Anna C

Welcome to the forum, Letsbhonest. :-)

Very good question, dancerbabe82. For me, it depends whether we're talking Directors of Dance - i.e. at a Vocational School - or Teachers. IMHO, I think it's better if a Director of Dance has been a professional dancer, as they have an insight into company life, what company directors are looking for, etc. Hopefully this may help them somewhat in the selection process (for Upper School, certainly), and help the school foster links between the school and companies. In a Dance Teacher, I would look for someone hands on, who has the "people skills" to teach anyone from 3 upwards at an appropriate level, and who is skilled at breaking down each exercise into its component parts. I also think a good teacher explains WHY an exercise is done, and can motivate students, give praise as well as correction, and get the best out of each student. I've seen teachers who have been professional dancers and teachers who haven't, and there are good and bad in both. So for me, teaching skills are more important than a teacher's background. But in Directors of Dance, there is probably benefit for both school and students if the D.O.D. has danced professionally. In my humble opinion, obviously!

Which post did you want deleted, Fiz? :-) Edited to say that I have deleted the post in question and Fiz has reposted in the correct thread. :-)

2 places for the whole Associate Scheme, Amethyst? I'd be very surprised if that were true.

Ah, well that bit's ok - we have a wooden bedstead with plenty of room underneath, so it can live under there! :-)

I certainly will if Stagestruck can't get it to me on time! :-)

I really hope you haven't really been put off ballet, tomuchtalent, or a certain school because some people have had troublesome experiences there. It's thanks to people's invaluable insights on here that we have as much information as possible available to us, but as parents we still have to use that information in conjunction with research, visiting the schools, speaking to the staff, and ultimately forming our own opinion of whether the school will suit our child, IF of course they are offered a place. I have no illusions of ballet as a possible career, about how difficult it is to get good training, complete vocational training, and then get a contract. BUT to be honest, it's not my decision because it's not my dream. I am happy to support my dd - within our financial boundaries - in pursuit of her dream. It's not for me to be "put off" but rather to absorb all the information, share the appropriate information with my daughter, and decide together when and where she should audition. At my dd's academic school, there are some petty issues which annoy me. I let these go because she is so happy there (she chose the school), and because academically, she's doing extremely well. The Headteacher is a bit of an oddity, and somewhat scary, and is quite invisible, never seen by the girls. Most parents are very happy with the school, but there are many who aren't, and many who wouldn't send their daughters there! But it's turned out to be the best choice by far for my daughter as it just suits her perfectly. The point I'm trying to make is that you know your dd and you know what would suit her, so as much as I find it invaluable to have ALL experiences - good and bad - from people, I still had to weigh everything up and then decide to let my dd choose that school. But at least I could make an informed decision because I had all the information. You may visit a Vocational School and think "this is not the right place for my child", despite 99 other people saying it is the best school. Likewise, you may visit a school where others have had bad experiences, but find that your child adores it, and that actually it would suit her very well. I know people whose children have had wonderful training at Tring, and who are very happy with the school. So you never know. As I say, no school is perfect. Read people's experiences, consider them, go to the school with an open mind, question the staff, and then decide. :-)

Excellent, thank you! :-) Oh well, I've just ordered the black 100 cm one from Stagestruck - I'll let you know what it's like! :-)

Yes, that's my understanding of it too, for MDS. How about school bursaries though? Anyone know? Welcome to the forum, fairytoes! :-)

Nudge nudge, wink wink, Elliepops! :-) Looking forward to seeing it on tv. :-)

Bad news Smallbythesea :-( Hope your dd bounces back quickly. :-)

I think if your child wants to give auditioning a go, knowing the financial lay of the land, then go for it, even if it's just for experience. Early auditions suited us when dd auditioned a few years ago, because we wanted to get them over with before Christmas. This proved to be a good decision, because when the news came (it was one "no" and one unfunded place) dd had Christmas to cheer her up. We'll probably try for early auditions in a couple of years' time, because dd is a terror for coming down with some illness or other just before Christmas! :-)

I don't have a problem with people posting their personal experiences of schools. If the thread were to descend into gossip or secondhand hearsay, then we would of course take appropriate action. However, much like reading reviews on Tripadvisor, hearing people's experiences - good and bad - can be invaluable. At the same time, it's important to remember that these experiences are personal. As far as I can see, nobody has said "don't go to school X, it's appalling". As long as the tone of the thread retains a balance, pointing out the positives alongside the negatives, and experiences are personal, then I don't think anyone could be concerned about defamation of character. If as a parent I was sending my child to any school in September, I would want to go into that process with my eyes firmly open. No school is perfect, and even at academic schools, one child can have a wonderful experience, while several others can have an awful time. But if you know the possible issues to keep an eye on beforehand, it can be very helpful.

Yes, I know she needs a 100 cm carrier as the skirt is 95 cm wide, which I'm guessing is adult-width as she's 13. :-)

Morning all! Having just taken delivery of dd's first "proper" tutu, I now need to get a tutu carrier for it so that it can be transported. It's a little confusing though - so far online I've seen a Katz one, a lightweight Sansha one, and a black one on Dance Direct and Planet Dance. I know I need a 100 cm one but they all seem to be PVC so I'd like one that's lined if possible, with some means of keeping the tutu in place when it's being carried. Any ideas? Thank you! :-)

I always think "what's the worst they can say?". If children can't re-audition in the same year, then at least you know, and all that you've lost is 5 minutes on the phone. :-)

We had the great pleasure of meeting the Dance Captain on board a Royal Caribbean ship last summer. She was an absolute star, and my goodness, those dancers work hard! We were allowed to watch the Technical Rehearsal, and you could definitely see evidence of classical training among several of the male dancers. Hard work but a lovely life for a young person, if you're with a good cruise line. How lovely that there are some classical dances on Cunard! (*starts saving pennies towards another cruise *)

This is from RBS' Annual Report for 2010-2011: "For the fifth year running, the School trained a graduate class of whom 100% moved on to employment with an internationally renowned ballet company." That's the most recent Annual Report I can find online.

Very good point! :-)

Well, there are so many factors that determine this, including personal opinion, personal experience of the school, who the Director of Dance is, likelihood of Graduate Employment, etc. etc. Then of course you have to factor in whether or not Upper Schools/Post 16 schools are included! A major factor for me would be - how happy the students are, the quality of the training, the likelihood of progressing from the Lower School to the Upper School, and for post-16 schools, the likelihood of being accepted into the third year. Then, how many graduates are getting classical contracts, and where are they? What about facilities, nutrition, pastoral care? I suspect that most people would cite RBS as the top British School. But some people not "in the know" would possibly base that on its age, location, and the fact that they think it's an automatic feeder school into the Royal Ballet. But it's not everybody's first choice of school for their child.

Welcome to the forum, Huddsballetmum! :-)

A good starting point might be the RAD's "find a teacher" page, JC: http://www.rad.org.uk/teachersearch.asp You can search by county and there are quite a few RAD teachers listed in North Yorkshire. It might be worth a try if nobody here has any personal experience of RAD teachers in York. :-)

Yes, I think there are several types of ED, plus of course you can have hypermobile joints but not suffer from Hypermobility Syndrome. Or you can have some symptoms but not others. And then, to confuse things even further, you can have some hypermobile joints but not others! All very confusing!

Brilliant! So very pleased for your lovely dd Fran :-)) x

Thanks, 2dancersmum!