All4dancers

I’m sure that Shannon and Peter Parker announced on fb that they were going to run an Easter school this year. However, I can’t seem to access their website so I don’t know any details.

You are only entitled to four years of student finance whether that be from a Dada or student loan so your daughter will only have access to one more year finance after completing her diploma. I’m not sure how this affects post grad studies, eg pgce.

It made for quite an exhilarating and beautiful walk to work.

Wishing him all the very best for a successful and speedy recovery. xx

Definitely one to watch. My dd was offered a place this year with a very generous scholarship but decided to accept a place at a more established school. However, she was very tempted as the opportunities sounded great and the staff very caring and knowledgable about the needs of young dancers. We follow them on social media and love the type of work they do.

I think all upper schools will include neo-classical as part of rep teaching. It's my favourite style to watch and I personally feel it's more expressive than pure classical but not as unstructured as contemporary.

I'm sure no one would have reason to be offended by your comments and you are right, it's very important that this forum offers a balanced view which is why I posted about our experiences in the first place. However, in answer to your question - no I really don't think I would have had such an issue with pastoral care if the school had been in a less remote position as myself or other family members would've been able to visit dd and help her. Of course it was her choice to go to Ballet West; she had other offers that were much closer to home but she was particularly enticed by the touring aspect. We obviously didn't know at the time that injury would prevent her from touring and this in turn would lead to other difficulties which were not taken seriously and led to further problems. In my first reply to the OP, I did indeed stress that others no doubt have had much more positive experiences but I also know of many dc that were unhappy and there was quite a high number who left at the end of the year for one reason or another. We were quite happy with the quality of teaching and before injury my dd was given some great opportunities; my point was the staff know that many of the students live long distances away and therefore there should be more regard to pastoral care, particularly when a parent of a 16 year old (a parent who had never before complained or questioned) has expressed grave concern about their child. I hope that the pastoral side can be sorted and that by bringing my dd's unfortunate experience to the attention of such a widely read forum, parents will feel more able to question and insist that adequate care is provided when necessary. I don't think I shall comment any more now on this thread as I feel I've expressed my views adequately, however I will always respond to pms.

I would agree with this and indeed my dd was one of the students that originally helped those who were less able to cope with fundamental life skills. However I feel the remote location of the school in question made life more difficult after she had become injured, particularly when she couldn't join tour. The staff at this time are understandably extremely busy and any student that is unable to tour is pretty much isolated.

I agree that there are differing levels of support but before dd went to Ballet West we were assured on more than one occasion that it was such a supportive environment which was simply not true. In my opinion where a school in such an isolated location takes on 16 year olds they have a duty of care. I stress that this is my personal opinion borne from personal experiences and accept that many will have more positive experiences, many of which have been written about on this forum.

Yes definitely; the US she attends now is very supportive. The students have a tutorial each week where they can discuss any concerns with a member of staff and also there are designated pastoral staff.

Another one that may be of interest.

I Agree with Sarahw y11 is such a tough year with so much to think about. I would recommend giving lots of support- maybe take her out at the weekend, just you and her and offer your services as her PA! In hindsight, I wish I had offered a lot more advice to my dd last year instead of repeatedly telling her it was entirely her decision. During a recent conversation I was surprised to learn that she didn't realise that I had never thought the school she chose was right for her.

I've just phoned up about this and as discussed on previous threads, this is a bit of a grey area. I was advised to go ahead and apply anyway but in order to qualify dd must have 12 hours of supervised study per week and I'm not sure she will for 2 A levels.

My dd is also on a dada at the Hammond and I must say the first invoice was a bit of a shock as I hadn't accounted for extras as mentioned by Karen. However, the overall cost is not very much more than what I paid last year to top up student finance and I feel we'll be getting so much more for the money. Either option is financially hard!

This is a subject that has recently become very significant for my dd and I find it terrifying that post 16 schools can get away without offering even the most basic of pastoral care never mind counselling services!

My daughters were taught ballet by a man at their local dance school for a number of years and at our primary school, a man teaches Irish dance as an after school club. There are 6 male members of staff including the head and a teaching assistant. The only reason there are no males in the eyfs at said school is that they don't wish to work there although one of them said he may consider it in the future as part of his career development plan.

Yes that was super quick! Was expecting to have to wait until after the Bank Holiday.

So glad I had the chance to watch this show. I particularly enjoyed Elite Syncopations and really felt that it highlighted the versatile skills of these dancers.

I think on the whole, the schools are far more stringent in the demand for physical attributes than the companies. The repertoire of companies is becoming increasingly more diverse, requiring more diverse dancers. One size no longer fits all so to speak so surely the schools are considering this?

They are also coming to Lincoln on 22nd April!

Ballet West also sometimes holds rehearsals for performances/competitions on Sundays.

It's hard to comment on Ballet West as the timetable changes each week and varies according to assessments, rehearsals and coaching for exams or competitions and it also therefore varies between students. For my dd, the day begins at 8.30 with a ballet class and has in the past not finished until 8.30 at night, but she has had breaks in between.

Actually, I was wrong! She says she did do some kind of test in a computer room but can't remember anything about it so couldn't have been bad

There was no academic test last year either, not at the prelims or funding finals.

At Ballet West, it's up to the girls to order their own pointe shoes as and when needed. Usually, by this age they have a preferred brand and their feet have stopped growing so they do not need regular fittings. As for how many they get through, well I don't think there is an average as such as it depends on the dancer, their feet and the type of shoe they use. For example my dd wears Gaynors so they last a considerably longer time than some other brands - she went with a new pair in September and was still wearing them after half term and that was with very heavy use, but I think if she hadn't been injured they would have probably died by now.