Fiz

Guess who didn't sleep last night? I did a bit this morning , though, so the ironing can wait (the goodness for steam irons!) because I am going to go if it kills me (and it probably will!).

I love you, Anjuli!

I was given an excellent piece of advice on Twitter yesterday. To enjoy it, but not think about what I used to be able to do. I never had the chance to do much ballet as a child. I wanted to go from the age of 3 but until my mother had been back to the doctor with me for yet another sprained ankle and he said dance would strengthen them. I then had to find my own class. I was ten by then and the lovely teacher I had took two years to do a grade (there were only five then). She said I was too old to do it professionally and what a shame I had not started younger. I was 10. I have done some very easy baby classes, a grade 6 exercise class and was told I could do Grade 3 ISTD five years ago, but I didn't want to dance with lot of wand slim teenagers! Nor did I have the time as my Saturdays were not my own at that time. Mission for now - try to get back to a high demi pointe as I used to do before I tore all the tendons in my feet.

thequays, our local dance class is for keeping fit and fun and not beautiful technique! Go for it, if you can find one! Incidentally, I was talking to one of ex DD's ballet teachers once and said that I found a good rule of thumb to see how students would turn out was to look at the parents. She said she did and so did professional dance schools - eek! My poor ex DD!

Thank you all! I ordered ballet tights for the first time ever yesterday and did not think they would come in my size, but they do and even larger, to my surprise. Angela, I dance everywhere! The cats and the dogs haven't seen it before but they are going to have to get used to it! Please think of me at 8.15 on Wed!

I am going back to ballet. I am 54 and am now a size 16. Last year I decided to withdraw from valium and it was horrendous, even though done under a doctor's care. The withdrawal symptoms have only just stopped. You have all helped to keep me sane. I am very nervous, as it is five years since I did any dance, but I want to tone up and will swim if I can't dance. I need a little friendly encouragement!

That is so much more reasonable! I have seem non-classical tutus going for over £500 on some sites.

Love you, Spanner!

They look absolutely hideous and have no backs to them! I can't imagine any young dreaming of pointe shoes would think of these! It seems to me that Nike have identified the pointe shoe market as being lucrative and have jumped on the bandwagon.

I saw about this from Ballet News on Twitter and I am so pleased for this young man.

My youngest used to do three hour's ballet, one hour of tap and hour of jazz, and hour's acting and an hour's singing and homework!. It didn't leave time for much else! She is now finishing her drama degree and hopes to be a professional actress.

What a nice post, Primrose! Anjuli is a real treasure.

That's great, Little Ballerina! How many offers does that make altogether? Is it three or more?

About 2 years ago on the old site somebody asked for old pointe shoes but did not specify why he (and it was a he) wanted them. He didn't get a single reply!

What a lovely idea, Ballet0 !

My daughter's hang up in her bedroom in their bag. She tried so hard with pointe and her feet were in ruins before she gave up. It was a great disappointment to us both, but she earned them.

My DD's previous school's principal was firmly against split soled ballet shoes. She had seen foot problems in her dancers and thought they are a fad and not really safe for developing bones.

I had to take my Ex DD's for a 45 minute journey to one school(if the traffic was OK) and a half hour drive to another. There was nothing here after one dance teacher retired for another 10 years.

Both my DD's used tampons, Fam.

My youngest's ballet school used to offer it as an option, but she did not chose it as it is not dance or performance based.

Both of my Ex DD's shaved.

I saw a horrible but fairly old video about a 15 year old at NYBS. She was so skeletal and so lacking in energy I couldn't tell if she was a good dancer or not. It was terrifying how thin she was.

My youngest was not a good singer when she first started, but after lessons, she is really very good.

I know three girls from our old school who went to Laines and are now working in in musical theatre. They were all beautiful ballet dancers. It was their strongest dance discipline.

Tell H. all ballet.co is willing her on!