Anna C

It's not that we should only give positive feedback Primrose, and my post about the Acceptable Use Policy was a general reminder, not intended to target just one or two posters. As a parent I think it's important to get as much information as possible, and if people have issues at any of the schools which new and prospective parents would like to be aware of, then that's fine. But the rules of the forum need to be kept in mind.

I have no problem with people posting their experiences here, but please be mindful of the Acceptable Use Policy which everyone here signed up to as part of the terms of use; in particular this part: "If a member chooses to make highly critical comments this must be done in their own full name and not behind an anonymous user name and email address". Please also be mindful that there are posters here whose children may be starting at Tring in the autumn. While it's beneficial to have as much information as possible, I would not like to think that as a forum we may be worrying anyone.

With all due respect dancerbabe82, I do have to disagree with your last statement. Although the course at Tring is, quite correctly, called a "Dance Course", I know two beautiful dancers who have trained classically at Tring.

My dd's memory of her Tring and Elmhurst auditions - 3 years ago - are that the Head of Musical Theatre at Tring was "lovely" (in fact all the people in the room when she did her song, piano piece and recital were very welcoming and lovely), Miss Rist was "a bit intimidating" and "not very friendly", and that Mr Kelly at Elmhurst was "really friendly". So there you are! Firsthand impressions from a little auditionee (she was 10 at the time). Although she was offered a Theatre Arts place which may explain why the people in the room were so nice! :-) Conversely, I know people who think Miss Rist is lovely, so you never can tell. In my dealings with the old Junior Conservatoire (which became Tring Park Associates), all the teachers were great, in particular Rachel Lane and Miss Jones (is she still Head of Jazz?)

Hello Margot, and welcome to the forum. :-) I will repeat what I posted in the other thread; that no school is perfect. Yes, there are some experiences of concern on that thread, but it is my experience that whether we are discussing schools, shops, restaurants or car dealerships, people are quicker to share negative experiences than they are positive; that's human nature. It's not that this board is full of negative people, far from it, and alongside the negative experiences there were plenty of positives; the dance teachers, the new studios, Mansion House and the beautiful grounds - all things that people love about Tring. If I were you, I would read through that thread and note any areas that concern you. Go along to one of Tring's excellent open days, and speak to the staff there. Get a feel for the school and see what your gut feeling tells you. If my daughter were auditioning there, I would make a beeline for Miss Rist and ask her questions about any issues that may concern you. See if any of the other Dance Teachers are available to speak to. The Head was very approachable when we went to an open day, so speak to him too. Take on board people's experiences so that you know what to ask, but go to the school with an open mind. But remember, even the most outstanding school will have issues that are annoying to parents. My dd's academic school is truly excellent in all respects and she loves it there, but there are some little issues which drive me mad. I have to pick my battles and decide which issues are important enough to tackle and which to ignore.

I'd give it another few days yet. :-)

You would be very very much missed if you left Glowlight. :-( I started out on the old forum when my dd was 7 or so, and the advice and support I've always received from you and other posters with children a few years ahead of mine has been an absolute Godsend. Now my dd is 13, I still need the input from those more experienced than me, just as much as ever. Please stay; I can't imagine you'll ever be irrelevant! Spanner x

Happymum, what does your dd's teacher say?

IF it becomes a problem - which apparently RBS don't see it as at present - then you should take advice from your dd's teacher(s) and I would suggest asking teacher if she would recommend seeing a podiatrist. There are certainly Dance Physios so I would not be surprised if there were also Podiatrists who specialise in Dance issues.

Good question, my dd doesn't use them, but of the ones I've seen, I think they can be used to hold the toes apart (if the toes are "curling" towards each other), to even up the gaps between the toes. Happymum, did you mean that sort of "curly", or curling under, i.e. clawing? Of course as Happymum's dd is just starting as a JA, pointework won't become an issue for several years. And of course pointe shoes should be fitted in the shop by a good, experienced and qualified fitter. :-)

All I can advise is that you wait and see what happens as your dd gets older, because feet can change, particularly when girls start pointework. Many people think that a "banana foot" - i.e. an extremely high arch/instep - is the perfect foot for ballet. However, this type of foot can be weaker than a straighter foot, and can be more prone to injury. Straight feet - as long as they are able to get over onto the platform of the pointe shoe - can still be fine for classical ballet. At the end of the day, you have to do the best with what you're given. There are of course exercises that can be prescribed to strengthen feet and/or increase flexibility, but they can't turn a straight foot into a banana foot - or vice versa. The dance physio dd sees is very fond of telling her that she has "nice straight, strong, good workhorse feet for ballet " - just like Agnes Oakes' feet, apparently. :-) As Taxi says, your dd's feet are obviously fine at the moment! I would take it a term - or a year - at a time and see what happens. If she progresses onto pointe then there are toe spacers etc which can help if her "curly" toes seem to be troublesome. What does your dd's local teacher think?

I can't wait! :-)

Hi redredrobin, and welcome to the forum. :-)

Yes, the solo for the GDC has to be choreographed by an RAD teacher. They've never combined the GDC with the Performance Masterclass before, so I don't know anyone who's done that part of it. It's always been a separate RAD event before. However, if the coaching for the Perf Masterclass is like the coaching at the GDC, it'll be well worth doing. The extra "polish" and performance that Jill Firth taught them last year was amazing.

Thank you! Apparently the Stagestruck one will be with me on Monday, but I'll definitely be heading your way again soon Just Ballet - dd needs about 10 pairs of tights!! :-)

Are you absolutely set on Hammond? I'm only asking because it sounds as if your dd would do well on the Theatre Arts course at Tring, where the lower school children study drama, singing and dance. It seems to be an excellent course and may be worth looking at.

Done! I see that you have re-posted in the "Career as a Choreographer" thread so that's fine. :-)

I've found that too. We usually choose the GDC as dd's school doesn't do any festivals so she rarely gets performance experience. The LCB performance summer school that dd did last year is really early this year - possibly because of the Olympics - but it's so early this time that dd's academic school hasn't even broken up! :-((

In my experience, local teachers certainly do take much-needed holidays, but their terms are usually in line with state academic schools, so they will still be teaching for a few weeks after Vocational Schools have broken up, and start again a week or two before the start of the Vocational Term.

Yes, you can do either the GDC (£70 for 2 days) or the Performance Masterclass (same price), or both for £112 - pretty good value for 4 days! :-)

Welcome to the forum, Sharry01. :-)

Oh, that's a shame. :-(

Here you are taxi: http://www.rad.org.uk/article.asp?id=387 It's between 21st and 29th July, depending on which level students are entering.

Oooh, is July's DT out already?

That sounds more likely taxi. :-)