Legseleven

I am certain that there were 9 year olds attending the Yorkshire Assembly summer school on at least one of the past two years. I see that they are now stating that the age requirement is 10 years and above and Grade 4 ballet and above, but it may be worth enquiring whether they may be prepared to take the girls, as they are the appropriate grade and will be 10 within 3 months of the summer school. It is a lovely summer school and the children are very well looked after. Otherwise does Sussex summer school take 9 year olds? It has been discussed either on this thread or another summer school thread and someone else may be able to advise you.

Aileen, I am sure you're right about casting being influenced by, if not determined by, who fits into which costume/s! I understand that it happens with ballet companies as well, at least with children's roles eg Nutcracker; I remember the statement in 'Life at the Royal Ballet School' that which child gets to be a party guest/mouse etc was heavily influenced by the size of the existing costume stock!

Yes she did ;-)

This subject really bugs me. Same discrimination relating to the Dance School of Scotland. English schools and institutions would NEVER get away with blatantly preferential treatment for English students, less favourable rates for EU citizens and exorbitant fees for Scottish students. Does anyone know what the case taken to court re the same university fee discrimination was called and which court (ie how high a court) decided it? The law is most definitely an ass.

My DD had classes with Brenda Last at the 2 Yorkshire Assembly summer schools she attended aged 11 and 12. She thought her classes were 'amazing', so I'm not surprised that you enjoy the comments your students receive from Brenda Last, Bluebird22!

Everyone gets an audition - the photos are possibly there to serve as an aide memoire when the panel is discussing the children after the audition. They may also be used to spot the most RBS shaped/turned out etc children prior to audition as well, who knows?!

It may be quite easy to use the train to commute to York from the Haworth area - check the Huddersfield and Wakefield lines. Not sure whether Keighley would be the closest station to Haworth and what railway line it's on if so.

Thank you afab, that would be great ;-)

We also thought it was a shame that the new age 11-13 Elmhurst summer school is less than 3 days; it would have been a first choice had it been a week as it is at the end of the summer holidays, rather than late July/early August as the huge majority seem to be. I also thought it was expensive for less than 3 days ..... but I am sure it would have been worth it in terms of teaching expertise etc!

I believe you can retake an exam with RAD, regardless of whether you passed it first time, as often as you wish.

You're right Tulip, he is a star! She is very lucky ;-)

My DD is naturally very slim but not skinny and although she usually eats well but not excessively, she has days when nothing seems to fill her up (hollow legs!). Her teacher told her to 'go home and eat lots' after a lesson last week and I was very pleased at this attitude, especially as his own teacher was renowned for telling his students to drink water when hungry and he himself has battled eating disorders. Obviously his teacher's ridiculous way of living is not in turn being passed on to his students.

Are the other three girls in Adv1 older than your DD and how close are they to being exam ready? If they are all older, know the work well and are able to perform it at or approaching exam-readiness standard, I should think that anyone with a modicum of self-awareness would have at least the occasional wobble in confidence at being the 'little' one amongst 3 older ones, who is new to an established class of only 3 members, obviously doesn't know the work and will struggle with some of it whilst she adjusts. I'm not surprised that the teacher doesn't want her to move back a grade as this may just reinforce her belief that she can't and will never be able to do the work, which clearly isn't the case - but I do think the teacher needs to empathise and realise that it isn't just a case of telling her to 'snap out of it, you're perfectly capable', as otherwise your DD may well stop ballet after she does her G8 which would be a great shame. If the other girls are going to do their exams soon, would it be possible perhaps for your DD to have a break from the Adv1 class, as BankruptMum suggested, so that she can de-stress? If necessary or if it would help smooth the way, you could maybe say that this is because she wants to concentrate on enjoying the last few weeks of the graded syllabus and preparing for her G8 exam. She may want to go back to Adv1 afterwards having had a break. Or perhaps you could get hold of an AF DVD so she could see if that seems less frightening and even do some of the AF work on her own to build confidence. If the others are doing their exam soon, could you ask whether the teacher would consider teaching your DD the AF work after their exams are over?

Fiz! Autocorrect, how I hate you!

Fix and JulieW, you are both in my thoughts and prayers.

What a ridiculous and untrue statement - ballet is not the preserve of the upper class! I hope that this doesn't adversely affect other talented children who need to seek assistance with funding.... Given that Yorkshire is a positive hotbed of balletic education, I think she can rest easy that a Yorkshire accent (or of course any other regional accent) makes not one jot of difference!

Definitely, spannerandpony - well, I prefer that to 'fools seldom differ' anyway! ;-)

I think Lauretta Summerscales went to ENB school at 16 having trained at Susan Robinson's school. It has a very good reputation. I think it's in Surrey, not sure of the travel time from Reading?

I know that a talented dancer at my DD's school also burst into tears when confronted with the Advanced 1 syllabus, having passed her Intermediate and IF with very high distinctions. She said it was the jump back to the old syllabus (she did the old IF, then the new intermediate last year) as well as the additional complexity which is expected when moving up a vocational grade. To ease the pressure and as she and some of her group are still 13, the teachers decided to teach Advanced Foundation as a 'bridge' and although I understand that the variations are the same and that there is a lot of similarity, the obviously less complex AF syllabus was clearly a good move as her group are taking their AF exams tomorrow. Is there any possibility of the teacher incorporating some of the AF syllabus into the class for your DD, again as a 'bridge'? Does the teacher realise how upset your DD is? I am sure that she could work with her to build up her confidence, whether through a few private lessons on any areas of particular difficulty and 'bogeyman' status for your DD or perhaps just reassuring her that it is a jump and that many people will find it a bit overwhelming at first. Are any of the other dancers in the Adv1 class approachable for a few minutes of encouragement and maybe a bit of peer assistance with steps she is finding particularly hard?

I was also thinking that it sounded just like athlete's foot, spannerandpony! If so it is easily dealt with - you can also use the medicated 'talcum' type powder regularly between your toes to prevent it recurring once it has been treated.

Still thinking about this and the early start time for the party. As tou said that you're invited to attend along withyour DD, I would have thought that most - or at least many - parents would struggle to attend a party starting at 5pm due to finishing work and having to get back to change, collect their children, etc. Could you see if that might encourage the parent who is organising the party to try to put back the start time to say 7pm? Perhaps there might also be an opportunity to let your daughter leave the rehearsal when she has done her pieces - but even if not, she might then be able to attend at least the last hour or so of the party?

If the leavers' party is being organised by a parent in the village hall, is there any point asking whether any other date is available - or even whether it could start a bit later so that your DD can get there, even if she is an hour or so late, after the rehearsal? It seems a very early start time for a Y6 leavers' party. If not then I am in the 'rehearsal takes precedence' camp with your DD. She is obviously very mature to realise that commitments should be honoured and I agree with Clara that she should rightly be praised for that. In relation to the majority of children who you say aren't very nice, your DD will never fit in with that group anyway as she is obviously a nice, mature young lady - one party won't make much difference and may just reinforce her feeling that she is an outcast if they are already very cliquey. As I tell my DD, she must be friendly towards everyone but doesn't have to try to be everyone's friend; she too is mature for her age and has always had a close group of very good friends who support each other, whilst getting on well with the majority of her peers.

It may also be the fact that it isn't a face to face conversation in the car; whether they are front seat or back seat passengers, if you are driving then you can't safely face them and look directly at them while they express something with which they may have been battling. I do hope that you and your DD find a way through this and that she recovers her joie de vivre soon. She must be very talented to be accepted at Tring (for Y11?) and to have retained her place since the age of 11 at the national ballet school where you are living. I second Huddsballetmum's suggestion regarding funding options for Tring. I assume that Tring aren't able to offer assistance towards funding for your DD as she is ineligible for MDS funding? Do enquire if you're not sure, you won't lose anything by asking, even if the answer is no, but may possibly gain a great deal! With regard to your DD being told that she is fat, this is totally unacceptable and harkens back to the old stereotypes of ballet students existing on black coffee and cigarettes. Is her school very old-style (and I am NOT in any way excusing their telling your DD that she is fat) or is the teacher concerned very old-style in terms of a 'that's what we were told and that's how we were taught and it was good enough for me' mentality? Sometimes teachers with this mindset don't realise the effects of what they are saying and may even think that it 'toughens' their students' resolve and determination to succeed in the very harsh ballet world. - Whatever the bizarre 'reasoning' behind this teacher's cruel remarks to your daughter, remind her that she would NOT have been given a place at Tring had she been in any way overweight or lacking in real potential to make it as a dancer! That is the real positive here - that Tring has totally negated your DD's teacher's remarks by offering her a place, even if she is unable to take it up. Wishing your DD a speedy recovery of her usual self and self-belief and sending you both virtual hugs x

I didn't think RBS taught RAD except for exam classes which enable students to enter for the Phyllis Bedells and Adeline Genee awards? I had understood that they taught their own method (although I'm pretty sure they used to be Cecchetti based at one time). I suppose that as you say CeliB, with maturity and experience it becomes easier to adjust to different styles. I think Anjuli has said previously that it is best not to 'mix methods' in the early years of study to avoid confusion but that experienced dancers can switch between styles with relative ease.

I think the students attending Elmhurst summer schools for both age groups are selected from photos and application form only, but couldn't swear to that, would need to check on the website.