Pinkpip100

Yes please to the turquoise.

Thanks - I’ve just pm’d you.

Is the indigo 9502 still available please?

Please could I see a photo of the 9502 Lagon? Thanks.

Yes it’s 23-25 August - dd attended last year and really enjoyed it.

Interested in the 9501 navy please.

My dd is starting the pre-vocational associates at Kings in September. She did the summer school there last year and loved it, plus has been taught by one of the directors previously as part of a different programme. As @Macmacsays, in ‘normal’ times it is entrance by audition only, so definitely selective - I wouldn’t let that put you off. Dd is giving up another associate programme to move to Kings - not an easy decision but she feels it’s the right move for her. My experience of the teachers/directors so far has been really positive, it seems like a really ‘nurturing’ school, if that makes sense?

Hi Emily, I agree with the post above about how important fitness/conditioning/strengthening is for young dancers. The associate programmes my dd attends do a little of this but it is definitely very limited. It’s something my dd really needs to work on so perhaps that is informing my view a bit, but I think we would actively seek out a scheme where this was the key focus. That said, the travelling is more of an issue now - I think being forced to stay at home/local has made us realise how exhausting our weekends are in ‘normal’ times. Also our finances have taken a bit of a hit so we are having to be more cautious about what we spend on dd’s dancing - and I imagine we aren’t the only ones. Sorry, not sure how helpful any of this is though!

Thanks @Pas de Quatre, I’ve messaged you. @glowlightI don’t think there were any underlying reasons - she said she didn’t know anything about it - just that it isn’t well known compared to my dd’s current associates.

Thanks Anna C. I don’t think dd has an issue with the ‘toughness’ of it in terms of how hard she has to work, and she coped really well with the vocational audition rounds last year. It’s more that this particular teacher seems relentlessly negative (to all of them, not just dd) and rather than spurring dd on to do better, this approach just seems to destroy her confidence even more. I am sure this isn’t the case for all of the students, and I totally agree that selective schemes have to be demanding and challenging.

Thanks all - I think you’re right that I know in my heart what would be best for dd right now. It’s so easy to get carried away with the journey and lose sight of what’s really important. Her local school is ‘ok’, but she wouldn’t consider moving from there at the moment. But she does attend other classes with a really good teacher a bit further away so I think we’ll focus on those a bit more too.

West Midlands - Birmingham is our nearest big centre (around an hour away).

I’m looking for some advice please. Dd is in year 7 and has been dancing with a weekly associate programme at a well known ballet school since year 5. Although she always enjoyed it, it never seemed to do much to build her confidence (and often the opposite, as she frequently told me she felt like the ‘worst’ in the class). This year she moved up to the equivalent of Mids and this issue has seemed to get worse (I think her confidence and enthusiasm in general have been impacted by months of zoom classes, no performances etc). It definitely doesn’t feel like a particularly nurturing environment, and from what I can see/hear from the zoom classes, the teacher they have this year is quite negative and ‘old school’ in approach. I’m sure others respond well to this ‘tough’ approach but dd tends to take it to heart and become even lower after each class. All in all, I don’t feel it is working for her and she has said several times she wants to stop, although then wobbles on this when it comes to making a final decision. I think she knows how lucky she is to have the place, how much she wanted it when she first auditioned, and that so many people (including her local ballet teachers and friends) would think she was completely crazy to give it up. I have to admit to worrying about the same things myself. There is another potential option, an associate programme at a much smaller ballet school. Dd attended a summer school there and loved it. It has a very different feel and my gut feeling is that it would suit her better. But her ballet teacher has been quite dismissive of it, I think because it isn’t well known and getting a place doesn’t have the same ‘prestige’ as RBS, Elmhurst etc. We need to make a decision in the next few weeks as she will have to give a full terms notice at her current associates. If it makes a difference, she auditioned for year 7 vocational places at 2 schools, got to finals at one, but didn’t get a place. Since then she has decided she doesn’t want to go down the vocational route at this stage, possibly not at all, but wants to keep her options open. She is definitely not as fixed on her dream of becoming a professional dancer as she was a year ago, although some of that might be down to the experiences of the past year. Sorry for what has turned into a very long post, any advice much appreciated - thanks.

What size is the prima leotard please?

I know of a few girls who only applied for MAs last year and were offered places - it just meant waiting quite a bit longer for the results.