Fusster

It's a yes for Dd for SS 11-13 yr old course! Very happy for her. This must be our 'something good around the next corner' that people talk about on this forum. I've been hoping it was true

Hi Piccolo. It's a yes for DD too! Great to know there will be a friendly face there with her . Any news on MAs?

My DD is a JA at Bath. She got a straight No letter! Gutted to say the least. She really came on during this year as a JA and now I feel like she has lost the link with RBS - she also didn't get a place on the SS at WL and she will miss the friends she has made too. She has two wonderful ballet teachers and they are trying to push her on, we will just have to make the most of them and do extra privates with them to hopefully keep her up to standard to audition again next year. Congratulations to those with yes letters.

Hi all. DD got onto "selected waiting list" not sure what that means but we are going to accept it and hope a place becomes available.

I agree with hfbrew. When my DD auditioned there were only 3 places available. DD got onto short waiting list, but was incredibly lucky that someone moved on or dropped out and then got a place.

We didn't apply for any of the vocational dance schools and only auditioned for WL because it was the same audition as MIDs, so it can be done!

I don't know where you live but the Bath JA is very good.

Hello HappyGirl.

We are also new to the JA classes. My DD started in September (year 6) and like you, we knew nothing about it until we were advised to audition by the dance teacher.

DD loves going to her fornightly classes and has a lovely time with girls and boys that attend. They have had the opportunity to go on courses in Covent Garden and as a parent I have learnt masses of information about the ballet community/world that I was ignorant about before we started this process.

You do get incredibally swept along by the whole thing, and you end up having to make some difficult decisions about your child's future, but I know that my DD will be gutted if she dosen't get a place at MID associates next year, as she loves the class.

I would say go for it and just enjoy the ride  

Thank you everyone for your advise. DD was getting a bit worried thinking we were doing something we shouldn't be doing!

I can now put her mind at rest and let her know that the balletCo collective say it's OK

MY DD has a new Lyrical dance that she will perform in up coming festivals. Unfortunately one of the festivals does not have a Lyrical category for her age group. Is it acceptable to enter her Lyrical dance under the Modern category?

Just a quick question re white lodge no letters. One of the parents said that their dd's no letter specifically stated why she had not been considered. That it was lack of flexibility in one area only and that if this was worked on they would like to see her again. I find this odd as the letter my ds got said nothing like that. It did say something about trying again and that he was a strong contender for Mids ( highly unlikely) but nothing else. Has anyone else had a very specific no letter like that.

Hello all. Have had a chance to read up on all the lovely news now, so well done everyone who was successful. 

My DD had a no letter from WL as you all know, and there was no specific feedback, but it did say that she would be strongly considered for MIDs. I'm hoping that they wouldn't get peoples hopes up about such a thing if they didn't really mean it.

So fingers and toes, and legs and eyes crossed in our house

Ahhh...she's probably a little conflicted - I think LinMM had some good advice on one of the threads today about making sure all our DCs know just how tough it is and how few places there are - especially when there are so many talented children out there.  

 

I think more than ever, children from every background have access to and aspirations for the best teaching in whichever their favoured discipline is...certainly far more than was available when I was a child so the the competition for these coveted places is so much bigger than ever before.

 

Has your DD done or got any other auditions for this year? Thankfully all my DDs first round auditions are over and she's just got funding finals to go now

x

Best of luck to your DD DTADMIN. No my DD has not auditioned for anything else, only MIDs and WL. I think that shows that she wasn't really ready to go away!

She has lots to look forward to here though, like Inter foundation thingy, exams, festivals and hopefully a summer school somewhere and of course moving up to her local senior school with all her friends. Good luck everyone

Oh dear - what a shame Fusster....I'm now wondering if the yes letter have been sent a day later than the nos - we've not heard of any yes's yet?

 

Is your DD OK? x

She said she was fine, had a big cuddle and then went off with her friends. I then got a text saying she was sad. I replied that i would have missed her and she agreed, so not not sure where her head is at the moment.

Hi everyone. I think it must be no letter day today. It's sadly a no for us too. DD is sad, I'm a little relieved as I said in a previous post, I'm not ready to lose her yet, although the recognition would have been lovely.

Right then, I'm off to pick up DD from school. Will be back with result shortly

Somebody give us some good news! I'm getting concerned by all the no letters.

Our letter is at home. I feel slightly queasy. Will have to wait until end of school to find out!!!

Commiserations to the Nos and best of luck for all the other letters

I'm assuming the silence on the this forum means no letters as yet?

As I am at work I am relying on the posts to tell me if a letter might be at home

I'm pretty sure it was in the week after all the centers were completed for the first round

Hello to all, happy 2014, and here we go again.....

 

     I've just done a  bit of catching up so welcome LittleNutcracker and MVOBE, enjoy the ride. These forthcoming weeks and months can be very tense, frustrating and anxiety filled but at the same time extremely exciting. I wish you and your DC's well.

Good luck at Elmurst tomorrow today MVOBE, it's a lovely school and has always left a good impression on us. (I think I know who you are and if I'm right, I'm sure he'll do just fine.)

 

I have to say that the talk of regrets over opting for vocational boarding is a tad un-nerving to us as we're only 4/5 months into that journey and with it being so soon after having made that decision.

We, like many others I've read on these forums, would never have considered boarding prior to all this so it has been a dramatic and sometimes traumatic choice for us to make.

I am, however confident that it is the right thing for our DD having seen how well she's taken to the life and how much she loves to be there but would add that it's almost impossible to advise others on though as it's such a highy individual choice both for child and parent.

 

now, to matters in hand;

 

Does anyone have any insight into when the WL finals yay/nay letters are due ?

I know that there are still some auditions to come but my partner and I were argui..... debating as to whether in the past couple of years we'd recieved the letters before the other centres had completed or not ?

We were told it would be the within the week of the final audition. So March 4th I think is one finals dates and then something like 28th but I'm not 100% sure on that.

Hi fussier, simply because she missed us so much and we missed her. The knowledge I have now is, if the dance school is good and your child is part of an associat scheme, then I believe that kind of training is good enough to get them into a good upper ballet school. I am only talking about my experience, everyone is different. In addition to what I have said, a majority of dancers in my daughter year at Central did not go to vocational school. Having said that a majority of them were senior associates with ThebRoyal Ballet. I feel ALS o that my daughter missed out on things that happened in her own home/town etc. when she comes home she doesn't know many people and had left her old friends behind at primary school. At the beginning of our journey my daughter really wanted to go to a vocational school and we supported her in this choice. No one told us how painful it would be though. Vocational school does give your child lots of positive experiences though, and some children are more than happy to be at these schools doing what they love to do, I just feel that I missed out.

Oh gosh. Now I feel slightly sick . My DD has 2 brilliant teachers, who are very keen to help her progress through ballet. We are just about to embark on Inter foundation training (think I've got that right!). She is encouraged to attend festivals, they offer private tuition on technique as and when we ask for it and she attends year 6 JAs. Now I feel like she really dosen't need to go off anywhere.

Note to self 'calm down, you haven't even had a letter yet. Slaps myself across the face'.

If I had my time again and with the knowledge I have now, I definitely would not have let my daughter go away. Family in my oppinion is so important, there is no rush to go away, it is a personal choice.

Hi Tulip, can I ask why you feel like this?

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. It's good to hear your experiences, it gives me plenty food for thought.

I'm probabaly going to be struck off the forum so saying this, but I'm in two minds as to whether I actually want my DD to get a yes letter. I'm not ready to lose my little girl to boarding school

I also worry that it will change her personality and she won't be my funny, spirited, hyper-active, lovely little nut case she is now.

I wasnt at the auditions yesterday but from my experience some will warm up quietly and in their own space, others will make a very grand exhibition of their warming up process - often encouraged by over-enthusiastic parents - becomes a battle of the minds, good luck to everyone awaiting their results.

Yes I agree. I would just like to make it clear that I am not one of 'those' mums . I heard about a few of the girls in tears at the later auditions that day so am aware it was very competitive then which is really sad because it will put off a lot of kids attending these auditions again.

Yes we were at bath auditions for WL yesterday too and told the same...a week or two for full time but decisions about associate courses will take longer but will be before Easter. Very very competitive warming up sessions going on yesterday :-) definitely not for the faint hearted ....felt sorry for some poor souls that clearly didn't want to enter the warm up studio :-(

I'm not sure which class you were attending Amandalou, maybe a later class for the older Mid Associates? We were the first class, so mostly JAs trying for MIDs year 7. From my point of view it's difficult to see what is competitive warming up and what is simply injury avoidance. I encourage my DD to warm up and stretch because the body is stiff that early and I know she will be asked to do the splits!

Hi, if memory serves my right I'm sure it is when they have finished auditioning at every venue.

HI all. We were told yesterday at DD WL audition, that letters would arrive within a week or two for decisions on whether the dancers are through to the second audition in Richmond. (Bath centre)

My DD is part of JAs Bristol. And yes it will be a nightmare to get to, over an hour away now. BUT I did chose Birmingham as an option when applying so I can't really complain as I was prepared to travel an hour way there if it was the only option. I think what makes it worse is that there is not a lot to do in Radstock for 2 hours! Might have to take up running 

hi Beanie-bean. Where did you get the DVD from? I can only find previews and iTunes podcasts online!