SissonneDoublee

It does say on the ticket information that they are ‘loose seats’. Strange that their numbers don’t appear on the plan, but reassuring that you have heard of them! It’s our first venture out of the amphi (except a very exciting schools’ matinee when we were allocated the stalls circle).

Ah that makes sense! Thank you! Now all I need to do is hope the seats exist! They aren’t on the seating plan, but would be additional seats between the balcony row and the boxes, which is very odd.

Hi, I am most excited to have booked tickets for Balanchine and Robbins, having not been to ROH for some time now. But looking at the seating map, the seats on my tickets don’t actually seem to exist! Have they added extra seats on the balcony row A to allow for social distancing? I’m also unsure as to what the ‘3E’ is on my ticket, as it then refers to row A, and there is no row E in the balcony anyway! It’s been so long since I went to the ROH. I feel like I’ve lost the knack!

A lot of control is required to complete one rotation and no more, with perfect placement and finishing with precision. It may be that your daughter has previously been building confidence to ‘go for it’ and just get turning, and now needs to perfect the precision, control and technique to underpin her work.

If you trust the vocational school, it shouldn’t be necessary. Rest days are carefully scheduled to allow the body (and mind) to recover and overtraining causes injury and/ or burnout. DD’s school doesn’t allow associates and discourages other training outside school (such as workshops etc) unless very occasional for this reason. My understanding is that associates are designed to help bridge the gap between recreational classes and vocational training to enable delayed entry into full-time training.

Have you tried the Cannon Hill Park and MAC?

If associates are not enjoyable, they are a huge unwanted commitment for your child and might risk putting them off dance all together. It is always ok to walk away from any programme, even full-time vocational school, if it isn’t right for the DC. You may well find that your financial commitment runs to the end of the year, but there is no obligation to see the year out in terms of attendance. A child in DD’s JA class stopped attending regularly very early on, presumably because she realised it wasn’t for her. The space was never filled, as she did still come from time to time, and I always thought it was a shame, as her heart wasn’t in it and if she had spoken to the school and withdrawn, a child on the waiting list could have had a try. If you are sure your child doesn’t want to continue, it would be good to let them know, so they can allocate the place. Making the right decision for your child doesn’t always make sense on paper. But following their lead and doing what is right for them is always more important than the prestige of a big name associate programme.

My DD and a group of her friends went in the summer between Year 6 and 7, so only just 11 years old. I’m sure they will say yes, but like Farawaydancer said, they are quick to answer emails.

Hi Shauna, loads of people will be on with more knowledge about courses and colleges, and my knowledge of that area is more sketchy as DD is much younger and we aren’t at that stage yet, but I can help from an applications p.o.v as a sixth form teacher A lot of courses funded by a student loan also need you to apply via UCAS or UCAS Conservatoire. Don’t be put off by the ‘deadline’ having passed. They accept applications until the end of June and even after that you can still apply, but just go straight into ‘clearing’. It’s good to try to get applications in as soon as you can, as places are being offered already, but you haven’t missed a final cut-off. It will be down to the individual institutions. While you are looking at courses, it could be good to put together a personal statement and start filling in the other details on the UCAS form, so that you are ready to apply as soon as you know where. The student loan applications are already open too, so you might be able to get a head start on some of the paperwork for that. It is worth checking if you meet any of the criteria to be an emancipated student, which means you are considered to be financially independent. This might open additional funding to you. The criteria are on the UCAS page. Some universities also offer additional support to students that don’t have financial backing from home, so when you hold an offer you should contact the finance department to see if they can help you. If you have Level 3 qualifications from school (A Levels or equivalent) there are universities that offer degrees in ballet and contemporary performance, so it is worth looking at the UCAS website to see if there is anything that appeals to you. I tend to recommend a mixture of universities and vocational colleges on an application, as widening the net increases your chances of getting a place. You can apply to UCAS and UCAS Conservatoire alongside each other, so don’t have to choose one or the other. Good luck!

You will be amazed at how much tidier they are at school! There are daily room checks, with a tick list of what they need to do (open curtains, make bed, leave floor clear etc) and they get rewards for having a full chart of ticks. Having places to put things helps DD to stay organised: a box for school books, containers for hair stuff etc. Also, a huge wash bag that is big enough to take all her shampoo, conditioner, shower gel etc so she isn’t juggling bottles on the way to the shower xx

It won’t matter at all which grade they are in. Their main ballet classes form the vast majority of the training and they aren’t held back or pushed forward by the RAD grade at all. Don’t worry about trying to get them through exams before starting there, it really won’t matter. Use the next few months to make sure they learn skills like doing their own bun, sewing ribbons on pointe shoes, sorting light and dark washing, making up a bed etc. rather than trying to squeeze in ballet exams Readiness for boarding and a good dose of resilience and independence will be more useful to them than starting in a higher RAD grade xx

Again, no guarantees. It was an unusually large group from DD’s class that made it to finals, but still only just over 1/3. Not linked to how long they had been a JA either, so some of the children that had been in the class since Year 4 didn’t make finals, while some that only joined in Year 6 did. The only thing you can be sure of, is that doing the daily exercises that are set and working hard in class helps to boost a child’s chances compared to the same child without that help!

There are far fewer places for MAs than JAs. It was a small fraction of the JAs in DD’s class that were offered places. Almost all were on the waiting list, but only one actually got a place from it. It’s good to manage expectations before results come out. Fingers crossed for everyone.

All Year 7s start on Intermediate Foundation unless they have already taken it, in which case they go into Intermediate with the Year 8s, but not until after Christmas, and possibly later than usual as there is a backlog of the older students waiting to take RAD exams since before lockdown. They work their way through the vocational grades, but not the numbered grades. The RAD grade doesn’t affect what they do in their other ballet classes at all, so don’t worry about being ahead or behind. The exams are just a route into competitions and teaching qualifications as they get older.

Just saw this advertised on social media, and thought it might be of interest. Ages 13-16, so not as young as some of the children waiting for Mids results, but sounds very good. http://www.enbschool.org.uk/news.php?ref=announcing-our-new-associate-programme

Hello, please could I see photos of the waltz and sunflower styles?

I only need the contemporary leotard. I’ll DM you xx

Do you have the contemporary leotard, or just ballet? xx

Are these the new-style Dans-ez leotards?

DD loved doing the summer school just before starting Year 7. It gave her a chance to get her bearings around the school and get used to some of the routines (meals in the Bistro and doing her own hair!) while it was still low-pressure.

Elmhurst haven’t charged an application fee for summer school in the past. I can’t say 100% that there isn’t a fee this year, but they are very good at responding to emails. Good luck with your application!

There isn’t a set number, they only include children that already meet the requirements and they would happily take into White Lodge if a place becomes available. They aren’t trying to balance genders or fill a quota, so there is no way of knowing how many are on the list unless this information is shared with you by RBS. We were surprised and confused, and DD’s lovely JA teacher explained the process to us in detail.

We requested to be removed, as we didn’t want the uncertainty, otherwise the waitlist runs until the Easter of the following academic year even for candidates that are training at other vocational schools. If the waitlist were to be exhausted, they would probably aim to recruit in the following audition cycle, but if a MA showed particular promise I guess they might take someone in via that route.

The waiting list for RBS is very small, normally around five children, maybe less. I think there are a lot more children on the waiting list for funding at Tring and Hammond, as admissions there are quite different, but presume Elmhurst is similar to RBS as the funding situation is similar. On the RBS waiting list, they are children that have met all the criteria for WL and will be given a Mids place to continue their training with RBS so that if a place becomes available before the Easter holidays of Year 7 they will slot into the year group. Places do become available off the waiting list pretty much every year. We decided to decline a waiting list space, as DD had an offer at another vocational school that she loved. We felt that the uncertainty of waiting to be called on to join a different school would make it difficult to settle. It definitely proved to be the right decision for her. Every child is different though

Even without assessing out, there is a lot of movement each year at all the big vocational 11-16 schools. It’s a huge commitment to dance, specifically ballet in some of the schools, and for some children this comes with a realisation that it isn’t what they want. Boarding doesn’t suit everyone. People move to other countries. Long term injuries sadly do happen. It is always worth trying. Schools will also often increase the intake for an exceptionally talented child even if no one leaves to ‘make space’.