Thecatsmother

If your DC are doing a certain syllabus it may be worth contacting the headquarters in the UK as they will have a list of schools in Denmark. Years ago I found an excellent school in Cyprus where I did classes whilst I was on holiday. I am sure you will find somewhere and the Bournonville style is very elegant. A lot of Danes speak English but from my own encounters with Danes that have re-located to the UK there will be a few cultural adjustments such as crossing the road etiquette. It is frowned upon to try and cross the road without lights telling you to even if there is no traffic.

Taxis are fine on crutches. Things that I did not think before accident happened were to have a bag in the form of a rucksack to save running up and down stairs or when travelling. Warm socks if it is an air cast boot which comes off. Something to elevate your foot in bed is also useful plus ice packs if this is part of rehab. Get the Physio to give a clear list of what can and cannot do over hols. There is a lot that you can do non weight bearing to keep the rest of your body active. I am doing a lot of floor based work. Just got into a routine of spending an hour a day trying to get the rest of me stronger than before my accident. I see consultant Thurs week.

Has anyone else had problems with nerve pain post cortisone injections? I still get phases where it feels like I am standing on needles and I am still in an air cast to help me get around.

PM me where you are based?

Could you ask if you stay what you should focus on to improve even though you are not doing the exam? My sense is to listen to your gut instinct and pursue the route which most feeds your passion as a dancer. It is hard for anyone but you to make that judgement but if you could get to a few other classes over the holidays it would give you a change to assess the pros and cons of staying or going. As a teacher myself I would much prefer a student to talk to me but I am also mindful that sometimes the set up can be too rigid to facilitate this kind of discussion. Maybe your plans post next term could also be taken into consideration if you wish to continue dancing.

I know an ex dancer who went on to be an archivist. You might want to look into this area also?

http://www.theballetblog.com/article/causes-of-shin-pain/

Could you get an appt with a dance Physio or a more general Physio to get a professional opinion. You certainly do not want to put yourself in a worse place if this is likely to happen if you work through pain. Certainly do not give up but get advice. Will you dance your best whilst in pain or is it better to delay a term?

Many thanks for suggestions I will pass them on.

Sorry to hear about the pain. If jumps bring the pain on then it might be worth doing one in front of your dance Physio so he/she can look at the way you are landing and if this is exacerbating the injury?

I know a few ex dancers who re-trained as physios, psychologists, dance scientists, archivists, dance therapists, sports psychologists, costume design, Pilates, teaching, choreologists, dance teachers in schools (national curriculum). I am not sure where you are based but you could look at Laban, Surrey and Roehampton which have a few dance related programs. The only thing I would say is to give due consideration of employment prospects post graduation. I know it could be said that it is too young to be thinking this way but given current work availability it is something to consider. Perhaps see if you can shadow someone in an area which is of interest to give you a better feel if certain careers? Best of luck

Hello Can you give a bit more information about how long you have been on pointe and what your teacher sees as the problem? Firstly, don't give up as there are loads of different strengthening exercises which will help as long as you do regularly. Is the problem not being in the centre of the block of your shoe when on pointe or not being able to get fully up onto pointe? It may also be that the type of shoe you are wearing should be checked by your teacher. One way that would isolate the divide between big and little toe is to practice lifting the big toe off the floor and then putting it down and then lifting all the other toes together off the floor together whilst your big toe is on the floor. You may need to use your hand to steady parts that need to be kept on the floor initially until you get strong enough. In addition, practice systematically lifting all toes off the floor whilst keeping your heel on the floor and then place one toe down at a time starting with the little toe if this weakest so it's like playing keys of the piano with each toe. Again you may well need to use your fingers to hold certain toes up until the muscles get stronger. This should most definitely strengthen the toes and intrinsic muscles. You can progress to using one of those lovely elastic bands which the post man drops on your doorstep as a mini Theraband for each toe to push down against. That way you can target specific toe weakness. In addition it helps to keep doing metatarsal arch lifting exercise and just standing on one foot without holding on to anything. You will find the muscles in foot/ankle will have to work hard to stabilise you. When this gets easier try whilst wearing your pointe shoe or with eyes shut as it makes the exercise harder. Sorry, I have rambled on a bit but if this is to do with not getting up fully onto pointe or in the centre of the foot then I will ramble some more with exercises which will help. Hope this helps????

People who install wood flooring in flats with no soundproofing pre building regulations change.

So glad you made a decision that feels right for your DS as this is the most important thing. The new RAD syllabus is very nice and it will be interesting to see the next generation of dancers who come through with the new syllabus.

The program is accessible to buy via the ballet blog website.

Thanks for that I will pass this on. I have known her since primary school and hate to see her go through this. Are there any weekend drama workshops in London that might strengthen her application. As I say I know little about the drama route but interesting to learn.

Can any parents give me advice re what would be helpful for a 16 year old trying to get a drama scholarship to a public non vocational school. This is not my area of expertise but my poor neighbour's daughter being horrendously bullied at state school and looking to move somewhere else for sixth form. She is not really a dancer but has a good singing voice and clearly an interest in drama. Any one any ideas re non vocational sixth forms where she might find a better environment to learn. Ideally she would like to be a boarder.

All the mundane things we take for granted until we suddenly lose them. For me this experience will stay with me for life and I will never again take for granted being able to walk to the end of the street. Thanking all the people who have been so kind when they heard the reason behind my injury. Complete strangers have helped so much. I was walking down street a few days ago only now on one crutch when two workmen came round a corner and almost hit me, not so much physically, but by a barrage of foul language. He apologised and stopped but then 30 secs later called down the street-"I hope you get better soon miss". It came when least expected and so I guess what I am also trying to add to 202 is the capacity of the human spirit to connect with others when least expected. Random acts of kindness.

I am not sure if it applies to ISTD but pretty sure it does. There are usually regional centres where you can enter candidates if you do not have sufficient candidates to hold exams at a school. Can I ask how many children roughly are in the school? That being said, for me the key thing would be that your child is doing work which shows a progression of learning which is age appropriate. The exams only provide one vehicle for this but non syllabus work can also do this. I am not familiar with the ISTD syllabus so cannot comment on whether this would be contained purely in the Grade 2 syllabus.

Hello The massages of neck are only one of the areas of the program. It is important to work out which area of the body in the program increases flexibility range as this may well not be neck. For me the thoracic spine and hips are the only stretches I need to do consistently but can apply others as part of a more general conditioning program. The kneeling lunges in the hip section of the DVD seem to be liked and utilised by a lot of students whom I have introduced to the program. So glad there is a sense of progress anyway.

This sounds a bit like an exam scheduling issue. Is it possible to start on the next grade whilst waiting to do Grade 2 or at least do some non syllabus work which has a sense of progression. Exams per se are not essential providing there is a sense of progression which fits the needs of the child. If this is not possible then perhaps augment with associate or other forms of Easter, summer courses, workshops etc.

It sounds like you have talked it through with school but have you asked why? This is what we always does not really empower a parent to make a decision as to what is right for their child. If there are plenty of classes which are not syllabus based then this may not be a problem but if your child might want to try for a vocational school in year 7 to do ballet specifically then they may well benefit from more than one technique class. I would try asking why this is 'what we always do' as you are a paying customer and have to an explanation.

Slightly off topic but if your name is on the public electoral role you can be traced to your address using the 192 website. I did not know this until I became familiar that this is often how victims who fled domestic abuse are found again by the perpetrator.

Max. The family's new rescue cat. He has come along at the right time for me.

V true but a trained eye will quickly discount any attempts for height of leg if placement and turnout is not part of the package. It then just looks like bad ballet and credibility is restored when placement is restored. It's like a wall of bricks with no cement-it will topple quickly.