SissonneDoublee

In the FAQ on Modibodi, they state that regular tumble drying will reduce the lifespan and efficiency, but we decided that even sub-standard ones would be better than regular dance knickers for back-up! DD’s school has daily laundry.

The nude-coloured modibodi knickers are a reassuring backup when used with other sanpro, as it means DD doesn’t need to worry about leaks in class. To be fair, all washing goes through the boarding house wash anyway, and if a leak did happen she would still need to deal with it with a cold water rinse and into the wash, so this is less washing and less stress for her!

My year 8 DD has Carlos Acosta’s biography, which she loves. A technical dictionary of ballet could be good too. The coffee table book ‘ballet’ edited by Viviana Durante is fantastic, but huge! If you have space for it, it is wonderful.

1 hour ago, BusyDancemum said:

Hi EmDancer,

oh that's good, We are the 14th January.  My daughter tried last year for year 7 but is was a no.  Her teacher thinks it would be good for her to try again.  I wonder how many spaces there are for year 8 and how many are auditioning.

I don’t think there will be a fixed number of spaces for any given year group. Unlike schools with specific dormitory sizes, Elmhurst have a fair bit of flexibility with accommodation. We have seen girls added to already large cohorts, and even mid-year admissions. If they want a dancer, they will make space for them. Good luck!

Just Ballet have just posted that they have new stock in

Hello, I’m interested in the 12a degas. Please could you send a photo? Thank you!

Not all the children in DD’s class had flat turnout. Some were quite a way off. But they all had that magical ‘something’ when they danced. I think at JAs you see more variety in the facility of the children. There is less variety by Year 7 though.
I think it is always worth a try. The audition experience in itself is lovely and if you take the day as a chance to experience the Royal Ballet School, then it’s not a case of pass or fail.

Definitely normal. They had a few visits throughout the year. May be the physio in to have a look. DD was set exercises to help close the gap between her potential and working turnout.

I have heard of vocational schools letting the current school know that a student has auditioned, so not saying anything could be risky as they might hear from elsewhere. If you tell them yourself, it gives you the chance to clarify that they are happy where they are.

Possibly too late to be any help now, but in the past we parked at Southampton Airport Parkway and took the train one stop to avoid similar problems.

I think the MDS funding is tied to potential in ballet at Tring. A friend of DD’s was offered a place, but not funding, and on reflection her mum wondered if a ballet solo would have given an extra opportunity to demonstrate this, rather than the modern solo she actually went in with. I have no idea whether this is right or not, but those funded places certainly seem to be like hen’s teeth!

Could it be to do with physical strength and muscle bulk? There is a big difference between different boys in Year 8, and they might want to give him time to develop more strength in order to do himself justice in his intermediate exam. I’m sure that there will be the possibility of movement between the groups if it isn’t the right decision for him. At vocational school the RAD exams are more a way of accessing the Genee and a route into teaching than anything else, so it shouldn’t hold him back in terms of his training.

RAD is an excellent training system, but if it is tying you to a school that is not working for you it is well worth looking at other options. My daughter studied ISTD ballet until she started at vocational school for Year 7, and was able to transfer to RAD without any problems. ISTD has more unset work in the lower grades, which is great for audition preparation, and there is greater emphasis on understanding the French terminology. It should definitely be seen as a worthy alternative.

Do the higher grades (5-8) and vocational grades appear on the timetable at your DDs’ school? I wonder if the teacher is delaying moving students up because she only caters for the lower grades... Grade 2 at age 13 is very, very low. You would expect a DC to be in grade 5+ or vocational grades (inter-foundation onwards) by then.

11 hours ago, Jane said:

With the start of a new academic year I wish good luck to all those starting their vocational journeys and the returnees. 

What a lovely message! It is a hectic time and a big wrench as children go back to boarding school and college.

To the parents of new starters: you will manage so much better than you think you are going to. The children are starting the journey towards their dream, and it is hard to watch them go, but may you see them thrive as I have seen DD thrive; may your relationship with them grow stronger as my relationship with DD has grown stronger; and may you discover new interests and friendships to supplement the areas that quieten down when a high-maintenance Dancing child goes off to vocational school, as I have.

These were my fears this time last year. It was all fine. Better than fine! Our lives have adjusted and a year on, I don’t feel the dread as I help DD pack that I felt last year. Thinking of you all xx

5 hours ago, Crazylifecrazykids said:

We've not had our invoice yet  x

Invoices didn’t come out until mid September the year my DD started, so after her first class. I remember worrying that maybe I had misread the email and she didn’t have a place after all!

So sorry to hear this. Sending love and prayers to his family and friends.

1 hour ago, Lara Eschler said:

Hi Everyone,

just have a quick question. My ds is starting JA in September in year 5. I was wondering about the Easter intensive course. Do JA formally audition for it? What is the audition like for intensive courses? He will have just turned 10 before the Easter holidays.

many thanks in advance and enjoy the summer and getting uniforms ready 😘

The Easter and summer intensives are photo application for JAs, the same as everyone else. I think you do tick on the form to say that you are a JA, but I’m not sure how much difference it makes in their decision. Good luck! 

18 minutes ago, Balletmum55 said:

Just to say, they never go in class in their joggers, so it doesn’t matter what colour they are as it’s only for travelling in. Kids wear full all in one warm ups, leggings, jeans etc on the bottom and some wear joggers but it really doesn’t matter xx Almost all wear the zip ups though xx 

This depends on the centre. The Eastleigh JAs used to start the warm-up in them when DD was there. xx

Hello, how does the black 0 degas leotard compare to a 14A, please?

I hope the rest of summer school is a positive experience. It sounds like an eye opener. Easy enough to shrug off when it’s only a week, but the thought of DC being subjected to those sorts of mind games on a daily basis in full time training is very worrying.

DD sews her own... she’s always so chuffed that she did it herself. She pins the ribbons first to keep them still, and then sews. The first pair weren’t mega neat, but she’s never had a ribbon come off.

No one really looks at credits for GCSEs in the way they do with UCAS points at A Level, but grade 4 ISTD is a level 2 qualification, as is GCSE. I imagine RAD grades will be similar. Any college or other institution will be interested in extra-curricular activities as well as grades, and dance exam results show commitment and a level of seriousness, so definitely still a plus. You can use dance as a skill for GCSE PE, I believe, and obviously for GCSE dance! With three options at most schools, one of which being MFL and one a humanities subject, hopefully you can still get the EBac and include an arts subject if you wish... or even better, some schools put the needs of the child ahead of the school stats and actually give you a free(ish) choice of the three options! 

Going down a size in the leotard definitely helped with the gathering at the crotch in DD’s case. When you arrive for the first lesson, you realise that everyone has the same problem and it seems to matter less! 

I’m sure I remember that the tracksuit is an embroidered Fruit of the Loom zip-up jacket. The bottoms are very wide, but have a gathered ankle so they do get away with it. It just all seems so important, and then you arrive for the first lesson and the teaching is so lovely that anything seems far less important!

11 minutes ago, Jete Battu said:

Thank you, thats interesting to know. My DD is Yr 6 and has been offered a scholarship. She’s torn between accepting that or dancing with the BRB which rehearses at the same time so she’s unlikely to be able to do both. We wondered if the scholarship children tended to get a good part or whether as a ‘younger’ dancer she still wouldn’t get much stage time. These are a first for us so we know very little about the process.

I think there is a level playing field on casting day, but if a child has been awarded a scholarship they obviously stand out. My DD was only 9 when she did EYB, but was a cygnet in Swan Lake which was a really lovely role. All children are in two of the three acts. We have no experience of BRB though, but that sounds amazing!