AllAboutTheJourney

I think it’s all fascinating! Good for us at the very start of the process to go into everything with our eyes open - that’s the main thing I’ve learned from this forum. Vocational lower school isn’t something we would be considering at all (even if lucky enough to be successful with JA etc) but I’m fully aware it’s the right choice for some. I’d perhaps also take a different view for DS in due course rather than DD so am not totally against the idea. Fascinating to read about people’s experiences though and the stats going forward into the higher years of vocational training.

We didn’t end up going to an insight day (it was cancelled) but I believe that the insight day is more akin to a normal weekly/fortnightly JA class. I believe - though correct me if I am wrong - that the audition to get through to that point though is very much about legs and feet and body, with a bit of improv thrown in to check for musicality? DD had an internal dance school audition recently for their internal associates programme which was very similar, and I believe Scottish ballet associates auditions this weekend were also very much about legs/feet/stretching rather than ‘dancing’ per se.

Good luck to him @balletboy8!

Just out of interest, as I've never come across that movement before, how far would you expect the foot and lower leg to fall? I'm not intending to try it (!), just curious.

Thanks for the fantastic summary - great info and sounds like your DD had a fab day @Astrid!

How did it go @PutYourBooteesOn?

How exciting - good luck to your DD and all auditioning over the next few weeks. My DD's audition is the very last day so I hadn't quite appreciated it was starting so soon - she has ballet exams and a competition before the JA audition so it's going to be a busy month! Hope all the girls and boys who are trying out have a lovely time at the audition - it sounds like a fun experience for them no matter what happens.

Hi all - have now received email for DD’s audition, she is on the last day of the London auditions as well. Same here @pinkbex81 - tiny little 7 year old who is only just old enough to audition but it will be a fun day out anyway and all good experience!

Thanks both - yes not till end of May so there's plenty time. Just me trying to get organised as soon as possible... I can't even think what the wait for results must be like...! 😂

Hmm, now wondering if I've missed it somehow or if it is just later given that she is auditioning in London which is the final centre. Thanks - will look into it.

Thanks both - sounds like the emails are in process then. There are a few dates my DD could be allocated so I'm just a bit reluctant to book anything in case we're a day out!

Morning - I just wondered if anyone had received an email confirming their audition date/time for JA's yet? Applications closed at the end of March I believe but we haven't had an audition date yet. Just quite keen to book hotel/train etc as we are travelling to the audition. Thanks!

Nine weeks is a long time not to stretch - though I totally agree with you about there being no need to 'worry' about it. I certainly wouldn't be expecting my DD or any others to do it if they didn't want to but i don't think there is any harm is reminding them regularly to do something they are already encouraged to be doing at home - even in term time - anyway. Why lose flexibility which you've been working hard to improve by stopping doing it for over 2 months? EDITED to add that I also would be encouraging her to stretch before doing any gymnastics or dancing in the garden - which seems to be what her summers mainly consist of - because that's our general rule for doing tricks and flips at home anyway. I think stretching at home is a separate issue to privates, which I don't for a minute think are necessary over the summer at 8 years old.

Your daughter is the same age as mine and I would also have concerns about stopping lessons entirely for 9 weeks, while also recognising that she is very young. Our dance school doesn't stop at all through Easter or the various half term holidays but they do take 2 weeks off at Christmas and 4 over the summer. The 5th week of the summer holidays is when they run their own summer school which is generally attended by almost all kids who are fairly serious about their dancing (as well as lots of others - it's a very fun week) and then classes re-start straight after summer school. Other local organisations may run summer schools she could attend (with permission from her own teacher) whether that's dance based or musical theatre/gymnastics etc. We've always viewed summer hols as a good chance to try out something slightly different as, for my DD, in term-time the week is pretty full with dance and gymnastics. I'd definitely encourage her to keep stretching as 9 weeks is a long time and she may really see a difference if she isn't in class doing it regularly. I'd actually be more concerned about 4 weeks off over Easter as presumably if her exam is pre-summer holidays it is falling in May or June? Missing 4 weeks of class just prior to that around Easter time seems a lot. Perhaps you could arrange a couple of privates over the Easter break and have more of a chilled out summer?

Morning - it sounds like you're already happy with the exam situation but in case it's of any interest, it sounds like my daughter is in a similar position to yours. She is 7 and she sat the RAD primary exam last year. This year (in Spring) she will be sitting Grade 1, though she also goes to the Grade 2 class (as do several others who are quite into their ballet) and they refer to this as a shadow or extension class. She won't sit the Grade 2 exam this year, as the idea of attending the class as a shadow class is (i) to enable them to do more ballet technique each week and (ii) to give them longer to learn (and then perfect) the various exercises ready for when they do come to sit the exam. What I mean to say by that is that it's not a concern that she isn't sitting the Grade 2 exam even if she is attending the class, as it sounds like it might be a similar set up to my daughter's dance school.

I noticed that too @Scottishballetmum - I imagine there will be a lot of children going for both. My DD is too young to apply for Dundee or for SB so she's still toying with the idea of applying for RBS Newcastle, even if only to get experience of the audition.

In case it's of any interest to anyone, I phoned RBS today to clarify the age limit (as making it available to those in Primary 5, 6 and 7 doesn't quite correlate to the English age limits). They said the Dundee scheme is open to those three school years only but that younger children (within the English age limit of being 8 by 31 August 2019) are still able to audition for one of the English centres if they so wish.

Thanks all - we'll give it a go and see what's on

Hi - can anyone let me know how popular/busy the Live at Lunch recitals are at ROH? We have bought tickets for the backstage tour at 2pm and would quite like to try and catch the lunchtime performance at 1pm before it but wondered if you need to turn up very early and queue for a while to guarantee a space? We will be flying in that morning so realistically wouldn't be able to make it to ROH until around 12.30 at the earliest. Many thanks.

Thanks so much Astrid, that's really helpful!

For me, as a parent of two young dancers, it's a welcome statement. I see the limitations and points made above, but at least it's a step in the right direction. Who knows how my childrens' dance journey may go - it may well be over in a few years as they find other interests and activities - but at the moment they both love and want to dance. When we are looking into that for them and discovering what is available in terms of opportunities such as JA's, vocational schools etc, it can be disheartening to read about the way things seem to be going at the other end of the spectrum. I guess it's a good reality check though. Anyway, to me it's a step in the right direction. And gives me some comfort that taking things slow and fun and safe and not getting carried away by the 'instagram' style of things is the right way to go for us.

Saw this on Instagram and thought it may be of interest to some of us: https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2018/11/07/ballet-competition-culture-are-we-putting-young-dancers-at-risk/

Well unfortunately the Newcastle Insight Day has been cancelled by RBS - we were offered to switch to another location or to have a refund. Unfortunately we just can't make any of the other 'local' dates work and it seems a little excessive to fly to London for one there... DD's teacher agrees so we are going to leave it and just go for the audition in due course. If anyone does make it to an Insight Day it would be really nice to hear about how it went on here!

Booking is now open for the Insight Days in London, Newcastle, Bath and Birmingham. My DD is booked into the Newcastle one - maybe we will see some forum members there!

I noticed on instagram that RBS are doing Insight Days in two new locations this year - Dundee and Belfast. https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/participate/insight-days/insight-days-northern-ireland-and-scotland/ The Dundee one would have been closer for us but unfortunately we can't make the date so still hoping to go to the Newcastle one. If anyone else is interested, I contacted RBS to ask when booking for the other centres would be open and was told it should be Monday afternoon (10th).