Balletgirlsplease

No for mids for my Dd. And northern associates. She is fortunately not too disappointed.

No for my Dd for mids. She is not too disappointed as with starting secondary this September we were starting to wonder how she would fit everything in! Good luck to those still waiting.

Wow that's great!! I wonder if our letter will come today?

Fingers crossed. The two that went to WL are both lovely dancers. It's a lovely class there.

Just watched an episode on you tube. I have never seen such awful treatment of children by their own mothers and their teacher. Parents criticising other mothers and children infront of their kids. It is car crash though! You do want to watch more but I can't quite believe what I'm seeing! It's almost child abuse!!

To be fair most of those auditioning for WL also auditioned for mids and it was the same price whether you auditioned for both, got a call back to finals, or not or only auditioned for mids. Is your granddaughter a JA at Leeds with my Dd? Quite a few children only auditioned for mids there.

When we did JA letters the yes and nos came at the same time. I know because we had one if each arrive together! ;(

Thanks so much got letting me know that!! It's lovely isn't it!! I could whip my daughter out of the school and send her to a purely ballet school but I'd never get wht we get now, she'd be devastated and it would put a real downer on her dancing. And what for?? She has never mentioned being a dancer as a career so we are keeping our feet firmly on the ground. It is really easy to see how you do get an inferiority complex!!!

Fabulous!!!!

That's good to hear! My Dd's syllabus has recently changed and her class weren't ready to do her grade 2 when they were going to so they are doing it later this year. Her school also does festivals and an annual show so they get a different type of experience than exams. I had a discussion with my daughters dance teacher about her progression in ballet when she got into JA's and she has since let her join in with a grade 3 ballet class (at no charge) and really focused on her ballet in her private lesson. So her exam level isn't a true reflection of her technical ability. And her teacher who is a really good teacher in my opinion, cares about my daughter as a whole person sorting out some worries she was having about friendship groups and having her in on a Sunday for extra lessons at no charge on her day off! She also has my other daughter on a Saturday (as a 'helper') so she doesn't miss her classes which start whilst we are at my other daughters JA's. I'm not sure any other dance school would have been so supportive of us as a family and my Dd as a dancer!!!

We love our "performing arts" school and wouldn't change for the world! My dd doesn't want to do ballet for a career, maybe dance of some form or musical theatre. At the moment she wants to be a doctor. We will enjoy her dancing opportunities and life skills it teaches her as long as she is enjoying herself and it doesn't take over!

Well it was very bad in Sheffield yesterday. We had 8 inches and both passes were shut. There is no way we could've made it to Centre Pointe yesterday!

Out of interest does anyone know if the Manchester Mids class was on yesterday with the bad weather? We had 8 inches of snow in Sheffield and had to train to Leeds. If we were on mids and the weather was as it was yesterday we wouldn't have made it as both the Woodhead Pass and Snake Pass were closed. And because of the location of the Manchester class it doesn't look like getting the train would be an option. I wonder just how many we would be forced to miss because of travel and bad weather!

When I took my then 7 year old to a JA for a day at RBD Covent garden a little girl put her hand up at the question and answer session and asked if JA's did pointe. She was told 'no they don't' she proudly announced that she did. Since she wasn't a current JA and was going to audition she couldn't have been any older than 9 and certainly didn't look the standard to be doing point work. There was an audible intake of breathe when she said this but the lady handled her questions very tactfully!!

Went to our JA class in Leeds today and no one has heard anything yet about mids! Mind you we have had 8 inches of snow in Sheffield so the postman won't be delivering anyway!

Hi my dd is 11 and grade 2 in ballet but got a place as a Junior Associate last year with the Royal Ballet School which was a huge surprise to us. She is quite a way behind most of her other JA's in her year 6 class but she certainly gives it her all and loves every minute of it! I do worry that she doesn't do enough ballet or that she isn't a high enough standard but I think it doesn't really matter if they are enjoying what they do and making an improvement. There will always be someone whose dd went on pointe before anyone else and those that have done higher grades but it is getting a good grounding and correct technique that is important rather than racing through the grades. The other life skills my dd is learning are more important such as learning a skill, being disciplined to practice, accepting life's knock backs and learning that you aren't necessarily the best at something. The last thing I would want is for her to churn out the grades too quickly and her technique suffer and then the enjoyment of dancing be lost. If its true that Darcey Bussell started dancing at 13 then if its meant be that they have a career in dance they will! Does she take any other styles of dancing at the moment?

Discouraged has your DD got a place yet?

Our yes ones for JA's were exactly the same as the no's (we had one of each for sisters at the same time) so I imagine just small ones the same. They said further details to follow once accepted the place.

Brilliant!

Yes he lodged in one of those houses where the attic has about 8 kids in! Lol! He got breakfast and a pack up if I remember right. He was quite a young 16 and had never been away from home but he loved it there. He goes back and teaches there now. And he was offered a place at Performers and Northern Ballet. But got a full scholarship from Miss Laine so the decision was easy!

Well that just shows they don't have to go to finals to get a mids place!! We are waiting on Manchester but live in Sheffield. There is thick snow here so no post at all!

Yes School for stars. You do wonder if she could've waited until 16 if it meant sacrificing so much. Did she not get a bursary then?

What centre is his mids place for? I presume London?

I'm pretty sure if its like the jA's that its addresses to the parent of. And it'll go through the letter box! Unless you have a really small one!! I haven't had a letter yet today and a friend waiting has had her post and it wasn't there!

We were told not to tick it if we didn't want full time training as it wouldn't affect the mids places. Obviously a large majority may have been to finals as they are the kids who are off a standard needed but we were reassured that some that go to WL finals that don't get mids and some that don't go to finals that do! Despite the rumours! Fingers crossed!!