2dancersmum

I think the associates/school part of the London Ballet Company only goes back a year or perhaps two so perhaps difficult to find reviews for assoicates, though they do have a facebook page. . They started off as a performance company in 2010 but have been running summer (and Easter) intensives/summer schools for quite a few years. I know of dancers in upper school vocational training at the same time as my DD (2012-2015) who attended around 2013/14 time - too far for us when no accommodation was provided, but my DD was interested. The company was only small then - but it seems to grow year on year.

have a search within the forum - going back a few years but I am sure there was someone searching for advanced ballet classes and a dance physiotherapist in south wales. I have a vague recollection of a dancer who after injury had retrained as a physiotherapist and was working out of Cardiff.

To be honest, an awful lot does depend on what sort of training your DD can access locally between the ages of 16 and 18. My eldest DD went at 16 as she was lucky enough to get funding at the college she liked but she would have struggled to get dance classes at a high enough level locally. Our closest dance school to offer adv 1 and 2 was over an hour away - but most at that school tended to apply at 18. Both my DDs have friends who applied at 16 and got either a no or a non funded place on diploma courses and the results applying at 18 varied from no offers to 'unfunded diploma with no to degree' to multiple degree offers. The extra 2 years for those friends in some ways were a benefit - at 16 they applied for dance courses, at 18 some had a more consolidated interest in MT or contemporary so I think those 2 years helped define where their interests and talents mostly lay - general dance, mt or contemporary. So ultimately , providing she can access enough quality training, then she has not lessened her chances by deciding to wait but of course there are no guarantees in auditions.

I'm pretty sure that there is a forum member on here who had 2 DDs go to LSC on degree courses under the age of 18. They lived in France and had completed their A level equivalents. One had been accepted into Chichester too

my DD uses a nitcomb with damp hair or hairspray on a very small brush (looks like a teasing brush). She uses hairspray - Schwarzkopf got2b - freeze hold one. Normally for performances for her but on her last cruise ship contract she was straight from the stage to on duty interacting with passengers so it brushed out enough and quickly enough for her to let her hair down.

So sorry to read this sad news this evening. Deepest sympathy to John's family, friends and colleagues.

In my DD's 1st year they were effectively split after Easter into dance or mt and had the majority of their classes separately and only did one of the end of year shows - the full musical or the dance show depending on which course had been chosen - so that seems to be a change back to what it was originally. Tap streamed for all years (A-D) and ballet and jazz streamed into A + B for the first year, I believe contemporary followed the ballet streaming. There is certainly a lot more ballet and more contemporary on the dance course than the mt course as the classes in these genres increase from the first year for dance students even though the number decreases for mt students.

My DD went to Hammond upper school and graduated in 2015, happy to answer any questions you may have although I appreciate there might have been some changes since then as the MT degree was not available then. She did the Trinity level 6 diploma in Professional Dance alongside 2 A levels. The first year was all diploma students together and this then split into dance and musical theatre stands for years 2 and 3. I believe they have an Open Day at the end of September and in January (26th) they have free Boys Masterclass Day for 11-18 year olds - you need to email to pre-register and they send out details closer to the time.

My DD auditioned successfully for vocational college for 16+ place. I would suggest the focus should be more on vocational grades than grades 6-8 as the vocational grades include pointework and intermediate is the standard entry point for teaching I believe. DD's school offered the standard grades alongside as the teacher felt they are very performance based. DD had: 2 x RAD vocational classes + 1 shorter pointe work class following one of the other classes 2 x grade classes 1 x open class 1 x jazz Inter foundation classes ran alongside grade 5 and then grade 6. Intermediate classes ran alongside grade 6 and grade 7. Adv 1 classes ran alongside grade 8 . Order of exams taken : grade 5, inter-foundation , grade 6, intermediate, grade 7, grade 8, adv 1. Int-F and 6 were close together, as were inter +7 and 8+adv 1. My DDs hours did not really increase much beyond that even up to vocational school entry - - she added in an extra intermediate class just prior to the exam and that continued for about a year after the exam just for more dance time - (we were not charged - she demonstrated for fellow students). She also did a monthly associates class and a monthly workshop. I am aware that for year 10/11 she did less hours than many of her peers but for our location and circumstances that was all that was possible and I would always say that the quality of the teaching is of utmost importance.

With English Youth Ballet, it really is a case of wait until they advertise for your region and then if you email you will be sent details of rehearsals and performances - possibly with some TBC. Wolverhampton, Oxford and I think Swindon are places they have performed in the past - they don't do every year in every location - more like a rotation of 2-3 years. Rehearsal times will vary greatly. I know my DD never managed it as although geographically we were theoretically ok, in practice too many 'after school' rehearsals' starting at 4:30pm would have meant too many Friday afternoons off school for us. Depends on time of year too -1st 2 weeks in September when starting a new school not ideal and nor around GCSE time. If you are after something that can usually be combined with Elmhurst, keep a look out for Midland Theatre Ballet. They run a weekly class/rehearsal leading up to theatre performance. Its over 8-9 months of the year and I suspect you are too late for this year but you could investigate for next time

It really is time that Edexcel improved their security/systems for this. You are correct in that it is the third consecutive year that this happened with their Maths A level papers. My daughter was upset last year when she sat the maths exam and discovered afterwards that the paper she found the hardest had been leaked the evening before. I believe that grade boundaries were adjusted in both years but that overall the numbers involved (that got knowledge of the paper) were not deemed large enough to affect overall results - so a minimal adjustment I know my daughter felt it unfair but ultimately she did get the hoped for result. Sympathy to your pupil but ultimately I doubt it will make any difference to her result - it just adds to the stress

I would agree - GCSE year for those auditioning for vocational school at 16, A level year for those 'changing' at 18+ - be it for dance training, university or a job, final year of vocational training facing the end of training and uncertainty of what comes next. Not sure how you can help - other than continue to offer encouragement , reassurance and support to your DC. Though on a practical note, for a DC not at vocational lower school, it is perhaps a good idea to contact their secondary school at the start of year 11 and explain your DC's ambitions to them . My DD was assigned a deputy head of year as a sole point of contact - it was he who talked to her subject teachers, authorised absences etc.

It really does depend on the university, course applied for and A level subjects studied. Only one of DDs offers was on points (and that one specified but not from dance qualifications). I spoke with DD and she reminded me the 'x' in the 'x' points could come from other qualifications was actually only 12 points maximum.

I've had this happen too actually - when I've actually been typing , the screen has jumped back up to earlier in the thread and I've had to scroll back down to continue typing. Not sure why, hasn't happened typing this time but the last couple of times I've posted it has

Some universities do accept points from dance and drama exams but certainly not very many points. There is a space to fill them in in the ucas application. My DD had a couple of offers that specifically stated her dance exams would not count towards her points totals and a couple where a maximum of 'x points' could come from them. She did A levels and applied for a science degree - An overall points value was offered along with min A level grades relevant subjects to the degree - eg biology was given a minimum grade she had to achieve to do the degree course but the 'x points' clause would have allowed her to drop a grade in a subject less relevant to her degree course and by including dance exams still meet the overall points value. I cannot remember the points value but it was not a lot and certainly did not reflect the number of level 3 dance qualifications she had. I would have thought that my DDs experience would be more usual - applying for a degree that had nothing to do with performing arts. Those I know who have done dance or drama at university have not had UCAS points accepted for dance/drama - probably because they expect most applicants to have taken exams in these subjects and even more so because there is normally an audition involved in the application procedure so they can judge an applicants relevant ability/talent for themselves. For the record my DD is in her 1st year at university so this is based on last years experiences. Some of her dancing friends going onto degrees in fields totally unrelated to dance also had the clause about ' a max of x points can come from other level 3 qualifications' with their offers stating a level grades and overall points required.

The book Anna mentions was on the reading list for my DD for a project on healthy eating as part of her diploma so it is a good place to start. To be honest though, as long as her overall diet is healthy I don't think a bit of chocolate or some sweets are too much to worry about. You do need to maintain a healthy relationship to food for the long term. Its important to remember too that at 13 bodies are still changing and growing and a teenager doing quite a lot of exercise each week will burn off any excesses. I'm sorry but you can expect a 13 year old to change considerably until they settle into their adult body at 18/19/20 and I think you have to be very careful with images projected of what a dancer should look like/weigh etc. Teenagers have a tough time and dancers are constantly seeing themselves and others in leotards and mirrors and know better than anyone how they fit with the other dancers in class. A healthy and balanced diet overall is what parents need to aim for for their children and themselves. My DDs are older - one has been dancing professionally for almost 4 years now. Sadly I have seen the effects on some of their peers during their teenage years where either the girls or their mothers focused too much on body image.

As pictures said, both qualifications are level 6 on the qualifications framework. The main difference between them in terms of course content is percentage of academic versus percentage of practical. Diploma is approx. 25% academic and the degrees are approx 40% depending on the actual course (can be more). However, you do probably also need bear in mind that terms are often longer for the diploma colleges than some that offer the degree. DD had an extra 8 weeks of term doing a diploma than her friend at Trinity Laban so obviously a lot more hours of practical overall. Trinity offer a top up course to the diploma to convert it to a degree - it is primarily distance learning and designed so that it can be completed when the graduate is already working rather than as a full time student. Some establishments accept the diploma as entry qualification for MA courses but obviously still in the performing arts - if moving away from performing arts into other fields the diploma is less likely to be accepted. Employers after graduating are not likely to be bothered about which qualification a person has - it still comes down to the audition and probably past experience.

Karen Hardy, Camilla Dallerup and Oti (don't know surname) are the 3 ladies I keep hearing being mentioned as being in the running for it. All 3 infinitely better than Cheryl.

Juts to clarify, when you speak of all rounder you are talking about dance/singing/acting ie musical theatre as opposed to all rounder in dance genres with a strong focus on ballet as opposed to a qualification in classical? I ask because there are 2 level 6 Trinity diplomas out there - one for musical theatre and one for professional dance. It may help you to look at the actual qualifications and how they are assessed as the balance/emphasis put on dance genres and the singing/acting components does vary according to the course. Using Hammond as an example, as they offer both qualifications, - the first year is common to both courses but 2nd and 3rd years the MT students will do far less ballet as their hours of vocal and acting classes are increased whereas the hours of ballet and contemporary in particular are increased from 1st year for the students on the dance course. They will still do an acting and vocal class each week but it is dominantly dance genres.https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=270

sorry to hear of your troubles Fiz, I hope you are soon recovered - both cough and cold and your knee. I quite agree that some receptionists seem to think they know it all and some are just unhelpful. DD2 had surgery recently and took a letter from the hospital home with her to get an appointment at her doctors practice for stitches to be removed 2 weeks later. Not only did she have to battle to get an appointment in the first place - earliest they gave her was 2 days past the 2 weeks - but then they texted her 2 hours before said appointment and cancelled it - no explanation or alternative appointment. So another phone call - another 3 weeks they said - luckily DD persisted and they managed to get her an appointment at a partner practice for the next day - I say luckily because the skin had already healed over the knots! oh and lets not forget that this partner practice was not in DD's university town but in an outlying village and as a student with no car it was not easy to get to (multiple buses in an area she did not know) I could also add my own experience at our local practice - rang up for blood test results as requested and receptionist told me all normal, no need to see the doctor. I already had a follow up appointment with him as tests were part of an ongoing investigation - blood test results were far from normal and he was really cross the receptionist had told me not to go back. I doubt it was just down to that incident but she didn't work there much longer

I'm so sorry to hear of your accident and wish you all the best for your recovery. My first thought was an aloe vera gel but given your sensitivity to smell as well I wonder if you would be wize to use something like Vaseline. My DD has just had minor surgery and Vaseline is what the hospital recommended for her to use on the affected skin as a gentle moisturizer and to help healing with the exact same instruction of 'gentle massage'

Thank you for this. My DD was until last week in one of those teams so it was interesting to see what it was all about and how the costumes turned out. She was gutted to have to drop out for medical reasons.

My DD is a professional dancer (as opposed to professional ballet dancer) and currently works on cruise ships where she does contemporary, ballet and tap as well as more commercial routines and musical theatre roles. A lot of colleges offer the level 6 diploma in professional dance as opposed to a qualification in classical ballet - not being suitable for/wishing to go down the classical ballet route does not necessarily mean the alternative has to be musical theatre. Apart from the west end and cruise ships there does tend to be quite a wide range for dancers . You've touched upon west end and theatre shows , cruise ships, Disney and ballet/contemporary companies but there are also a lot of positions for dancers with hotels, holiday parks, theme parks - both UK and abroad, regional and touring dance or theatre shows. Some agencies specialise in dancers and being signed up can also mean opportunities for TV work, live shows, commercials etc. DD has friends quite literally all over the world - dancing in resorts in the Caribbean, in Europe, theme park shows in Japan, holiday parks in the UK, various cruise ships, appearing on TV and in films. The future for a dancer is always going to be uncertain as it always depends on the next audition, lots of contracts are temporary ranging from a few months to a couple of years. But first you need to get that training in. MoveIt is a good idea, although not all colleges participate (very expensive). Another one to keep an eye out for is the CDMT careers conference. There are workshops for your DD and you get to meet representatives from various colleges for talks and questions and both get to watch some performances from current students of schools taking part.https://cdmt.org.uk/advocacy/cdmt-careers-conference

Parent and chaperone for local dance school, rather than teacher. The dance teacher would send a letter home with each child well in advance, advising that the intention was to put on show X and give the dates and saying that they would love each child to be able to perform in x no of shows. They split the children according to which class session they were in - ie Saturday or Wednesday class for example so that younger children were still dancing with their friends - but also taking into account siblings. It sort of depends how many performances you are having for if you divide up all grades. We typically have 5 or 6 whole school performances so the lowest grades (with the biggest numbers) had 3 groups (2 or 3 performances each), middle and senior grades had 2 groups although seniors dance in all performances and alternate casts for lead roles. A letter would again go home with each child to advise parents which group - A,B,C etc their child would perform in and a letter on the noticeboard giving details of show dates, times, performances with the reminder to check that the letter re performance groups had been recieved

have you considered the Hammond in Chester? I believe they have just added an extra audition day. Its a level 6 diploma in either Professional Dance or Musical Theatre but with a common first year but you also have the options of 2 A levels alongside the diploma. You could also look at KS Dance or Preston College in terms of dance and teaching.