Anna C

:-)

Hfbrew, I completely agree - except to add that if a child is deemed strong enough in physique and technique at 12, is doing enough quality training during the week and is at a good Associate scheme, then IMHO they are not just a "recreational" dancer, so they shouldn't necessarily have to wait longer to go en pointe just because they're not at Vocational School. With regards to 9 year-olds performing a flirtatious Kitri variation en pointe - yuck. :-(. Sorry. It just makes me cringe.

Yes, there is a minimum age at which you can take your Intermediate Foundation, BUT there's no maximum age, so there's nothing to say you have to take it at 11. It's difficult to find a balance for non-vocational students sometimes because I think they feel they need to keep up with Vocational students and take the exams at around the same age. But by the same token there is no need to rush the Vocational exams. I hope that my dd will have taken her Intermediate by the end of next Summer; but I'll be guided by her teacher.

Hi Miss.sp8, Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. :-)

Sodor, I've just edited the thread title as it said "coloured rights"! ;-)

Too true! At 10, my dd looked like a little girl, albeit a very slim one. She's grown over 4 inches this year and because her strength and muscle tone have improved so much, she now looks like a very toned but still very slim young woman. I look at photos of her and can't believe the difference.

But there other factors here; the differences in strength and technique between 10 and 12 are vast. And although ossification is not complete until the late teens, it is an ongoing process, so it stands to reason that the process will be further along at 12 than it will at 10. I just don't see the need to put a child of 10 en pointe; there is plenty to still be learning at 10. It's not as if a child will be bored and waiting to start pointe because there's nothing else to learn. What's the harm in waiting?

Dd's school takes Vocational exams at HQ. it certainly makes it more of an "occasion". :-)

Exciting, C4D! Best of luck to your dd for the exam. :-)

Might also be worth asking your dd's teachers about soft blocks, balletjack. Many teachers like these to be worn for 6 months or so prior to starting pointework. (Equally, some don't!)

They are very strict - suggest emailing the exams department and explaining the situation. They are always very helpful. http://www.rad.org.uk/article_green.asp?id=237&realCat=302

Good question! Can't recall the exact price, but about £12-ish for the split soles?

Oooh, and mine was! :-). And they had miniature ones but I didn't dare spend any more money!

I would worry about her starting point when she's only *just* 11. My dd started the month before she was 12, but for the first 3 or 4 months or so it was literally a few minutes at the end of Associate Class, doing rises at the barre in parallel and in first. She took her I.F. Exam 11 months later. Just to play Devil's Advocate, If it were my dd I would ask if she could wait 6 months or so. My dd learned the whole Inter Foundation syllabus in soft shoes and then mastered the small amount of pointe a couple of months before the exam.

Hi Noa, and a very warm welcome to the forum. :-)

Excellent news! :-)

That's good to know, Spooky - it'll be interesting to see how dd gets on with her Freeds as she usually outgrows pointes before she kills them. She did kill a pair of Bloch Jetstreams though as she's doing more pointework. With EYB coming up I'm beginning to wonder if I should have bought 2 pairs of Freeds! :-/

Oooh, I LOVE Kidsweek! Very jealous - have a great time! :-)

We've had good and not-so-good experiences of fitters wanting to see shoes: Good - Tiffany in Bloch wanting to see the shoes that had been causing issues, to show us precisely which parts were wrong for dd's feet. Bad - an assistant in Dancia who wanted to see which model of shoe dd was wearing so she could give dd the next size up in that same model - without trying any other shoes.

Mmm, my dd's most recent split soles are chacott from the freed shop. They're very nice - and the elastics are completely pre-sewn! Bonus! :-)

Hi robin64, Let's take your questions in order: No, you don't need an appointment at Freed, but if you want a particular fitter, it's best to phone to find out when they are working. Freed is not on the same street as Dancia, Sansha and Bloch (all on Drury Lane), or Capezio (Endell Street which runs parallel to Drury Lane). Freed is on St. Martin's Lane, on the other side of the road from the London Coliseum. Leicester Square is the nearest tube station to Freed. It's walkable from Drury Lane for fit people. :-) Freed only sells Freed pointe shoes (oh and Chacott ballet shoes). Dancia is the only shop I know who sells Grishko, Gaynor Minden and Bloch. Amazing range but the fitting can be hit or miss. Hope that helps! :-)

Well, not too painful - financially or literally! The nail beds are "involuted" (?) which means they are not ingrowing but have the potential to do so. However, they are not infected and we have been cutting them correctly. The chiropodist tidied them up and clipped little bits of skin and nail away to sort them out for now. Dd has to soak the feet in warm salted water after ballet but just for 5-10 mins, then wipe with surgical spirit, and we don't have to go back until they start to look as they did before, or if they start hurting. Job done! :-)

Tasty!

Yes, she said to dd "straighten those knees even more or I shall smack them"!! :-) Assuming dd gets on ok with her Freeds (which I am sure she will), we will definitely go back now.

The only bit of housework I actually quite like is the sight of clean washing drying on the line on a sunny day; I find it curiously satisfying. Although it is a pleasure I've been afforded only 3 or 4 times since this miserable excuse for "summer" began!