plie

all done, very easy!

well I don't really see the problem with this as the children are not even back to school yet!! Also why not make some extra cash rather than go under in the next few years which would be terrible. Everyone is feeling the pinch these days and we all have to do the right things in order to survive and get through this! White Lodge is a beautiful place so why not let it out for these functions?

Agreed, the sizes are a little strange! My DD wears the JA size 1 and is going into yr 6. Her normal leotards are still a zero but the JA zero was so short. Some of the Jas wear their leotards with lots of growing room shall we say!! I prefer to have a good fit as hate seeing baggy leotards! They do shrink a little with washing and if its too short in the body this would be uncomfortable to dance in so be a little careful there!!! Good Luck x

us too!!!

Yes wildflowers she does!! She is at ballet school in USA at age 16 and loving every moment!!! I know what you mean about feeling ill at the thought of the third one auditioning!! Do yours both still dance?

Yes I am very proud, I am sure there have ben a few twins over the years and I did know of some at WL. My eldest daughter was a JA too so its a hat trick for us!! Very funny really that they have all wanted to do it!

the things we do!! My twins will both be yr 6 Jas in Sept, one boy, one girl. Their classes will be opposite ends of the day!! Completely mad but we will do it somehow!!

We got a yes for London for my DS !!! This is a hat trick for us! Our third JA and will have 2 from September at different times of the day!!My son is so excited about it and we are very proud! Well done to all the yes letters and sorry to all the nos, do try again though. x

I think London maybe tomorrow going by previous years!!

still no London results today!!! AGHHHHH!!!!! Hopefully tomorrow then?! Good luck to all waiting! x

Happymum, I am also waiting for London results! Last year my daughters letter didn't come until about 23rd june, now I'm waiting for my son. I hope it will also be a yes like my daughters but who knows!! Its painful but you can't change the result so try to just forget about it as much as possible!!! What will be will be!! Good luck! I know that last year some people called the RBS and they did say that the letters were being posted the next day so it maybe worth a call if you can't wait!!!

I must say that Johan was a fantastic Madge and probably my favourite that I saw. My daughter played the "little girl" so I was there a lot and thought it was a fantastic production. I thought both Sarah and Alina were beautiful in the role of the Sylph and as for Valentino well he was great as Gurn. Steven McRae was amazing as James and Johan also performed brilliantly in the same role. All in all a very enjoyable few weeks and lets hope it returns soon!!

My daughter is a year 5 JA in London and this year they still haven't moved to the barre as yet!! There are a lot on conditioning exercises as Julie said in the first part of the class once they are warmed up. After this they do a lot on plies and tends in the centre and lots of moving around to vary the class. They are never static for too long! They work a lot on musicality and posture. As a ballet teacher myself I see the JA programme as very valuable as is the time they spend getting the basic technique right. Cant praise it enough!

well, I have no chest at all but my eldest who is training to be a ballerina does so you can never tell. She hates her breasts and would love to get rid of them and really believes it will hinder her chances once she starts to audition for companies in two years time. Its a hard one!

Aileen,I am a ballet teacher and did a lot of research into the schools. There are about 5 really good ones in the states of which Harid is one! I'm not sure about how many scholarships are available?? I didn't really look into other countries as my daughter desperately wanted to go to the States.

Nana Lily My daughter went in August when she was 15 and we chose this school because it is a fantastic school and gave her everything she needs, for example good academics, great campus and fantastic ballet! Obviously it wasn't that easy as she had to get a place but she was offered a place at another school but she would have had to look after herself! Even though we were paying full fees for the vocational school over here doesn't mean it was easy for us ( £26,000) is a hell of a lot of money after tax) as we also have 2 other children and it was hard and frustrating at times so having a scholarship at Harid is great and makes life easier for us. We would love to see our dd more often but know that she is in the best place for her.

Bankrupt mum, my daughter at Harid Conservatory has a tuition scholarship and we had no funding here as my husband earned above the line! Even with flights etc we are paying half of what we were paying here for 4 years running! Its a real bonus for us!!

aileen, my daughter is getting much better training and her shape has completely changed since August. Also because the school is so small, each child is important to them and this didn't seem to be the case over here!! I can't really put my finger on it but the whole concept is better and well with the sunshine as well every day thats got to make you happier!!!

My daughter is training at the Harid Conservatory in florida and has been there since August. She loves it and is far happier than she was here at her vocational school. She sent a DVD for an audition but they really only give places to kids who go to their 5 week summer intensive as this is like an audition. She could not attend this as it was during June/July and her school would not have let her miss so much time. She was very lucky however and we got an e mail at the end of the summer school to say they were offering her a place which is an unusual outcome if they do not see you in the flesh!! The training is intense but amazing and I was very impressed when I visited in December, the school is also very small and just lovely!! They do assess the dancers every year and they don't all get invited back (same as everywhere else!!)We are hoping that she will as she is so happy there and although we really miss her I know she is in the right place for her. I think that the kids really have to want to do ballet to move so far away from home as this is a huge upheaval for the whole family. My other two children miss her desperately and we have a lot of tears knowing that she will not be home for 3 and a half months! I agree with Primrose when she says it takes greta determination and courage to go so far away but my daughter knew there was something better for her out there and she was right!

yes good luck to all of you x

well done dancers2 to your DD Is she a JA? Which centre if so and do you know of any others in her class? x

Good luck everyone!! We were there 5 yrs ago and know how agonising it is. Looks like we will be doing it all again next year too with my youngest! Please let us all know how you get on! x