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afab

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Everything posted by afab

  1. Yes, my DD2 is one of them... and now DD3 is in drama school with prospects disappearing too... 😢
  2. I'd say about 40 minutes. If you have any question about LSC, 2 of my daughters went there and graduated in 2019 and 2018. Don't hesitate and good luck!
  3. I don't know if I have much to add to what has been said especially coming from teachers... What I know of CNSM is that the selection is pushed so much that classes are ridiculously small and that doesn't help making friends, being pushed in your dance nor being nurtured funnily enough. As someone said, moving to Germany might not be the answer either... That being said, CNSM is not famous for being nurturing... and she's only 14 and more or less alone... When DD1 and DD2 moved away from home to London to dance, they were 17 and 16 and it was not easy either but at least they had finished school so they spent 30something hours/week dancing which helped. Personally, I don't think the most prestigious schools are necessarily the best at nurturing a young teenager nor at helping them gain their best possible level. CNSM is very famous in France for being the school that takes in kicked out POB students, not because they are bad but often because of a growth spur, a body change or a physical weakness. CNSM students believe in their worth, even though fin reality for most the best school of the country asked them to leave so it's a second choice... hence a very particular atmosphere for the ones not coming from POB school. It often is snobbism at its best... like in most elite schools! So coming from another country, culture, school of ballet and language must indeed be very difficult... I'm sorry I can't help more except maybe suggest that if she were in a country whose language she masters, everything might be much easier for her. Let me know if I can be of more help. All the best to her!
  4. Still lurking, logging in when I am needed like maybe now... Hope you’re well Jan...
  5. Hi Derin’s Mom, we live in the uk now but I still have connection with ballet I France and with people at CNSM. My daughters are both professional dancers now or rather trying to be but they are not strict ballet anymore. Actually, my eldest has left the world of ballet altogether as she is a contemporary dancer but is studying to become a dance producer now. My second one is a jazz dancer but with a strong ballet and hip hop (!!) base now... And for people who followed me over the years, DD3 is now at Drama school which she started a month ago... Anyway, back to your question, how can I help?
  6. Hello, hello, I’m here! A message did the trick! Hi everybody!
  7. London Studio Centre has a classical stream and ex-students end up working in different ballet companies. It has funding through Student Finance.
  8. Doesn't the Young Dancers Academy do it too? https://www.youngdancersacademy.com/
  9. Hi, Yes, it happens regularly if not every year. When DD2 auditioned, one of them (I can't remember which one) had the final in the morning and the other in the afternoon. They are used to it and I do believe they do it on purpose. At least, if you get both, you don't have to come to London twice and for international applicants, it's actually practical albeit stressful for all... Good luck!
  10. DD2 auditioned for Central, LSC, Rambert & RCS 2 years ago and she didn't use pointe shoes for the preliminaries, as far as she remembers.
  11. Congratulations to your daughter, Sheila! I understand the boxes dilemma... DD1 is staying in London but moving house and DD2 doesn't seem to be able to travel without all of her possessions... so our house will be in the same state soon! 😁
  12. What great news Ecarte! I also remember your daughter's journey. I'm happy she's doing so well and I'm going to share what she's doing with DD1 as an example! Best of continuing luck to her!
  13. Dear Primrose, I am so terribly sorry and saddened by what happened to Oliver. There are no words... I have signed and shared the petition. Please accept my sincere condolences. xxx
  14. Hi all, Some of you will remember me from past years of following threads, answering them and being there quite a lot... Today I want to share with you the joy of seeing DD1 graduate yesterday with a BA Hons in Theatre Dance from London Studio Centre (Middlesex University) with a specialty in Contemporary even though LSC trains them to do so much more (Ballet, Jazz, Singing, ...). She's 20, started dancing at 3 and never stopped even though she broke her foot last year and suddenly feared having to stop... But she held on through pain, tears and worries! She's now officially a professional dancer. She went on tour with the school company for the last term and is now ready to tackle the world of auditions and short-time contracts! DD2 will be graduating as a Jazz dancer from the same school next year while DD3 will be finishing secondary school. The round of Drama School auditions is awaiting her now... I wanted to share that with you but also say that even though the road was long and sometimes very hard to follow, I honestly believe that nobody in the family would regret having taken it. Not my husband having sometimes worked 2 jobs to pay for it all, not me for years of homeschooling DD1, DD2 & DD3 to allow them to dance and have a top eduction at the same time and driving them to countless classes, and definitely not DD1 who was so proud brandishing her roll yesterday clad in her gown and mortarboard (and barefooted as a "real contemporary dancer" after her fancy shoes hurt her feet!). I hope to give you hope that the dream can be attained with an amazing amount of hard work and determination. I still can answer questions, mainly about LSC because it's the school I know the best... Onwards with life as a professional dancer for my DD1 now! 🎓 💃🏻 ✈️
  15. It's a very interesting post NaiveDad. As a mum to 2 elder DDs, I relate totally with what you said and especially with the part about body shapes that worried you so... and with the preparing early for Upper Schools too...
  16. Well done Willow! I'm really happy for you! I remember this feeling of getting a recall even though it was my DDs and not me and it's wonderfully exhilarating... Enjoy!
  17. I'm happy it went well WillowBallerina... The blog is a great idea and I'm sure it will be useful to someone. Let us know how things went when you get the results...
  18. Hi again, my daughters thought that LSC audition was very nice. Of course, an audition is always stressful but the overall feeling at LSC is people are nice so they're also nice for auditions. They don't put the level too high to see and teachers try to make people comfortable... DD1 was auditioning for MT so she did ballet, contemporary, jazz, singing and I think maybe a monologue. DD2 was auditioning for ballet so she did ballet, contemporary and jazz. I remember them being happy with the auditions after they finished... They felt they were given attention in a fair way... Good luck!
  19. Good morning WillowBallerina, a very warm welcome to the forum and a wonderful year to you! I believe that being worried and afraid not to be good enough for Upper schools is part of the process. Try not to think too much about the end during the audition but try and enjoy it as much as you can and show how much you like dancing instead... There is a thread on LSC in here somewhere where you can get good information but if you need more, I have 2 DDs at LSC. Any specific question, don't hesitate! Good luck! PS Found it!
  20. Hi Lilac, I agree with Sarahw. Knowing what you want to compare LSC to would be helpful. The extra money for example is because it's semi-private and it's similar to the price you pay at Laines or Urdang for example. It's only more if you consider Central and the likes. In effect, the comparison should be done only with similar schools, not in price but in dance style. If you're daughter is into pure ballet or contemporary, I'd say LSC is not for her. If she's a versatile dancer who wants to do lots of style, then LSC is definitely worth the money. Accommodation wise, lots of them go to Chester House in Muswell Hill for the first year at least and then tend to share with friends for the remaining year(s). If you want her to go to CH, you have to be quick as they fill up rather quickly. The employability prospects are great! You find their alumni everywhere... Any more questions, don't hesitate. You can also look at the LSC thread on notapushymum. Good luck!
  21. Hi Angel, how lovely of you to follow us! Thank you... Anyway, unfortunately DD3 will not be going to Tring because it's simply too expensive without funding especially with DD1 and DD2 at LSC! The same thing happened to her sisters a few years back. They were both offered a place at Tring, one in the MT section and the other in the Dance one. We couldn't afford for them to go and they both are very happy at LSC after having been offered a place on their first go so we hope DD3 will be lucky enough to follow in their footsteps albeit in Drama. Tring was always more of a potential meter for us than a real possibility. We treated it as "if they can be offered a place, we feel justified in helping them follow their dreams (and finance them) because they stand a chance" type of thing... How is it going for you? I'm sure your non dancing DD must be very happy! What year will she join?
  22. Yes they do need A'levels or Highers if they come from Scotland, hence the younger intake as the Scots finish at around 17. Or any international end of secondary school qualifications. In my DDs' case, they had to have passed their French Baccalaureate with a 60% pass minimum, which they did. Here's what their website says "Applicants under 21 years of age must have obtained a minimum of two A-level passes*, plus three different GCSE passes of grade C or higher (or equivalent qualifications) including GCSE English, and have accumulated 96 UCAS points. *A-Level Equivalents: Normally, BTEC Level 3 qualifications, Access to HE Diploma, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers and Advanced Scottish Highers, Irish Leaving Certificate, Norwegian Vitnemål, German Abitur, Apolytirion. UCAS points from Graded Dance, Speech and Drama Exams will not normally form part of a formal offer."
  23. I want to change what I said before because a year ago it was the way it worked, but it has now changed and from what I hear is changing even more for next year... Until 2015-16, what I said was right. Students had to chose prerequisites in second year that would allow them to chose their specialty for third year. Now, 2016-17, students are picking their specialty at the end of the first year and instead of prerequisites, they have to follow a pathway (there are 4 of them) with the provision they can change it in the first weeks of their second year if it's not what they expected. I have heard but I don't know if it's a rumour or not, that for the new 2017-18 intake, students will have to follow the pathway in which they did their second audition. To be confirmed... I hope it's clear...
  24. Both my DDs were under 18 when they started. They had to have finished school though...
  25. LSC is a wonderful school. I believe the extra money is really worth it. Some students do work at the weekend/evenings but the timetable is so full that it's sometimes difficult to achieve. The alumni are everywhere. I really appreciate the way students are treated, the choices they are given with the many options offered. The reputation of the school is also very good which gives them opportunities to do different projects. As you know, I have 2 DDs there and they have both grown so much not only in their dancing and singing but also in the way they see their professional future. LSC accompanies them in that journey. The overall feeling in the school is also very healthy and students can build long lasting friendships... I couldn't recommend LSC more even though there is very little money left in our wallet at the end of the month...
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