swanprincess

Ah yes, that, good point luckily the ones I chose are mostly coursework so I only have 9 exams- unlike my very academic (non dancing) friend who has 17!!!!!! And LinMM it's lovely that you managed to keep dancing even though it wasn't to be as a career, the joy of dance is something that never leaves us

Flutterby thank you for being so understanding- it's reassuring to know that when you live for ballet like I do, not getting in at 16 isn't the end of the road!!! When the rejection email came and I thought I'd lost all hope of dance as a career, it felt as if id lost part of my identity- which is really why I knew that I had to carry on and try again next year- even if I don't succeed I just love the feeling of work and dedication- there is something magical about staying in the studio alone at night for another hour after class just to work on strengthening and stretching...... At home I am constantly doing exercises- my mum joked that just watching tv without me doing bizarre stretches trying not to block the tv, is a rare luxury! She then added that if I wasn't stretching or working towards ballet school in any way possible, it would seem scarily unnatural haha!To everyone who has got a place this year, especially those aged 17-18, thank you so much for inspiring me to keep chasing my dream xxxx

So sorry to hear of your dd's sad news Mum in a spin and everyone else with the dreaded No letters, I know how heartbroken she must feel!! But perhaps she could audition again next year- going to vocational school at 17 or even 18 is still an option as I have learnt from the forum.... Or, she could always do A Levels then train to be a dance teacher- teaching is another way to pass on the gift of dance "Success is not final, failure is not fatal:it is the courage to continue that counts." Big hugs to her, and congrats to everyone who got in!! Xxxx

Use a small pair of pliers to shove the needle through, may be easier than a thimble

Sorry to hear about that sweetie but the Royal have so few places, getting a No doesn't make you any less talented, it's simply a 'not this year', I know it's hard but keep smiling, rejections only make us stronger eventually x

My ballet teacher wouldn't let me attend any dance classes apart from hers, regardless of the fact that she only offers 1 pointe class at my level, and no non syllabus work, or ballet on Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays, hence why taking enough classes to reach a level appropriate for vocational auditions is proving very difficult.....

Lol sorry for the rather large quantity of emoticons in that post- although I think it reflects my mood, and how lovely it is to be smiling again!!!!

Aww thank you yes, perhaps choreography or writing are career options! Is it possible to be a choreographer having not gone to vocational school?! Oh Fiz, that must be hard for your dd (AD? Actress daughter?!) but, like me, her auditions journey will recommence in a few months time, and she will be stronger & more confident than ever Thankyou for that lovely (as always!) response Anjuli, it is similar to what someone very wise recently said to me; "A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn" I love that song LinMM, thank you for sharing BD19 I thought you said previously you had decided to leave the forum- welcome back, anyhow! As for my Plan B..... Yes, that has already started- hopefully vocational school next year instead of this year with a lot more auditions, a year at a local dance/drama college, and lots more pointe training, and making myself stronger both physically and psychologically in the meantime!!! I love that saying too pups_mum- and now that I am over the initial disappointment, I can totally understand why the panel thought I wasn't strong enough for vocational training this year...... Just you wait and see, I'll be back next year, stronger and more determined than they ever imagined Hehe thank you also to everyone whose dd has got a place despite being 17 or even 18 years old, you have definitely inspired me to keep trying xxx

Just a little uplifting post for everyone, like myself, who has had the disappointment of a "no" from auditions this year.... Imagine a Phoenix. Born from the flames, she finds herself grieving, lost in the flame of rejection. But her determination is reborn. In six months time, she will have grown, developed, come further than she ever thought possible. Then, with a lot of courage and persistence, she will begin the process that she knows might lead to her returning here- to grief, near unbearable sadness, feeling as though, with her dream snatched away, she has lost her identity. Or, she might achieve her dream, that grace and freedom of which she aspires to. something within her- within all of us- inspires us to keep going, to keep fighting to achieve her dream; to audition again, to go back and keep trying. So, to everyone who hasn't got their vocational school place this year, we will find our way, we are more resilient, braver and stronger than we ever imagined, and these little setbacks simply make us who we are. Six months until application forms are out again, six months to focus on our dreams and how to finally make them come true....... Xxxx

I'm really sorry I think I may have unintentionally started that rumour!!!! All of the Senior girls were so amazing & quite a few were Elmhurst graduates so I thought they were all vocational! Sorry :/ x

I was Intermediate x

I don't think so Cornishprincess- I emailed them a while ago & they said I would be in the Inters level again because I am not at vocational school so it doesn't really seem worth the money

I attended Opes last year... We were very fortunate to have the beautiful Ranby House, a mansion used as a boarding school, as our accommodation. The grounds were stunning: we were allowed to explore in the evenings and during lunch breaks! There was one small studio, a Performing Arts centre with harlequin floor, 'proper' lighting and a stage, and a room with carpet (and the most beautiful chandeliers, mirrors, and view into the garden!!!!) which we used for body conditioning. Breakfast was at 8.30, first class (ballet) was at 10-11.30. After a short break, we had conditioning from 11.45-1.15, then lunch. In the afternoon, we had Contemporary for 1 1/2hrs, followed by repertoire, in which we learnt the Giselle pas de deux, and Nutcracker snowflakes dance. Classes finished at 5.30, dinner was at 6. We watched a Royal Ballet gala dvd on Tuesday, and watched the Seniors rehearse their pas de deux on Thursday, but on the other evenings we were free to do whatever we liked. We had to be in anyone's dorm, being fairly quiet, by 9pm, then in our own dorms by 10pm. There was 2-5 girls per dorm (not sure how many boys shared a dorm!) all of the teachers were really lovely, enthusiastic and friendly: I learnt so much from them! There were 3 age groups: Juniors, (approx. age 8-13) Inters (approx. age 14-18) and Seniors (Vocational school 6th Formers & Elmhurst graduates). Inters did no pointework (disappointing!!!) but a bit of pas de deux, from what I saw the Seniors did a lot of very challenging pas de deux and pointework: they performed the Don Quixote pas de deux in the end of course performance, which was phenomenal! The teachers were Olivia Pickford, Shannon Parker (San Fransisco Ballet) Peter Parker (Northern Ballet) and Errol Pickford (ex RB, now teaching Elmhurst graduate year). There were houseparents to care for us in the evenings: they collected the Junior groups' mobile phones just before lights out. The standard of all the classes was very high, although I found the Inters level class fairly easy. There was approx. 10 dancers per class, so 30 overall. The food was very good: contintental breakfast (cereal, croissants, toast, fruit juice etc) or a Full English on the last 2 days. Lunch was a hot meal, with a choice of salads or jacket potatoes too, and a variety of puddings. Meals in the evening were fairly good too: we had spaghetti bolognaise on Monday, fish and chips on Tuesday- although there was a salad bar too, a bbq on Wednesday, and pizza and chips on Thursday. I'd say, at £475 for Monday-Friday, the course was fairly good value for money, if not a bit on the expensive side. In my opinion, it wasn't too serious, so would be lovely for a younger student's first summer school- I think the Senior level was probably more intense but am not sure x

Thank you, Chaperone, Spanner & dtadmin, I guess I should've just given up after applying every year & getting No's each time.....

A No for me.......

Lovely news Porthesia, congrats on getting the job x

Teachers strikes!!!! Yes I appreciate their need to strike- but making us come into school with half the teachers missing seems incredibly pointless; currently in an English lesson with a supply teacher, who, having been given no work for us, is allowing the class to wreak havoc whilst he watches football videos with the lads!!!!

Her page is lovely Kat09 I too have a Facebook page, called Tinydancer, feel free to 'like' mine too x

That's amazing Sophika9899 big congrats to your dd x

Piano ????

I have just looked through the R-Class website and I think the ones that would suit me best are the Muse style- will you be stocking all sizes Just Ballet? (My feet are tiny size 2.5!!!)

I'll be there too! but the class times for the Gold group seem quite late- it finishes at 7.45pm which means that we won't get home until very late- also my mum was concerned that no where in London would be open whilst I was dancing; she will have my 12year old sister with her, any recommendations of where they could go whilst I am at the master class?!! Thanks xx

Those Rambert videos were amazing LinMM thank you so much for sharing them! I haven't really looked at Laban school but will do and yes my school offers A Level dance so I hopefully am doing it xxx

Yes Spannerandpony, my plan B (for now, it keeps changing lol) is to do A levels but specialise in drama, to hopefully go to drama school at 18, but at the same time I will keep up with RAD exams outside school so I could train to be a dance teacher eventually LinMM your advice is incredibly appreciated, thank you DrDance I agree with lovely Anjuli- your decision must have taken a lot of courage, and I respect you so much for having the strength to accept that, then also to move on and establish an amazing career in dance science!!! Thank you everyone for your words of wisdom, every one of you has helped me so much xxx

LinMM the audition is March 23rd (getting close now eeek....) aww thank you haha I will look for fairly local Rambert performances!!! BD19 I do understand what you mean, that would make sense.... But I don't see how I could ever be happy if I wasn't dancing- and I think that, without ballet to focus on, the illness might get worse- I know that I have to stay at a reasonable weight for ballet, so without that I don't know if I'd have the motivation to maintain the weight.... Thank you so much for your support, your kindness & opinions are greatly valued xxx