balletqs

Gosh things have changed since I was a student in the 90s. I was on a strict £10 a week budget that was food and everything! None of us went to coffee shops and no phones or internet then. But a couple of home cooked meals in the freezer box at start of term drop off used to cheer me up! My mum used to send me nice teabags/hot choc sachets/face packs, vitamin C as vits are pricey.

You could also apply to the dancers course with the Ballet Boyz www.balletboyz.com, course is from 18 yrs and they are amazing!

You could contact the Lesley Swaby Dance Centre and Simone Clarkes school both in Yorkshire. Google them is probably best they will point you in the right direction. Both very good teachers. What about the Kare Simmons school too. All Yorkshire. Good luck lots of good advice here

Just to add our students run their grades alongside vocational grades which is quite common in a lot of RAD schools. We do this as we feel that grade 6-8 requires a certain amount of maturity (I trained with Val Sunderland who created a lot of the work and always emphasised this) indeed grade 5 also now so we do not like pushing through lower grades. The Inter Found and Inter compliment the higher grade work so we find this works well. Obviously this is not always an available option.

It is very hard for them to set a completely fair criteria. I am chuffed to bits for our 3 entrants who won and received commendation in level one and won level two. But it was hard to know which group our level two girl should go in, she is only just 14 so being in level 4 now she has done her Inter was rather daunting for her and in grade terms she has not yet done grade 6. They were all on a high at the end of day one - obviously oblivious to results at that stage, and the level two entrant really enjoyed having less challenging work and being able to let herself go and develop her sense of musicality etc. I think all the entrants should be congratulated and really pleased for your daughter Kat09 I love her work! Just sad now I am on maternity leave and won't be able to go to Antwerp to watch. But think my DDs will miss me and I them too much. Hopefully our principal will go. Well done to all.

We took our almost 3 yr old daughter to this today and I thought it was excellent. The audience was bursting with children (we didn't take our 5 week old) there were all ages there. Some were worried by the inside Dr Cs shop set but we didn't really notice as we were engrossed. I have no aspirations for my daughter to follow in my footsteps but hope she will enjoy ballet - she was hooked!! It was clever to have Dr C as the narrator as it made him a friendlier figure. Archie Sullivan whom I know from other connections was a super Franz and he threw himself around the stage with fantastic enthusiasm! The whole cast have one hundred percent energy and professionalism and it was beautifully acted. Olivia Lindon was really very charming, very easy to watch, gorgeous feet and beautiful clean technique from all the students. I really felt they were embracing such a fabulous opportunity. Definitely worth every penny. Long may 'my first' continue!

Can I just say as well White Lodge girls are expected to darn their own shoes from age 11 and the best in the class gets a commendation. I feel all students should be encouraged to do their own. Edited spelling

Last year they had both just finished Year 8 and done their RAD Intermediate both received Distinction (one with 98) and felt they had some competition. Has she applied and got a place? I can't vouch for how it will be this year but all of our students and others I know have gained a lot from the ENBS courses.

Two of my students did it last year. They had Shannon Parker (they are following her to OPES this year) and Yohei Sasaki, they loved it and felt they learnt a lot. Think there were about 20 in the class. They did class, body con, contemporary/creative movement class (can't remember teacher), pointe class and Rep. They are good girls and wrote lots of the group corrections down they did lots of work on pirouettes and petit allegro and worked on the stretch of legs in pointe work. They did a class and rep demo on the last day. Mixed standard and they were not pushed to do really hard Vocab but emphasis was on refining technique. They give two class prizes at the end one for technical progress and one for artistry which one of our girls was delighted to get last year. One of the girls has a place again this year for week two and is going to a week at OPES, the other has a scholarship to wells away so opted for that and week at OPES instead. Hope that helps.

Progressingballettechnique.com is excellent for students and the Darcey one is a good start

Not at all a problem.she auditioned first time this year. She came to me in year ten from another school and was very weak and she was very young for her age at 15 plus very academic so she decided and on our advise waited. I wld think it will def be one of the London schools.

No way of telling unfortunately students are very much examined on what they show on the day how the syllabus has been studied how they fulfill the assessment criteria etc. I've had students get 98-100 on grades and not make a distinction in vocational a and likewise scrape distinctions in grades and get a good distinction in a vocational exam. I hope she does well xx

Yes don't worry about neatness just get them done chain or blanket stitch are easiest.

Def go for Summer schools

Totally echo the above as a teacher. Perhaps think about it at 11 or 14 but it is not essential now. I never did festivals myself but got very good exam results and always got 'spotted' at dance days with different companies. I didn't get JAs was waiting list SAs and RBS senior SS. I started London Senior ballet as it is now when I was 14 having been unsuccessful at Central and went yo RB Upper school at 16 on a scholarship I still think it is because they didn't know me! Just enjoy take any pressure off and she'll want it more and if it does happen- lovely- if not you haven't lost anything at this stage

And has turned down Leverhulme scholarship at London Studio Centre too. Good luck and thoughts to those disappointed but there is always something better around the corner!

A yes for our student- delighted! Now decision time Central, Rambert or Northern with DADA has also turned down Leverhulme scholarship at London Studio. :/

Lovely news for one of ours, a yes from Central. She now has a DADA at Northern and places at Central and Rambert - decision time! Hoping her two dropped places benefit someone on here, all the best

Hee hee wicked fairy teacher here. I'm v strict with our students re darning. I've never seen an RB/BRB company pair undarned and I expect the same. I do advise them to wear them once or twice without to loosen the satin then darn them. Heaven forbid we had undarned shoes at US and the sticky patches can get worn after a while and go very slippy. Plus as a first pair it looks so pretty hanging on the wall. I had all my favourite pairs and my first pair hanging up at our wedding tied around my hubby's wheat sheafs and they still looked so ''preserved'

Fantastic thank you so much

One of my very talented students is moving to Barcelona due to her father relocating jobs? She is 8 and just on the cusp of becoming really very special does anyone have or know of any good schools in Barcelona-long shot I know!?

Lots of my students are going to OPES this year and are very lovely and friendly. Personally I think it is excellent value for money and the standard is very high by all accounts. Enjoy!

Yes definitely try Darcey Bussells Pilates for life DVD, very user friendly and there is a short programme and a long one. The Pilates will help strengthen your core and increase joint mobility and lung capacity. No doubt there are other Pilates DVDs but I quite like that one it is fairly cheap from play.com or amazon

I just wanted to say I think it's lovely that you are keen to get to class and don't feel any negativity a good teacher will welcome you and make you feel comfortable and I can't believe an adult class would contain people who would laugh, most of them will be absorbed and focused in what they are doing. You will be fine in a split sole shoe which is comfy though a full sole will be more strengthening. You can order them online though if you don't want the hassle of ending up with the wrong size you may be better seeking some from a local shop or the teacher of your class will have a good idea where to go. Pointe work will be at the discretion of the teacher, I've known adults try but realise they are limited to barre work and very little centre work and not get any joy from it but I don't think there is harm in having it as a goal and as I say your teacher would be the one to guide you. Enjoy yr classes