leotardmum

afraid perth is a 4 hour flight away so not sure what goes on over there but i have heard of WAPA, Pevnev academy , western australian ballet just thro different fb posts etc or thro dancetrain magazine fb site but no idea really plus iam only at primary school age stuff not older/advanced stuff yet so prob miss a lot of info for older dancers due to what iam looking at/for on web/fb etc .... iam sure there is stuff going on and no doubt plenty of dance comps and eistedffods lol, each state has there own RAD set up and fb/website i have noted , lived there for 6 months many yrs ago before having kids-lovely place x

love this thread! so much info .... yes i need to feedback info on summer schools etc over here in oz! firstly my daughter had the most amazing time at RBS white lodge spring school...desperate to now attend full time /return next yr .... it was everything she had dreamed and hoped for ! we live in brisbane now and oh my the dance world here is very well developed and set up especially for competitions... i counted 25 competitions/eisteddfods just this year that kids can do with solos etc just within a 2 hour radius of Brisbane...imagine this in UK !!!!!! this isnt including the group eisteddfods that the dance schools do aswell...... oh and the state/private schools also run dance programs and enter competitions also ..... that is for another thread iam sure....we are in our 2nd year of solo competition now ...... plus we have JMA RAD awards for brisbane region yearly .... Alana Haines in NZ ..... Asian Grand Prix ....... the list is endless it seems ..... compared to my ballet background that was strict RAD back in the 70-80s in northern england this is totally different for me as a mum! ok holiday schools and summer schools..... info i have gleamed so far ( iam in Brisbane and i may be missing stuff due to location/age of my child etc so apologies list may miss some ) Australian ballet school melbourne - non selective -just pay and go it seems in summer and i think most school holidays IBW international ballet workshops- non selective -pay and go in the big cites in summer and winter breaks approx 5 day courses- seem to fill up very fast Claudia Dean runs courses - non selective -pay and go- seem to fill up quickly Bolshoi Australia Summer Intensive in melbourne and sydney - selective via live audition or video submission only Queensland Ballet - summer schools- selective via application forms/photo Local schools run own summer schools courses of course and each city will prob have other stuff going on aswell ..... another thing going on here is youth ballet and contemporary groups that you audition for and do a yearly performance ...in brisbane alone we have Brisbane City Youth Ballet, Ballet Theatre Qld, i think now 4 contemporary groups are going now in the city ...... dance is just huge over here compared to my dancing days its crazy over here at times with what is available !!! xxxxxxx

Just wondering if anyone has a child going to white lodge for this ? anyone has any tips wrt stuff to take.....got the list but wondering if any tips/advice to make my 10 years olds stay easier etc ....she is boarding for the week. X

excellent- thinking of formal physio assessment just to be sure all on right track before pointe shoes next year/puberty starts to really hit .... she loves dance but as a mum iam acutely aware how much the body shape and workings can make or break trying to 'make it' .... and would never want to encourage down paths that could do more harm than good ....we have a physio iam going to contact xxxxx

I hear about 'facility' all the time in the ballet world and would think they are talking about body proportions/headsize/neck/feet etc just wondering if anyone has ever had direct feedback wrt their childs 'facility' in either a good or bad way ? Obv in an audition they are looking at this but also flexibility and I also wonder what are the 'standard tests they do ? is it just splits? touching toes? taking shoes off to look at arch ...just wondering about what goes on actually in order to perhaps guide my child in her approach to auditions/ flexi training and also try and have realistic expectations towards there bodies. How much stretching is done by your 10 year olds in class/out of class? How tough are they at RBS on flexibility at RBS auditions- do they do a physical assessment ? thanks x

My 10 year old also got a place ! Coming over from Brisbane . So unexpected to get a place but we thought why not try and so happy ! . Been over here nearly 4 years but so looking forward to seeing London again ! Xxxxxx

many thanks for those numbers- a reality check ! lol so almost 5 applicants for every place ......wow ....... and just selected on a few photos......do people send letters / recommendation letters or just the form and the photos? I know they are looking for 'facility' / body type aswell as natural ability but I suppose no harm in trying ! x

thanku! would love to come across and see family, we are from Newcastle and been here for 3.5 years now, but be perfect to tie in a summer school aswell does anyone know the stats for RBS summer school ie how many apply and how many places there are ??? this is her dream but I suspect thousands apply for a tiny number of places ...... dance here in Australia is massive I feel compared to the north east of uk x

Iam over in Australia but wonder if a website/list/topic already on here exists of all summer schools offered in dance in the uk..... looking at UK summer 2018 for a 11 year old dance crazy girl So far iam aware of RBS Elmhurst Yorkshire ballet summer school do others exist which are RAD ballet focused? any tips wrt numbers applying for these would be very helpful thanku x

yep thanks-will look at other threads as above, turns 10 in march x

Uploading photos for RBS summer school and ballet school auditions tips please! what exactly are they scrutinising ? I hear short body-long legs a lot....I cant adjust body proportions sadly of my daughter small heads is another thing I hear but how small and what about the kids growing....lol big feet vs small feet ??? as my poor childs 9 year old feet have suddenly grown on her thin legs and I suspect with a lot of kids if you get them in a growth spurt etc they can all look a bit out of proportion ....... if I compare my childs shape to even a year ago it looks different .... for 9 year olds in particular is there anything else I can help her with /ensure we are getting in the photo shoot ? colour of leotard/ position of bun/ backdrop/ to smile or not to smile.... or is it really just the appeal of the child ? how do you know at 9 if a child has the right body ina photo especially before any breast or hip growth or weight gain of puberty - I find this a really interesting area on how they 'look' at children and select them ..... I hate to talk 'body image' but i know its obviously looked at and just wonder how fair a photo can be ..... any tips no matter how simple greatly appreciated ?xxxxxxxxxx

iam new also and about to organise photos for summer school applications so this topic of appearance is interesting... I seem unable to start a new topic so far ??? can I ask about colour of leotard for a 10 year old for photo application ? I have heard light colours are better to see alignment ? is a dark colour too formal for a younger child? any suggestions gratefully received ? belt perhaps aswell? what are they looking for in photos- feet/turnout/body propoprtions- at such a young age before puberty anything obvious they really want or don't want wrt body types? know application is a massive long shot but iam a firm believer in trying thanks xxxx