Strawberyy

I am still lurking. DD has been dancing professionally for 12 years. She should be thinking about Plan B now. I remember West Park too.

My DD uses mesh elastic sewn just in front of the ribbons.

Really enjoyed watching Swan Lake at the Lowry yesterday afternoon. I bought a last minute ticket and had a great seat. It was a fabulous performance, Max Westwell was great. I often visit the Lowry and was caught out as how busy it was. I had to park on the 5th floor on the car park and it took about 10 minutes to find a space and 25 minutes to get out. I assume it is due to the Christmas (?) market outside the theatre.

I was there last night too and thought the whole performance was brilliant. So light and bright I was smiling all the way home. All the cast were fabulous but a special mention to James Barton, last time I saw him was in American in Paris, showing me how versatile an dancer he is.

I watched last nights screening too. I enjoyed it more than the live one I saw in Manchester. It seemed more menacing than the live version. I thought the quality of the film wasn't great but that didn't detract from the fabulous cast. So glad I went because the live one I saw didn't blow me away.

My daughter went to a nursery school that had a Friday morning ballet class. She was not quite 3 and the teacher said she "had something" and should go to ballet class. She started a Saturday morning ballet, tap and modern class. Who knew that 25 years later it would still be her career.

No-one has mentioned watching their children dance. I cried at my dd's first festival dance. She was about 6 years old and I felt a little ridiculous so I gave myself a good taking to, so now I am dry-eyed, but my parents, when they were alive, and close friends who have known her since she was small do have a few tears. I find music moves me close to tears though whoever is dancing.

Although my information may be out of date, my dd did the level 6 diploma with a dada and she could have got a student loan for the top up to the degree. Her dada was not considered a student loan because she wasn't on a degree course. She was very lucky the ballet company paid for her to do the top up.

I saw the Friday evening performance at the Lowry and like Janet came out smiling. It was an unexpected delight. And I got to meet Janet too.

I saw it this afternoon too. Loved the choreography, sets and costumes. I enjoyed the other pieces too. Pineapple Poll brought a smile to my face.

I was there too and was surprised at the number of very young children at an evening performance. Also the number of people that came in late and were allowed to disrupt whole rows.

Many years ago when my DD attended Prix her school contributed towards the costs. Also all finalists got some money even if you weren't a prize winner.

I was at a party when I told this lady my daughter left her grammar school at 16 to go to a dance school and wouldn't be doing A'levels (nobody knows what a vocational school is outside the dance world) and the woman patted me on the arm and said sympathetically "not everyone can be academic". 10 years on DD is still dancing and being paid for it!

Having a career in ballet/dance is a bit like the lottery. You have to be in it to win it. But this is true for an awful lot of careers now.

I would have begged and borrowed to buy a flat (maybe a shoebox) in London when my dd started vocational school over 10 years ago. Think of all the rent we could have saved if only we had known she would stay in London for so long. We could retire on the proceeds from selling.

My dd was in the Manchester performances of Nutcracker 15 years ago. I think that may be where she realised she could dance as a career. A wonderful experience.

Central also needed a personal statement but that was a number of years ago.

I have donated as this forum kept me sane when my dd's journey began and I am still here 10 years later. Thanks x

Slightly off topic but my dd appeared in Nutcracker with BRB aged 11 as one of the children, whilst they were on tour in Manchester. She was at a "normal" school and it was her first experience of auditioning and performing with a professional company. She loved every moment and it was instrumental in her decision to want to dance as a career.

My dd took GCSE Art and Textiles at her grammar school. But apart from the textile teacher, who happened to be her form mistress, allowing her to hand in her work a couple of days late I don't remember any issues with the work.

This topic reminds me that my dd had virtually no support from the her secondary school apart from the dance teacher. She suggested we just told the school we had an "appointment" for ballet exams. By the time she was auditioning for vocational schools at 16 they must have got the message as no one ever asked my dd what A'levels she was going to do. They didn't object to time off for auditions as long as we didn't clash with exams. Surely auditions are just like university interviews just a couple of years early! But I do remember speaking to a work colleague after my dd was at vocational school at only 16 and living 200 miles away. The colleague said to me that she loved her daughter far too much to let her do that. And her daughter was a dancer too.

Congratulations to your daughter Katymac - all the hard work has paid off. x

Not sure if it is too far away but Sussex Summer School takes day pupils from 5 years.

The raked stage is quite scary. I have just watched a little on youtube and seen that they recreated a raked stage in one of the studios. This wasn't done a few years ago. All dancers had their coaching on the main stage. I guess this allows more coaching.

I have to agree with CeliB but didn't thank you all so eloquently as I lurked and read rather than posted all those years ago. I still lurk and occasionally post when I think I may be of some help. So although my experience is a few years old if I can help at all I will.