Petalviolet

Wasn't alonglaise *cough I mean assembles perchance?

I do sympathise with your DD Annaliesey but I bet some of those newbies must envy her experience and accomplishment! X

We've been on both sides of this problem. DD has been the "skipper" so missed a good chunk of Grade 1 having been held back in a Primary class for 18 months only to join (at great controversy) a class taking their Grade 1 exam in less than 3 months. Her teacher was adamant she could cope but the school Principal, who had never seen my DD, was not happy. Funnily enough my partner overheard the school secretary watching my DD in this exam ready class say to another mother "oh it looks like she's been doing it for ages!" She never did take her grade 1 (too young) and joined another school at grade 2 after their Principal actually watched her perform to her satisfaction. She also continued a Grade 1 class on the side but only for another two terms. Good communication and an awareness of the class dynamic are essential. We left that school because of the inflexibility and disinterest in helping my DD reach her potential. We weren't the only ones either! However, we have experienced being the "skippee" and it can be frustrating because it highlights that ballet classes are a business. The school will only flourish if new children are encouraged even if this disrupts a class. Older children will feel far too self conscious starting in a Primary class with tiny babies and where do you start with teenagers??!! I've seen our teacher use her more experienced students as mini-teachers to demonstrate technique (supervised still but a step up for them in terms of self reliance) and this encourages a friendly and helping class atmosphere for the newbies. I would love my DD to do an associate course but I'm not sure she will be suitable so in the meantime we just have to grit our teeth and realise their are a lot of factors running a class and sometimes what's best for some isn't best for all. Our DC are committed and dedicated and self disciplined that will stand them in much better stead to ride out these disruptions! We are only on the very early grades though so I can imagine with older children, higher up the syllabus very much more is at stake.

Oh my god Carmen67 THATS IT THATS IT!!!! ASS OM BLAYS not AL LONG GLASE....hurrah! Sorry DD's teacher has a thick accent.... Hahahagahaha ass Om BLAYS..... F w et ays..... Oh I love this forum.

I imagine there is a W in the pronunciation of Assemblies too?! There should be a thread on Audience Behaviour at Watching Week. In all seriousness though there is so much to be gained and shared by just being there and giving your undivided attention WHEN you can and that's all children want in the end. I will be back in the waiting room post Easter listening to the barrage of instruction/critique/accusations/denials/pleading/finger-pointing/bargaining and general malarkey the constitutes the average eight year olds ballet class and will, as I sometimes do, sit there trying to idly workout who is this week's chosen one. Convince myself that it is DD who is the subject of any overheard praise..only to have her simultaneously come puffing in to deposit a cardie or sip water and chuff out again. Oh...not you. Deflate. Back to book..or Facebook. ;-)

Thank you Harwel! Ballet for Shetland Ponies. (See leotard thread).

I'm not sure if it makes a difference but it's a Legat school? Could it be called something different elsewhere?

But Ellie....surely from my exquisite and minute description of snarling and skirt twitching...?

Oh don't get me started on "foo ets" where is the w.

In my defense though I'm not a persistent oggler... I will shuffle off abashed. I've seen some wars raged though.. Principal's other half has an arsenal of weapons/tactics to discourage including sweeping with a huge broom along the width and length of the narrow corridor until he reaches any malingering cluster of spectators and will sweep right on through till they are dispatched. He met his match with a lady and her chihuahua...that creature could dodge.

It does vary and I think the most constructive approach is a termly watching week for exactly those reasons. Ours coincided with exams being over so all pressure was off. Maybe it's just me but if I CAN watch..every week..completely freely..it's a Portuguese custard tart and a nosy around Waterstones. If I'm shoofed off and glowered at and must retreat to chilly waiting room with a book..oooooh what's going on in there?!! Must.....pop to the loo....while lingering at the open door....just..er..doing some stretching exercises using doorframe...nosy.

I think if your school allows you to watch on a weekly basis you can be forgiven for not giving a class 100% attention!! I have been at schools where you are welcome to watch weekly and have to admit am nearly always lured by the bewitching siren call of Cafe Nero. I really agree that kids sometimes don't want to be scrutinised they get enough of that from their teacher! But if you get one class a term?!! I'd be so discouraged. Plus I wonder those of you with older children and those with children at vocational school you get to see them perform once in a blue moon :-(

Just a small whinge... It's been Watching Week before the Easter hiatus and I LOVE this! I'm usually the only mum who stays every week as we live slightly too far for me to drop off but everyone is firmly discouraged from hanging around and I'm always dismissed to the changing room. I can hear (a lot) but I can't see. So it is lovely to be able to actually put a visual interpretation on all the thudding, sliding, pattering, straining, even the occasional snarl of effort (snarling seems to coincide with the shouted order of all-long-glaise? This is a jumpy move? They find it tricky). I digress. So my whinge..nobody stayed to watch but me up until the very last 20 mins of class and when they did rock up (with shopping, coffee and pastry selection) spent more time scrolling through Facebook than actually watching their children! Just can people get off their phones for five minutes and enjoy real life happening right in front of them? These children are the most committed,sweet, friendly, dedicated little ones and the class is strict. They really want to be there, it's not childcare. They are training, learning and taking real criticism with such buoyant attitudes they deserve a bit of attention and recognition. It just made me feel a bit sad. I understand the pressures of juggling work and family commitments - lots of parents would love to come but can't or have siblings to take care of. My own single working mum rarely had time. But what I don't understand is the habit of being present, in the room, but nose buried in your iPhone on social media the one opportunity a term you get to share in your child's interest. Moan over. P.s all'longlaise? Longlaise...all' oh...something. Jump to the side, tap feet, land awkwardly in a sort of squat. Huff and puff a bit. Tweak skirt. Giggle.

In that case there shouldn't be a single child on the Tring funding reserve list that should be allowed to think- even for a moment- that they received that No because of anything they did wrong or that they weren't good enough. I hope they hold their heads up high and realise they are incredibly talented and very special and my heart goes out to them and their families.

Thank you Spannerandpony - had a feeling there was a reason it hadn't been done but thought I'd ask as others might be thinking the same.

Do you think it might be possible to have a pinned thread at the top of the forum so that all members- especially new ones like myself- could head there straightaway? It is such a popular topic for newbies and perhaps one of the main reasons people join. I'm not sure how pinned threads work though so if it's not practical please don't worry! I'm not sure if anyone else would find it useful but it took me rather a long time to get to grips with RBS JA, Tring CBA, LJB, YDA and whatnot - just in terms of inputting search criteria! I appreciate that the RBS gets top billing but as so many very experienced posters who have been there and done that say - there are many roads that lead to dance- could we not make it a Junior Associate thread, to include all the exciting and rewarding associate schemes across the country and the audition process for these too? I would never have heard of these schemes if I hadn't done my research on here, our school never mentioned there were any such opportunities it was just the RBS? I hope it's not an impractical idea but it just seems that one step is missing? We have lower and upper school but not associates? It might save our splendid mods a bit of time gently herding the annual flock of newbies? Like me??!! I don't really know what goes on in those pinned threads so please excuse me if that's not really what they are for..it's all Dadas and Midas thingies...scary stuff...

Good luck Balletnewbie!! Get that form done and dusted and let the excitement begin!!!

Turnout has something to do with bucket shaped boots??? The more I learn about Ballet the less I understand...must google this... I am always amazed and impressed by dancers who seem to be able to spot good turnout at about 50 paces. Not when children are doing frogs legs or any particular position meant to expose it but from just watching someone mooching around..pottering about...idly queuing or waiting for a bus. I've tried to understand but it remains a mysterious dark art.

Thank you for your insight - it does surprise me how much you can really gain from just one masterclass or a week summer school. Although my DD has only done local summer schools and nothing in the league of pre vocational ones yet I was so impressed to see how much of an effect a guest teacher or a more free (non syllabus) class can have, even at her age. A different pair of eyes, a new perspective, a tweak here or just a different type of explanation and all of a sudden they "get it"!! I think it must be so important to encourage children to become familiar with how it feels to move correctly and not just how it looks in the mirror so they can remember it when they are performing- it will make them more independent I guess.

We are just in the process of applying to the YDA associate scheme! DD is seven going on eight so just starting her ballet journey but your post Fullcontretemps is encouraging! Did you start as an associate?

Thank you hfbrew- that's useful info - I'd imagine it would be instigated that way around rather than vice versa.

I think we should lock this thread down!! Do you know why? I can't think of anything that would truly cement- perhaps even elevate my personal participation in this wonderful forum than to have contributed (albeit uselessly) to a locked thread. It's a notoriety I previously could only dream about......go on...... I would become a legend..... It might even push me from 'member' to 'advanced member'. My only other option is to embark on a thread entitled 'applying for RBS JA- your thoughts?" Now that would get you locked down straight away. Only out of ennui though- not drama.

I would be interested to know what the actual relationship between an associate teacher and the regular local ballet teacher would be? Do they ever discuss their mutual DC? I know from some of the associate websites it does say "These classes are not supposed to replace regular dancing lessons" and something to the tune of we EXPECT you to continue normal classes, teachers welcome to come and watch, etc etc. At first glance I had rose tinted visions of both teachers discussing your child and their development, not I hasten to add a cosy chat on a weekly basis (I'm not that naive!) but surely I would have expected an associate teacher to say something through your own teacher when it comes to finals for that school? Maybe this is cynical but do Associate courses only specify that you must continue your local dance training so they don't come across as simply poaching the best students (would local teachers be then keen to refer/encourage children to leave?) when in reality there really isn't any relationship once you start an associate course? They co exist but they don't communicate?

I'm sure meggy13 didn't mean to imply that red hair and freckles are a negative attribute!! There are a few girls at our local school who, although unrelated, have exactly the same colour of absolutely divine red hair. Titian? I don't know the exact shade, but it looks stunning with their pale lilac leotard and so eye catching. My DD looks positively washed out in comparison! I did hear from an ex dancing friend of mine that at her old school a mother had actually dyed her daughter's hair before an audition! I don't know from what to what though..

Aileen I think you might have misread my post- I assume you think I have been telling "people" when in fact only my closest family members know. I'm talking about grandparents here- precisely the sort of people to have vaulting expectations! As I don't come from a dancing background and nobody in my family understands the exact nature of pre vocational ballet auditions I have some explaining to do before they get carried away. I am at great pains not to do precisely what you are suggesting I have been. I can't keep her audition completely between just the people practically involved as it's only fair and realistic that, if she can't talk about it at school, or at either if her dance schools, she can at least talk about it to her family?