All4dancers

2 hours ago, Mae989 said:

Does anyone know of any good residential Easter courses? DD fancies a change from Malvern, although it is highly recommended😃

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.

12 hours ago, Fiz said:

There’s quite a heavy frost here in Lincoln today.

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.

1 hour ago, ballettaxi said:

 

Of course everyone has their own experiences and opinions, but I just wanted to ensure we had a fair picture shown here on the forum.  Again, apologies if anyone takes offence, these are my views, take them as read and decide what you want from them.

 

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.

31 minutes ago, Lucinda said:

 

It was obvious from conversations with my DD and visiting her, that some students were much better prepared than others for the challenges of living independently. Fundamental life skills such as preparing and cooking healthy meals, washing, cleaning, budgeting and navigating public transport were sadly lacking and this impacted on their physical and mental well being.

 

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.

6 minutes ago, Karen said:

I think you will see significant differences in the levels of support offered when you visit different schools for auditions. It was something I particularly looked at, and the different attitudes were very much at both ends of the spectrum. I personally feel that there is a higher level of challenge for 16 year olds living completely independently and living with a family or in boarding accommodation with meals and laundry done makes dance and social life much happier. 

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.

10 minutes ago, sarahw said:

All4dancers I'm sorry to hear that. Do you think anywhere gives good pastoral care for US? 

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.

2 hours ago, cotes du rhone ! said:

You can continue to claim child benefit, family allowance, so long as you don't earn above £50,000, until the child is 20, so long as they are doing A levels with their diploma.

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!

4 hours ago, Terry Hyde said:

 

As you may have guessed I am a fervent advocate for getting mental health out into the open so that people feel able to talk about their issues.

I am putting together a self-help book for dancers regarding emotional and mental health.  I have been there as a dancer, so I know what it takes.  We had no help back then, either physical or emotional, I would like to help change that.

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. 

2 hours ago, Karen said:

You can often pick up from the forum when people have received results from somewhere. Hammond DaDa funding results from Wednesdsy's final were out yesterday. 

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.

25 minutes ago, Harwel said:

Hmmm, I'm sure that's a fluid thing as some of the female dancers in ENB are shorter than 5'4''.  Can't see why they would limit the height of their school when their company is so diverse.  There will always be exceptions - some of their boys are really short too, they need shorter girls to dance with. 

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.

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

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

This must be new then, as when my dd auditioned a couple of years ago for 6th-form there wasn't a test on the day. We were just asked to arrange for her academic school to send a report.

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

Just adding on to my last post about additional expenses

 

How many pointe shoes on average do the girls get through per term at Vocational Schools? 

 

Do the schools arrange fitting/supply etc then send you the bill or pupils just pay there and then?  Trying to work out how to keep up with the demand if not arranged 'in house'!

 

Sounds simple but pointe shoes aren't like buying yet another leotard or tights etc

 

Thank you

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.