Crystaltips

Northern Ballet do open classes for young people aged 8 to 16. It’s also worth asking to go on the mailing list to get early notice of any workshops that they may be putting on. Also why not watch a few professional performances? Always very inspiring and now is the time. It becomes more of a challenge to fit in as your dd gets older and busier.

Would your dd like to do some additional dance outside of her regular classes? If not then use the time to focus on something for you. If she does there is plenty to look at. Depending on where you live there are workshops and masterclasses to look at. My dd did some lovely open classes at Birmingham Royal Ballet very good value and small class sizes. It’s a challenge when you get a not yet and a lot of us have been there. Make sure you are looking after your own needs it’s very easy to overinvest emotionally (speaking from experience here).

Lovely news. It’s hard being a teenager (and being the parent of one).

All England Dance. Have a look at their website.

And it’s not just about confidentiality, important though that is. It’s about support and nurture, about duty of care. Some schools I could mention have strict no alcohol and no overnight guest policies but they are not enforced. A group of under 18s living in shared accommodation and left to their own devices will likely end up living in a complete mess as not all of them have the maturity to cope. Some 16 to 18 year olds do manage extremely well but when forced to share dirty accommodation and deal with classmates who are suffering from extreme homesickness and lashing out as a result it’s not at all easy. Add on to that the emotional and physical strain of a very demanding course and you the parent may find yourself on the receiving end of a very distressed phone call. At this point you may begin to harbour very uncharitable views towards the school who have allowed this situation to happen.

I used to live in Harris & Hoole by St Margaret’s Station when the weather was bad. Decent coffee and free WiFi

The interests of the young person should always be paramount it’s that simple. But to shove my oar in, there is absolutely no comparison between a young person going away to a good university at 18/19 years to study for a degree and a 16 year old going away to study for a ‘degree ‘ in classical dance. It is a degree in name only packaged that way to get funding. In reality it’s a hard physical and mental slog with little support or pastoral care. I have a had a child in each system at the same time and the two situations are not comparable. My dd has survived but it has been a close run thing at times and many of her friends have not been so lucky. Since it’s considered normal for classical students to embark on such a course at 16 unlike the rare academic prodigy who goes to university early, the safeguards and parental involvement should IMO default to the needs of a 16 year old and currently they don’t at some schools.

It has to be Capezio. And yes, go for the next size up.

That day will come I promise. Also own laundry and cleaning.

Oh dear this thread brought back some awkward memories. I went to the kind of school that valued Latin over needlework and my mother refused to teach me to sew on the grounds that I was too clumsy. She was right as I am ambidextrous and equally appalling with both hands. When my dd went on pointe I was rescued by a lovely fellow mum who helped me stitch the first pair. I then always kept an old pair so that I could copy it. And that’s a good way to teach a newbie. Happily my dd does her own now so I have been able to forget.

For absences from academic school I always requested permission in writing in advance. It was always for solid reasons such as an audition. I always gave the context and always committed to catch up with any work. Timing is also crucial. Schools are often much more amenable if you ask for the last week of the school year to attend a good dance summer intensive as it doesn’t show up in their attendance records. As for dance schools that is more complicated. If yours is a school that does a lot of festivals they will naturally expect first dibs on your dc. It helps if you can show in advance how you can manage to meet all your obligations. Of course if your dance school takes an inflexible stance you may have to make some strategic choices. Always put your dc long term interests first though coz no one else will.

Fare well wherever you fare. You will be missed.

Absolutely true. And having a difficult experience does not always mean that you give up. I asked my dd if she could go back in time would she make the same choice and she said yes without hesitating. It’s just important to be aware of the enormous demands that dance training makes. Indeed many of the most successful students are the most stressed as they are under immense pressure to win in competitions . Just go in with your eyes open. And don’t disregard any feedback even if you don’t want to hear it. My dd has legs that are fractionally too short for ballet. I was simply furious when told this. But as she is choosing to go down the contemporary path it is no longer relevant and her ballet training has given her a great starting point.

Yes. I never heard of an Artistic Director/Vice Principal who wasn’t super nice to prospective parents. This is usually said to you just after they tell you about the fantastic new dance studios they would like to build.

Also it’s easy to get taken along for a ride. We parents are vulnerable too. We invest so much (emotionally) in our children’s dance training. When they are desperate to succeed and knowing that there is a scarcity of places it’s hard to bat away an offer. When a school tells you what great pastoral care, training opportunities etc etc they have we want to believe them.However with the benefit of hindsight there are signs to look out for. What is the size of the 3rd year vs the 1st? If a school regularly advertises that ‘final year places are available’ that should tell you something. Scrutinise their social media postings. If the same few students constantly feature on Facebook or whatever, if it’s all about a few candidates for international competitions that should tell you something too. By which I mean that these types of post feature to the exclusion of everyone else. Schools showcase what they value. Ask about any kind of setting or grouping of students in operation. Again some schools do not divulge in advance that they practice this. Be suspicious of schools posting exam results where all the students get distinctions. It may be that they don’t post all the results. It’s equally likely that they don’t enter all their students for exams. Just don’t take anything at face value and don’t stop asking questions. Happy to answer any pm’s.

It states elsewhere on this forum that discussion of Ballet West is not permitted. Presumably that applies to the associates program as well?

Two of the above schools should not be discussed on this forum.

Hope you had a great time there it’s a lovely school.

Hello I used to do this journey every week at one time. From the M3 J1 at Sunbury, take the A316 Chertsey Road. Turn left into St Margaret’s Road and then right into St Margaret’s Drive. At the weekend there is loads of unrestricted on street parking by the school. Never had a problem finding an easy space.

I had some silk flower cleaner that I bought from Lakeland Plastics. I hung the tutu over the bath and sprayed it. It cleaned up quite well ( although I would test on an inconspicuous bit first). My dd is very tiny so always seemed to get the oldest costumes from the back of the cupboard. Good luck

Hi MummytoIzzy, Your post gave me a nostalgic smile. My dd was a senior associate at Ballet Boost ( as well as in another associate scheme) and yes it was great. Indeed it was this that gave her the confidence to audition and get a place in full time training. Be careful what you wish for. What happened next? Well dd went into 2nd year with much better accommodation and still grimly determined to see it through to the end. This year has been easier for her - or so she tells me. She has developed a steely quality and as she is now legally an adult I feel the need to respect her choices. Quite a few of her comrades in arms have now either switched schools or given up altogether. I still feel enormous frustration at the way that the current system is so wasteful of these young lives and talents. I would never say ‘don’t do it ‘ to anyone but do go into it with your eyes wide open .

Right now my dd is mourning the departure of one of her close friends from her school. He was within weeks of completing a foundation degree but left because he was so unhappy he couldn’t stand it a minute longer. Will he or his parents complain? Of course not! He has a place somewhere else next year. No one wants to rock the boat. And that is why we need an external statutory body.

Agree that there needs to be a independent body with teeth. That will investigate grievances and conduct inspections. The article attached to this thread pales into insignificance compared to some of the examples I am aware of. And people are too afraid to complain openly. It is regrettable that individuals have posted comments in the past that have led to locked threads and a prohibition on discussing certain schools. But probably driven to it by the lack of other channels.

And sometimes they really really don't want you to intervene. I did have a lengthy phone call with a senior member of staff during the first term when issues first began to emerge. He was charming, polite and entirely plausible. Nothing changed though. And Yda was absolutely furious with me when I told her about the conversation. Truth is a) there are plenty more where you came from, (b) its a very small world and you can't afford to be seen as whiney or difficult c) Anyone who is or has been a professional ballet dancer has never been one of the 'also rans' - they were a favourite pupil themselves once upon a time, and they are categorically incapable of walking in someone else's shoes. In the end I think you have to calmly and objectively weigh up the pros and cons of leaving soon, sticking out for another year or staying to the bitter end. I would like to thank all the kind people who have offered support and messaged me with suggestions and kind words. You are all a lovely lot and you have collectively restored my faith in human nature.

I suspect the answer to your last question would be yes. They offered a hefty discount for payment upfront and although I was assured we would get a refund if things didn't work out, in practice I'm not sure how the small print would play out. The really sad part is that I don't think the school even realise the impact of their behaviour. We know of someone else who chose to leave early, and who was greeted with astonishment that she would prefer another school.