glissade

"She amped the look up further by adding a turquoise scarf that had stars emblazoned over it ..." I wonder if she was aiming to blend in with the Elmhurst logo?!

Thanks, Kate - yes, I've clicked on the tags that Alison included and they have also been very helpful! And I'm very grateful also to the parents who have messaged me directly to share their personal experiences. It is exactly this sort of information that is most helpful at the moment - something that goes beyond the marketing and generic information on websites etc, and provides an insight into the lived experience of the options available. I fully acknowledge that these experiences are as individual as the people living and recounting them .... however, I don't think that hearing these stories is in any way counterproductive. My daughter's school runs a careers advice programme in which they invite professionals and uni students into school to talk to Years 10 and 11 about the paths they have taken in their chosen career and the choices they have made. My asking for information here from the wisdom of people in this forum is in this vein .... I'm not intending it to replace the advice we have already received from my daughter's dance and academic teachers, but to supplement it ..... which it has done greatly, so thanks again to all who have taken the time to share their experiences!

Many thanks again for all of your replies. I have found them all thought-provoking and insightful, and I'm very grateful. I think that balletbean hit the nail on the head in describing the way she and her daughter explored the options available to them .... thanks for posting that info, balletbean! And the info about diplomas from 2dancersmum is extremely helpful too - thanks, I'll look into that! My daughter has been a member of both the RBS and Elmhurst associate programmes since being a JA, and has many friends who are now at vocational school. She has quite a realistic appraisal of her own abilities in comparison and is clear that she doesn't want to (or would be able to) pursue a career in classical ballet. We're not looking for an appraisal of her abilities or potential at this point - just some clarification on how the different options from this point forward could possibly pan out. I was hoping to find some general views on the options available for her, including specifically what life would look like if she continues to dance as an amateur rather than a professional whilst studying for an unrelated degree at University. 14 is a tricky age .... a turning point in many ways, and yet still on the cusp of adolesence. My elder daughter, at a similar age, found enormous help in being able to talk to a diverse range of scientists in her area of interest. Their willingness to talk to her about their own areas of expertise in relation to other fields of study enabled her to clarify her ideas and opt for pathways that inspired her. Perhaps that is largely a feature of science-related study (especially in the drive to encourage girls to take up STEM subjects) and I'm being naive in hoping that anyone could give such an overview of the dance world.

The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown - theatre, not specifically ballet ... but it was one of my daughter's favourites

Thank you so much for all of your replies - I'll work through my thoughts and return with a more complete response, but wanted to let you know in the meantime that I'm v grateful for your help! X

Just hoping that someone may be able to suggest a contact/source of advice that may be able to help my 14-yr-old daughter make some decisions about her future choices in dance. We're based in the South West but informed opinions from all sources would be very much appreciated - looking for inspiration, really! Ideally somebody who would be able to have a chat with my daughter about her choices post GCSE, especially with regard to University options vs vocational training, as well as best choices to make moving from experience purely in classical ballet towards a career in contemporary or musical theatre. Any and all input greatly valued - thanks!

I posted several times about Stephen Beagley in this forum, but all posts were removed.

Re the brief (but might not be the same as the final version, I guess) ... https://nationalyouthballet.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NYB-brief_updated-1.pdf

Everything that Pups_Mum said plus .... it can seem (and probably is) a vicious circle since the children who perform best are usually those who have performance experience ... but to get performance experience, a child needs to be one of the best at selection .... Whatever the rights or wrongs of this, at least it's a good preparation for the rest of life ....

It sounds to me that you might like the structure of following a syllabus .....? If you could find an RAD class, then you could supplement this (and break it down more specifically) between classes by downloading content onto the RAD app (which has videos of each grade content) - https://www.radenterprises.co.uk/rad-video-applications/?zenid=2n48sg56rarvflpdube52ti8k4 It just strikes me that this would be one way of making your learning seem more structured and progressive .... and less confusing.

Hope she's okay, Darkbeans x

"I hope actions match words" - yes, exactly this. I might be wrong, but I get the impression the RBS Upper School is filled with students who have pursued extensive vocational training, often overseas. Either this is necessary to be successful in securing a place at the school, or it isn't ..... the article seems to suggest that it isn't.

Hi Michelle - the link you gave seems to be about a conference rather than an open day ..... I had a quick look at the RAD website but it's difficult to find any info about the open days. The best I could find was a registration form - https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/faculty-of-education-open-day-registration/ Do you have any further info about the days themselves? Thanks 🙂

I think it's also important to realise that it's easy to get a false impression of how many children are getting 'yes' by reading this forum. There are many, many, many children out there who receive 'no' - that much is obvious just by comparing the number who apply to White Lodge etc with the number of places available. This forum has a much higher than average concentration of 'yes' results than you would find in an average cross-section of applicants.

From a psychological perspective, I can see possibilities of using a narrative/social constructionist approach to research into how parents perceive the benefits of dance training for their children. This could certainly involve a handful of in-depth interviews ...... but I don't know if this type of research is what the OP is able to undertake to satisy the requirements of their degree.

When my daughters started their periods, they both said they wanted to give up ballet.

At 14, my daughter had passed (with distinction) her Grade 8 and Advanced 1 ballet exams .... Grade 3 sounds very far behind for a 14-yr old.

Resilience and growth-mindset .... ability to learn from criticism (and rejection - lots of 'no's in the ballet world!).

What Pictures said 🙂

Ballet Boost is once a month on a Sunday. Is Elmhurst Young Dancers in Plymouth on a Sunday too? I thought the classes were on Saturdays ... .... but even so, if there's a clash, it won't be more than 1 weekend out of 4, no?

Very sad news. Sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you all.

If stuck, you can snip a hole in the foot of 'normal' tights and stop the edges fraying with clear nail varnish. Just make a small snip though, as the material 'pings' easily!

My daughter has very thick hair. The plaits were always a nightmare. I called it the "hammerhead shark look"!!

The second movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique?

I'm similarly confused - would be good to have some clarification, if anyone can help ....?