BBA

My DD has very narrow feet and long toes and we have really struggled to find good split sole shoes. I have 4 boxes of unused Bloch ballet shoes which i ordered online . We have now discovered the best split sole shoes are from Freeds. They do a very narrow one with an elastic drawstring and they make DDs feet look really good too.. She is home this weekend so I will check which variety they are !

Thanks for posting this - it works out well for Elmhurst finals as they are on the 5th so staying on the night of the 4th is ok for this deal - I will be booking tomorrow!

Very well said tutugirl !

I remember well the days of "dont eat less .... don't eat !" Good to see ballet dancers are better looked after nowadays, mentally as well as physically !

Up to the age of 8 there is no audition , from age 9 they hold 2 auditions per year.

Michelle, I feel exhausted just reading how much dance you do. Well done to you !!!!

Yep my dd's school doesn't break up til 18th. Might do application anyway !

OK mine was in the 2nd . Fingers crossed now for March x

Hi angela_stapleton, yes it's for year 7, but there were a couple of older girls in the same class. They said they would send their letters out within 10 days and they were true to their word. Nice to have one done before christmas !

Fantstic balletjack, which class was your dc in ?

Sorry, and good luck to those still to audition !!

So relieved, today we have a yes letter for final auditions in March. Good luck to all those who auditioned this month, and I hope many of you get a happy result. x

Last year RBS had 401 audition for the lower school, 75 were boys ( this can be seen in their annual publication). Of these they took 10 girls and 12 boys .

Ok just to clarify, I was told 180 are invited for finals ( they didn't say just for year 7, so it probably is for the whole school), then my next question was about how many get places and MDS' in year 7, to which the answer was approx 20 - 25 places and approx 20 MDS'. Hope that helps.

It did seem a lot - but perhaps it is for the whole school as there was a 14 year old in the audition class too.

yes that's what she said - very clearly ! I was shocked !! they see just over 400 and invite 180 back.

I spoke to the principle and Robert Parker afterwards. They invite 180 back for finals and there are 20 - 25 places offered with approx 20 MDS places, so almost every child can be funded ! Hope that helps x

I agree !

I'm fairly sure that the first thing they look for is physique, then facility and musicality. As with all schools, they look for a blank workable canvas. If you could do everything already you wouldn't need training !

Ahh yes its the same one ! It was Beth in the Freed shop who recommended it and I've never heard of it - only did Ilkley when I was young !!

It's in Brittany and run by Paris Opera Ballet, apparently, is that the same one you were thinking of ?

I was this morning recommended this as a summer course for my Dd, and wondered if anyone has any experiences to share regarding it. I'd be very interested in any info ... Thanks

We had this at one school - it was due to the fact that leathers last longer and there were parents that couldn't afford to replace shoes frequently so the decision was made . Leather for all !! Perhaps this is the case ?

yes i saw those and thought how perfect they were too !!

sounds amazing ! how fantastic for your dd