Ruby Foo

She may not be going to vocational school in Turkey.

At White Lodge only Freed is allowed. There is a huge range available and most people seem to adapt ok. despite wearing Grishko/ Russians etc beforehand. C pro specials are a lovely shoe but everyone has their own very special requirements so Beth at Freeds would be the person to see.

Don’t worry about the quality of the photos as long as they can see your physique/ posture/ turnout, that’s all that matters. We applied to Elmhurst summer school one year. The application was sent v. late with a note ( as we’d just moved house) and our cat featured prominently in every photo, which were taken in our living room! Didn’t seem to matter as she got a place.

Some schools do both RAD and ISTD as they compliment one another really nicely. I don’t know if you are lucky enough to live near one of those. Otherwise complimenting her usual classes with ‘ day of dance’ type workshops will help with free work.

You definitely have a point regarding the ‘ free work ‘ that is part of ISTD. It is a bonus to practice, week in, week out, picking up steps on the spot especially for building confidence in an audition etc. However, the most important element in your Dds classes is the QUALITY of teaching. You can do 3 classes a week or just 1, but if that 1 has wonderful teaching then it wins every time especially at such a young age when building slow and careful technique is so important. That could be ISTD or RAD or any other society. My own Dd was grade 2 ( and very behind !)when she successfully auditioned for RBS mids having one class a week. Her teacher was very good though, slow and thorough. You know your own child best though and if she’s ready for more, why not?

We used to travel 130 miles for mids and applied for the travel bursary. It took a very long time to sort. Probably around August of the following year we were finally reimbursed. That was a couple of years ago now though.

This is exactly the issue. Kids away at vocational school have limited choices. Yes, school food is gradually becoming more nutritious nowadays, with nutritionists brought in to advise but that doesn’t mean they like the good choices and are going to eat them, or that they can look at the lists of ingredients. Going to the shops on a Saturday is loaded with psychological stuff of freedom from school... I can buy what I like, eat what I like, which is a mentally healthy escape I think....or maybe not.

I think it’s usual for young teens to eat loads of candy, chocolate etc in the same way as it’s compulsory for all teens to sleep till midday, if they could! As long as they are taking in the food necessary for a sports training then it’s probably not worth getting too worried about. After all, cutting out all junk will not change an athletic bone structure into a willowy bone structure and there are plenty of both types in professional ballet and dance.

I am pretty certain that some feedback will have been given. However, whether it is detailed and useful would be another matter. According to some posts on this thread, it wasn’t.

Misty Copeland’s book ‘Ballerina Body’ has much on diet/ menus for dancers accompanied by stunning photos of her very athletic physique. Truly inspirational. As long as you’ve stressed and listed the foods that are most beneficial in terms of nutrition ( muscle/ tendon/ bone/ general vitamins) and providing energy, while educating them in the foods that are of little or no use, then you’ve done a good job!

Good that you can find the courage to post this as I’m sure you’ll get loads of advice and encouragement from people on this forum. Understandably, you are both devastated as this has been your Dds school, home and dream for the past 2 years. I think the most important 1st step would be to take any feedback you have had from Royal and go with it to a dance physio first. 2nd step, to have a private assessment with possibly 2 different teachers who will see different qualities in your Dd. It’s really difficult for a parent to get an all round understanding of all that surrounds physical potential and dance potential, so, by getting a couple of different points of view, will help. I think those 2 steps should be taken before embarking on another vocational school straight away, so that you are fully armed with as much information as possible. RBS is not the only way to have a career in ballet - far from it!! They have as many issues as any other vocational school or any other way to train, so please don’t be disheartened. Many girls assessed out have gone on to have successful dance careers and I know personally of a girl assessed out who was accepted back into upper school, albeit a long time ago. As dancer 123 has said, somewhen down the line, you will see that this has been an amazing opportunity and hopefully your Dd will have the security she needs to be happy and blossom. Sarah Toner in North London does a personal assessment and has much experience. If you are not going down the vocational route straight away, then I wouldn’t personally send her back to her old dance school, unless she wants to, of course. A fresh, optimistic start with one of the many amazing teachers that exist would be preferable. Good Luck for the future!

Sounds like you had an interesting and successful day! Breaking in pointe shoes is a bit like buying them in that it is an ever evolving process. As others have said, people/ teachers have very different ideas and I’m certainly not going to advise you on this as it’s personal to every dancer. Several years down the line your Dd will know how she likes her pointe shoe to feel on a first wearing and how to achieve it but for now it’s trial and error and picking up tips as she goes.

I know my Dd is MUCH more knowledgeable about good/ safe practice in stretching than we ever were back in the day! She understands about a thorough warm up, various muscle groups, the balance of strengthening and stretching, the potential dangers of static stretch, diet, to name but a few. She’s also well aware through experience of auditions and summer schools, that a few crazy pictures don’t add to much when it comes to the real thing!

Couldn’t agree more with Anna C regarding Beth at Freeds. What you want, is not just a brand new, shiny pair of pointe shoes, but a complete understanding of your Dds feet - shape, arches, insteps, shallow heel, any bumps and bulges etc, which will help you to narrow down the brand that suits best.

Personally, I would start in Dancia. They have a range of shoes including Bloch so you can take your time and see which shoes suit your Dd’s feet best. They give very good fitting advice and service. You might then want to put some aside while you truck down the road to Freeds, as they will have the full range, just in case they are the perfect shoes for her. Bloch has never been amazing when it comes to service in my opinion. The shoes should be fitted with the pouches from the beginning. Most dancers wear pouches, but of course there are some who like wool etc. We have always used the fabric pouches as they absorb sweat and allow the dancer to feel their toes in the shoe. Most teachers are happy for dancers to wear pouches but I do know an RBS associate teacher who isn’t, so worth checking with your teacher first. The elastic is only necessary if the perfect shoe falls off the heel which is hard to determine in a first fitting. Ideally you shouldn’t need it at all but best to have some at home just in case. Ask plenty questions about the correct way to sew the ribbons and elastic as they should be giving the foot plenty support. Top tip is to leave plenty of time for fittings and to remember that it takes many years to find the perfect shoes. What is perfect for a first pair is unlikely to be the ideal 3rd pair and so it goes on. We are only just getting it right 3 yrs down the road! Getting a good fitter is the most important thing! Have fun!

Congratulations. Lovely to hear of pure talent overriding all the usual regulations ( age, height etc). And what an amazing opportunity and very exciting. I guess that one of your main challenges will be the social stuff, friends ect. Will you be far away from home? Can you keep a social life going from your previous life until you establish something at Northern? I would definitely be focusing on all the stuff you have in common with your peers rather than the age gap which will soon become irrelevant once you get going with the training. Also plenty people doing university degrees until into their 30’s so don’t worry about that. Relish any opportunity that comes your way because in the dance world they are relatively hard to come by. Good Luck!

Another suggestion would be to call Dancing Boutique in Tunbridge Wells or Just Ballet for ideas. Both very helpful.

Have you tried John Lewis? They have a good selection of bras for bridal dresses which are designed not to show but also offer more support than a dance bra. A thick cotton leotard with bra support would be more suitable than thin Lycra. Would you be able to sew something into her leotard?

Think those would be tricky statistics to find out unless you could get the info over a long period of time, say last 20 yrs. Obviously it varies from year to year and yes, I think all the main 4/5 vocational schools would be represented somewhere in ENBS and RB upper school but have no actual statistical facts. Not sure I would be so certain about Princess Grace though, which has an unbelievably high standard and it is notoriously difficult to get a place. Not sure where you would get that information from, unless you asked the schools themselves to volunteer it.

My Dd loved it when she did it a couple of years ago. She wasn’t residential but out of all the summer schools she’s done, it was probably the friendliest and most organised and the teaching was excellent . She still keeps in touch with girls from all over the world.

Conservatoire Glasgow? They have a lovely summer school. It is non residential though. Focus is ballet, with contemporary and jazz. Not up north but the RAD summer school is good too and runs for 3-4 weeks.

Yes. You’ve described your problem really well, thks. You probably need to go back to basics though and do a really simple exercise ( which I will attempt to describe) just perfecting your head, before you are ready to do pirouette! Keep your feet in parallel and shuffle ( or releve)a quarter turn to face R side, keeping your nose to the front. Ideally, your head should be completely straight and not tilted ( inclined). Mirror handy! Stay in parallel keeping your nose to the audience. Now, leaving your head there as long as you can, shuffle the feet round the rest of the turn, bringing your nose round v. quickly to the front - almost quicker and ahead of your shoulders to create that flick. Feet and shoulders take time to catch up the head. Start v. slow and finish each turn with hips and shoulders and feet front before starting the next turn. Remember to do equal L and right. Or maybe more to left as most people seem to struggle with it. It takes lots of practice. Try to keep your head straight when you leave it behind, and as it flicks round, as tilted heads pull you off balance. You can then add a little low releve for the 3/4 turn staying parallel and not worrying about the legs at all, and finishing front demi plié parallel. You need to imagine your head like the ‘Churchill nodding dog’ completely free from tension but maybe not so much nodding and more whipping!

Just to add, you might want to get your Dd assessed by an independent dance physio. You seem to have been given conflicting and confusing information which is not going to help your Dd’s confidence.

Have you heard of ‘ functional footprints’? They are a deadly serious and deadly expensive way to improve your turnout strength and are used by dancers, teachers and Dance physios. They come with instructions and the exercises need to be done slowly and carefully, stressing the correct posture with the pelvis in the correct alignment. The best thing about them is that, providing your posture is correct, you really can’t cheat. When I looked last, they were only available from the States. There might be something similar now in UK. Using these everyday would be effective.

Thanks for explaining. Yes, sounds like you’re hearing the tendons in your neck, moving with the motion. Mine do too, whether I’m totally relaxed or not, although I suspect I’m a lot older than you and more creaky! It is a weird noise but I think you need to get used to it by just turning your head your head from side to side (don’t overdo it) If you can get your brain used to the fact it’s normal and ok then some tension may release and your head will then be free. Do you mind saying how your spotting, or lack of it, is affecting your turns? Is it better in turns en diagonale? Or Pirouettes? Have your teachers told you there is an issue? Do you just need to improve your turns? Or are you falling out of them? Just trying to work out what might help.