2dancersmum

Other places to look at could be Danceworks or Dance Attic. They both do ballet and other styles on a drop in basis. One of the 2, cant remember which, used to do a 6 week total beginner course to give a complete newbie a bit more individual attention and confidence before going to an open class. In terms of dance style, I would agree that ballet is probably the best one as a solid foundation but given that musical theatre is his passion, a (west end style) jazz class or street dance (jazz) could also be options. Laban would probably be good for him - for ballet rather than contemporary , if space is available. He might also find something at RAD - especially thinking boys only days

At the dance school my DDs attended grade 3 was the point that children moved from 1 x50 mins class a week to doing 2 x grade 3 classes a week. At this stage they also did 1 x 45 mins modern and 1 x 30 mins non syllabus work (usually ballet or character). Towards the end of grade 3, those that were ready also started inter foundation classes, though the majority started foundation once in grade 4. So definitely by grade 4 the hours for ballet were increasing and that's really when we hard to start making decisions about any other extra curricular activities.

I don't know your area i'm afraid to offer any specific advice on ballet schools. I would agree with other posters though that if you have doubts about your DDs current school when she is only 4, then you are wise to change while she is still young as those doubts are only likely to grow. I would agree with sarahw above that the school you have linked to looks like it has potential. You need to be looking for a school with a good range of ballet classes, arranged by grade, rather than age as that can be a good indication that your child can progress according to ability rather than age. RAD is a good syllabus and very well known. You can also search by teacher on the RAD website and perhaps find a school that way. Talking to a teacher, visiting the school and watching or doing a trial class will help set your mind at rest. The most important thing of all though, given the age of your DD, is that your DD enjoys her dancing. I'm sure she will soon make friends at a new school. https://www.rad.org.uk/learn-to-dance/find-an-rad-teacher

Best not to antagonise strangers I agree. But when deciding whether to remove towels or not is actually not that easy either. How do you know if the person has been gone a few minutes or just left the towel there for hours? If I go in the pool to cool down I would hardly be happy to arrive back at my sunlounger dripping wet and find my towel gone or my belongings moved.

They say a German speciality but somehow I think the Brits are worse. I was reading reviews of where we are going on holiday on a forum and there were complaints of people not just reserving sunbeds at the crack of dawn and not using them until lunch but also chairs in the shade so that they could alternate between sun and shade once they were back on the ship. It was funny though as someone sent through a photo of some sunbeds reserved with towels, bag and a book, saying its now 1 o'clock, these beds have been like this for 3 hours. They updated 2 hours later that still no one was on them and then a few hours after that the 'reservers' of the sunloungers were actually sat at the table behind the loungers the whole time, with the beds reserved and people clearly looking for somewhere to sit! It was quite funny because the original photo showed the couple sat at the table - not quite named and shamed but along the lines of! Beats me how people came be so selfish though - reserving beds you are not using is bad enough but reserving multiple seats/loungers is worse.

I was about to say Preston college aswell. Others I have heard of/know of people who went there are: Dance Academy South West (in Bristol), The Dance College/Penny Meekings dance teacher training and Linda Virgoe Dance Academy. I should point out that although I know of people who looked and sent their DDs there, they are people who I lost subsequently lost touch with so I don't know what their DDS thought of the courses or how they got on.

Echo Hairbelles questions but I would also say that you tube can be a good initial source of viewing showreels to get an idea of what you might want to include or not include.

If you are full of cold, not able to sleep because of it and by the sounds of it (sweating for no apparent reason) also running a temperature, then obviously you will be loosing your concentration and far from your best. As others have said, you are poorly and needing a rest and time for your body to recover, seeing the doctor if you are not feeling better in a few days. You are putting pressure on yourself - no one is perfect and to be perfectly honest practising when you are under the weather is worse than not practising at all as you will become more and more frustrated with yourself and your performance and are putting yourself at risk of injury. I know its not easy, but you have a long term goal of becoming a professional dancer and you need to learn when to take a step back and listen to your body. I'm afraid I agree with the idea of missing the festival so that you can be rested for summer school.

My DD has different sized feet and every single shop she has been to in London, Birmingham , close to vocational school and close to home - all have suggested if she cannot find a pair that suits both feet she should buy two pairs of shoes in different sizes and use one of each pair. She has never been offered the possibility of just replacing one shoe.

I saw the show this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. You should all be very proud of your DC - they all nailed it!

Where we live is never actually shown on the weather forecast (other than the separate regional TV broadcast). As the camera zooms from one area of the UK to the next and the weather person moves position, we are either just off the part of the map being shown or the person is stood in front of us!

well done to your son Julie and enjoy his graduation on Friday, especially with the other 2 coming home as well. I don't know if it is the same with you but it is becoming rarer for me to have all 3 of mine home at the same time these days, even though the youngest is still at school. Graduation day for us still is 'should be on a Wednesday, probably in September but possibly November'. I would have expected the university to know by now!

There's a thread on this in the Performances seen section of the forum.

Well that's it, son moved to London to start his new job on Monday. Provisional results from uni give him a first. Awaiting news of graduation. oh and youngest DD passed her driving test - so a busy week for news in this household!

I would be inclined to have a chat with your DD and just explain that the exam set up is completely different. I doubt very much that AAD are harder exams - just different grade boundaries. You would probably still find that a student only just passing the AAD exam would probably also be only just passing the RAD exam too. And I doubt that AAD's Commended is the direct equivalent of RAD's Distinction. It is probably still the same range of abilities with similar percentages of students failing or getting the top grades. RAD's statistics show that less than 30% of their students get Distinction in exams. I don't know any statistics for AAD but it would seem unlikely to me that 70% of their students fall into the failed,.passed ,passed plus categories which is what we would be saying if marks were a direct equivalent

Bluelou - The course at Hammond is the level 6 Trinity diploma in either dance or musical theatre and as such is a higher education qualification with the Hammond being an institution of higher education rather than a sixth form (for further education) so its perhaps a bit misleading when people refer to 'school' and 'sixth form'. There is no automatic progression from year 11 onto the diploma courses but a completely separate entry procedure. Also, it is a full 3 year course . If you leave at 18 you don't leave with a level 3 or 4 qualification in dance or ballet - they don't have that option. 2 A levels can be studied alongside the diploma but that is optional - the timetable slots are for either A levels or pilates/Zumba and a lot go for qualifications in pilates rather than A levels.

Another one here who hated sports day for her DDs. Always the worry of injury. DD1 proved good at the long jump and the high jump but as a 'just ballet' girl always got the events the sporty girls in her class did not want. DD2 was naturally sporty - fast, strong, flexible and full of energy. Normally got hurdles and long jump but as sports captain for her form did get an element of choice. We always found it quite amusing that she was form sports captain throughout high school (teacher decision but with pupil vote also) as she did not do any sport at school outside of class, no time or inclination for practice sessions or matches.

Hammond most definitely do not accept only 16 years olds. There is usually a good mix of students starting on the diploma at 16, 18 or sometimes even older. Hoglett - I agree with the others who have said funding is key and to be honest with your DC. My DD applied at 16 to a number of schools, but it was with the full understanding that if she did not get funding she would not be able to go. She felt it was worth a try as if unsuccessful at 16 it would have given her valuable audition experience to try again at 18. Luckily she was successful as her local ballet school had taken her as far as they could and no other schools in the area even did advanced classes. If auditioning at 16, you do need to look at a plan B in case you either do not get a place or do not get funding and cannot take up the place. This may be continuing with dance classes locally and doing A levels. doing a btec locally or doing a btec at a dance college and boarding/staying with a host family. You do need to consider what all your options are and routes your DC could take to reach their goals. MoveIt dance exhibition in March each year in London or the CDET dance conferences can be good places to go and collect information and get advice.

DC aged 16 can do either further education (btec level 3) or the level 6 Trinity diploma or in some instances BA hons degrees. If they do the btec , it is equivalent to 3 A levels and another route to degree entry aged 18. Trinity level 6 diplomas are 3 year courses that are funded by DADAs or self funded. I'll put the link to DADAs below and that will list the colleges it applies to. You can do the trinity diploma aged 16 but some colleges accept older students too. RBS, Elmhurst, Tring, Hammond, Northern Ballet are just some of the ones that do the diploma. Not all students on these courses will be offered funding. For ballet there are some places that accept students onto BA Honours courses - including off the top of my head - Central School of Ballet, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Ballet West. Degrees for contemporary are usually from aged 18. Degree courses are normally with student loans. GCSE requirements vary from college to the next and you would need check with any you are interested in, especially if it somewhere like Tring or Hammond and your DC want to study A levels alongside as they would need to meet subject entry requirements. Time to audition - auditions generally take place in year 11 between November and March, with finals generally around March time. Again the process varies from college to college. Some you can select your audition date, others allocate in order of receipt of application form. Up to you and your DC if you prefer to go for earlier auditions or later ones - and what fits in best with your school and family lives. https://www.gov.uk/dance-drama-awards Hope I've said something here that helps

taxi - been there done that with all 3 of my DC with various phones/electronic devices - in the bath/washing machine/sea. The rice has worked every time - though it does need to be a warm place. Our worst one was on top of the radiator for 3 days before it was totally clear. The phone itself worked again before that but there was misting inside the screen so it was clearly not fully dried out yet. so persevere even if it is longer than a day or two.

I don't think movement on the reserve lists is necessarily finished yet. I have heard of a few people with multiple offers say they have had a letter asking them to make a decision now. Worse case scenario though and she doesn't get funding this year, it certainly is not likely to be her last chance. If she is still able to dance locally then you can reapply next year or after A levels - not just for the degree courses but also for DADA funded ones. She was good enough to get a place this time so you know she meets the entry standard - next time she might get the funding. Not sure about Elmhurst or Tring, but I think all of the others accept 18 year olds as well. In fact, often the 16 year olds are in a minority on the courses. I wish you luck in any case.

1 - no putting on weight will not make you taller. Not eating enough can effect your growth and your health as a dancer though. My DD was still quite tiny at 14. I know when she was in year 9 they did a whole school photo and brought them out in height order and she was fifth from the end. She is now about 5'5" tall - most of her growth was in years 10 & 11, though steady and periods had started before she grew. This growth pattern was different to the rest of the family. 2 - putting on weight wont make your dancing bad. Not practicing, not listening to corrections, not trying that's what makes dancing bad. In any case, muscle weighs more and I think its normal to put weight on as your hours increase - but its muscle not fat. 3 - at 14 personally I don't think you should be watching what you eat. You should be aiming at a healthy diet yes, but a healthy lifestyle diet, not one that categorises food into good and bad or healthy and treats. The DD I mentioned above is a professional dancer and so are most of her friends. I think all of them would be horrified at the idea of no chocolate or no pizza. I think all of them moreorless follow the 80:20 rule mentioned by mnemo above. You have to get a balance. Incidentally, the book mentioned by piccolo is the one recommended to my DD when they studied nutrition for the dancer as part of their vocational training. Like others, I think if you are concerned by your height, weight or diet, you should talk to your parents first off. Your health will always come first and ultimately you cannot achieve your dream of dancing professionally without it.

welcome to the forum Jellyfish. To become a professional ballet dancer, you basically need to audition and show the audition panel that you are a better choice than any other dancer in the audition for their company/role etc. Bear in mind that I said 'choice' and not necessarily 'best dancer' as there will always be an element of subjectivity when you are seeking the best fit for a role or company. There are 2 types of audition - open and closed. For an 'open' audition, you read the audition requirements and basically just turn up,along with hundreds of others who match the audition requirements. Typical requirements are often specified height, sometimes age range, sometimes x years of previous professional experience, sometimes things like EU passport or visa requirements. If you google 'ballet auditions' you will find adverts from Dance Europe and audition sites which will show you what I mean. Totally open auditions are relatively few and far between. Far more common are 'closed or private auditions'. For a closed audition, you usually again have to meet the audition requirements, but you also need to send a dance cv and/or video footage of yourself dancing and the ballet company will then select a number of people they wish to actually audition. Here you can see where aged 30, on paper looking for your first professional contract you would be at an extreme disadvantage to a 30 year old with several professional contracts already completed and where where you trained can come into it. Alternatively for a closed audition, directors of ballet companies may watch graduate classes at top ballet schools, or watch dancers at top competitions, or have dancers recommended to them by people they know and may invite dancers who have caught their eye to audition. A top ballet company will have literally hundreds of dancers to choose from for just one vacancy. This is putting it all very simply but you can see it is not just about age but also about competition and contacts. As a dancer you are striving to be the best you can but so is every dancer out there. Competition for places at vocational schools is huge and for contracts even greater. Its never just about you and your potential/what you can achieve but where you can fit in and how you compare to the other dancers out there.

Thanks to everyone who responded with advice. Pleased to say that we were successful and did manage to find accommodation for him on budget and it should take him less than 30-45 mins to get to work. It actually came down to a close call between 2 places to be honest I never expected him to have a choice, especially after getting a phone call ten minutes before one viewing that both rooms had just gone!

To be honest, we looked into this and after seeing the interest charge decided to do our own version. We opened a specific bank account for vocational school and worked out how much we had to pay over the year. We then paid into this account weekly/monthly . We started May before DD actually started at vocational school so there was already money in the account by September. It meant it was far easier to budget - we still paid the school termly but with money going out of our accounts by DD monthly we never had any lump sums to find and it made finances easier.