amum/Cathy

They are such a fabulous partnership. I didn't have the time or money to get to see them in London last year so what a treat to catch it online. The Pas de Deux in Act 3 had me in tears and of course all the pyrotechnic stuff is just amazing. Was very slightly disappointed with the matador though. Usually another favourite part in the ballet for me. But wonderful to get this chance to watch online :)

Good Luck with decision making Lemongirl, and congratulations to your dd for getting into the Junior company. Is there anyone you know who has already done year 7 at this school that you can check with about actual homework workload? I found that ds spent the most time in year 7 at his grammar school on homework for food technology and various non academic subjects that I knew he would never continue to GCSE, so I would agree with aileen on this one. I used to limit the time he could spend on food technology homework. He got surprisingly little homework in his core subjects for year 7 and 8. He has found time to do 3 lunchtime clubs, does 6 dance or performing arts classes after school a week, Hammond Associates 3 sundays a term, learns 2 musical instruments, and manages his homework amazingly well by using time on the bus, spare lunchtimes and time in the school library after school before his dance etc classes. The only time things have slipped was when he lost revision time this Easter because of English Youth Ballet, so exam marks slipped slightly in this summer's year 9 exams. Hope she has a great time if she does it

Sorry. Just realised the JA shorts might have been black and I'm remembering the RAD shorts, which were Navy . They were very short anyway! There was definitely no need to have canvas AND leather shoes though.

When ds did it many years ago the supplier was Express Dance Supply http://www.expressdance.co.uk/ but you had the specific order form amber21 mentions. The boys' shorts are very close fitting short navy shorts. The white leotard was pretty standard, as were the white shoes. We had leather, but can't remember if there was a choice with canvas.

Congratulations to S. Tell him well done from us Now you have to work out how he is going to manage Hammond Associates as well Hope he can

Thanks as well RhodaKuc and C4D He won't be doing the exam until next term but it is really helpful to know what the regulations say as I need to buy more kit for him over the summer holidays.

OK Thanks Aurora. She should be OK with his RAD stuff then, I would guess. Don't think she likes split soles, although that could just be because RAD didn't allow them for so long, so will check. Thanks again

I need to buy new ballet shoes tights etc for ds and while he has always done RAD until now, it looks like he will do the IDTA Intermediate exam, so I am stuck Please could anyone tell me what colour tights/leotards/ballet shoes the boys Intermediate examwear is for IDTA? Also, are they allowed split sole shoes? I can't seem to find this out anywhere on the web and if I ask his teacher I'll feel obliged to wait until next term to get it from her

We had a village jubilee party last night, piggybacking on the primary school hog roast. It was a great success with all generations turning up. The children did a special dance chroeographed by the dance teacher that visits the school. The "oldies" village choir sang old favourites and brought the puddings. Lots of union jacks everywhere Tuesday dd and ds sing in a local village church for a special evensong celebrating the jubilee then we are doing a big multigenerational family tea party. Have a great w/e everyone. whatever you are doing.

Aaarghhh!! So sorry to hear that. Will he be fit for EYB do you think? I guess we won't be seeing you at Hammond Associates in June anyway. Wishing him well for his recovery from me and ds.

When ds was a RBS JA the JA teacher asked him to start private lessons with his local teacher, so maybe this is what the new teacher is anticipating. Also I should think the preparation for the auditions at the vocational schools merit private lessons. Ds does do boys work in his private class now - but he gets it in his normal classes as well, it's more a case of "pre exam polish" in the private class. It makes a huge difference to his technique and he loves being able to work at his own pace and not being held back.

I'm so glad to hear that your dd is feeling better swe, and that there was an underlying reason for the tiredness that has been sorted! I think you are doing just fine with her hours, so well done! I work with people with chronic fatigue syndrome and I do worry about high achievers not cutting back when they have infections, which puts them at risk for post viral fatigue, or CFS. Prevention is usually about allowing the body recovery time during and after illness and we all seem to be aware of that on this forum Just sometimes an inaccurate CFS diagnosis turns out to have been the onset of an autoimmune diagnosis such as thyroid disease or lupus. My ds does 6 dance/musical theatre classes a week, plus music lessons in 2 instruments. His music teachers know that the dance/musical theatre commitments are his priority and have got used to him cutting back on music lessons or practice when pressure mounts. You just can't do everything at a high level . I have stopped nagging about music practice (mostly) as his down time can be difficult to find from anywhere else if he is in the middle of rehearsals for a show. Luckily he seems to enjoy his music as relaxation when in the middle of revision and academic exams, and he loves playing in band and orchestra as it is just another performing opportunity Good Luck to your dd now

Absolutely agree - I have half of them on my kindle. Have just started Hilary Mantel's sequel to Wolf Hall, called Bring up The Bodies. It's £9.99 in sainsbury's. You just sink into her beautiful phrasing and language. I spent ages just reading her "cast of characters" at the start as it is soooo funny.

Welcome to the forum balletshoes and congratulations to your dd. Dd and ds used to go to a theatre school with someone who did Scottish Ballet assciates and she always enjoyed it. I think their new premises sound wonderful. The only reason ds never auditioned for them is that his Hammond Associates sundays always seemed to be the same ones that she was at Scottish Ballet. Hope your dd has a great time.

Thanks sodor Hope your dd enjoys her taster day!

Thanks sodor, that's really helpful I don't suppose you could say what the residential price is?

Balletmad97 and sodor have you seen the schedule for the summer school? Would you mind saying what the leaflet etc says they will be doing? They haven't sent any leaflets to the associates and ds may be interested.... Or fancandance2 - cross posted with you!

That is an amazing piece of history, and I can't believe what good quality the film is. Thanks for posting. Think I will try to work out who some of the dancers are - fasinating to see Robert Helpman narrating it. They seem so much shorter than today's dancers.

Hear hear Janet. I too remember his Will Mossop. He was so inspiring to my son at a weekend workshop in Birmingham last year that i can't begrudge Elmhurst snaring him to continue inspiring and guiding the next generation but I think he is still at the top of his form and I would have loved to see the Take 5 number. This is a recent youtube clip that I adore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcTHCHDoeJY

On a positive note my ds is delighted to see his name in the latest EYB newsletter, as one of the group that won Miss Lewis’s special award. I was hoping that Newcastle would be memorable to the EYB staff this year for having 13 boys. I sincerely hope it won’t be infamous for rudeness upsetting Miss Lewis. We want them to come back! I defend Dominic’s right to show the hurt and upset the staff felt at what happened, and how unprofessional this behaviour is seen in the real ballet world. I can only refer back to the thread about corps de ballet dancers, and reiterate how Swan Lake is the epitome of a ballet that showcases the talents and strengths of the corps de ballet. To have the experience of learning the choreography of the swans, only somewhat modified, is something that should be valued by any dancer hoping for a professional career, or indeed any dancer who loves the grace of the of beautiful lines and movements of the corps in this ballet.

My ds has done RAD until now but his teacher has switched the Intermediate class to IDTA. I don't really understand the reasons except that there is apparently more free work ?? in the IDTA Intermediate syllabus, so if anyone can explain that further I would be grateful. There seems to be some relatively recent link-up or association between IDTA and RAD - can anyone explain that to me as well? PLEASE??

I think I've wanted your username since the Kirov brought Don Q to Manchester, and we were posting on the old balletco Kirov thread! I love the anticipation - Alice was something that I was keeping track of for well over a year before booking opened. Good Luck to us all for tickets!

I covet the username of Don Q fan! I go to, or buy the DVD for, as many versions as I can. Unfortunately I was knee deep in toddlers in 2001 and couldn't see the RB one so I would welcome a new RB version. Thank you for posting

I would echo alison and suggest you get a doctor to consider whether she has a post viral fatigue problem. Fingers crossed it isn't - and it's something easy to treat like anaemia. My ds has "overtrained" for periods in the past, and not allowed his body recovery time from viral infections. It's just not worth the risk - Lauren Cuthbertson was out of dancing for a year! Good Luck and keep us posted how she gets on.

I have spent ages walking up and down Kensington Gore looking for places to eat over the years. Nothing is handy! I would go for somewhere inside RAH if I were you. Some savvy London Anaesthetist friends introduced me to Pizza on the Park, but sadly it appears to have closed down. Have a lovely trip!