taxi4ballet

I'm sure we all agree that we have our childrens' best interests at heart. Quite a lot of children read this forum, and I think that some of the negative comments may perhaps lead to unnecessary worry and concern, particularly for students who are about to start at a school, and maybe we should bear this in mind.

Dancersdad, my dd understands that without funding she cannot go to vocational school, but she now wants to give the auditions a go anyway.

Well said, Jane. We chose our dd's academic secondary school because she fell in love with it at the open evening and it is 5 minutes' walk away, not because of it's reputation. Everyone's experience of school will be different. My husband and his brother both went to the same grammar school. My brother-in-law loved it and thrived, my hubby hated every minute. In my opinion, the most important factor is the child's happiness. If they are unhappy at school, they will not succeed.

Enough of the pests! We have the most wonderful shrub rose bush with literally hundreds of small pink flowers on it at the moment. It is absolutely beautiful, the variety is called... Ballerina.

The vocational schools all seem to hold several auditions, sometimes several months apart. Does anyone have any advice on whether it is better to go for an early audition or to request a later one?

Mumofballetmaddaughter, I would love to know how your dd copes with pointe solos when the ship is contending with storms and rough seas - it must be quite a challenge!

True, but some schools have far more MDS places to be awarded than others.

If you open the lid of your wheely bin, you will find the whole lot has migrated to the inside of the lid... My next-door neighbour ties them into economy nappy sacks so they can't escape. Can't help wondering whether we're getting fixated on mollusc slaughter

I have a feeling that Tring is really trying to up it's game with regard to ballet training, as evidenced by their introduction of the Classical Ballet Academy.

You may find that some children who were successful may not take up their place; and I'm not sure, but I think they are the only school which holds a September audition. Definitely worth finding out if they are happy for children to re-audition!

RBS seems to be the only one the general public knows about. Several times we have been asked if dd will go there, and when I explain that there are other schools as well, they say "Oh, I see..." , and I know they're thinking that anywhere else must be second-rate. I believe that the best school is one that suits your child best.

Aileen, my husband's cousin is a choreographer - I'll get back to you. Edited to add: My dd has a book with a very good section on choreography, and the book also covers much of the GCSE & A-level dance syllabus. Essential Guide to Dance, by Linda Ashley

Interesting, Glowlight. My dd has yet to choose her GCSE options and she has already decided (without any input from us) that she doesn't want to do GCSE Dance or Drama and would rather take two more academic subjects. She's also avidly checking the vocational school websites fo A-level options. Bless her, she's only 13!

A dancer's career is a short one. Having other qualifications isn't a back-up plan in case they are unsuccessful. They have two careers: 1. Dance 2. A job when they stop dancing It would be advantageous to already have suitable qualifications.

First, cut your elephant into bite-size pieces...

I happened to drive past the entrance to Woburn Safari Park yesterday, and saw a large sign advertising their forthcoming Elephant BBQ. The mind boggles!

Crikey, twins! You must be an extremely proud mum. I wonder if there are any other JA twins...

Welcome to the forum chocolatefondu, love the name!

Hi BalletBloch, I was wondering how old your dd is, and how long has she been on pointe?

So LJB / LSB are moving to Acton? Quite glad we didn't audition then, as Kings Cross would have been fine for dd to travel to on her own, but not further afield.

Spanner, it's a good job she tweaked her achilles after EYB and not before! Hopefully a few days rest will help her toe heal and she will soon be fine again.

Tell him that the plants cost more than the beer does!

The only thing for it is a dark wet evening, rubber gloves, a torch and a bucket (just don't let the neighbours see you)! Fill the bucket with the slugs, then pour on the beer.

I don't think they know what they're looking for half the time!

My dd's big toe started hurting a couple of weeks ago, in just the same way. She has one foot fractionally larger than the other. Turns out that her demi-pointe shoes were slightly too short and her toenail was pressing on the end of the shoe. She stopped wearing them and her toe is better already.