taxi4ballet

This is definitely not describing anything that goes on in the UK. The biggest clue is in the words 'high school'.

Thanks all, she went shopping yesterday apparently and got some Roch Valley stretch canvas ones, and she's happy with those. Cheaper than most, too.

The second brood of wrens in our garden should be fledging any day now. And in other news, there's a great toad living in our shed. I tried to catch it and usher it outside earlier, but it resisted all my attempts. They can't half move fast when they want to!

I have gone cross-eyed wading my way through that lot at this time of night, but at first sight it may well be pro-rata. To be more certain I'd have to put my work hat on, print out the whole thing, and sharpen my pencil...

If they are looking for in-depth discussions on ballet as an art form, then I'd suggest that they look no further than the many thousands of threads on this forum.

For 'relevant' read 'woke'.

Why does art need to be 'relevant' anyway? How relevant is Constable's Haywain? Should that be stored away in a vault to make room for a recent work of art depicting a more modern piece of agricultural machinery?

The world today is a horrible place in many respects. To be honest, if I'm going to take out a small mortgage for theatre tickets I want to be transported to a fantasy land, not subjected to gritty realism.

Do they come up on the small side (as these things often do)? She's a 6 in normal shoes.

I think the issue is more the short toes than the width really. Thanks for all your help, it will make it easier if she can ring round local shops and see what they've got before turning up. Most of them seem to stock Roch Valley, Katz, Starlite and Freed, with the occasional other make thrown in, but certainly not a wide range of styles within each make.

What's that supposed to mean?

Our local shop isn't that great unfortunately (that's where she got them from), and she struggles with a mask for any length of time so going up to London on the train is a no-go at the moment. She has canvas shoes with an elastic drawstring at the moment, and has loosened the drawstring. Judging from the photo she sent me, they look both baggy and too tight at the same time, so not a good fit at all. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll pass them on.

Hi all, a friend of mine has taken up adult beginner ballet, and she said to me that the shoes she has dig into the tops of her feet when she rises up onto demi pointe. She's got very short toes and wide feet and I'm at a loss to suggest a make for her to try as I'm completely out of touch with all the brands and styles now. I think she needs something with a shorter vamp than the Capezio ones she's got now. Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Nope - all that does for me is make things worse. I can wear either glasses/sunglasses or a mask but not both and believe me, I've tried all the hints and tips going.

I'd rather they toured the UK than Japan, to be honest.

Have you had a chat with her dance teacher about this? Ideally out of your daughter's earshot. The teacher may advise that she simply enjoys ballet as a hobby, or they may have suggestions regarding suitable places for her to try. The teacher might also offer additional classes if they think they would be beneficial. Please don't get hung up on the 'ideal' physique. At your daughter's age (and especially pre-puberty) it is often impossible to tell how they will develop physically anyway. Some youngsters might have the 'perfect' body but they might not have any sense of rhythm or performance, or they might not have sufficient talent or ability. The drive, ambition and determination to take things further has to come from within the dancer too. I agree with others about the idea of it being a fun day out dancing somewhere new. At that age, whenever my dd did exams or auditions I would always give her a small 'well done' present immediately afterwards. Something totally unconnected with dance, like a keyring or small book (or even a visit to McDonalds on the way home). 🙂

I think the ballet training at Tring is top-notch, but they tend to lose the very best ones after several years to RBS etc.

Me too. From what I've observed in programmes over the years, dancers often only name the institution from where they graduated and competition successes such as the Genee. They tend not to mention schools they trained at when they were younger.

I was gardening this afternoon and I think I briefly heard a cuckoo. It was something of a "whawassat?" moment, so I'm not sure if I imagined it or not!

Joseph Sissens trained at Tring for several years before moving to RBS and he's doing rather well.🙂

They seem to want to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

I've seen a trailer - it looks pretty grim.😄

Oh what sad news. I haven't been on this part of the forum for some time and have only just found out.

You can say that again! Anyway, it is fairly common for children to do more than one associate programme, more so when they are older. For the younger ones, they might find the different teaching methods slightly confusing.

Ooh - I'm going to have to start listening out for them round here now then.