Loulou

Yes we were told the accomadation would remain the same when they moved, there would be private apartments in the same building but nothing to do with them and very expensive. Reckoned distance to new place would be roughly the same as where they are now Jo

Just to add dd is looking at central and whilst degree funding , the mantanence loan even for London does not cover their recommended accommodation costs , if you get the minimum loan according to income. So I think that's around £5500 for London and the housing central recommended was £16k a year for a shared room so 8k each, so as parents we would have to find the extra plus money for food, uniform, private healthcare etc. Dd did the Easter course and there was a q & a and they were quietr open about the cost and current students were quoting what they pay jo

My DD is doing BTEC dance as one of her GCSE options at school , she has just finished year 10. They were then offered at the start of year 10 the chance to do GCSE dance after school in 12 months before the syllabus changed. To give some background, her main interest/ focus is Ballet she does minimal contemporary out of school because she knows she needs to rather than choice. She took Adv1 and grade 8 RAD Ballet in March and is hoping to go to Ballet vocational school in sept 2018, She by far preferred the GCSE syllabus, which was 80% practical , this may of course now change and she has just been awarded an A. By choice she would not do the BTEC as she really is not enjoying it and she gets frustrated that in her opinion the amount she writes in her folder is more important than the quality, this may of course be her teacher. She is also frustrated that only of 3 of the 7 of them on the course have any real dance background. So it is a combination of factors including different teachers as to which she prefers. However dance wise she also much preferred the GCSE apart from the set dance , which she really didn't like. She has not done either thinking they will help her get into a vocational school and if did not get a place and went to 6th form instead I doubt she would do alevel or higher BTEC. HTH jo

I think stardust in Lichfield now sell Russian pointe, the owner is very helpful. kind Regards

My dd went to the Easter school this year which I presume is similar, she is 14 and year 10 and loved it, she learnt a lot and thought the ballet teacher was brilliant and she has a lot of good teachers to compare her to. Central is now her favourite vocational school she wants to apply to. They also held a really informative Q & A on the last day.

Hi ive no idea if the same level as we've only ever done RAD, but you definitely have to have passed intermediate to take the next level in RAD , however if you check the Adv 1 exam specifications on the RAD site it says the below, I would have though ITSD was a recognised body. In order to enter for Advanced Foundation or Advanced 1, candidates need to have passed an Intermediate level vocational graded examination in ballet from the RAD or any other recognised Awarding Body. Maybe they just feel it is a different syllabus and she would find it harder if not done RAD intermediate ?

My dd has this one and wears over leotard and shorts https://www.danceandleisurewear.co.uk/starlite-flexuous-paloma-overdress.html

I think there is one class in each age group, but there was some overlap, so Dd class was younger 14 year old and next class older 14 yera olds and younger 15 year olds and so on. i think we worked out there were around 200 at the whole summer school. Obviously would have no idea how many applied. Jo

Ive asked DD and she is fairly sure classes were arranged in age and she was in the lowest , she was 14 in June. She is also used to small classes on the whole, but still felt she benefitted from the experience. Although she was non residential she was still allocated a block/ house where she could use the common room etc and as she made friends she went to their room. She could have stayed for all evening activities as well, some nights she did other she didnt. Jo

Hi my 14 year old daughter did Elmhurst summer school. She had just finished year 9 and is now in year10. She is non vocational and is in Adv 1 and Grade 8 RAD also had to submit photos and is an Elmhurst Ext associate. She initially was on the wait list but only for about a week, but we wanted non residential. She felt ability wise she was about in the middle.There were approx 20-25 in the class. Classes taught mainly by Birmingham Royal ballet members and she loved it. Hope that helps Jo

My Dd's audition consisted of her taking part in one of the classes, im fairly sure this is the first " formal " audition for this programme. I can tell you a class consists of barre work, then centre work, groups of 3 or 4 from the corner doing combinations of exercises and then in lines where the front line is rotated. My daughter is in level 2 age 13 , she was in grade 6 Rad and intermediate when she started. I dont think there was anything she hadnt already done. The class is very focused on technique .

Its a Saturday afternoon 12.15- 2.15/30.

My daughter is an Ext associate at Elmhurst, and has been for about 18 months, she was not part of the younger associate program as didnt become serious about ballet until she was 10/11. I emailed the school and enquired and DD was invited to attend the class , where she was assessed to see if suitable. Not sure if the process has changed since then. There are 3 levels aimed at aprox Adv1/intermediate and inter foundation, according to my Dd they do not follow the exact syllabus but it is that level and supports the syllabus, she finds it extremley good and has improved her technique.