Anna C

No idea..yet! DD did Nutcracker at that age but hasn't done Sleeping Beauty before. Might be worth looking at EYB's facebook page - people tend to put a lot of photos there and you may get an idea of rough ages. My advice is to not worry too much because whatever part they get, they will enjoy! :-)

Gut feeling, definitely. But personally I would start by looking at graduate employment. :-)

Absolutely. But it also depends on the age of the child in question, and how much store you're going to set by the opinions given. One Director of Dance at one school said that my dd would never have a career as a dancer as she displayed no personality whilst dancing. My daughter was 10 at the time, and extremely shy. In the last few years dd has blossomed in terms of technique, grace, and a lovely serene presence whilst dancing. She is still very shy, but is slowly learning to let the rest of the world in to share her love of dance. She is still determined to apply for Upper Schools at 16. I never told her what that Director of Dance said. You do have to make a choice whether to take feedback on board, and when. I was going to say that by 16 or 18 it will be evident whether a student has the potential to get a classical contract, and in most cases I suspect this is true - but then look at Melissa Hamilton? Only one teacher at her Upper School saw her potential..... If a child dances for their whole childhood and youth, but it never comes to anything professionally, I still don't think they have wasted time or money. As long as they have enjoyed it. :-)

I think one of the article's most pertinent points is the confidence the children lack because of the atmosphere of fear surrounding their places. Who can work at their best with the threat of an axe hanging over their heads? I don't just talk about RBS here as of course it isn't the only school which assesses out, BUT, if I am correct, it's the only school which assesses out in Year 7 (is that correct?). Mind you, even my daughter's Associate Class assesses children out, and approaching that Assessment class there is a heightened stress level which, in young teenagers, can pretty much blow any performance skills out of the window as they're all anxiously awaiting their results. Even in the schools where children aren't routinely assessed out until Year 9, I get the feeling that the Assessment process is not transparent in the least, and often an "unsatisfactory" result comes without any warning. Who would put up with that in their profession? One day you're working happily, thinking everything is fine; the next "Sorry, you're sacked". At the moment, my (non-Vocational) daughter is growing at a rate of knots. Her hypermobile joints are struggling with a lack of supporting strength from her surrounding muscles, and she's having temporary trouble getting over onto the platform of her left pointe shoe. Her local teacher and the dance physio are carefully guiding her through this tricky period (which they both say is completely temporary and normal service will be resumed). Yet I can't help feeling relieved - for the first time - that she's NOT at Vocational School at the moment, as I have a nasty feeling that some schools may have deemed her "unsatisfactory" during this time of fast growth. Do schools in other countries Assess Out? Is the process done with more transparency than it is here? Do you get warning, and a probationary period while teachers help you resolve issues? Is the Assessment process in this country contributing to the poor likelihood of making it all the way through WL, into US, and into the company?

Hello Susan, welcome to the forum. :-))

Ha ha Anjuli....no, when I booked the skydiving for my parents, the lady did a kind of double take over the phone, and said "sorry, did you say they're celebrating their GOLDEN wedding??" My husband has wrapped the shoes in a clean teatowel and taken them into the garage, to do something......fortunately it seems to have worked! I didn't hear the car revving up though. ;-) Yes, the physio is marvellous - you can positively see the difference in dd's leg muscles and feet after only 3 sessions. I must admit I was surprised that our local teacher has always been in the camp for learning the intermediate syllabus in split soles, rather than getting used to soft blocks immediately (not to mention wearing them PRIOR to starting pointework, as preparation). Still, fortunately she is happy to go along with the physio's recommendations. :-)

Fair enough. :-)

Hi Siana, and welcome to the forum! :-)

The fact that people may not post as much about ENB as they do about RB doesn't mean they aren't interested though, nor does it mean that people don't go to see certain ballets. People might not feel knowledgeable enough to post about a ballet they've seen, but it doesn't mean they're not interested. Forgive me if I sounded a little defensive, but your post did (perhaps unintentionally) have a slightly accusatory tone to it. I appreciate it's not always easy to make your tone clear in written form.

I wouldn't call 23 posts since yesterday "little interest", to be fair. This site is for ALL lovers of ballet, whether one has a favourite company or not. I try to spend what precious little money I have spare equally between ENB and RB, but ENB gets the lion's share, because the Coli gives a better discount for disabled people. However, at the moment money is horribly tight, as I'm sure it is for many people. That doesn't mean people aren't interested in ENB. And nobody should feel obliged to justify what they spend their money on, nor what they post on (or don't, as the case may be).

Delighted for you LB! Well done! :-))

I was just about to do that the other day, when my husband came upstairs and caught me! I was reprimanded on the potential damage to softwood doors and frames. He does spend hours making sure our paintwork is perfect, so fair enough. ;-) Oops - edited for typo!

14, I believe?

I get that too, but in the same box (under "update") I can see profile, settings etc. Is it not there?

We must have seen you there Klaris! It was a slippery stage, wasn't it? Busy and chilly too! Glad the rehearsals are in the summer. :-)

We are waiting for dd to be old enough to apply! :-)

Can you see your name at the top right of the page, rowan? The drop down box to "my settings" can be found if you click just to the right of your name. :-)

Oh my goodness! Running them over? Not something we have been advised to do! :-) Yes, I once deshanked a pair of Grishkos which were a nightmare, partly because the innersole was glued right around the shank. The Blochs were much easier! :-)

I agree Klaris. It must be difficult for EYB staff at Senior Auditions as the age range is vast (12-18). You do need quite a varied vocab. My dd is studying RAD Grade 6 and Intermediate, and she said there was one step she hadn't done before, but to some of the children auditioning it was clear that many of the steps were unknown to them and they struggled somewhat. The scholarship enchainement seems to vary from audition to audition. As you say, it's a willingness to give it all a good go that seems to help.

Good luck petipacat, and welcome to the forum! :-)

Thanks Jellybean, I had thought RBS had a paper sift - or am I thinking of the RBS Summer School applications?

Fabulous! :-) My brother has Siri on his iphone, and he proposed marriage, just to see how Siri would respond. Apparently Siri thought it would be more appropriate to remain friends. Anyhow, I have gone Siri-ously off topic now. ;-) *gets coat*

Whose DD, tomuchtalent?

Lee, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. ;-)

There was a documentary about the RBS a few years ago, on tv at Christmas. If I remember rightly, it was called something like "From dreams to reality". I've often wanted to see it again, but it's nowhere to be found. There was also the series about Welsh ballet students at Elmhurst....that was a good one.