Anna C

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.

How's the weather in Casablanca, John? ;-)

Let us know how you get on! :-)

I absolutely agree! :-). I didn't mean to suggest she wasn't; far from it. I just meant that in general, I think schools should not specify high insteps as a condition of auditioning. I hate to think that schools might focus on just physical proportions and therefore miss someone who could have outstanding musicality, expression, technique etc. but who had either been "paper sifted" out, or overlooked at audition once the panel had looked them up and down and decided that their feet aren't "pretty" enough.

This might help. :-)) http://www.pointeshoefitting.co.uk/pointe_shoes/Grishko_Demi_Point_Soft_Block_Shoes.html

Wow, thanks everyone! Firstly...why has the physio recommended them - because dd is very hypermobile and while she has fantastic strength in her core and back, she is weak in her feet and the backs of her legs. She's given dd a rigorous exercise regime which has made massive improvements so far. :-) The physio asked to see dd in pointe shoes and flat shoes and told us to give the splitsoles to the dog to play with (!) and that unless you already have very strong feet, they give the foot nothing to work against. She said that the rigid sole of a softblock gives the foot a surface to work against and that even balancing in them in adage work is more difficult and will help strengthen feet, ankles, legs and core. So dd is wearing them for both grade 6 and Intermediate classes now. I do intend to buy her a "real" pair of softblocks for the exam. :-) Anjuli, she grew out of these for pointe while they were still hard, so they haven't gone at all mushy yet. I love the idea of recycling ribbons but at the moment she hangs every pair of pointe shoes - in order - from the end of her bed. :-) And congratulations on your 50 years in June! What an achievement! My parents reach theirs in August....they are doing indoor skydiving to celebrate. (Don't even go there!)