Bestfootforward

Congrats to your daughter. My daughter got a place off the SWL for year 5 a few years ago. When we got the initial letter I called them after a few days, because like you we were happy that she had achieved SWL but had no idea whether she stood any chance of getting a place eventually. The kind lady that answered my call told me there was no way that she could say whether she would or wouldn't but did tell me that she was 'as high as it was possible to be' on the SWL and within two days I had a phone call offering her a place at our chosen centre. She had a great two years there and was subsequently offered an MA place despite not auditioning for WL. So yes it does happen. Wishing your daughter the very best of luck!

Festivals are great if taken at face value. My daughter did them for several years before she went off to vocational school and they taught her many things. She learned how to be a good loser, how to be a humble winner, the importance of hard work and rehearsal, and the joy of belonging to a team (our dance school). We both made good friends and had a great time. Best of all she learned the importance of good artistry and dance quality and how this was equally as important as good technique. We also both learned (as you have found) that some kids and their mums aren't always nice and that it can be very competitive out there. However, it never put us off- we learned to ignore the rare snide comments and focus instead on the overwhelming sense of camaraderie that there was between some of the dance schools, We would privately giggle at the competitive mums and kids on the way home in the car, grateful that we weren't part of that set. As others have said- ignore the negative comments you have received. Your daughter is clearly talented. Talented enough to have been awarded government funding for her training.Hang on to that thought at your next fesival and enjoy every minute!! Good luck for the future!

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Reading through the latter comments in this thread it surprises me that people appear to think that vocational schools have an advantage over their non- vocational peers when they have little or no experience of having a child at vocational school. As a parent who agonised over whether or not to encourage my child's desires to go away in year 7 (she did go ultimately), I can say with first hand knowledge that there are many obstacles and the path does not always run smoothly. Yes, their academics and dance classes are planned and balanced, and to some extent this means that their is a greater understanding of the dance element of their education by the academic teachers. Yes, they have daily dance class, and do not have to be driven here, there and everywhere doing their homework in the car and eating their tea en route. I remember that well. We have heard many times before on this forum of the obvious disadvantages- homesickness, friendship issues etc etc. But it's the latent issues that you don't think about when you don't have a child in this position. The fact that they can sit in their room and struggle on with their homework, because really there is no one on hand to ask, and they think they ought to be able to do it. The occasions when they would like a proper chat (which is impossible over the phone for all sorts of reasons). The fact that the day is so busy and full that they forget the really important thing that they had to tell you/ ask you, and then can't remembee what it was when they come to speak to you later in the evening. Turns out a day later that it was something you needed to post because they needed it for class urgently and now it's too late. The stress and emotional turmoil in situations like this can't be explained- it's a case that you have to be there to know how it feels. As a result, this "idyllic" and "advantageous" position is often far from it. Dance class performance can become compromised as the child is worrying about the academic homework he or she couldn't do, or fact that the satin shoes she needs for tomorrow are now not going to arrive on time and the teacher will go mad. There are no winners here, the non- vocational child will have the family support network and nurturing daily environment that the vocational child inevitably has to manage without on a practical level. Each situation is different, and we know from this forum that both can work. Good, non- vocational dance teachers can make a star out of the right pupil- not all vocational children will become stars just because they are at vocational school!

Balletsister In answer to your question she is now in her second year at vocational school but did audition for MAs and was offered a place, which of course she didn't take up. Had she not gone to vocational school she would have taken her MA place and continued with festivals ! We have friends who's daughter tried for JAs three times and finally got a place in year 6. She got a lot out of that one year and went on to be accepted at vocational ballet school in year 7 so keep on trying!

Balletsister In answer to your question she is now in her second year at vocational school but did audition for MAs and was offered a place, which of course she didn't take up. Had she not gone to vocational school she would have taken her MA place and continued with festivals ! We have friends who's daughter tried for JAs three times and finally got a place in year 6. She got a lot out of that one year and went on to be accepted at vocational ballet school in year 7 so keep on trying!

Hi Tinkerbell05 I read your post with interest and some frustration at the attitude of your school principal! My child is very much an all rounder, and attended a dance school where festivals and competitions are actively encouraged for those who want to participate, and associate classes are considered a welcome addition for those talented and committed enough. She was lucky enough to be accepted as a RBS JA and has really enjoyed her three years there. The very formalised training very much appealed to her perfectionist personality, and she loved the fact that she had been selected to be a small part of the RBS. The training she received there very much complimented the training she received at her local dance school, and both she and I made the best friendships which have stood the test of time. Whilst I would agree that many of the RBS associate teachers are not full time teachers at the RBS, all of them are carefully selected by the RBS with the same scrutiny as they select their full time staff. Many are ex ballerinas teaching elsewhere due to their geographical location- all deliver fundamentally similar training the RBS way. Let's face it, they have a reputation to uphold, and we all know how "picky" they are about student selection- why on earth would they not be the same about their staff? My daughter continued to do festivals and competitions throughout her JA days and this was actively encouraged by her JA teacher to a large extent. Right at the beginning we (and her local teacher) felt that it was important that she respected the wonderful opportunity she had been given, and the need to commit to it. With this in mind she no longer did solos or troupes as it would not have been fair to let others down. However she continued to do her solos (around 5 of them) and most of the time these would fall either in the evening after associates, or on a Sunday. As Julie has already stated, some of our festival organisers were very helpful and were happy to schedule certain age groups and genres accordingly with enough notice. On the off chance that her solos fell during associate class time, we would consider the situation carefully. Generally speaking we did not allow her to miss associates unless there were more than 2 dances on the same day, and even then she would not miss more than one class per term. This arrangement worked beautifully and I would say she probably missed a total of 3 classes in the three years that she did JAs and her attendance was considerably better than many of her fellow associates who didn't do festivals. As far as the festivals go, I firmly believe that they have an important role to play in the formative years of a young dance student. As other people have said, learning and performing solos from a young age encourages the development of stage presence and artistry. Confidence building is a huge advantage, and it also teaches the kids humility, comradeship and how to lose (and win) gracefully. These are all vital skills both in the dance world and in normal life. Our JA teacher valued this important aspect of dance training and would encourage the children to bring in their festival photos which they would look at in the mid- lesson break. Certainly exams were also regarded as important and as far as I can remember, none of the children missed out on taking exams or doing school shows because of associate classes. So I would say if your daughter loves her ballet encourage her to audition, keep a level head and at all costs don't write off the festivals etc. A workable compromise can be easily achieved, and I sincerely hope that your school principal is broad minded enough to embrace this if your daughter is lucky enough to be offered a JA place!

Hi SP She was probably around that height but small build too. I will PM you if the first person to show an interest decides it's not for them. BFF

This is a black meryl Degas 9502 leotard which was bought as a gift for my daughter for Christmas last year. The size is a child's age 14, but the fit of this style is notoriously small and it is better suited to an average 11-12 year old. It cost in excess of £40 and has been removed from the bag for trying on but never worn. As stated it is a child's, and hence there is no inner lining. However the material is soft and thick. Beautiful leotard, if you look it up on the internet you will be able to see how nicely it sculpts the body. Sadly suddenly too small for my child before she had chance to wear it. A great audition leotard. I am selling for £17 plus postage.

If you google Genee Dance Challenge Winners 2012 it gives you a link to the RAD FB entry with pictures of the winners in all 4 levels. You can clearly see the costumes they are wearing.

I think the confusion re costumes might have occurred as the girls on the RAD FB page are girls who entered the International Genee Competition (some of them were previous winners of the Genee Dance Challenge). The international competition is a completely separate competition, and the Genee Dance Challenge in the past has been run as a fundraising event for the International Competition. My child entered the Genee Dance Challenge in 2012 and I was lucky enough to watch the performers in her "level" and also those within another level as a friend's child was competing too. Within both groups there was a range of costumes, but as I said in my previous post, a few had tutus, but mainly the costumes were very simple. Most girls wore a leotard and skirt or a lyrical type dress. The emphasis is very much on the choreography, the technique and the dance quality of the student. The students changed into their costumes halfway through the second day, so certainly for the younger students, the simpler the better! As far as hair went, again most had a bun with a small adornment to match the costume. It certainly wasn't a tiara fest.

They are quite definite in the information that the solo should not exceed 1min 30 secs. One of the reasons for this is to standardise all the solos. If one person exceeds by ten seconds, what's to stop another exceeding by 15 seconds and so on? I would advise sticking to the entry criteria precisely.

My child has done this competition previously so I will attempt to answer some of the questions:- Within the level, the group is not split further. There is one teacher per level, and the children all take class together, and practice their solos together. Age does not come into it at all. If you do not have a name for your dance, that's fine- on the program which is printed out for the display of solos, most just said "ballet solo". It is ok to leave that bit blank. The level the child is in should reflect the grade towards which they are working at the time of entry to the competition. So if the child has taken intermediate and is now working towards advanced foundation, they should be in level 4. On the other hand, if they have taken intermediate but have gone no further with working towards vocational grades and simply continued with the normal graded work, then really they should be in the level which reflects that grade. The standard within the levels was of course varied; within my daughters level there were a small number of vocational students (2 as I remember), but mainly the students were none vocational. There was about 14/15 students participating within the level. The standard and choice of solos were also varied. Some children had had dances choreographed especially for the occasion, others were using established festival dances they had used previously, but tailored time wise to fit the entry criteria. The competition is also an opportunity for the RAD teachers to work with their students to create an original dance which fits the criteria for the competition and suits the style and ability of the student, hopefully to show them off in their best light and yet challenge them too. Costume wise- simple is beautiful! Elaborate costumes and stage make up are best kept for festivals. A simple, classic tutu is an option if the child is keen to wear one and it suits the style of the dance, but many of the girls wore very simple combinations of a pretty leotard and skirt, or a simple lyrical style dress. Hope these help the people with questions!

I think the key question is whether your daughter is genuinely keen to be a JA, and for the right reasons. Yes, auditions are a great experience, and the children have a wonderful time. However, going for the audition "just to see what happens" could easily be the first step in getting swept along. If your daughter gets a positive result from the audition, it is so much more difficult to make a rational decision when the euphoria has set in. My advice would be to really try and find out whether she really wants to try for a place. The classes are all about classic ballet, and focus very heavily on technique. The classes are long (approx 2 hours) and for a small child they can be boring and monotonous if they are not totally focused. My daughter was a JA from yr 5 and loved her two years there. We attended another centre (not London) and the teacher was wonderful. There is certainly no advantage at all in terms of level of teaching, in choosing London over another more convenient centre. If you do decide to take the plunge, I would say go for the convenience factor. Explain politely to your daughter's teacher that both expense and travelling time are important factors in your choice of venue. My daughter's JA days have formed happy memories for us both, and apart from the teaching there are other very positive outcomes for parent and child. We both formed strong friendships which have stood the test of time and distance. Neither of us saw the travelling as an inconvenience, as we always had fun. My (rural) girl got an eye opening taste of city life (and has learned to love it), and train travel has become a familiar experience for her - prior to her being a JA we had always travelled by car! In summary I would say, try and find out whether your daughter genuinely wants to be a JA to improve her ballet technique. If she is at all unsure, or if you think she may struggle with the 2 hour classes then delay your decision until next year when she is a little older. In our experience it was easier to get a place for year 5 than year 4, so putting it off for a year will not disadvantage her, and in another year she may be more certain one way or the other.

In my experience it is not as easy as you might think to get this done cheaply. For several years I have rung round local electricians and really struggled to find anyone who can or will do it. Most companies (even the smaller ones) only cater for the "bulk" PAT testing eg testing a large number of items for pubs or people letting out houses. Most of my enquiries met with confusion that I wanted only a small number of items testing, and a response that they could do my 7 or 8 items but only at a cost of, say £50 or more which I consider to be too expensive! Eventually I did find an electrician who charged me about £15 for the lot, and came to the house to so them, but I do think its wrong that they have to be tested before term starts, and agree that the school should arrange to do this on the first day back. After all, it is them that are insisting on the testing being done!