taxi4ballet

Hi all, I was wondering if any of you out there had any advice on BMI as my dd (although probably the slimmest in her class at school) is beginning to notice that she is filing out, and I want to reassure her that she is absolutely fine. She's 13 and is far more likely to accept facts and figures than listen to me!

It isn't always peer pressure either. My dd used to go to gymnastics (yes, I know, she stopped ages ago!) and there was a boy there who I thought had huge ballet potential. I mentioned it to his mum and she seemed really keen - until I saw her the next week. Apparently she talked to his dad who said "You must be joking, I'n not having any son of mine doing b***** ballet!" What a pity.

There are also some on eBay

I've been doing adult tap too, it's great fun, although I tend to avoid being in the shows - since my dd is in them as well, I usually use the excuse that I want to be in the audience watching!

My friend took her son to classes far enough away from home so that there wouldn't be anyone there who knew him from his school...

Traditional pointe shoes lasting "8 - 10 weeks"? If only!

It is usually 3 sundays in each half-term making 6 per term in all. They don't tend to be every other week as I expect they need to fit in around the main school and dance days / auditions etc. On the feedback form we were asked to fill in at the end of last term, there was a question about whether we would prefer weekly classes, so they may be looking at doing that in the future...

2littledancers, since you are in Bedfordshire, look at the Sunday Classical Ballet Academy at Tring Park School - auditions are coming up soon and Sundays wouldn't clash with your dd's normal classes.

My dd now stands on one leg with her eyes closed while waiting in the queue for lunch at school!

My dd has been to a couple and had a lovely time, the workshops are fun and good value for money. The only thing I would mention is that the workshops for 7-12's are intended for everyone and the more experienced 11-12 year-olds might not find the steps particularly challenging. Great experience though, as many of the workshops take place on stage and can be combined with tickets to see the performance afterwards.

Call them and have a chat, the lady I spoke to was really helpful and answered all my questions.

If we have to bash the life out of soft blocks the minute we buy them, why do the manufacturers make them so hard in the first place?!!!

As 2dancersmum says, give it a go, you can always change your mind. When I was a kid, my mum insisted on me taking ballet classes, whereas I was totally obsessed with horses! At 17, I chucked in my A-levels and went to work at a riding school. I loved every minute of it (well, apart from getting up at the crack of dawn), and although I only spent a year there, I am so glad that I had that opportunity and will never regret it.

Tracey47, please do ask your dd's ballet teacher for advice about dancing on pointe in the performances, as my dd went from 5 minutes on the barre at the end of class once a week to rehearsing in pointe shoes all day... As she is still only 11, it would be better to err on the side of caution.

A girl from my dd's ballet school went to Laines at 16 - she had the time of her life, although most of the other students were 18/19 so she did miss out on the late-night socialising a bit...

smallbythesea, the advice we were given when my dd was 10, was that dancing several times a week would be better than having all the classes on the same day, as it would help with her strength and fitness.

My dd auditioned and performed in the Nutcracker with EYB when she was 11, in grade 6 and only a few months on pointe. After applying, we were sent the details and given the senior audition. I phoned them to check whether this was right, and they said it was because of the grade she was in, so she auditioned with the 12 - 18's. There was no pointe work in the senior audition, but the girls who successfully auditioned were asked to bring pointe shoes to the casting. Talk to you dd's ballet teacher and see if she thinks your dd will be ready to dance on pointe by the time of the show, if not, then you can always 'forget' to take pointe shoes to the casting!

There must be quite a few balletco'ers pounding the streets of Tring on Sundays!

Looking at all those contracts - all over the world - perhaps vocational schools could teach umpteen languages as well as dance!

Thanks for your suggestions everyone, I did ask my local newsagent to order it, but they are part of a chain and it isn't on their 'list'! I think I'll take out a subscription...

Does anyone know of newsagent chains stocking Dancing Times - WH Smith used to round here but they don't any more; or is it a case of subscribing?

My dd is keen to audition for year 10 entry next year (she's on an associate programme but hasn't yet auditioned anywhere for full-time). Since she will be starting GCSE's that year, we would hope to find somewhere with a broad range of subjects, but the vocational schools I have looked at don't seem to offer anything like the variety on offer at her secondary school. So, we don't know whether to audition for Year 10 or to wait and audition at 16 after GCSE's, I would be interested to find out more about the academic side of vocational schools and would love to hear of other people's experiences.

Alistair Postlethwaite is with Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker too

Oh yes, perhaps I should have said enthusiasm as well!

Yes, I think they don't necessarily expect a certain standard, as (particularly at RBS) they often start at the beginning again, with their own methods. Perhaps what they might be looking for (aside from a trainable physique) is naturally good co-ordination, spatial awareness, and an inborn sense of rhythm, but, as other posters have said, we wish we knew!