taxi4ballet

Pups-mum, how old is your son? Is he genuinely disinterested, or does he think it's not 'cool' and his mates would tease him?

There's a lot of it about, they do seem to be run by rather young people. Perhaps they can't find work on stage in the performing arts themselves, and have decided that being self-employed is better than being on the dole. I do admire their enterprise, but I wonder about their expertise.

I was in the paper shop this morning and there was a mum with a little girl of about three waiting in the queue. She was standing in first position naturally, and I later saw her skipping beautifully away down the path. She was really graceful and light on her feet - I think if I see them again, I'll be nosy and ask her mum if she takes her to dancing classes yet!

I think the panto companies like the children to be smaller that the professionals, and some are quite short! They usually also seem to use sets of 'stock' costumes as well, and need to find people the right size to fit in them without needing to make alterations.

I've recently found myself idly playing the 'spot the kid who should be doing ballet' game. Does anyone else do this or is it just me?

I've just been chased round my garden by a very territorial wasp

Good for you! Can't remember the last time I bought myself something

Perhaps the one of the benefits of qualifications is that they have learned how to teach.

I agree with you, and others, about the need for corrections, but ther is a big difference between "Yes! That's better, Lovely! Now try doing it like this..." and "No, you're still not doing that right..."

My dd can't wear flatties at all - she's got high arches and she walks straight out of them! - so she has to have 'traditional' school shoes with a strap across the front.

Girls who aren't at vocational schools may not get much opportunity to learn partner/pdd work, if there are no boys of the right age to dance with at their school.

My Mississippi sister-in-law sent me a photo of a snake in her garden just the other day. She says that the raccoons are a pest because they empty out the rubbish from the bins. Cousin in Colorado can't let his dog out at night, since they lost the other one to the wolves.

I hope you were recording the Northern Ballet documentary while you were watching Eurovision on the other side!

I come from a horse riding background, and the best teacher I ever had was unqualified.

Terrifying pushy parents make good telly...

Yes, she is a self-doubter, which isn't helped by her present teacher, who isn't one for positive praise and motivation... Of course, all the other children at workshops etc receive corrections too, but dd is now old enough to notice that the ones she receives really seem to help her, and are generally not corrections that she has ever had from her current teacher. You are right - what we need to find is someone who can 'connect' with her, and communicate things in a way she really understands and can respond to.

She really likes her friends there, and of course, she is fond of her teacher, she has been in her life since she was three, and it would be a big wrench for her to leave part of her life behind. But.....she has now had the experience of being taught by some phenomenal teachers at summer schools and workshops etc., and she's old enough (just) to realise that this is what she now needs all the time.

I was wondering whether you had spoken to your dd's dance teacher about this, because they will know your child's capabilities well, and will hopefully help to guide you.

As Anjuli says in her post, it's very easy to get so used to somebody that you can't see the wood for the trees. DD is on an associate programme, and also goes to whatever workshops and dance days we can get to, so she is used to being taught by new people. She often comes home from them saying that someone has picked up on something she is doing (or not doing), or explained a movement in a different way, so that suddenly she understands something and 'the penny drops'. My dd can't help thinking that she needs someone with fresh eyes to help her make the most of herself.

I couldn't agree more - it's definitely dd who is wanting to move, she instigated the whole thing. She keeps asking us what she should do, and of course we just say that we will support her in whatever decision she makes. The thing is, it's a big ask for someone who is only just 13 to take a decision that she thinks could affect her whole future.

We're already fully booked with a summer school and EYB so we can't do that, it's a good idea, though.

My instincts, and dd's, are that she needs to move, we just can't make up our minds where to. We've investigated several options and had trial lessons, but there are con's as well as pro's, and weighing it all up is so frustrating. DD needs to be happy with her decision, and I would like her to have the best teacher we can afford, and who is the 'right' teacher for her. AAArrrrgggghhhh!!!

We have had a couple of trial lessons at other schools, and I hear the same each time. DD has the facility but she's not using herself and they think she's not receiving enough correction. The trouble is, she's been at the same school for ages, has lots of friends, loves it there and is making progress. She does get frustrated, though as her teacher isn't one for 'positive' praise and encouragement; and she isn't a hands-on teacher, which I'm beginning to think is becoming more important especially in the major grades. Also, the other schools are a lot further away, and considerably more expensive. What to do?!

I found the programme really interesting and thought-provoking. There is just one thing, though. Whenever charities and other fundraisers ask for donations, I find it really off-putting when there is a minimum amount asked for. There must be many people out there (including ourselves) who have to watch every penny, but would like to help if we can. It makes me feel that they're just not interested in having you as a supporter unless you are well-off.

I would be really interested to hear the experiences of people who have changed their ds/dd's dance school. Why did you move, and did it work out for the best, or do you wish you had stayed where you were? We are having a bit of a dilemma at the moment, and aren't sure whether a new approach from a different teacher would be a good thing or not.