Astrid

That would be lovely TinyNEdancer. I’d love to hear about how everyone gets on! I had a dream the other night we showed up and they asked why we had come and told us to go home 😆 might get the rescue remedy out (for me 😅) X

36 minutes ago, TinyNEDancer said:

Are you taking the photos yourself? I'm not sure I know what a 'good' photo is 😬

 

And are they definitely actual photographs?? Rather than emailed files? 🤔

 Our dance teacher helped us with the RBS photos (and number 6 was still pretty questionable but she hasn’t done that pose in class before so she did her best 😅).

We did the Elmhurst ones ourself this week, as we only just decided to do it and are now on holiday from dance. I still found it quite hard but think they weren’t too bad.  I have got them printed out and am going to post them this weekend.  I did get them checked over messenger with the dance teacher and she thought they were ok. her thoughts are they are looking for potential and she will either be what they want on the day or not so not to worry about them too much. Everyone is vey relaxed about the whole affair where we live 😂 I think DDs ‘ambition’ is quite a novelty 😅

I don’t know what a good photo is either 🤦🏼‍♀️ I have a feeling we are on a steep learning curve..

49 minutes ago, Creakingstool said:

 

Thanks Astrid, I was just wondering if they close earlier if applications pass a certain number. 

Good point..should probably crack on with the form..😆

I wouldn’t have thought you would have missed anythinf Waverley as London is end of May isn’t it - I know because we couldn’t do it as it clashed with her dance show. ours is May 3rd so almost a month earlier. I think they must do them in stages.. makes me realise how long we will have to wait for results by being first 🤦🏼‍♀️😅 x

We have had our date and times for Birmingham, I can’t remember when we got it, maybe Friday? we had to confirm it by end of this week through our log in on the website x

13 hours ago, Creakingstool said:

Does anyone know if the application for the audition closes at all?  Set number of places? We would be auditioning for Manchester. 

I think the website says it’s May 3rd..maybe check that though! X

14 hours ago, TinyNEDancer said:

And to yours too, Astrid! Will she be going into Y4 in September? If so she’s the same age as mine. We are very new to all of this! I don’t think we’ll get far but we’ll have some nice days out along the way...! 

Yes going into year 4 - she is 7. I agree, we went to an insight day and had a lovely time, they had a really great pianist and the teachers are fab. If anything it’s a fun day out again? x

No probs! We are auditioning for the first time as well. We are auditioning for JAs in Birmingham for London (because London clashes with her dance show), and still trying to decide what to do about Elmhurst. My family live on Birmingham so it makes it a bit easier. We live in the east of England. It’s a hike wherever we are. To be honest we have no idea what we are doing 😅 and not expecting anything at all. My husband grumbling about it all already! Good luck to your DD I hope she gets a place where she wants 🙂 x

16 hours ago, TinyNEDancer said:

I wonder if anyone has any wisdom they can offer. My daughter will be applying for the Elmhurst Young Dancers programme for 2019 entry, Y4. We find ourselves in a situation where we can either attend an audition in Sunderland or Plymouth. Strange, I know! I wondered if anyone had any advice on which would be better, if either did have an advantage? For example, I know that Royal Ballet School have a far higher number of applicants at some centres vs. others, and so the ratio/chance of being successful may be different. Is this the case in this situation, does anyone know? I hope this makes sense! Thank you 😊 

TinyNEDancer is it just the audition you are asking for or is it it the place she would train at? I think you can audition at one centre for a place at another (you can with RB anyway).  If this was the case then it wouldn't make much difference I would have thought..eg if you auditioned for a place in Sunderland at Plymouth, it would be the same chance as auditioning in Sunderland.  

If she has a choice of centres though I have no idea 😂 good luck in any case! 🙂x

Thanks so much guys that has really helped! x

Does anybody know the times for the Y4 class for Elmhurst young dancers in Birmingham? Are there any fortnightly options or just weekly? I couldn’t see this info anywhere on the website. 

DD is keen to apply but it would be a bit of a journey for us (although we have family in Birmingham so it could be broken up with a stay). I am thinking more of the effects on the rest of the family and how it would work. I do realise these schemes are very competitive and chances are small, but worth thinking in advance anyway.

We are so limited with options for extra ballet where we live! 

Thanks so much 

3 hours ago, Billyelliott said:

Hi worsethanclueless and Astrid

Here are my thoughts...

we have now reached Yr12

on this journey.......

If I had sat down and thought about it coldly & logically (from the point of view of finances  long-term career prospects et cetera )at the beginning... Before starting on the JA’s  - well - we would probably never have started down this road. 

BUT

I’m so glad that I just took it all one step at a time and didn’t drive myself mad worried over the future! Otherwise I would’ve given up before we started !

I think the deciding factor is the amount of passion your child has for dancing in our case it is the only thing he lives for.

 This means that no matter how tough things get he has always wanted to keep going!

After a drama queen rant and rave yes - but stop dancing ....never ....nothing and nobody will stop him dancing.

 Does he have the perfect physique certainly not! But he can still out jump out spin and outperform  many of those who do have perfect physique yes!

 

 If that is how your child feels or grows to feel and I think you have to let them dance - the rest will sort itself out in some way or another. There are always other branches of dance there always scholarships and bursaries and there are plenty of other second Careers especially if you make sure they have a broad-based education while dancing.

 Many have described the journey as a rollercoaster and I quite agree but  it is one that you can get off if the pain exceeds the passion!  And those years will  definately not have been wasted  as long as the child continues to enjoy the journey then I say let them continue !

 

Great advice Billyelliot and how wonderful that your DCs journey has taken him this far, I wish him all the success as he continues 😊

Who knows where we will be in even a years time, it certainly has been interesting so far, I’m blown away by all the talented little DCs out there! 

Hi worsethanclueless!

I don't have any of the answers but just wanted to say we are in a similar situation. I also have no prior knowledge of ballet but after recently attending an insight day (which confirmed my utter lack of knowledge 😂), I have concluded that even by attending an audition and failing, she will be learning valuable life lessons.

My husband was an actor and was initially really against her doing anything like this as he knows the potential pitfalls. But since the insight day he feels like for now this is a largely positive thing to do.

I think all these kids are so dedicated and brave and resilient that just being around like minded children is no bad thing. And if by some insane chance she gets in then we will cross that bridge then.. they are very special by being brave enough to apply! Like those above have said I guess we are trying not to see it as a career or starting on a path which leads to dissapointment, but instead looking at the experience she is getting in the short term.

Iknow that hasnt answered the questions you asked but thought I’d let you know you aren’t alone! 

And I am learning a lot from this forum I have to say! Xx

On 5 October 2018 at 18:44, Waverley said:

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!
 

Hi Waverley.. we went to the insight day today and thought I'd let you know what it was like.  It was two hours of dance with questions at the end, and we watched.  There was about 20 of them I think or thereabouts.. it was a mixture of dancing and conditioning exercises.  They did quite a lot of skipping, gallops (in pairs across the room), a bit of improvisation work (making up their own endings to various things, I know nothing about ballet so I am quite useless on this front).  They did a lot on posture, this was a recurring discussion - and they did some work at the barre and some centre work.  They had a pianist which was so lovely, and a lot of the songs and the themes they danced to were from the nutcracker.  The teachers were just so lovely and really made them feel at ease.  My DD was terrified when she went in (a lot of the children seemed to know each other, I think they came in groups from local dance schools, and she didn't know anyone) but as soon as they started dancing she was fine! I have to say, I was also terrified when we went in after witnessing all the warming up, but as soon as it started it was all fine!  It did feel like quite a long class to me and I think she was struggling a bit at the end in terms of concentration.  But she came out loving it and looking forward to telling her dance teacher about it this week.  Any other questions do shout! I'll do my best to remember!  :-) 

12 hours ago, TinyNEDancer said:

Does it matter, do you think, if you can't get to the one you would be auditioning for? One of the other dates is more convenient for us, so I am wondering how important it would be to see the 'local' centre? Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks! 

We are going to try and get tickets for the Birmingham insight but ultimately audition for London, as we are away for the London insight day in half term 🙂. 

I also think looking at dates we will also have to eventually also audition in a different place to London (if she still wants to do it) as it clashes with her dance show..

I think she needs to see if she likes it first! Xx

Hi Waverley, thanks for this! We are hoping to go to the Birmingham one so good to know when booking is open!

(London is closer to us, but we are away for half term).

Not sure what to expect but our dance teacher said it’s really fun. Fingers crossed! 

Thank you everyone for your replies, all very useful and thoughtful responses.  A lot to think about.  I will start by speaking to her teacher and go from there.  Feeling pretty glad this forum is here.  My husband thinks Im loopy. He used to be an actor and not getting parts from auditions was part of the course, so his rejection threshold is high!  Good luck to everyone on their own journeys, what a lot of talented children there are out there! X

6 hours ago, Mummy twinkle toes said:

JA odds can be long but you need to also consider she may get in. Not to sound too negative but you also need to consider the costs and commitment involved. Ballet can quickly go from a cheap amount each week to very expensive. It can be amazing but I am constantly skint, especially now I have 2 who want to do summer schools and associates😿 Our whole week revolves around it.

Golly yep..I have got two other DCs as well..they haven't even started on their dreams yet ..but seriously that is a consideration, because would have to think about them too! x

12 hours ago, YorkshirePudding said:

I would just add, it's definitely worth auditioning for all the resilience reasons BlueLou says, but also to benchmark whether or not the dream is realistic or whether it is helpful and healthy to redefine success more broadly.

 

My DS loves dancing, but just isn't really very good at it and no amount of 'follow your dreams and they will come true' hocus pocus is going to make dance a realistic ambition. (I keep meaning to start a 'DC who love dance but arent particularly good' thread to celebrate the small triumphs of the recreational dancer). But because he has ventured out from our teeny weeny dance school into the bigger world and seen this for himself he knows this to be the case and views dance as something he really enjoys and wants to improve at in order to support other aspects of performing arts. And so the dream evolves into something that better fits the child...

 

I'm not suggesting you give up at the first 'no' or even the second or third if it feels like you are in the right ballpark, and I'm not suggesting anything at all about your DD and her dancing. I'm just saying keep realistic as well as optimistic. And as CeliB says look at offering lots of different opportunities. It can be really easy to assume when you read this forum that chances of success are relatively high. They aren't. And the only way you will know is by having a go. And there are lots of fun times to be had on the way, and whatever the ultimate destination the journey is never wasted and you will be wiser more experienced travellers wherever you end up.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Yes agree with this whole heartedly.  You are right we may as well go I guess and then Im sure we will know one way or another! Im sure we can make it a fun experience for her even if it turns out to be a bit of a pipe dream.  For what its worth, I used to want a part on neighbours when I was 8 , and go on tour with New kids on the block, but had to be content with singing into my hairbrush in the bath.. still had a lot of fun though  xx

21 hours ago, CeliB said:

I would say at this st(age) go with the flow and try everything on offer. They are still so young and won't really know what is their true passion so all you can do is try to keep as many doors open as is feasible (practically, financially and as far as your parental mental health will allow hehe!). 

 

Do ask the teacher BUT my caveat would be don't take their opinion as gospel unless you are certain of their credentials (for sending kids to higher level ballet training - if that is what she wants) and even then it may still be worth a go. Likewise don't see JAs as the final yes/no- if I had taken JA as the arbiter of talent spotting DS would never have got to where he is now...

 

We were total newbies too - never a dancer on either side of the family before. We learned as DS learned and its been a real blast, with the highest of highs and lowest of lows (pretty much like parenting in general really). And this forum has been a lifeline so you are in the right place  

 

Thank you CeliB. I must admit I have found reading some of the past posts fascinating - gosh what a journey these children go on (and their parents too)!   Good luck on your own adventure! x

45 minutes ago, BlueLou said:

Hello Astrid! *waves back*.

 

I guess most of us on here felt like clueless newbies once, and I know from experience that it’s harder when you’re out in the sticks and your local dance school is maybe just a room in the village hall with a handful of children and a lovely well-intentioned teacher who is perhaps not up to date with all of the opportunities out there. I wish I’d known about this forum 6 years ago when we started on our journey - you have stumbled into the right virtual place to ask a million questions of very knowledgable and helpful old hands! 

 

I would say it’s always worth auditioning - you don’t know if you’re what they are looking for until you try. But you have to prepare your child for potential disappointment. Even the very best young dancers get their fair share of nos. The trick is to enjoy the experience and learn from it, then (if necessary) come back stronger next year. Going through the process, whether successful or not this time, is very valuable.

 

*Controversial viewpoint alert!* Personally I think children are over-protected from failure in most primary schools - no winners or losers at sports day, that sort of thing - but that doesn’t really prepare them for the reality of life. The dance world, on the other hand, is harsh (sometimes even brutal), but most of them seem to adapt to it and I think that will ultimately add something to their character (resilience, perseverance, work-ethic ….. ) that is just as important as whatever success it brings them dance-wise. It’s usually us parents that take the nos harder than they do! 

 

Anyway, I’m waffling. And there are far more knowledgable people on here than me, so I’ll hand over the baton. 

 

Good luck! 

Yes BlueLou exactly this - I feel like she has never really had to deal with any sort of failure before and that this seems very brutal compared to anything she has done before.  I think its probably me panicking more than her because I have seen what this actually entails!  I already feel much better that there is a whole forum of people going through the same thing because when I first looked at it I thought 'OH BLIMEY'.

Anyway, I guess I do need to pull up my big girl pants and talk to her teacher, and if anything I think it looks like quite  nice chance just to go and have a lovely class with a pianist which she would only usually get in exams.  Thank you for your reply it is good advice! x

Hello everyone! *waves*

About 6 months ago my DD got a book out the library about the royal ballet and subsequently discovered a load of videos on youtube about the school and their schemes.  She has now become set on auditioning for the junior associates.  She watches the video all the time and says ‘I love everything about it’.

I don’t really know much about ballet, and had never heard of this JA programme, so googled it and found this forum!  Having discovered how competitive it is (gulp) I was wondering if anyone could help a newbie with some advice!

I don’t know how much potential she has but she dances everywhere (round the house, to school, in the garden…) and seems very graceful.  She has been going to lessons since she was 3 (has recently turned 7), and is currently in Y2.  Should I talk to her ballet teacher (I don’t want to come across as being a pushy mum)?  I’m a bit scared to if I am honest!

We kind of live out in the sticks so it isn’t something that really happens here, although a read of her dance schools website has shown past pupils have done associate schemes – I’m not sure when though, certainly not since she has been at the school.

She talks every day about how much she wants to go and try out for it, she has even made a little goal chart on her wall.  Its all so lovely really I haven’t got the heart to say anything other than anything is possible? 

Are there any schemes in the east of England that she could also try for? Or is it pretty much London based stuff for us?  If I took her to an insight day would that be a mistake? I’m a bit worried in case she is way out of her depth! She is so passionate about it all, I feel like I want to support her as much as I can whilst trying to keep a sense of realism around it all?

Her school is an ISTD school which doesn’t enter festivals or comps or anything,  but it is quite a ballet focused school from what I can see.  She also does gymnastics so is fairly flexible although not one of those mega bendy types!

The thought of going to any of these things makes me wobble a bit!  I am a bit nervous to even post this but after reading a few of the JA topics I got into a bit of a panic about what to do (if we are not good enough to even think about it)?

Any advice? Sorry for the waffle!   Thanks so much! x