hfbrew

Blimey Anna, what would we do without you?!

Move. Now!

You asked about forever friendships. Well certainly ds thought of his fellow students as extended family and is still in touch with many, even if it's just to congratulate on contracts and send birthday messages. And it's not just the students who make long standing friendships, the parents do too!

Hair in a bun with pink alice bands? Oh and yellow waist elastic?

Enjoy! I do hope that they get good audiences. Shame I'm 6 hours away at the moment!

Wow I've never made that connection before! (About the Hussains that is!)

You are right about dancers having several pairs, my son's girlfriend (and dance partner) has a huge basket full! Hopefully your dd won't need that many just yet!

You deserve a medal for creating this wonderful forum.

ARAD is not a teaching qualification in itself. That takes further training, for example Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies. ARAD usually means you have passed your Advanced 2 and been accepted as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance. (You apply in writing.) Although not a teaching qualification its still a special thing to have!

Your daughter is going to White Lodge! Wow! She must be very talented.I used to say to my son that it didn't matter if the others in his class were better,what mattered was that he was still talented enough to be there and it was his own personal journey that was important not other peoples. When your daughter gets to White Lodge, the entire class will be beginning again from scratch,they will spend ages just perfecting a demi pile! If she finds that others are currently more flexible,she must not worry as this will be achieved through the training. The Royal Ballet School ( no less!) would not have selected her if they don't think she has what it takes. The standard now is not as important as the standard to come! Some students who may be currently more advanced may well find it harder if they have to "unlearn" some technique in order to achieve the Royal Ballet School standard. My son was never deemed to be top of the class but in hindsight it did him in good stead as he quickly grasped the meaning of hard work and perseverance in the face of disappointment. I've observed over the years that those who are high flyers at first often don't stay the course and can't cope with disappointments whereas the ones that had tougher journeys are more realistic and more successful! I wish someone could have told me 10 years ago it would all be ok and that Id see my son in lead roles before he was 25! So I'm saying to you now. It will all be ok! Congratulations to your daughter and tell her to embrace her own personal journey and not be bothered by others. Whatever happens ,to be able to say "I went to the Royal Ballet School " is pretty special. I hope your daughter loves it as much as my son did. Good luck.

Your daughter got a fabulous mark and no, it is not easy to get. However don't be disappointed if this doesn't get replicated in grade 3, remember that an exam is just the examiner's view on that occasion. It's great to get distinctions and I hope your daughter achieves this again but if she doesn't it won't affect future career prospects!

Just an update to say that although the closing date is not until August, there are now only spaces left for, Junior Ballet Intermediate Ballet Jazz. If forms are already winging their way by post then I will do my best to accommodate them but am posting this to try and save disappointment. Any queries, please contact me by pm. Thank you those who have already enrolled! Mrs Helen Brewer (Director)

My mum used to call me loony in the lounge as I was always stretching,dancing and generally being a distraction. And I simply could not pass the downstairs mirror without doing some sort of attitude or arabesque. So sorry parents, all normal behaviour for dance struck offspring!

I am afraid I have known plenty of very healthy, very talented US students left out of the main performances over the years except for the defile whereby the entire school dances.

Interesting facts indeed! So basically about a third of posters contributed. Well done folks for keeping this great forum going. Thank you moderators for looking after us all and giving up so much of your time to do so.

I have a cupboard full of homemade pictures and cards from students. Some comments are quite funny, one child wrote "thank you for reminding me to hold my skirt!" I also love getting plants. I name them after the students who give them and take good care of them. I had a cyclamen called Millie that lasted about 5 years.She's a cellist now. (The student not the plant!)

I still have ds's too!

On paper Lema this is exactly how my school could be described! So I think you are right to consider talking to the teacher. She should have a good idea of where she is going with her classes.It may be that the students attending 3 times a week are doing different aspects of the grade,for example character, rather than just the exercises. Good luck!

When you are asked on application forms for auditions for associate schemes, vocational schools etc they ask which grade simply to get an idea of how much a prospective candidate has done and whether they are up to the standard stated. Summer schools need to have an idea which group to put pupils in. If you are at a school that doesn't do exams ( there are plenty that don't ) then you just put down the level your teacher suggests that you are currently working at. Other people who ask are probably hung up about which grade their own dc are at. But at the end of the day quality of training is what matters not number of grades. I personally like having a syllabus/ system to give a framework to my classes. However this doesn't mean that I only ever teach the steps or settings for any particular grade.

Oh that is sad. Didn't know about that!

Yes, new dancers and website update long overdue.Yesterday should have been Rudolf Giacolone cast. (See my post 53). I say should because cancelled shows mean that sometimes casts have been switched to split work load. Hope you enjoyed it and thank you for supporting this hard working company.

I wonder how she would react to some of the costumes professional dancers have to wear! Jemima Puddleduck for starters!

My students come once a week so 2 years quite normal. But if students really are doing just the same syllabus 3 times a week, well that's a different matter. Lema, it might be worth asking what the long term plans are for this class are.

Music and Dance Scheme. Loads of information on this forum about it and do look at Royal Ballet School website under training and full time courses.

Well on RBS website you can find financial information under full time training. You enter your income and it gives you estimated contribution. If I was doing it all over again on my own income I'd be paying next to nothing! As it is one year, when my Dh was ill we got some money back. The most expensive year was probably due to a combination of extra expenses not covered by MDS and wage increase.