Bluebird22

Distance probably isn't the problem, like Aileen says it's probably coming home that's made her homesick. One 11year old from our studio went away to the Hammond her parents visited every Tuesday and bought her home every weekend, she barely made it to Christmas before she came home permanently. Each child is different, nothing can prepare child or parent for the tolls of vocational school. Stay strong!

When any of the local dance schools have a show on in our city centre, you see hoards of ballet tighted, bunned, leotard wearing, dancers with full make up pigging out in McDonald's, they tend to add shorts or t shirts but the overall look is uncoordinated and attracts lots of strange looks!

Regular satin, though I did sit in a bath in a pair of pointe shoes to turn them into the comfiest soft pointes ever. I have no idea how they didn't fall apart but i wore them for my inter found and intermediate exam. They are still tucked in my cupboard, slightly worse for wear after they were my go to soft pointes for 4years but still in one piece nonetheless. Petalviolet, I did get out of the bath after about 20minutes then sat with the shoes on my feet till they dried. I was never happy with the fit if they were packed with newspaper letting them dry around my feet was the best option. I've also tea stained knickers, cut the sides off knickers and stitched clear bra straps to create completely invisible sides. Bras have had similar treatment. Never ever ever had underwear on display!

My mum is amazing at all the dance-y related making tasks, hair accessories, sewing, sparkling, all the other mums would pay her to do their child's costumes. She would make me de thread the sequins so she could glue them onto whatever costume she was preparing, it would take hours upon hours to de thread metres of sequin, so I thoroughly appreciate how tedious all dance related tasks can be! Equally tedious is when you've had a bath in ballet shoes so they mould to your foot but then you have to sit for what seems like an eternity waiting for them to dry unable to move for fear of dirtying the exam shoes!

2 years ago our dance school had 4 children go off to vocational school either upper or lower. We did a fundraising show, with a raffle, guess the cake weight, auction etc I think the whole evening raised about £2000 which I know isn't loads but we adopted an every little helps approach. A few had just giving pages and raised a considerable amount that way. About 9 years ago a girl I danced with was sponsored by the co-op as her mum worked there. They covered the cost of her uniform and made a contribution towards living accommodation throughout her training. One girl who went away this September got a job at the weekends and went to work full time the minute she finished her GCSEs, by September she had saved enough to pay her first terms fees. Doesn't Wayne Sleep have a fund? Training is expensive and like vonrothbart said so many talented children must be cut off due to lack of funds. I teach in area that's not particularly affluent, we have our own charity which raises money so that if a family struggles they can apply to the fund to get help towards paying for exams, weekly classes, uniform etc the amount it raises is minimal but it ensures children can continue dancing.

Lucinda, were you given the same sort of information? Which associate programme ?

Mum in a spin, I wouldn't be able to tell you whether we are a hobby or geared towards vocational training school objectively! Like petal violet said that seed of doubt is always there! I guess that's why I've turned to this forum, I would hate to be the reason someone didn't succeed, which is why I encourage my students to experience as many other teachers and opportunities as possible. I try and liaise with associate teachers as often as I can, via email or if I'm really lucky I try and get to a class, particularly on the run up to a big year like LS auditions Mid auditions. That way I can continue working on whatever weak areas they have picked up on, I can also oversee their homework exercises (mainly Royal). It's also good to check that my teaching/corrections/technique isn't being corrected. I don't think we ever stop learning, so I'm absolutely not ashamed to say I love observing other teachers, liaising with them, using their teaching techniques! The student in question is not emotionally ready to audition for anywhere just yet, and her parents hadn't even considered a point where it would be an option. For them 14 seems a long way off, which I guess it is! She will audition when she's ready I'm sure however soon or far off that is! One of my other royal students' associate teacher spoke to me last week but she is auditioning for WL and Elmhurst so her advice was more if WL doesn't happen this year keep applying!

Dance gear directs own version is quite a bit cheaper

Yes Peach3 I'm hoping that's the case it seems the most logical explanation, because we ALL know people who have been successful without following those guidelines. I guess it's up to local teachers and parents to research and work out what is best for each individual child. I would hope mnemo that no associate scheme would be implying that local teachers standards aren't adequate, it's us that supply them with pupils!!

Thanks, that was what I thought, I have friends who didn't start LSC until they were 18 and they are doing brilliantly. Just had me worried that I had missed some big development in the dance world where 14 had been determined the cut off age!

One of my students (age10, year6) has recently had feedback from two separate associate programmes and the information is interesting... Elmhurst have said that for anyone looking to be a classical ballet dancer they must be in full time training by age 14 to stand a chance of succeeding. For musical theatre they must be in full time training by age 16. Royal Ballet have suggested that she needs to have auditioned before age 14, no further information other than that. I read success stories on here every day, lots of DC don't start vocational training until 16/18, but how likely are they to then succeed? It's really pickled my brain, do Elmhurst and Royal write off people for upper school training if they haven't started by age 14? Is it just a tool to get children to audition for lower school, which brings in money and then again for those who successfully gain a place? Am I being cynical? Just wondered if anyone else had meetings like this with associate teachers ? And what people's thoughts were ?

My mum used to buy old lady hair nets they were really thick and big, not unlike the catering hairnets except these were brown and not blue I do remember my favourite bun net was actually stolen from my brothers action man army truck, it's had a net that covered the open bit of the truck. It lasted a good 5 years with only one tear and it went round my bun at least twice. That said I have very long very thick hair, the normal boots bun nets just weren't sufficient!

Nancy19 I certainly wouldn't say she would need it for vocational schools, a lot of the girls I teach/taught don't have access to GCSE dance at their schools (funding cuts, not classed as a "real" subject but that's another rant) and they haven't been restricted with vocational school applications. But if not many people are given the option to take it surely it's something different she can put down on her application ? Might give her more to talk about in the interview side? Food for thought!

I attended a catholic high school with performing arts status and a sixth form. Absolutely brilliant school! However I opted to do GCSE dance with the school dance teacher out of school hours along with a group of girls from the dance school I attended. It did mean my parents had to pay for it, but myself and my parents agreed it was worth paying for so that I would be with other able dancers. Unfortunately some students think that dance is a total cop out. They barely scraped passes and generally infuriated the dance teacher. On the other hand the group that paid externally completed the GCSE in one year, and graded between A*-C I continued to do AS and A2 Dance with the same dance teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed both GCSE and ALevel Dance. I had a brilliant teacher who although not classically trained, acknowledged ballet as the fundamental basis for dance. I still have files and files of notes on the progression and development of dance, dance history, notable choreographers, dance pioneers, health and safety for the dancer, anatomy, choreographic techniques, repertoire. All of which have been loaned out numerous times to various students. I got to watch countless pieces of dance from video archives to actual live performances. The school pretty much funded all of our trips, we travelled from Staffordshire to the West End to see the Lion King for £5. I was exposed to choreographers I doubt I would have had any knowledge of had it not been for dance. I completely understand why some dancers may be reluctant to take GCSE dance at school, but if the dance teacher is good, there is so much you can learn. It throws a whole new perspective on dance. And for any dancer serious or hobby it's nice to have your commitment acknowledged in the form of a GCSE and it's so interesting! I'm a dance teacher in a BBO/IDTA school and I honestly believe my GCSE/A Level dance training alongside my teacher training has made me a better teacher. I have a much broader dance knowledge that extends beyond the syllabus. With all that said I am a complete and utter geek and probably would have pushed myself to learn more anyway. Isn't that why we are all on this forum to learn more and improve our knowledge of the dance world?

Camomile lotion. Takes away the shine but covers all marks and they look lovely on stage as they blend into ballet tights and create the illusion of a longer leg line. Good luck

I recently took one of my pupils to an audition, which was about an hour and a half away from us, it made for a very interesting car journey. She's 10 and currently a Royal JA looking to audition for white lodge, Tring, moorland and elmhurst for year 7 entry. Her questions caught me completely off guard, I was expecting questions about what colour leotard she would have to wear . I did assure her that I would try and get her some answers so her it goes, any help would be much appreciated.... My little ballerina would like to know - What sorts of meals will she have breakfast/dinner/tea (she asked this several times so I think this is an important one!) - Will she have a shared bedroom or a dormitory - Will she have chance to meet the people in her year before she starts - How many "real" (academic) lessons will she have Obviously auditions haven't started yet so we've no clue as to how she will get on, but the more she knows the better it may change her mind about auditioning or make her work even harder who knows! Any info I can pass back to her would be great, thanks in advance

Hi, May or not be suitable but myself and a number of my students swear by the Bloch backless bodysuit. It has a clear back strap and i think you can also buy a nude back strap. Primark also have some great clear back bra options and boob essential packs with spare clear straps low back converters etc. I have been known to make my own bras when I can't find one that works, using the boob essential packs, tea bag dying, and hacking apart and resewing bras! Best of luck!

I was at loggerheads with PE from day one, I just couldn't find any grace in it. I had similar comments on my school reports about "needing to engage in some form of additional physical activity outside of the PE class" the PE teacher was filly aware of how much I danced ... With the right amount of creativity I managed to make the most of PE, split jetes over the hurdles, sissones into the long jump, sneaky pirouette practise in doubles tennis (I was of no use to anyone) rounders provided plenty of opportunities to practise, gymnastics was the perfect opportunity to practise balance, alignment, arabesques etc

Don't buy those ridiculous party feet if you plan on wearing heels, instead pad your toes like you would in pointe shoes. Frighteningly high KGs plus toe pads and I managed to party all night

I am a teacher who has not been a performer. However I love teaching and my students are currently achieving good solid grades, gaining associate places and generally enjoying dancing. I consider myself someone who is still learning (largely because the dancing world keeps changing). I wish teachers would stop misinforming parents and pupils, it's ok to not know the answer as long as you try to find out, particularly if the question is regarding funding because that is a minefield! I also urge all parents to seek a second opinion whether you are being told your child will never make it as a dancer or if you are being told they will. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one. I really wish I'd known about this forum much sooner since its one of the most useful things I've found online.

I don't have my syllabus with me at this moment in time, but will grab it in the morning. The idta have age requirements for each grade and genre. The modern jazz ages are as follows (I can recite this like a parrot as I have my modern jazz teaching exam next Friday) Prep 6 Primary 8 Grade 1 9 Grade 2 and upwards 10 Intermediate performer 14 I think the ballet and theatre craft grades are as follows (will check though) Prep 5 Primary 7 Grade 1 8 Grade 2 9 Grade 3 10 Grade 4 11 Grade 5 12 Intermediate 13

http://laundry.about.com/od/carebytypeoffabric/a/How-To-Care-For-Dancewear-And-Dance-Costumes.htm I'm sure there's a whitener spray too that you can use? Maybe it's a starch spay that you use on school shirts?

I emptied them into the outside bin as soon as I could. I wasn't keeping them in my house a second longer than needs be.

It was vile! Really turned my stomach. And I really couldn't believe just how many of the wriggly little maggots there were. Cat just flicked her tail and stalked off leaving me to deal with it. Little "I told you so" I think.

Me and my cat have had a horrible experience today and thought I would share/warn! Normally my fussy cat only eats whiskas but I was doing a mad dash round the co op on Friday and grabbed a few pouches of their own brand cat food. She ate a few of the pouches with far less fuss than I was expecting. However today I emptied another pouch into her bowl only to find it with a soup like consistency and a rather wriggly nature. Upon closer inspection (lots of heaving on my part) the food was full of maggots, utterly disgusted! Has this happened to anyone else ?