Dizzyballetmum

Thank you one of my students was wait listed, fingers crossed the WL isn’t too gigantic and a place comes up . X

I’m so sorry to hear this very sad news. Sending my love and prayers to his family and friends x

Thank you most helpful !

I would definitely recommend centre pointe. Simon Gray is an excellent teacher especially for boys .

In my DD’s year there were 13 places offered for year 7 , 5 of those were not recalled which I assume meant they had seen enough to definitely want to offer them a place . The remaining 8 were recalled including Other children that were put on the reserve list . I think it’s best not to read in to it too much the results will be here before you know it . Best of luck everyone .

Thank you peanut very well put . The amount of children reported is incorrect in any case . It is still very early days for both the children and families affected . Whether they’re moving on or not already is irrespective. They should be allowed to do so in private without speculation , they’re real people children at that not just a number or a statistic .

I work as an activity coordinator in a nursing home with people with dementia . I’ve been bringing my daughter in to dance for my residents since she was 4. She’s now in year 9 at white lodge and came this Christmas Eve to dance a couple of pieces from the Nutcracker with a boy from her year at school .They had been performing at the Royal opera house only the day before ,Our residents loved it . One in particular who is a huge fan of the ballet . I regularly have local dance schools in to sing / dance and play instruments. It’s wonderful for the residents and a great opportunity to perform for the children who come in. If anyone has children who would like to perform please send me a message . I’m based in the north west.

My DD is currently year 9 WL and has a very pale complexion, she likes to wear very light blusher and bronze with subtle lipgloss and mascara .

Hopefully see you there xxx

Hi yes my DD, went at easter and absolutely loved it . She will be returning for the three day course this summer. She is 13.

Thank you , I posted that a couple of years ago now . She ended up going for a raspberry so danca and I had the leg customised slightly higher as she’s a bit of shorty. It seemed to do trick and she’s just completed her second year

Thanks everyone , we went to Barnums in Warrington and DD come back happy with a pair of Bloch shoes.

Any recommendations for pointe shoe brands for dancers with very narrow feet ? TIA

Anyone selling defile tickets for next Sunday ?

Thank you everyone . Only three weeks left of term so hopefully rest over summer will help .

Has anyone heard of these tablets to promote recovery in teenage injury , particularly for schatters disease and severs ? Thoughts and advice would be appreciated . TIA

Will look forward to watching him xx

I missed it ! Is anyone on here selling tickets for this performance ?

Last year they sent out the no’s a few days after the audition but waited to send out the yes e mail until they had seen the ones who auditioned at York also. I think it may be different this year as I don’t know anyone that’s heard at all.

For anyone reading this with a child at WL or about to start statistically it does make for depressing reading . However I believe in “nothing ventured nothing gained” and whilst there are many roads that lead to Rome taking the White Lodge route is still the most likely path to the eventual goal. ( If you wish for your child to study in this country from year 7-11) For the parents of children who have just completed Five years at WL without an US offer , those children will have still gained an invaluable experience . From living in the beautiful surroundings to the exceptionally small academic classes, the opportunities to perform on one of the worlds most famous stages, the ability to deal with pressure and competition whilst being away from home from a young age. Not to mention the wonderfully close sibling like friendships they make there. These things will serve them well in life both in and out of the dance world. They will always have the Royal ballet school on their CV and I expect their future will be bright whatever or wherever they go to next . I think it is best not to get hung up on what the kids abroad can do and rather look to the likes of Francesca Hayward , Yasmine Naghdi , Anna Rose, Matthew Ball and Joseph Sissens among other company members. They are a prime example of successful intelligent artists with that unmistakable British stamp .

Yes , I don't think many from my dd's year are attending this summer so will hopefully open up a few places for others . Good luck everyone xx

Aww thank you , as is your lovely little dancer and so lovely that through dance our daughters got to be friends . Xxxxx

My own dance journey started way back aged three in Beckenham when I was forced by my mother to go for walking pigeon toed and being generally hyper active . I thought you had to be very serious /sullen and never once smiled , I remember skipping around the room and thinking I was doing it right if my cheeks flopped so I was serious enough. After my Dad died my mum decided to move north , I was starting a new school and was so happy to be leaving those dreaded ballet lessons behind , only when I got to my new very small school I was told by ( what turned out to be the class bully ) that all of the girls there did ballet on a Wednesday eve, when I said I hated ballet I was told no one would be my friend if I didn't come. So the next Wednesday off I went to the local church hall . I was very behind but started to enjoy the classes. Not long after I took my first ballet exam , the moment I walked in something just clicked and I performed . My examiner was the fabulous Susan Robinson and I was overjoyed when I got the results . I was also told by the same girl that if I didn't give up no one would be my friend . I was going nowhere ! This was the start of my ballet teacher really building me up and for the first time I felt like I was good at something . I was still going just once a week when aged 13 my mum signed me up for summer school at ybss . I was in for the shock of my life , they accidentally put me in a higher group and I found myself on the barre next to the most exquisite dancer called Clair Thomas ( some of you may remember her ) she was phenomenal. All week I struggled to keep up but just loved it . That September I started at a more serious dance school and after being there a week I was lucky enough to be cast in EYB's nutcracker .At 16 I went to full time ballet school. This was a difficult journey for me I had a lot of physical facility but my brain didn't always engage . I remember the principle saying " I've bought a race horse and come away with a donkey " I was relentlessly picked on in the first year , the second year I was ignored which in many ways was worse, in my third and final year things picked up and I felt happy . When I arrived at the airport for my first job Susan Robinson (my first examiner ) was randomly stood there , I went over to tell her thank you , I probably wouldn't have been stood there without that very first exam result . Working life was rocky , some great times and some not so great . I saw the world and made great friends but it was cut short with a knee injury . Fast forward a few years and I had my own daughter . I had no intention of her dancing however her dad was in a west end musical at the time and one of the other dancers mother ran a dance school in our sleepy northern village . I was persuaded to send her to baby ballet there.she was painfully shy so I thought it might help . When it was time for her first exam she was still wanting to stand at the back at look at the floor . In she went and I sat outside with my stomach churning . The teacher was peeping in and said " you just have to come and see this " I couldn't believe my eyes there she was performing her heart out . When the results were out she had scored 97% it was the start of her own journey . She initially preferred the musical theatre side but after becoming a JA age 8 it was all mostly about ballet , she turned down a west end role to focus more on the classical side . We were not thinking of vocational school too seriously until she did both the white lodge summer school and ybss at the end of year 5. She was so desperate to go there that year 6 was a stressful time . Fast forward to year 8 and she is just so happy to be there. I know there's no guarantees with dancing but for now she is just cherishing every moment . Sitting at the ROH watching her perform in the Nutcracker this Christmas I could just feel my heart bursting with pride for her . All the years, of given up weekends summer holidays and well "normal" life in general seemed to finally in that moment feel very worth it. I have loved reading all your journeys on here . Hope mine wasn't too long winded .

Hi my DD is also 12 and doing both weeks at ybss this summer , feel free to get in touch xx

My dd did EYB twice , coppelia and swan lake , she had mostly been involved in musical theatre at the time and had recently become an RBS JA so I thought it would give her a good idea of which one she preferred so we could look ahead at possibly auditioning for vocational schools . She absolutely loved it particularly swan lake , she was awarded a full scholarship which gave her a real boost and is now loving life at white lodge . I can highly recommend it to all children who love ballet whether they're thinking of doing it professionally or not .