taxi4ballet

Do the Tring day pupils join the Associate classes for RAD or are they separate?

Anyone going to the auditions on 26th May?

Good idea, my dd gets water retention and no amount of holding her stomach in makes any difference!

Not sure if this comes under the housework umbrella, but one thing I find really tiresome is getting DD to do her homework. We never really have enough time to spend on it, and the school seems to take a perverse delight in giving her the most homework on the days she has the least amount of room in her schedule....grrr!

ENB often do workshops / talks / backstage tours in conjuntion with performances at regional theatres - you never know, it might be worth asking them if they could organise a 'special'.

Could be, it all depends on the shape of your dd's arch. I've found that with my dd that the ribbons gape if I sew them on at too much of a slant. I tend to do them at right angles now. Don't forget that the inside ribbon needs to be about a hand's width longer than the outside one, since it goes round the ankle an extra half-turn when it is tied.

We've always liked Katz satin ballet shoes, they are a nice colour, fit well and last a long time, and seem to suit all but very wide feet. (I've recently been helping dd's teacher by fitting them when she's busy in class).

We could carry a rolled-up copy of the 'Dancing Times' My dd is really looking forward to it, she's been to the Christmas and Easter courses at Tring before and feels really at home there.

Well done Fiz, hope you don't ache too much this morning!

afab, My DD is 13, she does RAD inter and has recently taken her grade 7 exam. No idea what that equates to in Cecchetti grades though!

I've heard of the NATD as well, don't know anything about them though.

Thanks for that, we probably won't bother with lessons then. On the paperwork it says either greek tabard or leotard/skirt for the greek classes, but I was wondering what others have worn in previous years. Also it is an Olympic themed party this time, so they might be doing more greek than normal...?

I wear my driving glasses at the theatre and cinema and have found they work really well.

Had a letter this morning to say DD has a place, she is going to be really excited, expecially as she's never done any Cecchetti before and we didn't know if she would be accepted. I've got a couple of questions for people who've been before... Would it be helpful if she has a few lessons from a Cecchetti teacher before she goes? (She has an RAD exam soon and I'm not sure if it would confuse her re arms etc, as I believe the styles are quite different). Reading through the stuff, it mentions Greek classes, what do people normally wear? Will she be ok in a leotard / wraparound skirt? I don't want her to feel the odd-one-out if she hasn't got the right tabard or whatever, and looking at the prices on eBay I don't want to have to buy one if I can help it!

Yes, we tend to think of stress in terms of business-suited middle-aged men, rather than in children. Considering that most young dancers have to do a full day of schoolwork plus homework etc, and then spend nearly every evening at dance classes, it would be surprising if they didn't get stressed!

Got quite hooked on Brain Training on dd's Nintendo DS for a while.

Just finished reading Julie Walters' autobiography That's Another Story. Really interesting, particularly her childhood, and quite an eye-opener in parts. Probably not one for your elderly maiden aunt!

I was talking to the owner of a shop near me who stocks Grishko pointe shoes. She had to go on a shoe-fitting course with them.

I think any costumier worth their salt should be able to fit flattering costumes that take account of a variety of bust sizes.

swe - I can't help wondering if everything is all right at school, and that she isn't suffering undue pressure there. Are there any issues with friends/boys etc or with a lack of understanding from the teachers about how much she does outside school that she might be getting stressed about? My dd had a lot of hassle from one particular (maths) teacher last year, leading up to exams, and she got very run down and emotionally drained over it. I went in and had a chat with the teacher, and explained the situation, and it seemed to do the trick.

Perhaps it is the expectation of the powers that be in the ballet world that female dancers have a somewhat androgynous appearance, and it it is this expectation that we should be challenging. We cannot hope to prevent eating disorders and the like (much discussed elsewhere in this forum) if girls are continually expected to conform to this unrealistic shape from early teen-hood.

There will always be a genuine need for surgery for numerous reasons, including the reduction of a bust which is totally out of proportion for that person. What I object to is the mutilation of a perfectly normal body in order to conform to someone else's idea of the 'ideal' body shape. I wonder how many male dancers would contemplate surgery to their nether regions because the bulge in their tights was bigger than everyone else's?

P is for petrol - we seem to get through quite a lot of it!

My dd likes Dance Line convertible tights, and they seem to last quite well too.

There is no way in a million years I would ever let my dd have plastic surgery. The very thought of it appalls me.