Clarkd3

It may be worth you talking to Andrew Hindley at PCD, Preston College Dance as they have a full BA dance degree plus pro dance training. I believe AH is very accommodating to different people’s circumstances and may be able to help you access more training plus you’d be eligible for further student loans if you only did one year of your previous degree. Most of the students leave with either teaching jobs or contracts on cruise ships/ hotel chains if that helps! 

My DD’s teacher is an RAD examiner and she is more interested in the work presented rather than the colour of leotard or style of shoe, intermediate upwards being the exception as soft blocks are an essential requirement at that level 

Thank you, I’ll follow these suggestions up! 😊

Hi I’m looking for recommendations for dance physios in the North West England as my DD is away at dance college in Preston, has a foot injury and would benefit from some expertise! Many thanks 😊

8 hours ago, Mrs Brown said:

My 11 year old is 5ft 4 and has to have jazz pants for tap. hers are arabesque ones I think, small adult. her waist is only 25inches and they fit her fine.

Yes it’s that make that we’ve now got! 😅😊

Thank you everyone, love this forum for advice and general entertainment! Thanks to this thread I might have found a suitable sized pair! 😊

13 hours ago, BristolBillyBob said:

Off-topic, but if I ever start a band I'm totally calling us Jazz Pants Nightmare.

That made me chuckle, I’d obviously want complimentary tickets! 😂

10 hours ago, joyofdance said:

My DD always had to wear the same Jazz pants when she did graded lessons. It was a dance school rule. They were expensive for one use and you would guarantee that she had grown out of them by the time the next exam came along. Like your DD she hated wearing them so they were only ever used once . A local dance costume maker might be your best bet. That way you  could get them made to your spec and shouldn't cost much. Alternatively have you tried purchasing a second hand pair from the dance costume selling sites on FB? You could then arrange for the flare to be reduced.

Yup! New jazz pants for last years tap exam , now no good! Taking in the flare might be necessary! 🙄

22 hours ago, Bluebird22 said:

Hi Clarkd3 

 

Have you tried Dance Gear? Their made to order jazz pants are reasonably priced, and I would say more dancer size friendly. I’ve used them for a lot and if you call up they are usually pretty accommodating if you need something tweaking slightly, I imagine if you had a sizing request (as in you needed a slightly longer leg) they would probably be able to help or they would at least ask the manufacturing team. 

 

I remember when the width of the flare on your jazz pants was in direct correlation to how cool you were 😂 I even had scary spice inspired leopard print ones! 

 

Good luck with the hunt, they really should remain firmly buried in the noughties! 

Thank you, sounds hopeful! 😊

11 hours ago, 2dancersmum said:

I used to have the same issue with my DD for jazz pants - same sort of size. The capezio Adult XS are about 22-24" inch waist but inside leg of 30".  I know I had to go adult sizing to get the small waist for my DDs as they grew - Adult XS is more size 6

Yes we have some of those from my eldest DD but I got a ‘you must be joking’ from middle DD because of the size of the flare! 

20 minutes ago, Anna C said:

Just a thought (and apologies if you’ve already considered this) but as it’s the established uniform and only for exams, could the teacher not ask to borrow a pair from one of the older girls? 

 

Or if all the girls in the exam group have black leggings, could that particular group not wear the red leotard with black leggings? The examiner certainly wouldn’t mind; the main thing is that all the girls in that group look similar.

 

(When dd did tap exams the girls all wore a velour turtleneck leotard with black footless tights, but the leotard could be any colour. They still looked nice and it made life easier!)

Yes no luck on the borrowing front for various reasons! Maybe in the future the style of legs may change but for now my hunt for small waisted longer leg jazz pants is still needed! 😉

Red velour leotard and jazz pants is the established tap exam uniform in the dance school! We’ve had pairs before but now DD has had a growth spurt!

Hello, I’m hoping that you might be able to help me out with a sizing issue around jazz pants!

My 13 yr old DD is doing a tap exam soon and needs jazz pants. I’m having lots of trouble finding a pair to fit as she needs an inside leg of around 29 inch but waist 22-24 inch......plus she’s fussy about the flare at the bottom as she won’t wear them if they’re really wide! I’m also looking to pay as little as possible as she refuses to wear them in tap class and tbh the teacher is usually happy with leggings!

Obviously the fit is the most important thing but I’m going round in circles with websites that don’t often give you the leg length and the ones I have ordered don’t fit! 

Any suggestions would be very gratefully received! 😊

If you’re anywhere near Preston, Preston College Dance PCD would be able to help you as they are a regional centre for DDE in ISTD ballet, tap and modern. They also have RAD trained staff and students so the faculty would be able to give you good support! 

1 hour ago, Derin's Mom said:

Last time her treatment lasted for 6 weeks as well. We’ll see this time and really hope she gets better sooner.

pointe shoes are our nightmare, or were. With these new ones she was actually happy but my assumption is, the shank was hard for her and she was not ready for it yet. What were your DD’s shoes before and what did she switch to?

My DD was wearing Bloch B-morph at time of injury but now wearing Russian pointe Ruben V cut with particular specification available from the manufacturer, she no longer goes through them at a rate of knots and they seem more supportive in the right places. Each dancer is so different in their own needs, fingers crossed you get the right treatment and future support for your DD X

I sympathise as my DD had the same injury and was non weight bearing in a boot for 6 weeks which she was so frustrated about! The conclusion was that her pointe shoes weren’t supportive enough for her foot and she ended up switching to a very different shoe! Despite more hours of dance and pointe work she’s had no more problems since! Good luck, it’s a very tricky time!

Research what dance can lead to as career options from information found on BTEC dance courses and dance degrees. Also ask your club leader to help you make a list of transferable skills that you’ll gain from dance that could be used in many other job roles. Maybe a pros and cons list would be helpful for you to do and show your family that you have thought it all through?

Present your information calmly and logically and ask if they’d come with you to an open evening for your nearest BTEC dance course where you can all find out more. Maybe you’ll need to agree to look at other +16 options such as A levels in return for them coming to the BTEC evening but it would be a start?

It’s lovely that you have a passion for dance but don’t let it cloud the practicalities.

My advice would be to keep all your options open for now which will help with getting your family onside! 

 Go to the open evenings for the BTEC dance course, watch the showcase and talk to the tutors about entry requirements, the BTEC covers a lot of dance styles such as ballet, commercial, tap etc and they might be looking for students with a certain level of ability from the outset. Also ask if you can do an A level along side it as that would increase your options, I’ve known students do BTEC in performing arts/ dance/ drama and end up studying a degree in their A level eg Geography! However BTEC level 3 in dance would also give you access to a dance degree which would open doors to you such as primary teaching or teaching dance at GCSE/ A level as well as other dance related jobs.

Also apply for A levels to keep all your options open, something like A level dance plus psychology and English would work well especially if you went on to use your degree ( dance or otherwise ) to access teaching for example! A level dance does have academic writing and analysis but is a great basis for extending your experience in choreography and contemporary Dance plus it does fit in well with a dance degree as they are mostly contemporary dance based! Often the 6th forms that offer A level dance offer more dance opportunities such as auditioned performance groups that use other dance styles to showcase the dance ability so you’d get more dance training hours than you might first think!

As others have said, a career in dance performance is elusive even when dancers have been in full time training for years but there are lots of options available to you in the world of dance! Investigate both pathways with your family and keep your options open until one pathway becomes more clear...even if this is after GCSE results! I do believe in following your dreams so good luck in finding the right option for you! 

You could Shazam it from you tube, there are some students dancing it if you search 😊

2 hours ago, bethany said:

This is something I hadn't thought of so thank you for raising it. 

Do you think this is particularly dance related? Even if she suddenly had a change of heart and decided to do A levels she would go to a local college as her school doesn't have a 6th form. 

My DD did A levels at a 6th form college prior to her dance course and I was often on the phone, it was never an issue in that educational setting 😊

My 19yr old DD shares private halls accommodation with a mixture of ages from 16 upwards. It’s very noticeable how much the 16yr olds struggle with the practicalities of life away from home plus dealing with illness and home sickness! Luckily most of the younger dancers head home each weekend which my DD feels is their salvation. As a parent I’d be very wary of sending my 16yr old off to full time dance training without onsite support, it just seems a step too far on top of long hard days in the studio. 

My eldest DD had a terrible track history of shoe breaking until she was fitted with Russian pointe, by playing around with their different specifications within each type she’s found a shoe that lasts a more average length of time finally! When your DD’s current shoes break it would definitely be worth another look! 😊

My 19yr old DD has struggled despite crazy long busy days! Im not sure other people understood but we only got through last year by meeting up every 2-3 weeks either home or away! The dance course is perfect for her but the location not so much! 

So we had a no for my little DD but found the experience fascinating to get a little insight into the world of ballet auditions! I take my hat off to you all for going through this multiple times to help your DC achieve their dreams! Good luck to all for future auditions this year! 🍀

On 13/09/2018 at 09:34, MrsMoo2 said:

Thank you! 👍 Silly question but does everything run on a Sunday?? Round here we are lucky to get any transport to anywhere on a Sunday! Lol!! 😆😆😆

Mrs Moo2, did you get there successfully? I hope your DS enjoyed the experience? I did look out for a mum and son but failed to spot a good match! My Dd was very nervous but enjoyed the class so now on our way home to begin another school week! 🙄 xxx