2dancersmum

Factors we considered when my son was off to university - we did look at the league tables for the subject he wished to study and at the entry grade requirements for the universities. Similar to Hull, advice from the school had been to ensure that you included a university where the entry requirement was lower than predicted grades and mostly choose those where grades were in line with what you hoped to achieve - perhaps one aspirational but not to put everything out of reach. For DSs course entry requirements ranged from A*A*A* to CCD and he knew that he was not on target for A* so that ruled out quite a few. Next factor was course content as courses with the same name can include quite different content and some include a year abroad (at a university) or a placement year. Final factor was location - one for the actual university - compact campus in a town/city or on the outskirts, campus spread throughout the town/city (all have a very different atmosphere and affect social life and accommodation) but also for where in the country. For us it was not so much about distance from home but ease of getting there. Travelling by car - how many hours to drive to drop them and all their stuff off but also for if they can get home by train/coach etc for Christmas/easter and such times when they do not have loads of luggage. Its amazing how many places are within say a 3 hour train journey that would take closer to 5 hours by car and the opposite, how many places are less than 2 hours by car but with train routes takes 3-4 hours.

Might be worth asking at school about a dvd for last years summer show. I think one year a DVD was available to purchase through the company that filmed it rather than the school, though I seem to remember it not being until it was almost time for the next end of year show. I'm glad the showcase went well and wish them well for their performance in London . First time in five years I've missed it - but my DD had 2 days off of rehearsals and came home for a flying visit. DD incidentally had never done tap before starting sixth form

I've no idea for your freezer problem - although I thought for large chest freezers it took anywhere up to 24 hours for them to get properly cold. As others have said there is a pressure/vaccum when you open the door and I believe the whirring sound is the unit within the freezer that stops the warmer area condensing when it hits the cold. Hopefully the engineer will be able to identify if there is a fault somewhere. I do believe however that your chest freezer works best when it is full. You don't need to fill it with food, scrunched up newspaper or some ziplock bags filled with water and frozen can help fill in some of the empty space. We've always just used newspaper

Preliminary information about a new theatre ballet group popped up on my facebook page this morning. Copied and pasted the information for anyone interested in finding out more. "New youth ballet company for Somerset and Devon regions. We are delighted that the Lead In American in Paris Leanne Cope and soloist of The Royal Ballet Paul Kay are our Patrons. South West Theatre Ballet is an extension of Midland Theatre Ballet, which has been successfully running for 6 years, and we shall be holding auditions for our production of Beauty and the Beast in 2018 on the 29th and 30th April 2018 at Queens College, Somerset and Dartington,Yeovil . Website will be available shortly " southwesttheatreballet@gmail.com

Saddened to hear of the death aged 61 of Bill Paxton, one of those actors that appear in lots of things but you cant quite put a name to. Aliens, The Terminator, Titanic and Twister to name but a few films. condolences to his family

Nicola Selby is based in Lancashire, near Chorley. I posted a link to her website a few posts back - full address is within the Q&A section -but she is also on facebook .

I think a lot of apprenticeships for contemporary companies are through post graduate placements so you might need your degree in order to apply. There are exceptions. Hofesh Shechter is the one that springs to mind - though be warned the competition is way greater than for entry to vocational school. As Kate says most other courses/training programs will cost. Kibbutz Dance company run summer and year round programs (Israel) and I know of a few in Europe, whose names escape me at the moment. Closer to home does Chantry Dance offer anything for you? Some websites to keep an eye on are networkdance.com dancingopportunities.com and www.article19.co.uk (Shout) These sites not only have notifications of auditions but also sections on workshops, courses, training programs etc. You might find that rather than leaving your current course you can widen your experience with some short workshops with companies that fit in with your schedule.

Have you looked at the likes of Preston college or The Dance College in Royston, which would allow you to dance and gain dance teacher qualifications? There are many more out there that may meet your requirements. Those are just two examples , not personal recommendations. Or at foundation courses? If you are able to visit MoveIt in London in March that may give you a few more ideas of places that you could apply to where you would meet the entry requirements. There are so many dance colleges and courses out there and different funding systems , colleges that may give you the chance to dance/teach in the future. There is huge competition for all the colleges and Rambert is one of the 'big names'. Like Anna C I would be expecting applicants for courses that level to be mostly studying advanced 1 or 2 in ballet, although there are always exceptions as I am sure they still look at potential and would take into account factors like number of hours of classes a week.

Lisa, when you check his flights do make sure you check if hold luggage is included and if it is not, what the cost may be. You will probably find he can bring that 30 kilos on the flight with him for less than the £18 for the shipping company. My DD can manage 2 x 20 kg medium sized cases and hand luggage when she flies off and I assure you , you can get a lot of stuff into 2 x 20 kilo cases. Breakables he might want to buy when he gets there - bear in mind that Ikea prices are about 75p a plate! Even frying pans are less than £2. I imagine at some point you will need use a shipping company, but I would try and wait until the amount of stuff your son has is too much for him to transport - like when he has all the uni work to bring home as folders and books are very heavy.

I would still be inclined to see a physio if you can. My DD had a similar comment at assessments and the doctor said there was nothing physically wrong but agreed to refer her on the basis of what the vocational school had told us. The physio did some specific exercises for her back with her for a few weeks, making sure she was doing them all correctly. It did help 'loosen' her spine and improve her range of flexibility in her back and after the initial 'treatment' she has a set of 'maintenance' exercises which she does daily.

I think we've all been there done that and not necessarily when they were younger either. A few years ago I was sat waiting for the end of year dance show to begin at DDs vocational school and I got talking to an elderly couple next to me. They announced proudly that their granddaughter had just joined the sixth form. All the way through act 1 they were 'spotting' their granddaughter and pointing her out to me. I hadn't the heart to tell them that act 1 was only years 7-11 and that they had pointed out about five different children of various sizes and ages to me. They realised their mistake when they looked at the programme in the break and laughed about it, asking if I could tell them which numbers their granddaughter could be in in act 2.

I would echo the advice of Pointetoes and stop everything and completely rest. Again, if she is rested and well enough I see no reason why she shouldn't attend her auditions but I would make sure that they are aware of her diagnosis so that they can take it into account during an audition. I would also make sure you talk to her college to make sure they can put her on a reduced timetable that will benefit her the most. One of DDs friends had glandular fever during the graduate year and they worked with her to make sure she covered what she needed without getting overtired. She was diagnosed end December/early January and was back full time in March. I really do hope that your DD is one of the lucky ones who recovers quickly. I had glandular fever myself aged 17 and it is the tiredness that I remember most from it. I took ill mid September and went back to school part time mid October, only a couple of mornings a week at first as I would actually fall asleep at my desk in the classroom. I was back at school full time by early December. my school had had a student the year before with glandular fever who had done too much too soon and unfortunately their glandular fever returned during their A levels so with me the school were determined to give me all the support and time necessary

Congratulations to your DD. Mine went there aged 16 and was very happy, graduating a few years ago now. When my DD was there it was perhaps 2-3 trips a year, each one below £30. You might get another associated with A levels if your DD chooses to do any. Exams - RAD and ISTD - cost as per the exam board. Accommodation - we found somewhere off the list the school gave us quite quickly. Quite stressful though. Landladies usually offer breakfast and evening meal and do the laundry. Other things to budget for are uniform and health insurance. Hope this helps

I think fundraising for the Bolshoi is perhaps more likely to have success than a school over here, simply because so few British students ever get offered a place there. This means it often attracts a lot of publicity with articles in local or national newspapers, interviews etc and so often a lot more support can be gained for the gofundme fundraising campaigns for these individuals. As I said before, I have known several students who have attempted to raise funds for UK school but never enough to cover fees, not even close. It is a real shame when a child is good enough to get a place but funding is either not available or not offered to them. My DD always knew we could only accept a place with funding and she was lucky. Its not a nice situation to be in

Check with the school also to see if they hold a list of organisations/charities that have previously helped students . I have known some people raise money through gofundme as well, though none I personally know of have raised enough to actually cover funding. As well as your local library, check out local charitable organisations through your local county services webpages. I think with most charities you are lucky to get donations into the hundreds though, let alone the thousands.

By all means have a look at summer schools or workshops but you should also perhaps be thinking of a change of focus for what you want out of a summer school as for your last summer before graduation you perhaps want to look at making contacts or widening the breadth of your dance cv, rather than improving technique perhaps. So perhaps summer schools/workshops/classes associated with ballet/dance companies to widen your experience - just ballet or ballet/contemporary or wider styles. If you are about to enter graduate year you start to become eligible for some of the workshops aimed at professional dancers . So do your research. Some to perhaps look at : Ballet Cymru (summer school), Birmingham Dance Network (weekly classes run by guest teachers from Midlands dance companies - drop in and mostly contemporary) and keeping an eye on websites like dancingopportunites.com and Article19 (Shout) as both have sections on workshops of various lengths rather than just auditions But it is equally important to get some rest as graduate year is extremely busy.

Congratulations to your son Lisa on his uni offer. I would suggest that he just sits on it until he gets his other offers through. There may well be variance between unis on what they offer him and normally you would wait til you have your choices and then accept one as a firm choice and a second one as the backup (usually therefore a lower offer). The individual university websites should give an idea what the typical offer is for year one or later entry onto a course but the key word is 'typical' as they can offer higher or lower, depending on how much they like him or how full the course is etc. My son, for example , applied with A levels for 3 unis that stated typical offer as BBB but the conditional offers he received were ABB, BBB and BEE. His favourite place was the BBB which meant it left him with the much lower offer as his back up.

I agree 'smart casual' is quite open to interpretation, a bit of guidance was given in the travel brochure but I think it is often where the internet forums and facebook groups come into their own. I joined a facebook group for the ship we were visiting and so knew to expect one formal captains night a week and that for the waiter served restaurants it was long trousers and collared shirts for men, for example. Shorts only allowed in the self service buffet restaurants. Plus I gleaned lots of handy advice about ports of call, excursions and what was easy to do yourself or better on an organised trip.

Lisa - I think there are some cruise lines like that - especially if you are on the likes of the QE2 - but ours wasn't. It was whatever you like during the day and smart casual in the evening. Plus of course the bonus for us was the fact that we got to watch a different show in the theatre each night and our DD was dancing in them!

We took our first cruise last summer, though not a river one. Our main concerns before going were if we would feel 'trapped' on a ship with limited places to eat and seeing the same people all the time. We were also not interested in the entertainments like quiz shows, bingo and the whole holiday camp atmosphere. Seasickness was the final worry. We went on a Thomson ship - they are a lot smaller than most cruise lines - and loved it. Waking up in a new port every day and going exploring was lovely. On the ship itself we had no problems with food or drink and socially found you could pretty much do as you please. There were areas on the ship with plenty going on and other areas that were quiet and you could quite happily sit with a book and read in peace. We travelled as a family but I know there was a social hostess for people travelling in their own so that people could join in activities and meals if they wished. On the whole I found the cruise really relaxing and enjoyable , a lovely friendly atmosphere and would not hesitate to go again. River cruises - I think the ships are smaller still and perhaps there is less chance to get away from other people and do your own thing and less choice of where to eat. I would do your research and see what ships do itineraries you are interested in and what they offer actually on board and in terms of excursions. We did our own thing in the ports (the med though) and I would not want to have to do organised excursions all the time - expense and timing. I know Thomson Celebration is sailing out of Newcastle over the summer and doing various itineraries , which include st Peterburg, but do not know if they are 7 day or longer. Also when you are looking at prices, check to see exactly what is included - food, drink, tips etc as different companies price things up differently and you need to compare like for like.

I would say possible but maybe not probable on the number of classes your DD is doing. Your teacher will know if she will be ready in time. If not it may be possible for her to move to the next grade with her current class and take the grade exam in the next session. It sounds like you are at a school that enters students into exams at regular intervals. My DD took grade 3 in March, 4 in May and 5 in October of the same year but this was before the syllabus changed (which may make a difference?) and she was doing 2 x 45 mins of a grade plus 30 mins 1-1 each week. She started grade 5 a month or so after starting grade 4 and so did both each week. This was on the teachers assessment of being ready to take each exam

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity Katymac and well done to your DD. I'm sure she will have a lovely time performing at Move-It.

sorry to hear of your disappointment. I hope you will concentrate on getting the most out of your degree course. There are still various routes you can take into a performing or teaching career. You can still audition for dance jobs after graduation - especially if you are not set on a particular style like ballet or contemporary. Most dancers seem to have portfolio careers and do a mixture of panto, touring companies, cruise ships, contracts abroad and uk. You will also be able to apply for post grad courses that require the degree for entry - many of these are actually placements with a dance company. Going into vocational training is still only early stages for a career as a dancer and you still have plenty of routes and options open to you. And as others have mentioned, teaching is still a viable option. Keep up the hard work, determination and enthusiasm and I am sure you will get there

Slightly curious as to what she is auditioning for and needing the added expense of a 'special' leotard if she is in her 2nd year. is this for within the college? Or getting prepared for graduation year?

Nicola Selby http://nicolaselby.com/