Balletgirlsplease

http://www.rambertschool.org.uk/courses-how-to-apply/undergraduate/

Anyone considered a degree course? Any good?

Are they any good?

At least the student could access the £9000 a year student loan.

Just a thought.

Great you have finally got some good news Discouraged! Fingers crossed!!

We are from Sheffield and do a couple in Huddersfield and one in Barnsley. I might be wrong but I understood that your dance teacher had to be invited to compete. Or maybe that's just the way our dance teacher does it.

If you want to do Musical Theatre then comps are a really good idea and give you confidence and experience of performing in that way. If you want to do purely ballet then summer schools and workshops may be more valuable. They do teach you good life skills and prepare you for the knock backs of the dance world.

Have you thought of getting some performance experience in another way for example the youth ballet companies or your dance school's show?

It depends what you want to do. My brother did competitions and then competed in DanceMaster and came 3rd. He then won a full scholarship to The Laines at 16. I'm sure doing comps helped with his performance abilities. He didn't start dancing until 13 but it gave him the confidence to perform. He never did any summer schools or workshops. If you want to do ballet though you might want to get noticed at summer schools etc. my girls do comps and I love the confidence it gives them. Plus the life skills. It's difficult if your teacher doesn't do them though.

We did enquire when only ticking the MA box whether we really should tick for WL to have a better chance of MA's and we were told not to by the RBS. They said some people are offered MA's without a WL final and some who get WL final aren't offered MA's.

 

I've got two one 11 and the other is 7

I have two 10 and 9. My 10 year old has worked really hard with her stretching and flexibility. My 9 year old hates limbering with a passion and uses any avoidance tactics to get out of doing it!! I was hoping it would come with age but I think it's just the difference in their personalities. One 'wants it' and the other doesn't. So we leave them to it. I think the lure of getting a modern for festivals might tempt her eventually as their teacher likes them to show effort in their limbering to be given one!

 

Do you usually pay your dance teacher for helping you with the photos? I'm wondering wether I should offer to pay my teacher when she helps with my summer school photos...

We did ours in the girls private lesson. I bought a little present for the student who gave up her time to do the photography.

My tiny dd has become more flexible by attending the limbering classes held once a week by her dance teacher and doing some exercises at home (repeating some exercises from her class and at the end trying her splits). She has gone from not being able to do the splits to full splits on both legs. She has worked very hard to achieve this though. The only time she has used a theraband is to strengthen her feet with exercises set by her RBS JA teacher. She has also really improved her core strength with doing the limbering class and 6 months of JA lessons. Her teacher would be the best person to guide her as they would know her weaknesses and best exercises for her.

The first year we applied our dance teacher got the girls in position and an older student who was doing photography at college sorted the lighting and took the pictures. This year I took them myself but they weren't quite up to the dance teachers standard! She didn't have time to do them so I took them on my camera phone at home and texted them to her on a Sunday and she texted me back with the corrections!! Took about 3 goes at each picture! It's definitely worth the teacher helping. I have done some ballet myself and know what I'm looking for but needed the teacher as my Dd wouldn't listen to the corrections from me!! (Funnily the corrections from her teacher were the same and she'd do them when they came from her! Lol!)

It could be shin splints but then it could be a number of things. Can you get your GP to refer you to a Physio as its probably best if someone had a look at your shins and where it hurts rather than us guess what might be the issue? Although I'm sure there are people here who may know exactly what it is. I hope you can get is sorted!

I know it's not answering your question but RBS and Northern ballet have associates weekly. My dd does RBS associates and several come from Grimsby/ Cleethorpes and Hull area. I do appreciate travelling is hard though. We only go to Leeds from Sheffield and its far enough. I hope you find one closer by x

I've never posted before... so a bit nervous! (And will probably hit the wrong key!) So here it goes...

And it's a bit long... sorry!

 

 

I have read with interest and gleaned much from this fantastic encyclopaedic forum. I’ve donated my tenner and consider it money well worth spent. Though happy to read as an “outsider” it is this issue of

funding that has prompted me to join in the forum.

 

I too feel uncomfortable with the tone adopted by some, regarding the unfairness/disproportionate funding for families on lower pay scales. Even with the DADA these low earners will have to find a large sum,

(relative to their income). I know of parents on low incomes who can simply not afford to go down the DADA route.

 

If you want support from all do not alienate lower earners by suggesting a lack of work ethic. Be careful what you say! Uni doesn’t always mean harder working young people. I work in a school where hard work doesn’t

always equate intelligence. Some naturally bright children rest a little too much on their laurels whereas those lower ability will work hard to just achieve an average. Of course a lot of bright children do work exceptionally hard,

and I find dedicated dancers, more often than not, seem to be in this category!

 

Please don’t say those on higher salaries did a lot more work earlier. Both my husband and I are post-graduates and due to circumstance outside our control have found ourselves this past year as low earners.

 

 

I recently spent a night with my frail, ill father whilst they tried to find him a bed in hospital. A 95 year old lady opposite had spent over 6 hours waiting in a wheelchair. The nurses and auxiliaries were working

their socks off. These lovely people are on such low pay and they do such a hard difficult job, yet with an aging population, the need for carers and health assistants, (the underpaid), will greatly increase.

 

My husband is amazed, that in this current economic climate, a DADA scheme in any form is still affordable. Like many taxpayers he will see health and education (alas, not dance) as needing priority. I’m NOT of that ilk. I was

trained in the Arts (ah! that’s it! that’s why I’m on such a low income!!) I love all forms of it. It's what makes us, us humans, us! If that makes sense! A life with out the Arts, in all its many guises, is a dreary one, an unhealthy one. Also, the Arts are one of our greatest exports, (see how successful the Against EBACC petition was, many big Art organisations including individuals signed it). I think there should be state funding, but, on this forum, please don’t knock the lower earners. Society works on all levels.

 

IF ONLY there was sensible state funding for all our talented children... regardless of income.

 

(sudden after-thought... have you thought of contacting the big Art organisations? To have them on board would be great!)

C'mon folks - everyone has their own set of circumstances which won't be helped by prolonging the argument. I think what this thread is showing very clearly is that everyone deserves help with funding until they get to the point that they can readily afford to pay out £26k without too much pain.

 

Eloise, I think personal nasty remarks are uncalled for.

 

Jaylou - I don't know anything about Twitter but my partner says it may think you are a spammer if you are sending out that amount of tweets?? Might be OK again in a day or two.

It was sarcasm.

Careful Taxi4ballet you nearly had a mind of your own there and a different opinion!!!

I happen to know many people who thought it was a god given right to go to university. Never worked hard, and walked into very well paid jobs where they can work even less hard doing not a lot for a very decent wage thankyou very much so let's not make sweeping statements!

My Dd's dance school never breaks for the holidays. Just 2 weeks closed at Xmas. Sometimes I could do with the break!!!

Can your dance teacher advise? Last year one of the older students came in and took photos whilst the dance teacher positioned my Dd's (for Ja's so not as technical photos I appreciate). But this was really helpful with getting them just right. They took loads and then the teacher chose the best ones to develop and then send off. This year for mids I took them myself at home then texted them instantly to the teacher who advised. It worked well now I knew a bit more what I was looking for!

Why doesn't she try a few styles out and see what she likes best?

Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Totnes, Bristol, London and Eastleigh. There are only two boys in my Dd's JA class in Leeds. One has heard he hasn't got final despite being a JA for 3 years and the other is yet to hear (had only been a JA for year 6).

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/please-reconsider-the-new-changes-to-dada-funding

Please sign and share x

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/please-reconsider-the-new-changes-to-dada-funding

Please sign and share!

Good luck to your Dd today discouraged x

Blimey that was one expensive festival!

My DDs first festival cost £3 each, borrowed tutus, they did a duet and came fourth out of four but I was so proud of them for taking part! To be honest I didn't really notice the other kids nor was I bothered what position they came. If it was 8 years ago I presume your dd was about the same as my two then (6 and 8). I wonder what was triggering the bad feelings that you had at the festival? Most of the festivals we go to aren't about the winning, it's about performing your best, learning to cope with rejection despite trying your hardest and sometimes that resulting in a medal, sometimes not. All skills that would help your DD (and you!) cope in the future. I really feel for you if this is the first time she has has had a rejection as that must feel very tough!

Ultimately we all want our kids to avoid heartache and sadness but sometimes life's lessons need to be learnt in order to prepare them for future heartache!

I'm hoping you both can take this rejection on the chin and keep trying. It's the knock backs that make you try harder! Good luck!!

That is so cute!

Ahhh sorry to hear that Pasdebourree15. It's very good audition experience though and as many people said it is very hard to get a year 11 place. Well done for giving it a go!