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Mumofballetmaddaughter

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Posts posted by Mumofballetmaddaughter

  1. As far as I'm aware (although I'm not 100% sure) the A1 form is proof that an individual is making or has made NI contributions to HMRC and therefore wouldn't have to pay again when working overseas. My husband is self employed and works mainly in Europe (although often world wide) but makes additional contributions to HMRC to ensure he doesn't need to pay again in whichever country he is working in. Congratulations by the way on your daughter's contract and hope you manage to get things sorted and everything goes well for her.

  2. 2 hours ago, mum5678 said:

    Woo hoo..... We just had good news from NBS! DS is completely over the moon - he absolutely loved it. (He's also probably about to get kicked out of school because he keeps texting me with how excited he is so a good job he got an offer! 😂

     

    Congratulations and well done to your son. Lovely news for you all to start the weekend with.

  3. On 03/02/2022 at 21:19, Millicent said:

    I think festivals and competitions are great and very valuable if you look at them as a learning experience and performance opportunity. If you expect them to validate a dancer's talent or feelings then they are likely always going to disappoint.

     

    I've seen lots of what I would call poor decisions by adjudicators. Most of it is personal preference and sometimes the best dancer doesn't win, or even place. That's the life of a dancer. It's not an objective sport. If you're going to give up ballet because you don't win enough medals then I suspect the dance world is not for you.

     

    I teach my DD that festivals are a chance to learn. Sometimes she's made a mistake - like the time her perfectionism meant that adjusting her turnout mid arabesque meant that she had a big wobble and didn't place - and although she was only 9 at the time she took it in good humour and now knows not to adjust her position mid-pose! It cost her a trophy but I would argue that the lesson she learnt is much more valuable than adding a trophy to her shelf. 

     

    If you go to festivals looking for validation of talent then you are going to be disappointed. If you go looking on it as a learning experience - whether that's performance experience, technique tips, or even just the realisation that dance appreciation is both subjective and sometimes "unfair" - then you will reap the benefits.

    Excellent advice Millicent. I encouraged my daughter from a young age to treat auditions in much the same way too.  

    • Like 1
  4. 47 minutes ago, Mjdb said:

    We bought cheap ...Asda I think 4place dinner / cutlery sets & she's uses 2 of each item ....we too had the less she has the more she needs to wash up . We did leave the other 2 of each in the box ....on top of her wardrobe incase of breakages. To add the large Primark bag she took back with her to replace the washing basket has been a huge success! She says it's much easier to carry n to get through the doors etc

    Mj

     

    I think I learnt from our mistake when we dropped elder daughter off at her uni flat (8 bed) in halls, her and her flatmates had enough crockery, cutlery, pots, pans and kitchen equipment to start a small restaurant. After seeing the very limited kitchen cupboard space, the saying 'a quart into a pint pot' sprung to mind and a lot of it came home with us again!

    • Like 1
  5. On 14/01/2022 at 11:52, Hairpinseverywhere said:

    Does anyone have any tips on what to take and what not to take when moving into the halls?
     

    I know there are plenty of generic lists online but wondered if anyone had any experiences to share 🙂

    In addition to an emergency medical kit and sewing kit, I made up a box of essentials such as a toilet roll, shower gel, small shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, just in case my daughter didn't have time to shop and ran out of them. I also put in a supermarket 'gift' card to be used if (when!) she ran out of money towards the end of term. She only took 2 mugs, 2 plates, 2 cereal and pasta bowls and 2 each of knives, forks and spoons, a couple of paring knives, a colander, 1 small and 1 medium saucepan. My logic was that in having so little, it meant she had to wash up regularly.  She also took a very cheap toilet brush (supermarket white plastic type) that could be ditched at the end of each year and replaced cheaply for the next. I made 2 fabric laundry bags and these were able to be put in the wash each time so there was always a clean bag to put the clean laundry back in. They didn't take up much space in her room either. Another handy item in addition to a clothes airer, was a multi peg 'sock' type drying hanger for leotards, tights etc that may not be able to be put in the dryer.  An overdoor multi pocket 'shoe' organiser (Amazon) was great for storing the multitude of bits and pieces that they seem to accumulate. 

     

    • Like 1
  6. Happy 10th birthday and thank you to everyone involved with this forum especially the moderators who give their time so generously and freely.

    I wish it had been around when my daughters were training in the 1990's and early 2000's, although I think at times, my ignorance was bliss!

    I still love reading all of the posts and even though I am unable to offer much advice as my experiences are very out of date, it's good to keep up with what's happening in the ballet world. 

    Here's to the next 10 years!

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Like 4
  7. I spent many hours darning pointe shoes and found a curved needle was much easier to use than a straight one. I used pale pink darning thread and did chain stitch starting at the outside of the platform working in a spiral to the centre. I'd recommend using a thimble too. 

    We tried the suede tips on various brands of shoes but found them to be a bit of a faff to get right and not be a hazard. Daughter also wore Gaynor Minden's which gave my fingers a rest but she went back to Bloch and continued to use them throughout her performing career and still does now as a teacher. 

    I don't think she darned many pairs, if any. She just cuts the satin off the platform. 

     

     

     

    • Like 2
  8. I agree with you Alison regarding the synchronised swimming - the swimwear (when did swimsuits get to be so dazzling, literally), hair and make up (not a hair out of place or smudged mascara) had the wow factor and as for their routines, they were breathtaking. One of the commentators mentioned the competitors use gelatine on their hair as it's kinder than using grips and it obviously washes out easily in hot water.  Another one to add to my list of 'must watch' in future. 

    • Like 2
  9. I've enjoyed watching the skateboarding and BMX, the tricks were breathtaking. I've also enjoyed bouldering (felt quite dizzy due to some of the camera angles, triathlon and cycling. It's been quite refreshing and uplifting to watch these alongside my old favourites of gymnastics, diving, track and field.

     

     

    • Like 3
  10. On 21/07/2021 at 08:32, Billyelliott said:

    So DS has graduated ……but it feels very surreal …… all the hard work and the choreography for the Final performances that will never be seen….

    All shows cancelled less than 24 hours before I was due to drive up and watch proudly!

    covid strikes again! So incredibly sad about this missed opportunity.

     

    However very pleased to say that they leave to take up an

    Emerging artist contract with Sir Matthew Bournes new adventures company!

     

    Assuming that this isn’t cancelled due to Covid they will be joining their nutcracker tour of the UK so hopefully there will at last be a chance to watch them dance In October!

     

    Congratulations on your son's fabulous achievement. Such an exciting time for you all and it's wonderful to hear positive news at the moment. Here's hoping that you will have many opportunities for 'proud parent' moments whilst watching him in the future. Wishing him good luck and every success in his career. 

    • Like 2
  11. 1 hour ago, balletbean said:

    Well our time at NBS drew to a close yesterday with an amazing showcase and graduation ceremony. Despite a significant number of pupils still in isolation with just 10 days to curtain up, many would have thrown in the towel and decided that the show could not go ahead. But nothing was going to stop them. I’m proud to hand over the baton to the new intake of pupils this Sept, safe in the knowledge that no matter what life throws at them whilst at NBS the pupils are supported and encouraged by the staff to never give up. A valuable lesson not on the timetable.  💃🏼🕺🏻🤩
     

    Lovely to hear that this was such a positive experience balletbean. My daughter was there many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed her time there. Good luck to your daughter for the future. 

    • Like 2
  12. Not sure if this will be of any help but it may be worth a look. https://www.onedanceuk.org/

    This is an excerpt taken from their website and one of the areas they advocate on:-

    Diversity – fostering equality of opportunity for dance artists and leaders, creating resources, programmes and frameworks for helping people participate in dance, regardless of their age, disability, race or economic background

     

    Best of luck chesl, I hope you find a teacher. 

    • Like 1
  13. I've found this topic (and many others about dance journeys) really interesting but I'm struck by how naive I was. Our dance journey started in the early/mid nineties so no online information/social media or advice forums to turn to. Even in the mid noughties when my daughter was auditioning, schools didn't have an online presence or email (or if they did, I wasn't aware!) so information had to be requested by post. The only associate scheme I was aware of was RBS. We lived in the far south west of the UK so opportunities for masterclasses etc were in very short supply and tended to be limited to RAD workshops.  Audition photos had to be sent to Boots/Tru Print etc and I spent a fortune on blurred pics or ones where a leg dropped just as the camera clicked and had to be redone.  We didn't look at our daughter's accommodation beforehand so the first time she saw it was when she got the keys. Couldn't check it out on street map etc.  Thankfully my daughter's experience was a good one so I had no need to contact the school apart from checking it was ok to have the never ending supply of pointe shoes delivered there. I'm quite envious now though of the amount of opportunities there are for dancers but don't regret my children growing up without the pressure of social media. Apologies mods as I've digressed so please feel free to delete this post if you need to. I won't be offended. 

    • Like 9
  14. No regrets from me about the amount of time and money involved. My daughters did loads of activities, ballet, tap, modern, jazz, swimming, gymnastics, singing and drama (it was always their choice) so our lives revolved around getting them to and from them after work and at weekends. I look back now and wonder how we fitted it all in, however this was many years ago and we were fairly young parents so our energy levels were much higher than they are now. The youngest went to vocational school for 3 years, graduated and danced professionally for just under 8 years. In 2016, she gained a placed on the RAD PDTD course and graduated with registered teacher status. She started up her own school several years ago which is growing steadily and still freelances at several schools and establishments. I can honestly say I loved the dance journey despite there being many more lows (audition rejections) than highs but my daughters gained a great work ethic, learnt self discipline, team working skills, commitment and built up resilience which has helped them in their chosen careers. Whenever I've asked them if they felt they missed out on parties etc growing up, the answer has been a definite no. 

    • Like 7
  15. 3 hours ago, glowlight said:

     

    When my dd lived in Medlock many years ago we were glad that we chose the 51 week option - it meant she had option to stay in Manchester for work during the holidays if she wanted to, and didn't have to move everything out at the end of the year.  In the end she stayed in the same room in the same flat for 3 years

    We did the same glowlight and were so glad that we did. Daughter kept the same room at Medlock for the duration of the 3 years and it made life much easier not having to move all of her stuff out each year. 

    • Like 1
  16. If I'd known how many attempts it would take to get decent audition photos back in the 90s and early noughties, I'd have taken a course in photography.

    I shudder to think how much money I spent getting photos developed only to have to throw them away and start again due to a leg dropping mid shot or part of a foot or hand out of camera range.  

    • Like 4
  17. Hi Happymum, I'm a size 14 and wear a size 5 Freed Maddie which I bought last year.  Mine is 90% nylon and 10% lycra. From centre front to bottom, (not stretched and with the ruching undone) it measures 21"/53cms and from underarm to underarm, 15"/38cms. The Maddie is quite structured so possibly not as stretchy as the other type you  ordered. Is her old leotard a Freed? There are a few different brands which are suitable as regulation wear for RAD so it's difficult to compare between them as they all seem to have their own method of sizing. 
     

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