward to it. I can't wait to spend time just watching her dance. I don't get to see that very often. X

Dd and I going this year ! Can't wait ????

Half way through ???? Good luck to all our Dd/Ds ????