Anna C

Oh gosh Primrose! :-( Has the bank holiday delayed things, I wonder?

I wonder if the ability to pick up sequences quickly can be likened to a musical ear? My dd has inherited my musical ear and - fortunately for her - can pick up step sequences at lightning speed (she marks them with her feet and hands which looks quite funny while she's doing it but it seems to work). Her teacher says she has a "ballet computer" in her brain but as she also picks up languages and music quickly, could they all be related to a sort of "ear"? My husband on the other hand has to practice ad infinitum to pick up a tune. He doesn't dance but were he to try, I can imagine he would find it exceptionally difficult to memorise a sequence and reproduce it with his body.

Might be easier to start a new thread, Anjuli, that way people who may not look at the EYB thread can also get tips and/or contribute. :-)

Having just finished, good luck from us too. I was lucky, I got to meet 3 ballet-co-ers plus a self-confessed lurker! :-)

Just remember to smile and have a good go at everything. :-)

Don't panic, swanprincess - my dd had a new pair which she broke in just before EYB and they lasted for the whole thing. She doesn't tend to kill pointes very quickly and these were a harder shank than usual. I'd recommend seeing what part you get because some parts have more pointework and more dancing than others, and it will also depend on how quickly you normally break shoes. :-)

Excellent news! Really pleased for you and looking forward to hearing how you get on. :-)

Yep - off to Freed for us on Friday for pointes and softblocks - kerCHING!

Oh my goodness, taximom!!!

Ted Neeley will always be "Jesus" for me. :-) I love the fact that he sang "Gesthemane" at Carl Anderson's funeral - at the request of Carl (and what an incredible Judas he was).

Oooh, I forgot "Wicked"! Dd's favourite musical. I think she and I must drive our poor neighbours mad singing Wicked in the kitchen and/or shower. :-) My brother and family have tickets to see "Jesus" but the cast just doesn't appeal to me at all. I'll have to stick with the film. :-)

Thanks Lil! x "Merde" to all those performing! :-)

Today's just technical rehearsal but tomorrow's dress rehearsal is probably also a schools' matinee. :-)

Don't forget to pack your camera in your bag for the Saturday matinee as you'll probably bring some children through to the auditorium for photos and they will make sure that you're able to photograph your dd in her group. :-)

West Side story makes me weep uncontrollably every time I watch it, as does The King and I. I must have seen Les Mis on stage at least 5 times, it being our favourite musical as a family. I saw it when it first opened in the West End, when I was a teenager. I was also lucky enough to see Michael Crawford as the Phantom in its opening year in London - talk about emotional! He broke my heart! We adore musicals chez Spanner. My first memory of theatre is seeing Jesus Christ Superstar at 5, as a treat for my brother's 10th birthday. John 19:31 still makes me blub now as it did at 5. I didn't understand the story but that music went straight to my heart with its sadness.

They're not cheap but I always buy Capezio Bunheads hairpins and hairnets. The hairnets are big, durable, and the light brown exactly matches my dd's hair. They're about 99p for 3. The pins are a little expensive but are thick, long, and you only need 4 per bun.

From the dealings we've had with the RAD, I've been hugely impressed. My dd's done the Genee Dance Challenge twice now, and took part on the free PDTD classes earlier in the summer, plus I've had cause to email various departments several times. The staff have always been highly professional, friendly, kind to my dd, and don't strike me at all as merely trying to make money by selling their syllabi. Now obviously I'm not an RAD teacher but as a parent I've always thought highly of them.

Hi Jo, Can't help with recommendations but I just wanted to welcome you to the forum. :-)

Well done to your dds, 2dancersmum! :-)

Lemongirl, I'd ask Dominic about how much pointework your dd is doing. I'd think she will be ok with one pair if her other role is in soft shoes. Pointytoes, when your shoes are too soft, they will feel "mushy" to dance in. They won't support your feet properly and you may feel - and look - as if you're sinking into the shoes too much, or as if you're "going over" too far. They may also start to make funny noises - my dd's Blochs started to creak so noisily just before the shank gave out! But if you're not sure, the easiest thing to do is to get them checked. :-)

Ah! Thanks Elliepops. That's one of the LCB DVDs we don't have. :-) Incidentally, my dd's favourite ever Summer School thus far (apart from EYB this year which we are treating as Summer School!) was LCB's Performance Summer School where the students became LCB2 for a week. Seeing her really acting her part and becoming the character was a real revelation! The journey was a pain every day but she absolutely loved it, it really was an excellent summer school. :-)

Bear in mind that the cut off date for LCB in terms of age is 14, whereas EYB is 18.

Our school has done Presentation Classes in the past for children who (for various reasons) love ballet but would not be able to take formal exams. I think assuming the parents are aware of the difference between presentation classes and exams, they are a lovely idea. Surely on the Certificate you receive it says something like "....has participated in a Presentation Class"? And doesn't the teacher send slips home saying "your child is being entered for....exam/presentation class on....."? I'm just a bit confused at a parent who doesn't know what their child is doing?

Grade 2!? That seems incredibly young to be starting on Vocational Work. Gosh. DD will start Grade 7 work in September at the same time as continuing with Intermediate. The Grade 7 syllabus sounds lovely. Whether or not she'll take the Grade 7 exam, I'm not sure, but even doing the work will be a nice contrast to the rather more technical Inter syllabus.

Where did you go Klaris, the shop in Amersham? Luckily we're in London on Tuesday; although Freed sold dd the harder shank, I think I'd better pop in and get her fitted for a backup pair before the performances...just in case! :-)