swe

Thought I would give you an update..dd had blood tests for anaemia/glandular fever/thyroid etc. etc. and all negative-phew. However, since I posted I have changed her diet by including a bit more red meat and leafy veg, pasta, rice and generally bigger portions-she is still a growing teenager afterall. I have also ordered a book off the internet on dancer nutrition! I have to say she is already looking ( a bit) better. The most interesting thing of all however, is the day Anjuli posted the thread on breathing was the same day dd's ballet teacher asked (the whole class) 'do you ever breathe when you dance?' What a coincidence! When I pursued this with dd she confessed she felt quite tense with concentration during ballet and that made it difficult to know when to breathe. So I also think that aside from diet she is not breathing properly-no wonder she is so out of breath after a 2 minute dance and looks so exhausted! Hopefully by addressing all these things, she will start to have more energy during her dancing and thank you all for the advice xx

That's interesting BankruptMum-I didn't realise there were options for jazz v lyrical-so you could be right that the teacher chose that to avoid anything potentially uncomfortable. I do think that children have to 'feel' ok and it's not just the technical ability. Having said that I don't think grade 5 has elements which are too 'adult'-but that's just my view x

Hi Spanner my dd is 14 and doing ISTD modern. She generally takes an exam every summer but not this year as she is working towards Intermediate and I believe there is a lot more work involved. Last summer she took grade IF -I could be wrong but I think this is the equivalent to grade 6. I watched some of the work and I am surprised the teacher has called it 'sexy'. Obviously as they progress up the grades there will be elements which are more 'grown up'. The dance was choreographed by the teacher and was very lyrical so that suited my 'balletic' dd! I wonder whether it would be worth having a quiet word with your dd's teacher to explain how keen your dd is on doing the exam. I know our school don't always allow just 1 pupil to do an exam on their own so may be if your dd is the only one ready-would this be a possible factor influencing the decision?

What do you mean regarding Darcy, Stardancer? I confess I don't know her history-did someone tell her she wouldn't dance professionally?

Looking forward to hearing how it went x

My dd not particularly sporty but despite being the 'skinniest' in the year she is the champion arm wrestler!! lol x

All I can say is-thank goodness for the forum! Feel much better after all your posts and will take dd to doctor asap. To answer Pups_mum-yes dd has shot up (again) recently and this could also be at the root of her tiredness. xx

That sounds like good advice Spannerandpony-my daughter also goes white as a sheet-whereas all her friends turn red as beetroots-that is what prompted my question. We did try the porridge thing but she got fed up with it-maybe I will try a few times a week and look at her diet in general-many thanks x Reply from Anjuli_Bai come through as I was responding so I will pop to the drs too to rule anything else out thanks x

Hello everyone, I have noticed that over the last few months my dd seems to get absolutely shattered after ballet-especially if she does a double lesson. Tonight she did an exam prep class with one other student and I know they don't get much of a rest but she looked ill when she came out. I wonder if she needs a protein boost before dancing (this class is straight after school so no time for tea). Other than ballet she doesn't do any stamina-building stuff like swimming because there is no time, but she also says her muscles won't seem to function properly after about half an hour or so of ballet. When she does a 2 minute dance full on she also seems exhausted! Any comments greatly received as usual. Thanks swe

Thanks all-yes Ribbons-I agree, there are so many things going on but all squished into end of July/beg August. Oh well, I will keep looking. swe

Hello everyone We are away at the beginning of August (first 2 weeks) but wondered if anyone knew of a ballet summer school at the end of August? We can't do end of July either!! Thanks all swe

It is so difficult for us dancing parents to know when to 'draw the line'. I have found myself recently having to say 'no' to various shows/awards etc. basically because of the rest of the family. Sometimes we get quite carried away then dh steps in and reminds that younger dd (who does it much more as a hobby) is not running all over the country. Then I feel guilty! I think Rowan has given good advice-look at the whole picture; maybe there would be opportunities closer? Equally, if you do go for it, I'm sure you will manage to juggle things (we mums are experts at that!) Best of luck with your decision.

Sorry to hear that C4D swe x

My daughter is the the same spannerandpony - her feet are great but she doesn't look quite right from the waist up! and I have to say having also watched the TV prog on Darcey Bussell over xmas (which Glowlight mentioned) I actually didn't think she looked like a tapper at all -she may have hit every beat but it didn't look natural to me (my opinion)

Whilst it is always valid to listen to dance teachers' advice, I don't think it hurts to audition where you can because it is valuable experience (if you can afford it of course). My dd's ex-teacher told my dd -in a kind way-' I don't think you are right for RBS'-this was 2 years ago-and she has just got an SA place.

Many thanks all x

I wondered what the view was on acro with ballet-dd recently gave it up (simply because she had too much on) but I have heard that the lower back needs to be so 'bendy' for this discipline that it can then be difficult to keep a straighter lower back for ballet. Having said that, acro really helps with flexibility so I'm not sure we have done the right thing!

Hi everyone I have been on several websites (6th from vocational) and most seem to offer dance diplomas. I have seen RBS do A Levels but I wondered if anyone knew of others? Thanks swe

This happened to my dd too- and I can tell you she has been at Northern for nearly 2 years and has loved it! The staff are amazing-very friendly and approachable and the standard of teaching is excellent. Well done x

Wow -well done Tulip and dd x

Fabulous news-well done

Thank you for the lovely messages and GOOD LUCK to all those still waiting xx

Just heard dd offered SA place after auditioning unsuccessfully every year for mids-over the moon! Congratulations to all those offered a place and so sorry to hear of the disappointed ones because as you can see from my post , we have been there too and it is heart-breaking. xx

Stay positive dancing10- 2 years ago my dd auditioned for MAs at RBS; on the very same day she received a 'no' she got a 'yes' from Northern Ballet associates! If she doesn't get a 'yes' for SAs this year (and it's highly unlikely she will) I am hoping she will focus on the summer school fun. xx

whoohoo!! well done xx