meadowblythe

I think you have a valid point Aileen, and if you can't enjoy life in year 7, when can you?

I would caution against taking homework too lightly if your DD is attending a very academic school - I know, to my cost, that at some schools the material is not gone over again at KS4 - the expectation was that it should have been learnt and the student should be ready to move on (non dancing DS wasn't!) However ... high achieving schools like high achievers - again using the example of the same school a very talented musician was allowed to attend a conservatoire in London two days a week during sixth form - he went on to gain an organ scholarship at Cambridge. The same school celebrates the international Irish Dancing champion - he used this skill for GCSE and A level PE, and a Performing Arts qualification. I think most schools will be understanding IF you keep them informed and involved - all performers make (many) sacrifices along the way, and if it means missing the odd lunchtime club or sleepover most will feel it is a price they need to pay.

And if you happen to be reading this at work here's a link to what I believe is the transcript http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1422863/posts meadowblythe

Kitschqueen is spot on - very popular with year 7 and 8 girls. It appears this is the third in the series, dancing is mentioned in a previous blurb but it isn't the focus of that particular opus. Meadowblythe

Just wondering if any of you have a DD (or DS!) who have read this: here's the blurb The next scrumptious story in Cathy Cassidy's Chocolate Box Girls series. Summer has always dreamed of dancing, and when a place at ballet school comes up, she wants it so badly it hurts. Middle school ends and the holidays begin, but unlike her sisters, Summer has no time for lazy days and sunny beach parties. The audition becomes her obsession, and things start spiralling out of control . . . The more Summer tries to find perfection, the more lost she becomes. Will she realise - with the help of the boy who wants more than friendship - that dreams come in all shapes and sizes? From what I can gather it touches on annorexia but no doubt all ends happily (well, it is Cathy Cassidy). Thinking of ordering a copy for our school library but any input much appreciated. Meadowblythe

When my DS was about 6 he was all for giving up ballet instead of football. Two things changed his mind: A trip to see Northern Ballet's Beauty and the Beast (he then demanded a full costume for Christmas, or failing that at least the knee pads) Another teacher at his ballet school, who pointed out that footballers do ballet for warm up, and suggested he went to ballet on the way to football. A science teacher at a school I recently worked in was a footballer at international level (he retired just before the Sky deal, hence teaching science!). He confirmed that they used to go to the Royal Ballet school to take class. And the footballers were all envious of the ballet dancers, because they have a core stability that they never achieved and needed to be able to turn and shoot. Given DS's problems with core over the years perhaps he should have stuck to football! Following the Beauty and the Beast trip DS used to regularly write to David Bintley to share his critiques of the ballets viewed, and ideas for future productions (Star Wars the ballet sticks in my mind). At the time he was a poor writer and we were desperate to improve his skills. What David Bintley thought of this I don't know, but every letter received a personal and prompt response and I will always be grateful. Meadowblythe

I think going to a vocational school also has its drawbacks ... My DS certainly had less performance opportunities There may be less of an idea of everyone getting (approximately) equal exposure There may be issues with the quality of education offered at some vocational schools If you don't "click" with a teacher it can have huge implications and its not that easy to change or sort the problem You have less control over the range and styles of dancing It may be that money does not stretch to summer schools Unhappy dancers find it harder to shine. But other than that!

...... Teenagers of your acquaintance fall around laughing because you thought BRB stood for Birmingham Royal Ballet ......... Girls start missing exams and you can work out which local dance school they attend if their exam is in May ..

If you go to your library there's a reference book that lists all the charities making awards, categorised by locality and interest area sponsored. It also lists the type of award they make, whether to individuals or groups, and what they will consider funding. I've just been looking at it as my daughter has been offered an associate type place at the Royal Northern College of Music, but the fees are £3,500 a year - that and a DS at vocational school on a teacher and a librarian's salary is not a good combination. But we will write to the 3 possible organisations listed ... Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the book but I gather its quite a standard work.

Nottinghamshire is technically the East Midlands so stretching a point but still ...

My DS on course 4 too - applied on basis of previous recommendations from this forum. If only there was an equivalent forum for music! The only one I've found seems far more competitive amongst parents and I really don't want to get into that. If only I could organise music and dance summer schools so they are on the same week!

I still remember with horror my son casually telling someone "the sixth form girls have a big bowl of salad they eat until the teachers leave, then they stop." He was in year 7 at the time. May have got entirely the wrong end of the stick, and purely anecdotal. But he perceived this as "normal" behaviour.

A different perspective - two of the students in our sixth form were being moderated for PE today. One was doing Irish Dancing (currently in the World Top 10, and has been for some time ..) and the other was debating modern then ballet, or ballet then modern. She has been a York Scholar and JA/MA. Admittedly neither is aspiring to a career in dance but the Irish dancer in particular is one of the best respected athletes in our school. Meadowblythe

To be fair, if Henry Perkins had trained in this country he would have picked up academic qualifications along the way. His particular issue was that his Russian qualifications were not recognised in this country. Only an issue for an exceptional few, and had I been in his position I don't think I would have let a lack of A levels decide me against Bolshoi training. My concern is actually geared the other way If my DS completes a degree at 19, and doesn't get a job in dance, what then? Exactly what does a 19 year old with a degree do, as presumably most graduate employment is geared up for 21 year olds? And isn't there an expectation that they would have A levels as well as a degree? Problems, problems Meadowbylthe

Do you have any information on the destination of their leavers post A level? Also, do they take students who have not previously trained in the Russian system? Meadowblythe

Hi its 10.00 - 17.00 Monday to Friday and half day on Saturday (first week). No show of work on the second week. Full course is 13 - 24 August. Info satates that Classical Ballet will form the core element of the course with additional classes including Pointe work, Allegro, Pilates, Repetoire, Choreography, Contemporary and Jazz. Sounds good! Meadowblythe

Aha By this formula DS should arrive at 5 foot 8! So problem solved. Guess we may risk one of the more aspirational auditions ... Many thanks Meadowblythe

Aileen There is a test you can have done where they x ray your thigh bone, and match the bone "age" with your actual age - apparently its very accurate. It showed his bone and actual age were the same ie no point giving him supplements or hormones. What it didn't show was any predicted height - I remember the "double your age at two" and will have to dig out the baby books! My husband is quite tall, as is DS' non-dancing elder brother (who has an excellent ballet physique but hid in the toilets the only time he was taken to ballet and refused to come out!) but my father is only 5 foot 6. To complicate things further, he is an August birthday. I think in an ideal world for many reasons I'd like him to audition a year later, but I'm not sure what he'd do for the "gap" year - and I think this is probably a separate thread! Thanks for all the ideas - they are much appreciated Meadowblythe

Related to a previous post - can any body provide information, annecdotal or otherwise, about the build of males and a classical career? My son, current year 10, is, to put it bluntly, small. He's 5'4" and a very slim build. The good news is that he has fantastic turnout and feet, and is very flexible - can still drop into flat splits. The bad news is he's small! And a bit bendy - not so good for core strength. His current school are adamant that he can have a career in classical ballet, his old school assessed him out! His considered list of sixth form places to audition for looks to me, frankly aspirational -he is determined to go the classical route. Would I do better insisting on a wider range of audition options given my finances won't run to an infinite number. Meadowblythe

Thanks Kiwimum - that explains things beautifully. Don't forget to show your working Meadowblythe

Just passing the time between dance auditions by fitting in a couple of music auditions with DD ... If, hypothetically, my daughter gets MDS funding for her music (she has applied for a couple of Saturday Schools where MDS' are offered to a lucky few) how will our contribution be calculated given DS is at vocational school on an MDS. I've scoured the websites with no luck. Incidentally, if you think dance is an expensive hobby take a look at the fees for Saturday schools for music - the equivalent schemes to dance come out at £3,500 p.a. or thereabouts, and not nearly enough MDS for all to have one. Then looking at up to £40 per Saturday for travel. It would be cheaper, I think, to send her away to school but she is adamant she is doing well academically where she is, and doesn't want to board. Sound familiar? Meadowblythe - off to stalk the postie!

Speaking as the mother of a boy ... The only comment I would make is that hair should be in a bun - but not with lots of adoration/fluffy bits/flowers. I can't remember if the letter specifies. Also, don't do what I did and send your child in with shoes where the elastic collapsed half way through the class! Galienne Stock ended up pinning them together for him. Having said that, he got a place so maybe it got him noticed .. Above all, enjoy. We have always looked upon auditions as a practice run for next time. But then I am eyorish (if there is such a word) by nature. meadowblythe

Porthesia I would be really interested in hearing more about Legat as a sixth form option - details such as destination of leavers at end of sixth form funding! accommodation mixture of boys and girls academics I found the school very helpful last year when we approached them, but for a number of reasons it wasn't the right place at the right time for my DS. meadowblythe

I think that all schools offering DADAs have to offer the Trinity dance qualifications. I would also suggest that although a school may offer A levels, the quality of the academics varies from school to school - my son found that he was way behind his contemporaries at the vocational school he currently attends, compared with his previous one. The range of subjects on offer also varies - not being gifted in Art or Music, I do wonder what he would study at some institutions! Of course with the end of Dadas (bites knuckles in anguish) this may all change. A related point: before heading off down the A level home study course it is worth checking you can find an exam centre - many will not take external candidates, even if known to them. This might be a rural quirk and not a problem in London, but I couldn't find a single centre in the county for non-dancing-older-DS to resit his exams using list provided by an exam board. meadowblythe

My two pennyworth (again) DS attended the Easter course last year and really enjoyed it - had things been slightly different he may well have ended up on the CAT course there. I think the teaching style is so different at the Northern it will suit some students much better than others. For him, it gave him insight and technique that he hadn't picked up from, say, the RBS associate scheme. Regarding picking the less prestigious course - it takes huge courage. It's so easy to think you can always "change down" - unfortunately it ain't necessarily so. meadowblythe