Seagazer

Although it is a long time since I got my first contract in Germany , there are a couple of things I can add which my be relevant. On a normal befristete vertrag ( seasonal contract), which generally runs from mid August through to the following July notice has to be given by 31st October. This means you may start on a years contract in late August, and within eight weeks you will know whether you have got a renewalfor the following season. For those auditioning it means that from early November the theatre knows how many vacancies it has for the following season. Of course additional spaces can become available at any time due to injury, pregnancy , illness or immediate dismissal. Sadly ( )I don't have personal experience of dancing in one of the larger companies, but can let you know some of the positives of the smaller ones! If the small company is part of a 'dreispartenhaus'( a theatre with an opera, ballet and acting company), there is a great variety of performance opportunities. The opera singers perform in operas, operettas and musical, the actors in plays and musicals, and the dancers in their ballet programmes, musicals and operettas. As a student I only ever dreamt of classical ballet, but I cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed dancing acting and singing in productions from Rocky Horror Show, through West Side Story and Evita, via Banditenstreiche and la Perichole to Firebird and Petrouschka. Heels, fish nets and leather one night, tutus the next - it was fabulous to have such diversity, and a decent classical class plus warm up every day. I had friends who spent 6 months doing the same show 8 times a week in the West End, and others in larger ballet companies who were dancing less than they ever had before. In a small company we danced a lot! There is a heavy tome available, issued annually, that lists all the German theatres, and all employees. You can see which theatres have a ballet company, who the director and the 'ballet master/mistress' is, how many dancers and what rank. As the surnames are listed, you can hazard a guess at what nationalities they are too, which can be helpful. The book is called deutsche Buhnenjahrbuch, and is of course in German- but the relevant info is easy to translate- I've added a link to the order form! http://www.buehnengenossenschaft.de/publikationen/jahrbuch Hope this helps

At Elmhurst I believe from the girls, 9 of 18 are going to Elmhurst 6th form, 1 each to ENB, Northern, Royal, Switzerland. Of those staying, some had other offers ( incl. ENB ), but have opted for Elmhurst. The boys, 6 from 12 are staying, 2 are going to RB, 1 to Hamburg, 1 to ENB, 1 on the musical theatre route ( offers from Bird, Laine, ),and 1 is pursuing academic route. I have no idea how many of them were offered a sixth form place, or how many were offered funding.

Thank you Primrose for sharing the news and the vimeo clip. What a fabulous achievement for your DD, and how thrilling to see that calibre of dancing and know your daughter is sharing that calibre of training and has the potential and the dedication to achieve so much. Toi Toi Toi to her for the future. Your heart must be full to bursting with pride !

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Sorry for any confusion - they are training at the Ballet school of the Hamburg Ballet (John Neumeier).

I know of two boys (young men) at Hamburg. One was formerly at ENB and the other at Elmhurst. I was fortunate enough to watch a demonstration by a group of Hamburg students led by Kevin Haigen some 4 or 5 years ago. It was watching that class that inspired my DS to want to dance professionally.

I'm looking forward to seeing this tomorrow night, it has sold out in Leeds. My DS watched Ballet Central as part of the Spring Course and was very impressed.

Hi tulip, when i was at central we somehow managed to choose the hostel that no one else did! I ended up sharing a dorm with 10 other girls ( 9 from Stella Mann , 1 from London studio centre),about half a dozen of my classmates were all in another hostel. 30 years ago now, so little point giving you my recommendations!! My expupils who went off to vocational schools last year found flatmates/ roomies on their schools fb site. Good luck with finding the right place for your beautiful dd .

They do have booster seats that they lend out . Which reminds me of the time we went to see the Bolshoi at Covent Garden, we got the first train down from Yorkshire, to watch a matinee, and return the same day. We had good seats in the middle of the stalls, but the lady sitting in front of my DS ( who was 12), saw that he was "small", and shuffled right down in her seat to give him a better view. It wasn't til he thanked her, and she turned around again I looked at her to thank her, and realised it was Mara Galeazzi !!

My heart goes out to all those who have had bad news, and so hard as a parent to be powerless . Generally our children bounce back quicker than we do, and if it is any consolation - read about Max (CSB to BRB), from a local school to Central at 16, and now a contract with Birmingham Royal Ballet . There are many routes to success. Keep on keeping on. Congratulations to those who got a YES

Sorry that it wasn't the news you were hoping for Wilderflower. I imagine that there will be a lot of shuffling about in the next week as decisions are made. I do hope that it works out for you after the 17th. Being in limbo is awful isn't it? Especially when you can't do anything to influence it yourself. Joining with the others to say fingers crossed that you get the outcome you are hoping for.

http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/9606067.Dancer_Max_gains_first_job_with_renowned_ballet_company/ I hope the link works !

I don't know, wondering I it was linked to him being a prix finalist?

I have just seen the news about CSB third year Max Maslen, who made it to the final of the prix de Lausanne this year, and is starting a years contract with Birmingham Royal ballet . He had trained locally (Bradford) until going to Central - what a fabulous achievement, another success story that shows it can be done .

Oh I hope you do get post on Saturday, this is interminable. I bet your hall carpet has a path worn through it, fingers crossed and toi toi toi for good news!

My DS is going to Elmhurst 6th form, he has had 2 years there so far. He'd only done YBS and one Easter course (Dance Forward) prior to that . Very delighted and very relieved. Massive thanks to the mums on here who have been so full of good advice.

Great news Tulip !, Give her my and my DS's congratulations. I hope she will be really happy there :-)

Congratulations to your DD ! What an exciting time for you all. My DS was offered a place halfway through yr 9 (he had auditioned for a yr 10 place). Another boy joined at the same time as he did, and since then a further two boys and at least 4 girls have joined their year (others have left during the same time). Certainly at the school he is at, they are so used to integrating new pupils, that despite everything being new and strange they soon find their place in the group. My DS had met a couple of people through summer school, and managed to find them on facebook before starting, and that helped put him more at ease, as they were able to chat beforehand. I found some wonderful parents on here, who answered all my questions, and explained lots of things to me - even emailing me uniform lists and timetables! It will be great for your DD to have her school friends when she is at home for exeat/leave out, and throughout the long summer holidays, with mobiles and facebook and twitter it is a lot easier to keep up with people, and she will have a whole class full of new friends who share her love of dance, to get to know. Thinking about how much they all improve after a week or two at summer school, and times that by two years, it puts her in a much stronger place for the post 16 places. Two and a bit years down the line, and now in the middle of all the 6th form auditions, I am so pleased my DS has those 2 years of professional training under his belt, and last night he was out for a meal with all his "old" friends and although they have all moved on, the bonds they have are so strong that even though everything changes - everything stays the same. Good luck to your DS, whatever her decision