Flora

DD did the last one on Swan Lake and loved it

I agree with all the other replies. My DD took four weeks off dance this summer after a spell in the last academic year feeling low about her abilities and wanting to cut back. She did occasional pilates and class during her time out and she sunbathed swam and went running. It did her the world of good: on returning to 3-4 hours of class a day she really likes what she sees in the mirror/feels great and is loving class again and is thrilled that her "hour of need" (her words) are over. In retrospect she had just got over tired which caused a vicious circle of self doubt. Hope your DD feels better soon

DD did Princesse Grace in Monaco. The standard was extremely high. It is a serious summer school whose raison d'etre is scouting talent for the year ahead- definitely not a money spinner or there as a bit of fun. SS highly organised and efficient and location is amazing but rooms are very hot at night. There is no air con.

Harwel does that also include non EEA students though? Or just free for German applicants and all EEA? I can understand EEA applicants must currently be treated equally funding wise and in the application process pre Brexit to avoid breaching EU law (although the POB seems to get round this by indirect discrimination/requiring qualifications at 16 you could only realistically achieve if you were training in France from the outset).

Does anyone have any info on whether the audition process for the top schools could be impacted by Brexit uncertainties this year. My impression is schools like ENB have taken on incredibly few UK dancers in the last couple of years although they do seem to take a material number of EEA dancers as well as non-EEA and there is usually an audition tour to Italy. Presumably there is a risk that funding for EEA students could end before training is finished (assuming Article 50 is invoked within 6 months and given the two year negotiation period cannot be extended). It will be interesting to see if that results in fewer EEA applicants this year or schools being more reticent about taking EEA applicants.

My DD is at YDA in the main school and all I can say is she is has had a wonderful dance training and is well received in the applications she makes outside the school. She is often told (and I am also often told) by teachers who watch her outside YDA that she is very well trained. Even so, this hobby/passion of hers gets harder and harder as time goes on and she has not yet left the school so I can barely imagine how tough it is when applying for jobs from upper school. With the successes come also some bitter disappointments. The philosophy of "the harder you work the better you do" doesn't always seem to work out either as the hours put in increase the risk of injury. I agree with the advice to enjoy it and take each day as it comes. As the stresses increase for the child and they head through puberty I've found it does get less enjoyable for the parent sadly. I still enjoy watching her perform - but with a big gin and tonic if there are any lifts involved...

In all honesty anyway how many really have everything going for them: well trained, amazing bodies, great acting skills and light as a feather musicality.. Even in the top schools you see some perfect bodies accompanied by pretty wooden/not flowing dancing- especially in the lower years.

Thank you- great to hear

She is 15

DD is doing this school this summer alongside a few other ballet courses. The summer school includes an audition for the following academic year for those who want to audition and presumably have yet to secure places. Has anyone done this before? The standard of the main school looks extremely high from what I can see of their YouTube postings.

This is an interesting thread. Taking summer schools as an example, I'd be interested to know if the top UK summer schools like RBS prioritise international candidates over UK. My DD's experience and those of her dancing friends is possibly yes as very few if any get into RBS senior summer school and some do not even get ENB. On the other hand many who can afford to try are accepted for top summer schools abroad including schools with just as stellar reputation as RBS. Perhaps they also favour candidates from overseas but many of these schools require audition DVDs and not just photos so they have a much better look at the candidates you would have thought. If it's the case that schools like RBS use their summer courses to hunt for international candidates I'm not sure it's true to say international competition can only be a good thing and you can always look abroad too if you don't get a UK school. The loser is the child (wherever they are) whose parents can't afford to up sticks and book fights for courses on the other side of the world...

Personally I think it's fantastic that schools which are partly funded through the public purse are accountable for the results they achieve and that their aggregate results each year are discussed/questioned, including in open forum. The young people benefit from that too I think

Janiceannej The starting pack doesn't include a list of kit but there is a comment that a complete "trousseau" will be sent in June. The leotard is plain black for the higher classes and pink for the lower.

Juliet- It's a bit unfortunate that comment on the RBS trailer made it through the cutting room. I guess the school was in sell mode and so it should just be seen in that context... Even so, I have to say I'm struggling to relate to the experience schools are totally open minded about body shape. Perhaps things change a bit at 16? While in fairness, my DD was taken into RBS MAs and SAs despite not having particularly long legs or stunning feet, I did think her body shape was rather different to the others who were generally very leggy. Some ( not all) were also not particularly fluid in their movement/coordination which often seemed to me down to the disproportionately long legs. I really hope the focus on body will shift a little in the future as I agree with atacrossroads there are some fabulous lyrical dancers who don't have that attribute. We would not have the truly sublime ballerina of her generation Alina Cocajaru who has limbs perfectly in proportion to body, if all schools were to insist on a giraffe look.

DD had fun at Move It today. She danced all day and came home exhausted!!!

DD was yes too for Elmhurst SS.

I fully agree too. Incidentally, I watched an RBS promo clip on Facebook in which a young girl said that the good thing about the school was "everybody is the best so you get to see the best". Yr 11 auditions must be a brutal experience indeed for many WLers if that view is encouraged...

Loulabelle- thank you. Did ENBS say whether they will issue results by letter or email? Thank you

We're also still waiting for ENBS and Elmhurst senior summer school results.

Thanks Taxi4ballet. Only Bloch and Freed. Perhaps we do need to try something else as Bloch look ugly on her feet (so she hates them) and even the strongest Freed we can find last two minutes (so I am not too keen on them!)....

Very helpful- thank you. I will try to investigate further but I think it's the box which is damaging quickly.

Thank you. I think she is in a size 2 Freed professional with a cut vamp so perhaps that is the same thing. She does shellac and rotate the shoes but they still only last a few goes before she has to use them as soft blocks.

This may be an impossible question but does anyone with more of a clue on pointe shoes than me have any tips for a good brand to make the best of low arches, where it can still sometimes be a struggle to get up onto the box. DD's feet look far nicer in Freed than Bloch but they're not brilliant (and last no time at all so are costing me a fortune!) Thank you

I live in London and agree the hard water and pollution (let's face it Central London is several degrees warmer than everywhere else for a reason) is awful for skin. This and a stressful job have given me acne, rosacea and wrinkles rolled into one.. If your DD cant bear it any more Dr Chopra on Wigmore Street in London is a life saver. Thnks to him I can do my job which bankrolls DD's expensive dancing habit....

Twickenham is 20 mins by car to YDA/ 45 mins on public transport. YDA do have accommodation. Some children stay over some, but not all, nights..Lots commute from quite long distances. My DD travels in by tube with quite a few others.