Anna C

Heh heh, she has her G6 ballet exam tomorrow and extra coaching today! Will speak to teacher...thank goodness no pointework in Grade 6!

How stressful! Would it be worth emailing them, just to check whether they've sent the results or not?

If you can possibly get to Eastleigh I would definitely take the place, and as others have advised, ask RBS to consider a transfer to London if a place should arise. But regardless of venue and performance opportunities, it's excellent training you'd be benefitting from at Eastleigh in the meantime.

Hi Pinny105, Welcome to the forum! You may get more answers to your question if you start a new thread. :-)

Brill, thanks everyone! I can't tell you how it was after pointe today as she "tweaked" an achilles today so was told not to do pointe! :-( Blinkin' feet!

I'd agree; try LJB for Associates. Central don't take children younger than 11, so you have a little while to wait before you can audition there. EYB is always a lovely experience, and you could audition for LCB whose auditions are in October, I believe. If LJB's June audition date has passed, they have another audition in September, so you haven't missed the boat. http://www.ljb.org.uk/ As fantastic as the RBS Associate Scheme is - and it is an amazing achievement to get a place - it's most certainly not the only route to a classical ballet career. Plus your dd is very young, so there's plenty of time! In some ways I think the earlier children learn that a "no" in the ballet world is not personal, the more resilient they become. Don't worry too much at this stage though! Your ballet journey is just beginning. There'll be plenty of "no"s along the road, but I think they make the "yes"s even better. :-)

Thanks Pas de Quatre! I will be on my guard for overly drastic solutions! I looked at it again tonight and the redness at the end of the toe has subsided. It was less painful today too, but of course it will be interesting to see how it is after tomorrow's pointe class. I think I'll keep the doctor's appointment but look around for a chiropodist too in the meantime. It's reassuring to know that this isn't that unusual! :-)

Sorry to the "no" letters - don't give up hope though. My dd got a "no" from CBA but a yes from a London Associate scheme, so it's true that all schools are looking for different things. :-)

Thanks so much everyone! Obviously I have made her a doctor's appointment, so I'm not just relying on the internet for medical advice, but as the appointment is not until the week after next, I knew the good folks of Balletco would have had experience of funny dancing feet. :-) All excellent advice, thank you.

Thanks Dancemad; I'd heard that too. Not sure I should try that myself before it's been looked at though....

They do, and it's hurting after pointework. Her shoes aren't too small though.

That's ideal. :-). If I remember rightly, we'd have to pay the private one about £50 for a first appointment! :-((

There's a good chiropodist nearby, but I'd have to pay to see her. If I wait for an NHS referral it could take months! :-)

Hmmm, sounds like it is ingrowing then...I wonder if I should lay off the surgical spirit and try the hot salted water instead?

Hope you can help folks.....I think dd may have a mildly ingrowing big toenail, but I've never had one or seen one, so I'm not sure! The skin at the side of her big toenails sort of encroaches onto the toenail, but I always cut her nails straight across, and not too short. The skin at the side looks hard and a bit swollen. It's looked like this for several years, but has never bothered her until this week when she'd had a long session en pointe. She says that one big toe is really hurting, around the sides of the nail and on the toe just above the top of the nail. She wears Ouch Pouch pros and all her other toes are fine. The big toe has gone a bit red. I have been wiping the toe with surgical spirit for the last two days, but I don't know whether that will help or hinder? She has a doctor's appointment the week after next (can't get her in any sooner as she's away next week). Does this sound like an ingrowing toenail, and is there anything I should be doing in the meantime? Thank you!

Congrats to your dd, Kat09! :-)

Gosh, absolutely! As a non-Vocational teenager, I do think it's important that my dd does an Easter course and a Summer School (or EYB this year) because it keeps her training hours up, and most importantly, she loves doing it! But of course I have her at home with me all term. If she was away in full time training, I would be inclined to let her rest and enjoy the time at home during the holidays. :-)

Oh, me too! Thanking goodness for the Costa loyalty card which gives me a free caramel latte every so often! :-)

Oh, very possibly! The first year dd did it she won the Intermediate Ballet prize; she would have been 9 or 10 then and she also did it the following year, so I bet we have met! It's a lovely week. :-)

I just wanted to check. :-)

Thanks Charlie! Yes, she was happy - I think she was at a slightly awkward in between stage this time; too advanced for some parts but not old enough for others. But isn't that 13 year olds anyway - slightly awkward and in between! :-) She's just delighted not to be wearing an animal head, so is happy regardless. :-)

Now I'm confused, do you all mean a de-humidifier - i.e. to take the moisture OUT of the air? Or a humidifier,to put the moisture back in to the air? I only ask because when dd was a baby she had a terrible bout of croup, which went on for days. The GP recommended steam, so after a couple of nights laying on her bedroom floor, switching a kettle on and off all night, we bought a humidifier - similar to this: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4110398/c_1/1|category_root|Home+and+furniture|14417894/c_2/2|14417894|Dehumidifiers+and+air+treatment|14418335/c_3/3|cat_14418335|Humidifiers|14417369.htm It sorted her croup, and we used to use it any time she had a bad cough or cold with trouble breathing. It was an absolute Godsend.

Good luck! :-) x

Dd not old enough for Elmhurst. If she wasn't doing EYB, she'd probably have wanted to do LCB's performance one at the beginning of the holidays, and then there's a lovely one at Harpenden which she's done several times. It's at the end of the holidays which is great for easing back into ballet for autumn. If anyone's within striking distance of Harpenden, here's the website: www.harpendensummerdanceschool.co.uk. :-)

Thanks! She had a lovely time and is going to be a Guest, on pointe. I had no idea what that was but Dominic said it's a lovely part because they have bits to do in all the acts, some acting, pointework, and nice costumes. She's with her best dancing friend so all good. :-)