Clara

Tulte I guess the situation is a little different as the one aspiring dancer is my own daughter! I have told dd that my group will not benefit her professionally in any way and that at some point she will have to put it to one side especially if there is a clash with her more serious dance classes which I'm sure there will be eventually; but I have to say she is very loyal and does actually enjoy my classes which is in turn nice for me as I know we are an amateur group and at the lower end when it comes to ranking dance schools! I should say there are a couple of others in the class who are also nice little dancers and do take it seriously to an extent, just not on the same level as dd at the moment. Aileen I agree that this behaviour can definitely spill into adulthood! I for one actually can't stand playground dynamics and try to avoid it at all costs! One of the girls who seemed to instigate the giggling does also attend the same ballet class as dd (the one I also assist at) and I have noticed that in recent weeks when dd has approached the other child to partner up as they once always would, her friend often turns her back and scurries to be with someone else. I have asked dd if there has been a disagreement but she says no.

Thank you all for sharing your insights and experiences. As usual I have been given some really useful advice on this forum and have read all of your posts with interest and empathy in some cases! So thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post. Dd seems a lot happier again today, she doesn't let the punches knock her down for long!

Thank you! That is exactly what I did tell her after class Legseleven! It was horrible to see her crushed and watch her dancing slip for a moment because of what she'd seen. I have told her not to give them the satisfaction and to keep on doing what she does best! I have told her that she will face those who are jealous of her and that she too will witness those who are much better than her and that she should not be jealous but aspire to be like them and learn from them. (I was particularly referring to her NYB audition where many of the girls were way ahead of her.....but thankfully she was still successful in being offered a place!) I think from everyone’s comments I will speak to the group as a whole next week and say that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated and hopefully this will squash it before it develops any further. With exams and auditions this weekend I hope dd comes back fighting!

Balletbun that's really sad to hear. Your poor dd. Is it an absolute final decision or is there anything that still can be salvaged so that she can continue with her training at Hammond which she presumably enjoys? I hope something can be arranged where she will be happy and still be able to continue dancing even if it is somewhere else. I know the dance world can be a tough one but I guess it is always hard to witness first hand when you are teaching the class. Anjuli, as a whole all of my classes ultimately have to work as a team as like I said we are an amateur performance group working towards shows which only involve class routines. There are no solos etc so usually there are very few occasions where others would be sat watching. I am extremely anti bullying but there have been various occasions where I have had to speak to a couple of classes with regards to their attitudes towards other members of the class. It often tends to come in with my group which is school years 4-6 and the next class school years 7-9. I have to emphasise the class is not like a ballet, modern or any other exam orientated class as it doesn't generally attract the same kind of children. It is more of an alternative for children who may not succeed in these type of classes. Although I happen to have attracted a handful of talented dancers who have either progressed as a result of my classes and I have therefore recommended them to take ballet or other classes additionally or they have come to me from the ballet school that I assist at. I quite often consider my dd to be tougher and forget that she is only 10 and that despite her ability and outward confidence can be just as upset by other children’s mean behaviour. As this is something we are going to have to do for the next few lessons I am going to speak to the group involved and split them up and sit them on their own or maybe set them an alternative task for the last 10 minutes of class whilst the other group are rehearsing. You’re right hfbrew, I would have said something immediately had it been another child receiving the same treatment. I don’t claim to be a perfect or even wonderful teacher, but I have developed a school of 70 over the past 7 years that I have been established and a lot of my now older girls started with me as littlies when the school opened! As I assist at my old ballet school also, I am totally aware of the differences between the atmosphere of the 2 classes. Whilst I prefer the more structured, disciplined ballet classes (and ballet is my first love anyway), my performance classes are all practically treble in size, so they are definitely offering something that children are looking for and enjoy doing. It is a learning experience as much for me in dealing with other issues that take place within class besides the dancing! Thank you all for your replies, I will definitely try to take your advice on board!

Thank you! The class I run is completely different to her other more serious exam based dance classes in that it is purely a performance class resulting in shows a couple of times a year. The style for her particular age group would probably be closely described as modern dance/musical theatre (Minus any singing!) Of the others in her class she is one of four who takes other dance classes in either ballet or modern, dd takes both and does do very well in them too. The other girls within the class not taking additional lessons are probably there as much to see their friends as anything else but ultimately see it as a fun and recreational dance class. Dd on the other hand strives to be the best she possibly can in all of her dance classes and will always put on the same show in class as she would on show night! It's just the way she is, she just really does love to dance, it's more than a hobby to her. It was just upsetting to see her crumble like she couldn't dance with the passion that she usually would in fear of being mocked bless her. You could be right though, I hadn't thought that just by being my daughter she could be in for a hard time from others regardless of how she dances be it the best or worst in the class!

I have noticed recently that the more dd seems to improve and shine in her dancing the further her once friends seem to keep a distance in class. (I’m privy to this as I’m a teaching assistant at one of her ballet classes and run the performance group that she also belongs too) At one of the classes I was teaching this evening I had to run a routine for an upcoming local talent competition that we are entering. Not all of the children are participating (Either because they have chosen not to due to extra rehearsal commitments or they are no longer attending the class after the summer holidays when the final will take place if they are successful at the heats) DD was dancing with her usual zeal and applying herself with lots of effort and enthusiasm (I just want to add that I am often harder on her than any of my other students despite the fact that she is the strongest in this particular class and probably don’t praise her as often as I should) During the routine I was aware that the girls watching had huddled together and were giggling and whispering staring directly at dd. Maybe wrongly I didn’t say anything at the time because I hoped dd hadn’t picked up on and didn’t want to single her out as she’d probably be embarrassed if I told her friends of. But I did notice her face crumble and she lost some of her zest. As soon as we got out of class she told me that they were all laughing at her and that she felt like crying. These children are supposedly her friends both in and outside of class. I feel really bad for her and the only conclusion I can come to is that they are jealous. I was just wondering if any of you have had any similar problems and how you deal with them or advise your children how to deal with them? Dd is 10.

Whilst I do understand some teachers’ not approving of other dance schools due to possibly a variance in standard or maybe differences in the styles taught (There are quite significant differences between Cecchetti and ISTD for example when it comes to arm lines and even some ballet terminology in relation to theory) I think there are occasionally exceptions to the rule, which I will explain my reason for believing in a little while! When I was younger I attended a local combination ballet/tap class as well as a pure ballet class with a different school. My teacher at the ballet only class (who is still in a prominent position within the ballet world and has produced some beautiful dancers as well as equally beautiful choreography for prestigious companies!) found out about the other class I was attending and called my Mum into class at the time to say I would have to choose between the two because she wouldn't have the poor technique taught by the other school infiltrating into her classes. This may have seemed harsh and even unreasonable at the time, but looking back over my 30 years of dance experience I would now whole heartedly agree with her. The teaching standard of the other school was considerably poorer and they certainly didn't produce fantastic dancers in the way she did! Apologies for going slightly off on a tangent, but back to my theory that sometimes 2 schools and even 2 different styles of ballet can work. My dd has trained from a young age at the ballet school I attended when I was young. (The school was taken over by a different teacher as the latter teacher I spoke of had bigger commitments to ballet in London!) The teacher who took over has over the years become one of my best friends, however she has a far more relaxed approach to teaching ballet and her main objective I feel is for children to enjoy ballet as a recreational activity. She does not push dancers to achieve grades quickly and she doesn't really advertise or promote external schemes such as associates or any of the youth companies etc. (I should probably add that I have assisted her at the school for about 15 years myself!) This said, we do have a handful of talented dancers within the school, but these girls have been allowed to seek out additional training for themselves. My own dd who is almost 11 is about to take grade 2 in the Cecchetti method with the school. I know of several children who are a lot further ahead than her grade wise for her age. However, I have to say dd achieves wonderful results in her exams, never below a distinction. One of the reasons children do not progress at a quick pace at the school is because it is a relatively small school and class sizes are far from massive. The teacher therefore always waits for the entire class to be ready before entering them for an exam as it wouldn’t be financially viable for her any other way. There is also the fact that being a very mixed ability school she always enters children for both standard and grade examinations i.e standard 1, then grade 1, standard 2, then grade 2 etc. For those of you not familiar with standards as a lot of schools don’t do them; these are class exams and are considered a lot easier to pass/or achieve a higher result in. There is a lot more emphasis on sense of enjoyment/performance as opposed to the strict technique required of a grade exam. My/dd's teacher uses the standards I believe because it allows children who are not necessarily typical grade children to still achieve. If you're still with me.....I'll try to get back to my original point! Dd loves dance and is desperate to make a career out of it, and over the past couple of years I became aware that she really needed more training if she was going to compete with other children who were further ahead than her. I didn't want to take her away from the school she is currently at because 1, I am obviously loyal to my friend and teacher, 2, I am more than happy with the technical standard of training she is receiving from her and 3, there are no other Cecchetti schools in the area, and as I was Cecchetti trained and so have a bit of a bias I would like dd to continue in the Cecchetti method of training also! However, for the past couple of years she has also been attending another school for additional ballet plus modern and tap. The ex-principal of this school also taught on the ballet scholarship scheme I was on when I was younger so I already knew that the standard of this school was also high and felt happy to send her there. Dd a week before taking her Grade 2 Cecchetti will be taking her Grade 3 ISTD exam! This is not the first time she has taken both exams from either school at a similar time either. She did the same last summer and achieved a distinction in both! I already know that as she advances through the grades there may come a time when she needs to choose if she starts struggling with the differences between the 2 syllabuses; but for now she is happy, she is achieving and I am more than happy with that. I don't know if my ramblings have been of any use to you, but I thought I'd give you an insight into my experiences!

Thank you! And yes, good luck to everyone who has second stage audition coming up!

Thank you both for the replies! I will try to prepare her for the kind of questions they may ask and reassure her it's nothing to worry about! I hope the passion she puts into her dancing is able to come across in the interview too because she can sometimes be a bit of a 'yes' 'no' answer type child!!! She's desperate to get in but I think she will be determined enough to try again if she doesn't make it this time. She has a friend who has had a recall for the third year running so full credit to her for perseverance!

DD received her letter yesterday inviting her to the second stage of auditions in just over a week's time, so she's feeling very happy! She says she's not at all nervous about the dancing side of the recall......Just the interview! Any feedback from those already in the academy as to the kind of questions they might ask would be greatly appreciated!

Gala tickets now on sale for those of you who haven't heard or aren't on Facebook! Booked ours!

Many thanks Rae, I will drop you an email!

Hi, do children have to be 11 at the point of audition or when the programme starts? My daughter is 11 on the 18th of September and we're looking for a scheme to enhance her current training!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't quite fathom out the sizing!! I have sent everything back today and have ordered the medium, so fingers crossed it fits and she's not too baggy around the bottom!! Do they collect all of the merchandise once at Tring or do we get it before? Just wondering whether I'll be able to do any alterations if need be?!!

Ok thank you All4dancers! I think I'll go with the Medium then to be on the safe side! I guess I can always alter the straps if need be!

Just a quick question, I’m in the middle of completing all of the NYB paper work to send back and I’m a bit confused about the leotard sizes!! Dd is usually between a size 1 and 2 depending on the leotard and make. Her measurements are split between the I & M NYB leotard according to the size chart. Do I get her the one that may be a squeeze across the chest or the one that might be a bit baggy on the hips?! For those already with NYB who own leotards what would you advice?! Apologies for the slightly trivial question….but I want it to fit her!

No she’s not, although that sounds an amazing opportunity! Is your dd involved? I expect it will be a fantastic experience for the dancers lucky enough to take part! Question for those who have been in NYB and boarded over the summer before….Will we get a list nearer the time of what they can and can’t bring?

Hi balletmum, my dd is also 10 and main cast with a residential place too! Although she will be almost 11 by the time of the summer school. I'm sure there will be several of them though and hopefully they'll all make friends quickly!

Hi Piglet, it's first time round for us so I can't really comment, but as I have danced with NYB myself many years ok and only in very small roles, I would still say any part given is a great privilege to be offered as the standard and competition is so high. But obviously you need to weigh up the pros and cons of your own circumstances. It's a yes for us too and I'm so so excited!! DD is over the moon and can't wait!

Yes proms are definitely over stated in my opinion Aileen; a lavish attempt to extort money from parents! Year 6 proms to me seem especially unnecessary! It never ceases to amaze me when I hear snippets of conversation from my year 11 dancers when they discuss the cost of their prom dress.....One even boasted a trip to New York to find hers because there was simply nothing she liked in the whole of England!!! It's crazy business these days!.......No such thing when I was at school....Just a quick trip to the local Clowns restaurant in town to mark the occasion with a handful of my girlfriends!! Pictures, I think if your dd is at the moment saying she is prepared to attend the rehearsal instead of the disco then praise her for her commitment and making a grownup decision not to let the group down. I do think it is tough when they have to make decisions and miss out on events they would otherwise love to attend.....but hey, I guess life is a process of hundreds of decisions! It's not always easy to decipher at the time which is right or wrong; but maybe treat her in another way to a leaver's gift? Dinner with her best friend at a nice restaurant where they can both dress up? Or a girls night together doing hair and nails etc?

One of my year 6 dancers has just had to make the decision between her year 6 leavers prom (I don't think it helps that the school has given it such a glam status for what will probably be a disco!) and our actual summer show. She has chosen her prom as it's a one off experience as others have said. I completely understand but it has obviously left me with the predicament of having to slightly alter and tweak dances. For one particular number which involves partners I've had to call in a dancer from the class above to fill her shoes and learn it very quickly! I'm actually quite pleased the dancer in question has still wanted to attend classes despite this though, as rehearsing for the show at the moment is our main objective. Obviously I would have preferred her to choose the show, but running an amateur performance group with predominantly once a week children who attend no other dance classes can certainly have its pitfalls!! Tough call to make for the child!

Hi Loulabelle, my dd was a bit despondent when she came out of last week’s audition with the same feeling….that she hadn’t danced much. She seemed happier yesterday but only danced the same amount as your dd from what I’m aware. She also said they were asked in the warm up studio which grade they were all on. She was by far the lowest although by no means the youngest, so I am very anxious for her! Not long to wait now though! Good luck to all awaiting audition results!

I'm so excited about the 2013 season being released! I was in Polovtsian Dances at VE Day in 1994!! Apologies for the over excitement but I think I'm going to have to take a trip to watch a performance even if dd doesn't make it in now!!

I feel even more nervous now! I guess as much as we all try to fathom it out in advance; only they truly know what they're looking for! Good luck to everyone awaiting results from this Sunday and to all those auditioning next Sunday! Hopefully only another couple of weeks to wait! DD has another audition locally for a dance academy in May so if she doesn't make NYB this time, hopefully she'll focus herself on that one instead and give it another shot next year!

Thank you dtadmin and good luck to your dd! My dd said she didn't feel like she had to dance a lot yesterday, but I've told her not to feel disheartened as I don't want her to go into next week's audition feeling like she isn't very good! It's good to know that even if she doesn't get offered a role in the main cast there may be a residential place available still if she made it through yesterday's audition ok. I'm hoping that we will all know by the 5th one way or another what the outcomes are! I would definitely be interested to hear whether any of those who had their final audition yesterday hear any sooner!