BalletBoysDad

That’s wonderful, especially at such a young age to have the ability to know it’s not personal. We’ve corrected the Lego on the birthday list and calm and order has been restored in the house. 😂

That’s really interesting, thanks for sharing that. Out of interest, which centre is this?

There appear to be three SWL for London Y4 on this forum, so maybe 5 in reality? Those numbers seem pretty similar to London Y5...

That seems to be the worry, it feels like the numbers get ever more challenging year on year. It’s these numbers that make me think it’s not worth trying again. But then SWL comes with that frustration that the child must have been really close in the final considerations and that’s an achievement in itself..... I guess the one thing that is easier for the kids than the adults is the exposure to the challenges and realities of audition. We know (through my partners work) an ex RB principal who went on to be Artistic Director of a couple of major companies. He ‘warned us’ that a career in dance carries a disproportionate amount of disappointment, and it’s important to be able to deal with that. His advice was that if you can’t deal with it, don’t bother. Fortunately when I explained to my DS about the SWL, he was more bothered that he might have put the wrong Lego set on his birthday list. I wish my brain worked like that 😂

Exactly! I’m sure most of the kids fortunately take it in their stride. My sons love of ballet comes from the ballet he does now, so he’s completely unfazed by it. He doesn’t quite get SWL which I hope is a blessing. He was encouraged by his teacher rather than me, and it’s lovely that if anything it’s shown potential that for whatever reason needs some fine tuning. He will happily go through all of this again, just not sure I can lol. But its lovely to hear your DD is on the next step of the journey to her dance aspirations 💫

Well that’s wonderful to hear, huge congratulations to your DD. Maybe I should stop thinking about it and adopt a what will be will be’ attitude to it all. 😀

Trying not to ‘overthink’ this whole process is brain ache. As I think towards next year, and thinking about your son getting a ‘Y5 yes’, it makes me think just how slim that possibility is? What an amazing achievement!!! My presumption (and maybe I’m completely wrong) is that Y4s would rise to Y5, Y5’s would rise to Y6s, Y6s would leave the JAs.... and the only genuinely available space would be a fresh intake of Y4s? If that was the case, the possibilities of getting a Y5 space or Y6 would be the fewest, given that those places are already occupied/reserved for those moving up? I need a holiday from my own brain 😝

Congratulations to your son! Was the Elmhurst class in Birmingham, to travel every weekend?

My DS got SWL for London. He auditioned on Day 3, group 5 for Y4. He loves his other ballet classes so I’m sure he won’t be too disappointed. It’s just been a strange comfort to deal with the anxiety of the JA process within this group and friendly forum

I share your pain 😬😫

We were London 30th group 5, I’m really hoping replies don’t go past end of next week, the suspense is killing me 😖😬

For example, if a centre (eg Birmingham) has already been decided, and someone in a later audition centre put Birmingham as a second choice, I wonder how seriously the panel would take that applicant, in the mix of all those who auditioned there as first choice.... Oh the madness of it all... (or the madness of me) 😂

Although new to this group, I’ve kept an eye on it all week and am glad to know I’m not alone in the inexplicable anxiety of this process! My DS auditioned in London for a Y4 place, and I’m reluctantly accepting that London results won’t be available until w/c 24th June. Fascinated to know how 2nd preference places work, and how they are considered and allocated in the consideration/allocation of places. It’s the ‘guessing’ of the process that seems to be most driving me slowly insane 😝