Harwel

Sometimes they just need the chance to let it out - he had a great time. Thank you.

A big shout out for another fantastic summer school run by our own 'tutugirl'!! The dc's had all had a fabulous week and put on 2 great shows to show the work they had been doing. The show was mainly ballet focused with the first act dedicated to 'la fille mal garde' and the second act packed with, contemporary, tap, musical theatre and finished off with some 'la corsaire'. All the students had been pushed hard and learnt new skills and presented themselves fantastically.

I'm not sure it's always practical to let parents in to watch after just one day however, I definitely think that the teacher should accommodate boys and girls. If they can't then they shouldn't mix the two. A great shame that your ds felt the teacher preferred the other boy, very demoralising and not very professional especially given the age of your ds. Surely a day in the summer hols should have been about fun and encouragement, as well as technique.

How wonderful! Many congratulations.

The first time I took my son the ROH he was 7 and we saw a matinee of Romeo and Juliet. We sat in the stalls and he was amazed by the theatre, kept exclaiming about how beautiful it was, the lights, the red seats. Before it started I walked him down to the orchestra pit to show him the instruments and explain that the musicians sat there. When we went back to our seat I had plenty of people looking at me very disapprovingly, I clearly had a very busy, excitable, curious boy on my hands. I remember feeling quite cross by the incredibly stuffy people around and was really hoping it wouldn't be noticed by my son. Anyway my son sat as quiet as a mouse all through, completely transfixed by what was unfolding on stage in front of him. The interval was taken up with a tour around the auditorium, another trip to the orchestra pit and a chocolate ice cream. The disapproving looks of the other patrons had been replaced by smiles, congratulations on good behaviour and wanting to know if son was going to a dancer one day. Again, I remember feeling shocked at the response, couldn't quite believe people would think I would bring a child to the ROH, pay stalls seat prices and not know he would be well behaved. I guesss the point I am trying to make is, know your child. If they are interested in ballet generally and can sit still through things they are interested in then the ROH is an amazing experience. My son still remembers that day as a very special one (17 now) and I am so glad we shared it together, it added to my appreciation to see it through the eyes of a child. My other son who is 14 has never been to the ROH, he has watched ballet but still finds it hard to sit still through a whole performance, he'll just about watch his brother dance but then ask when will it be over. Horses for courses.

Hmmmm, can't see it at the moment. Every so often I think I might, but it's tricky as my weekday evenings are taken up with teaching and where I live is a bit limited for adult ballet - the little skirts could persuade me though!!

I'm sure she will have a lovely time and you will thoroughly enjoy watching at the end.

Saw lots of pretty skirts at OPES today. I believe most are 'love lily' as they sell them at the summer school. Lovely prints, wish I was still dancing, I would have one in every colour/print.

Just picked DS up from a lovely week at OPES. Great end of week performance. We've talked all the way home and he has had a fantastic week, great teaching and lots of encouragement. Thank you OPES team.

Agree LinMM, having lots of problems accessing the site.

I'm so sorry to hear your sad news Fiz. My thoughts are with you and your family at this very difficult time.

I would go for it. He can treat it as a non set class which is good for his brain and as said above, ballet, is ballet, is ballet - as long as it's all taught well. Good luck!

I agree Terry, such an important area which needs to be brought out into the open. I'm so sick of the 'mental abuse' dished out at vocational school that would never be tolerated in any other learning environment.

Agreed Canary, David and Ilsa did a wonderful job creating the association and have added to the enjoyment and development of Childrens dancing in the area for almost 40 years - I was one of the first beneficiaries - just a shame it's coming to an end.

Norfolk dance association is pretty much finished now. Shame that after all the years it's been in existence that Ilsa didn't put a succession plan in place.

Thanks Jan.

Who are you exactly please?

From previous threads, goldenlily17 has a dd at RBS. I can understand her frustration. This frustration is felt by probably 80% of dance parents on behalf of their children. We as parents see the hard work, the dedication, the disappointment of being overlooked, the sense of injustice that there always seem to be a 'golden few' and that we feel everyone, in a learning environment such as a school, should be given equal chance to prove themselves on stage. However, this is the dance world we are talking about and the process of selection for schools, shows and companies has an element of subjectivity to it and personal preferences from the artistic staff obviously come into the decision making process. Being a dancer is not only tough physically but incredibly tough mentally. Dancers are necessarily, obsessive perfectionists, super critical of themselves and always driving for someone else's approval - teacher, audition panel, artistic director. Being selected is a validation of your ability and to not be the 'chosen one' is hard, requiring a tough mental attitude to persist for yourself. This happens in every vocational school and every company. Plenty of dancers move company because they are not given chances that they feel they deserve. The RB is very good at protecting its brand, it makes people believe that the only place you can learn to be a ballet dancer of any repute is to train there. You don't get to hear of all the previous training from other schools that went in first. Or in some cases afterwards. You don't see in the dancers biographies all the mixed training they have had, just the RB with a very rare nod to Elmhurst or Tring. It makes people believe all graduates get jobs - you don't hear of the students that get ousted after the second year of upper school because it may distort that statistic. The shows will be the same, they will promote their star pupils to promote the school. RB brand first. Hopefully every talented dancer will find a company that appreciates their unique abilities. There are many fine companies out there and each one is looking for something different. Training is tough but I suspect it is even tougher in a company. I am full of admiration for ballet students/dancers, they really are a breed apart.

Another person here who has never heard of AAD and I've been in the dance world all my life. I think to try and compare exam boards is pointless and good teaching can be found anywhere as can bad teaching. Try and find out how many senior students from AAD get on at senior ballet school auditions. Might be a better way to compare the rigour of the training.

That's lovely to hear! Many congratulations to her. You can now take a deep breath!!!

You have been given some very thoughtful advice on this forum from ex professional dancers, parents who have seen their children through the trials and tribulations of classes, auditions, going off to full time dance school and then company auditions and others who have been connected with ballet at the highest level all their lives. Unfortunately you are struggling to hear the advice. May I suggest you ring some of our top ballet schools and ask them their view on your situation, perhaps ring: The Royal Ballet school English National Ballet school Central School of ballet Elmhurst ballet school you would need to be able to get into one of these schools (plus some others, but the list is quite long) or an equivalent foreign school to complete your initial training to be able to have the necessary skills to audition for a ballet company. Some schools categorically refuse to audition girls over the age of 18. And I gather at 23 you haven't even started training yet. How do you know if you have the physical requirements?

Wonderful!

In short, they don't! They take a sideways step if they have the ability - contemporary, musical theatre. Teach maybe, if they have the skills and temperament, but will require further training to become registered teachers. Other than that they retrain by going back to university, take up apprenticeships in another field or just simply get a job that pays the bills. I know ex dancers/professionally trained dancers that have the following careers: lawyer accountant, Pilates teacher, ballet teacher, personal trainer, school teacher, doctor - and just about everything else you can imagine.

Everyone is being very polite here and the facts have actually been perfectly well laid out. A professional ballet career, starting at 23 is not going to be possible - as for asking about the royal ballet company, well I can't comprehend how you can think that is possible. I really don't mean to be rude, and I apologise if this is coming across that way but please have a look at the company in class, look at the students who train there, in fact look at any of the full time students training in our top ballet schools, you will never be able to compete and 90% of them can't get a professional ballet contract. I am all for people following their dreams but reality has to be a factor. Put your passion and energy into something realistic. Ballet has to have been started young, bodies with masses of potential have to moulded. You are simply too late for a professional ballet career.

I think it's also worth remembering that generally, boys develop a bit later than girls in the physical stakes. It's all about noticing and training potential.