taxi4ballet

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!

Thank you everyone for some great suggestions - I think I might try the starch, since I'm not much of a dressmaker and hairspray makes me sneeze... Balletmad97, I can't help with a tutu maker I'm afraid, as this one came from a "well-known internet auction" site a year or so ago. Talking of hairspray, I did once hear on the grapevine that excessive hairspray use in theatre dressing rooms tends to set off the fire alarms!

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can rejuvenate and stiffen the net on a rather tired and floppy tutu? It has alternate layers of navy and burgundy net and I would be really grateful for suggestions and advice on what I can do to liven it up!

I guess if someone gets accepted at a vocational school and is already a JA/MA they would probably decide to carry on doing that as well rather than give up their place...?

It isn't just ballet dancers who can't find work in their home country - look at the top football clubs in the UK and Europe too!

If anyone is looking for a specialist dance physio, try approaching the ones attached to vocational schools - they may be able to see you privately - this worked for us and is much better than seeing a local physio who doesn't see many dancers.

Hi Balletmum1972, Here are a few tips which might help. Have you asked her teacher if she can also do the class a grade above her own one 'just for fun'? It really helped my daughter, as she had more time to learn the syllabus and was able to progress up the grades more quickly. It also meant that she already knew steps that she was asked to perform in auditions. And does the school have non-syllabus / free work classes? The English Youth Ballet auditions are really good, as parents get to watch, and you can then see the other children of a similar age, and see what the standard is like. Also ENB, Central and the RAD do workshops and dance days which are good fun and will help your dd with her confidence when dancing in a different studio - this really helps when auditioning. At Tring, check out their Reach4Dance dance days and residential Christmas and Easter courses - your dd might also like to audition for the Tring Park Associates, which are syllabus classes to be taken alongside the ones at your usual school. Finally, the National Youth Ballet takes over Tring for a couple of weeks in the summer to rehearse for their performances, and they run a one-week non residential outreach course alongside (there is no audition) which my dd has done for the last two years and had a fabulous time.

Hi everyone, this is my first post, my dd's teacher said that it is a good idea for students to continue with RAD grades, as the grades include character work, while the vocational ones don't.