taxi4ballet

The girls join in with the boys exercises at my dd's school, they enjoy it.

Gingerbread, re school sports - there is a previous topic about this.

Is it me, or is the term Eurotrash (when applied to people rather than that tv series) somewhat bordering on the racist? Imagine a similar term applied to non-caucasian persons from other continents and you will see what I mean.

dancerbabe82 - couldn't agree more, my dd is hypermobile and she has been advised that she doesn't need to stretch; what she should be working on is strengthening exercises which will help the muscles support the joints. Funnily enough, the only time she seems to hurt herself by straining something is during school PE lessons. They don't take enough time for warmups, so her muscles don't stretch as far as her joints can, and ouch! she pulls a muscle. Grrr!

Oh yes, I forgot, it is dd's best friend's 13th birthday party as well...

Stretching tendons and muscles to the maximum capability of the individual dancer is one thing, Stretching ligaments is quite another. Ligaments don't spring back like elastic - once they have been stretched too far, the integrity of the joint is compromised.

If anyone has the RAD Advanced Foundation dvd they no longer need and would like to sell. please pm me, Thanks. Edited to add - female syllabus

w445403 - our clashes are: family on flying visit from USA, contemporary workshop, associate class watching week and the dratted torch relay passing the end of our road!

Have you checked when the Olympic Torch relay is coming near you? Bet that clashes as well - it does with us!

Be brave! You're the customer...

For a first shoe, it depends entirely on the foot. Some shoes are marketed as suitable for beginners, but this isn't the case as everyone's feet are different. My dd has a strong high arch and instep, - not 'banana' though, they're not bendy, just curved - and she had to have a strong shank from the start.

Just a little reminder not to include picures of children without parents' permission - unless they're yours of course! My dd's school has had a huge problem with Facebook recently, which I won't go into here, so I'm quite wary now.

Perhaps the vital thing is not to dance if it going to aggravate the injury/illness and possibly cause long-term or permanent damage.

It might be worth asking your doctor to write explaining the injury, you can then let the relevant people have a copy.

My dd always slept like this when she was a baby. It caused a bit of strife in the hospital when she was born because they wouldn't let her home - they thought she had something wrong with her hips. We were only allowed to bring her home after about four paediatricians and a consultant had checked her over! (We kind of knew she was all right as there's hypermobility on hubby's side of the family) and she carried on sleeping like that until she was about 3.

Sorry, I meant that there isn't much hope for the ones - like somebody at dd's dance school at the moment - who are offered several places but no DADA at all.

There are girls at my dd's dance school in grade 5 who range anywhere from 9 to 14, and in inter some start at 11 / 12, some are still in inter-foundation at 16, everyone progresses at different speeds. Don't worry! You are doing well to be in inter if you were older than the others when you started, you could always ask your teacher if you can join the grade 6 class too, as any extra classes will help with strength for pointework in the inter class.

My dd has Bloch Serenades, and we've never had this problem, thankfully. If they creak when they are new/new-ish, then they are faulty. Take them back to the shop and ask for a replacement. If they say no, quote the Sale of Goods Act at them which says that goods have to be 'fit for purpose' and 'last a reasonable amount of time'.

This is a catch 22 situation isn't it? If you don't get a DaDa, you don't qualify for a student loan, you can't get housing benefit, your folks lose child benefit, you can't live at home because you can't afford the travelling, you can't afford to live near the college... It's the families with the least money who come off worst yet again.

Our half-term has been moved to the beginning of June, and I've not heard of any workshops, as amber21 says, probably due to the Jubilee and the Monday and Tuesday both being bank holidays this year.

We're in Bedfordshire, and there are usually several calling to each other. Perhaps they've flown over to you!

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed a shortage of cuckoos this year? We normally hear them by the end of April, but so far, nothing.

After this thread, I think there's going to be a rash of American-themed shows breaking out all over the country!

It's good to know that there are more associate schemes out there, and that you don't have to live within 20 miles of a big city in order to find quality training.

When we started using surgical spirit on dd's feet to harden the skin, her feet didn't seem to smell any more, and it killed the pong in the old shoes she was using as well.