Blondie

Are you aware how veal is produced???Incredibly cruel.

Has anybody seen any reviews of this show?Last year there were only a couple but I cannot find any for this year yet.Do critics not bother travelling to Birmingham anymore?

Try equestrian bun nets.These are really strong!

Watched Elmhurst Summer Show final performance last Friday.Got good seats in second row(graduate year parent).Unfortunately had to sit next to elderly lady texting on her Blackberry for the whole performance.Infuriating!!!

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As a parent of a child in this graduate year I agree with some of what you say.It has been a tough year but RBS have done extremely well.It is very difficult to get ADs to travel to Birmingham when there is an excess of talent in London.This means massive expense for parents of graduate years to pay for travel all over the world even as far as Australia with often no contracts at the end.This years 6.3s are a massively talented group and I am sure they will all do well but it is enormously disappointing for those who have been auditioning continuously since last October and who still have nothing.It is a task which they have to undertake alone and it is not easy at 18.

I thought some had contracts with Estonia and some Ireland?

Jane you may be correct about Estonia-one boy got either Serbia or Estonia not sure which-he replaced an Elmhurst boy who went there last year.The Ireland contract is only for a 3 month tour of Swan Lake and is for the blonde boy who danced in Two Pigeons.

The summer show was fantastic.Loads of ballet and contemporary with a dash of jazz.Only down-side for me was the excess length of the flamenco.Too noisy in a small theatre and done so much better by spanish dancers!

Hardly any of this year's graduates have secured professional contracts.One boy has Romanian National, another Serbia and a third Alberta I think.One girl has BRB .As far as I know that is all the classical contracts.Another of the boys has an apprenticeship with Northern.One girl has Lion King.That's all I know of.Been very bad year for Elmhurst.

It feels even more sad when after eight years at vocational school and all the trauma that entails only to find no contracts offered.There can be nothing worse :-(

Is anyone from far down south in Truro area going to watch the Duchy Ballet production of the Mousehole Cat this weekend?Roberta Marquez is performing as well.

Where has she gone?

Thanks KathyG.Have purchased travel insurance to cover auditions and will re-think if a job abroad becomes a reality.

Can any of the parents of dcs who have been through the audition process and maybe worked abroad recommend any particular insurance policies? They will need travel insurance I know but not sure about some other insurance while they are working abroad?

Did anybody watch this and if so,what did they think?Not sure whether this belongs on Performances seen forum-guess it will be transferred if anybody did see it!

Many other people were commenting about the height and weight of the audience not me.My problem is with snobby people who try to make ballet elitest when it really isnt and spoil other people's enjoyment by having an extremely narrow window of appropriate behavoiur.We need younger audiences or there will be no more ballet so stop being so snobby.How is the average person supposed to know whether to hum or sing during Land of Hope and Glory?As long as music reaches new ears that's all that matters.Sounds like you think the plebs should just stay at home and watch on the tv.Outrageous snobbiness!!!

I am appalled at some if the opinions expressed in this discussion.It is no wonder people do not support ballet and that the audience at most ballets consists predominantly of middle-aged overweight haughty women.My son is performing with BRB in Swan Lake at the Lowry this week and I have to attend alone because not one other member of his family wants to be subjected to the general air of superiority that these so-called supporters of ballet have.Ballet should be for everyone.Peoplewill learn the etiquette by attending not by being scared away.

Because my son was a later starter in the ballet world,he didn't get into WL until year 8.He spent a year at the local comprehensive school which is a good school attended successfully by his 4 siblings.I recently asked him if he would have been happy to have stayed there and auditioned for 6th form instead.I was quite shocked when he told me that he had been desperately unhappy in year 7 due to bullying and also because all he wanted was to be with like-minded children.He is now in 6.2 and is the happiest and most disciplined and determined of all my children.Vocational school is not easy but he has loved the journey.

What do we make of the interview in this month's Intelligent Life magazine with Sergei Polunin?He comes across as very damaged by his talent.

My hubbie does too-especially if it's the usual car sales photos with scantilly clad girls!!!

Shocking!

Had heard rumours that finances were a massive problem but this solution is a bit tasteless really.Will they just be available during school holidays or will all the children be banished to their rooms I wonder???

Ha ha KathyG!Mine going back tomorrow!He cannot wait!

Thanks JulieW.It was a fantastic performance. I really enjoyed Alphabeat too but I felt it fitted in quite well.My 18 year old non DD enjoyed it especially!Agree about the boys in Les Jeune Hommes though-it was reminiscent of watching class!It was lovely to have the younger ones singing in Consider Yourself but I felt that if any of the acts were out of place this one was.The highlight for me was definitely Les Rendezvous.Takeshi and Eri were fantastic and the boys too in the pas de six-one of whom was a 6.1.I can only compare it with RBS shows and have to say it was soooo much easier to watch though I agree about the stage-sometimes I felt much too close to the performers.

Just wanted to say well done to all the staff and students performing in the school show today.It was absolutely beautiful and all the performances were really special.The upper school students performance of Rendezvous was stunning.Cannot wait to see it all again next Friday!

They stay in the house used by the 6.1s and have a LOT of freedom and can do as they please more or less!My dc went last year and spent some nights in another students room because the dc they was sharing with was entertaining one of the foreign students!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KS Dance is in Warrington on the site of an old abattoir.The upper school takes mostly foreign students.Graduates have gone to Ballet Wales and cruise ships I believe.