leotardmum

as non nhs work each gp can set own fees and opt in or out of 'private forms' like this ...... yes some may do it for free but rare these days xxx

congratulations for you DD ! is the 2nd company a junior - training like company for 18+ or younger ? how is she enjoying it? x

hi looking at post training programs at 17-18 and gathering any info/tips for my DD any feedback on ...... elmhurst year 14 company year northern ballet professional graduate year ballet cymru scottish conservatoire degree program any other programs that are going on / starting up ? auditioning straight for company posts may be an option in junior companies/2nd type companies also i have asked about ENBS already but just starting to spread the wings and info gathering thankyou xxx

Hi just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/knowledge wrt how this course is going/received by students ? ENBS Prof trainee programme with the 2x 6mblocks for post vocational training .... thanks x

we have finally found the right shoes after years of searching and a huge pile of useless pointe shoes and then unable to source now ..... if i win the lottery i will fly to the factory and personally bring back a container full 😁

many thanks- i will sit up late tonite and call from Oz above places . Problem being her feet are huge so even here in oz her size is tricky ......... I need to find someone who lives in Russia next to the factory or where ever they are made and get them to supply us all via private post 😁 xxxxxxxx

Hi Can anyone point me in direction of a shop/shops stocking the best range for Russian pointe/R-class/energetiks in UK . Discovered all now the same 'shoe' and now finally got name in all brands- sapfir / JW-S / stella .......... never thought finding pointe shoes would become so hard - thankyou x

ohhh might suggest that too her -thanks xx

yes green bag- the vamp wasnt long enough so spilled out over and overarched shank pretty much straight away . Its a shame tho that the fittings are done by drawings/measurements and until shoe comes u dont know if they will work - i would prefer to try them first but most shops dont have her size and combo here. i need to live next to a pointe shoe factory x

my child has big feet with very wide MTJ region and high arches - nitemare to find right shoe still and we have to order in advance for size pretty much all the time now , she trashes serenade strong in a few weeks, grishko nova hard last a bit longer , energetiks Russian pointe in europe-uk ) lumina/lucile last longest but no more than 2-4 weeks and i think look the nicest . However due to world shortages now of grishko and energetiks/RP we are struggling now and costing a fortune in blochs !. I have been adv to perhaps try sancha ? when we come to london ........ gaynor mindons are not strong enough or long enough in vamp sadly and she felt unsupported in them ...... we are getting close to custom shoes i suspect 😂

follow your dreams , ultimate dance showcase , british ballet grand prix, scottish youth ballet grand prix are ones i have found along with above ones the below FB group seems to advertise comps aswell ..... coming from an oz perspective dance comps here are massive and go from commercial to strict ballet board RAD/ceccheti ones plus we get YAGP comps coming here now . You can do a dance comp every weekend if you wanted to here ! A lot of schools will do groups ( by age ) at several local comps and then maybe a few kids from each year will do solos or duets in various genres . We started in groups then moved into solos aswell and now just left groups as not enough hours in the day . We love comps but they must be taken with a pinch of salt at times wrt results and not take over from solid claswork we have noted over the years . What they do do is give stage time-confidence/organisation /resiliance i have found for my child in the solo world ...however they empty your wallet aswell wrt extra lessons/privates /choreo -costumes-days off work -travel etc etc .😂 Our school does groups with weekly rehearsals and holiday blocks that must be commited to for at least 4 months of year . We had great times in groups as a lot of fun for kids x Dance Festivals and Competitions in the UK Public group

the book 'little girls in pretty boxes' is a powerful but sad read about abuse in gymnastics and the ice skating world wrt weight/diet/physical and sexual abuse .......sadly dance is not immune to this abuse either x

could look at YAGP scholarship/partner list list to see the schools that offer short term scholarships/summer schools etc - plenty in europe altho not all start at 11/year 7 and /or Prix de lausanne partner schools list is interesting and can gve an idea as to what schools offer what - just as a starting point to wet your appetite but a pretty big list of schools out there other than RBS or POB or Dutch national etc etc X

here in oz its common for almost all elite girls/boys to be home schooled from year 7-aged 11/2 or from year 9 at latest , competitions locally and overseas are taken seriously with YAGP / asian grand prix prob biggest i think at moment looking at who is attending what . Plenty of other comps to go to in asia i note. The training is very tailored aiming to place these kids in overseas schools . We also have no problem here taking kids out of school to go to competitions or overseas ballet summer schools in UK or europe or exams which makes it much easier aswell- schools are supportive i have found . What is quality to one child/parent tho may not be to another and quantity obv depends on kids body/endurance/capabilities- what 1 child gets out of a lesson can be very different to another child . Elmhurst was at YAGP in Oz this year i noted along with lots from europe and RBS did asian grand prix this year again . Plus a youth ballet in every city pretty much aswell .......it all costs money tho of course ...... x

so true quality over quantity x

aha thats good to notice-will have a look at the schools closer ! x

ps iam a brit dance mum living in oz at present so follow both countries dance worlds ... x

wow the list is out...interesting reading australia puts forward 62 candidates and they take 12 ( one from our dance school ! ) USA puts 60 forward and they take 9 Japan had 78 and they have taken 13 only 7 from UK put in an application and none selected ....... is this down to different training system in UK where most high level dancers already tucked away at royal/elmhurst so dont often compete at these big comps do you think ? .... which schools have the 7 UK candidates come from?...... 377 applications and took 76 in total .... love watching this every year whilst sat at work ( with my door closed of course lol)

totally agree.... learning to use the body and move to the music is another area that always needs work on - sometimes the stiff exam classes dont help here thus we do solos and group work to try and loosen up . nothing worse than a face on a child that doesnt match music or body or OTT lol- a fine balance i feel x

ps hope i dont sound like a nutter 😆 just we have had to work on my girls face and presentation a lot and still a work in progress so always on look out for tips to try and bring it out x

hahaha i sound mad but i heard this term once given to girls side stage lol i think it meant when curtain goes up/u step on stage regardless how u feel or what u really want to do with your face / whatever mood you are in u must put on your acting/star quality face as you are performing at end of day ...... i suppose an actor in the wings is just joe bloggs but when he steps out on stage he must become another persona.... a phrase i quite like in a way a bit like fake it till u make it' ...maybe a bit crass and OTT but i sort of get this as a dance mum and trying to get my own child to step out of being herself ie become or try and become a perfomer this sometimes helps her if struggling .... even in an exam we all say smile for the examiner ..... its hard tho if child not a natural but i do think kids can learn and practice and as a mum it can generate a few little giggles to myself esp if goes OTT ..... a fine balance iam sure and one that takes years of practice iam sure .....x

sorry by comp i met competition/festival/eisteddfod open classes are good aswell to gain confidence we have found esp if in other studios etc aha yes demi character is a lovely change from straight ballet solo and my daughter has really enjoyed trying to tell a story and connect more with audience/onlookers - she also loves the dressing up and props! x

if you have access to other classes at your dance school we found musical theatre helped our DD a lot plus we told her that class was purely for fun unlike her 'serious' ballet and contemporary classes we also started a demi character solo for comps that meant she HAD to act and i have to say we have noted a big change inher face - she still can retreat to deadpan face - but i set small goals at each comp or open class to just smile/use eyes/show sadness or happiness in your demi etc - confidence has grown ..... if you have access to any comps or open classes they can be great for learning 'game face ' altho pressure of comps not always good for some kids so we try and just achieve one thing at a comp regardless of placings ie face/smile/eye line etc can be danger of overacting tho which can just be as bad ..... x

our school offers lyrical for 2 years with grade 1 and grade 2 before they start contemporary alongside rad grade 3 at approx 9-10 = 1x class a week they cant do contemporary unless they continue ballet classes either x

princess grace school in monaco , bolshoi summer intensives in europe, danish ballet school-european ballet school-dutch national all offer summer schools ... i think a lot of them want video submission ...x