MissEmily

@HopelessMummy I can’t find any info about this either. Are you able to share a link? Thank you!

@BisforBalletI cannot speak of it highly enough. My pupil did it three years ago when she was 10. I went to watch the end of course performance and was flabbergasted at how much they had achieved in a few days. There was a lot of dancing every day and classes were small enough that I felt the teachers had really got to know each child, and seemed to really take an interest in each of them. There was the opportunity for each parent to talk to the director at the end too to get some feedback. The evening activities were great too; they kept them really busy. The only reason she has only done it once is that it is the opposite end of the country from us and her parents couldn’t face repeating the drive 😅 She was offered a full-time place there for Year 7, and would have happily gone, but chose a better-known school a little closer to home. Do feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

Thank you everyone! That’s given me a great range of places to look.

@AllAboutTheJourneyApologies, I meant London Children’s Ballet: https://www.londonchildrensballet.com/training/summer-school/

I have a 7 year-old (Year 2) pupil who is very keen and shows potential. He would like to take part in some workshops/ one-off classes over the summer in London or the South, ideally specifically for boys or where he won’t be the only boy (as is the situation in his current class). I know Central has run boys’ ballet days in the past but I can’t currently see any advertised. Does London Boys’ Ballet School still exist? The website seems defunct. London Junior Ballet is running a boys’ Summer School but it’s for age 9+… Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thank you!

I would say it depends entirely on your child’s personality. If she has the qualities they’re looking for, they will also be watching her carefully in the audition to check she can concentrate for a sustained period of time and that she has the maturity to benefit from the type of in depth training JAs provides. The detailed discussion of movement quality and perfecting exercises which work tiny muscle groups (for example) would not interest or inspire every 8 year-old! I would strongly recommend signing up for one of the insight classes to establish whether the style of class suits her. The audition itself is a lovely experience with a live pianist and wonderful teachers so if she’s keen, I’d say go for it and see what happens. The chances of being accepted are tiny so she’ll need to be prepared for potential rejection regardless of her age.

So long as your child makes it through the first round, they will be examined by a physiotherapist and one of the things they’re looking for is the POTENTIAL for flexibility rather than their current range necessarily.

This is from two years ago, but there was a simple barre (pliés, tendus, grands battements, possibly développés). In the centre, they did temps levés across the room, pirouettes and sautés in first. There may also have been a port de bras, I don’t remember. They also had to show their frogs’ legs and box splits again. The main difference between the first round audition and the semi-final was how hands on the teachers were. At the barre, the teacher lifted my pupil’s leg to see how far it would go à la seconde, on the request of the audition panel.

@In at the deep end My pupil said exactly the same about last year’s YBS scholarship audition so it’s clearly their way of doing things.

@BallerinaMum13 If anything, I’d say being a day student would put her at an advantage as she wouldn’t need a bed! The selection process recently has seemed entirely random though so don’t read too much into your daughter’s result either way.

@sunrise81 Yes, you seem to have done 🤦🏻‍♀️ There are much better value (quality and quantity of training for price) out there.

When my students are ready for their first pointe shoes, I book appointments at Bloch and Freed and we go to Dancia too, so they can try on the widest possible selection of shoes to see what feels and looks best. In my experience, it's luck of the draw in each shop as to who you get, particularly in Freed, so it's helpful if you're with someone (like a teacher) who knows what to look for and can be firm. Good luck!

Agreed. I sat in on my pupil's first lesson and thought it was excellent. Well-paced and helpful with lots of personal feedback given, and the content was much what they would be doing in face-to-face classes.

@Thelittleswans Someone would have to have left Elmhurst in order for there to be any spaces for Year 10 so for me, that risk is too great at such a critical stage of education and the number of Year 9 students not getting into Year 10 at WL would be enough to put me off going there in the first place. It is interesting to see more and more very talented dancers turning down their places at WL either to go to Elmhurst/ Tring or to stay at home. That said, there is no doubt that the performance opportunities are superior at WL. Tring ballet students do get to do ENB’s Nutcracker if they’re the right height. Elmhurst only does in-house performances at Christmas and in the Summer, and it’s a real shame there aren’t any professional performance opportunities for them. Only two or three of the tiniest Year 7s get to do BRB’s Nutcracker. The training and nurturing ethos at Elmhurst are excellent, as is communication with parents. They are truly invested in the students they have chosen.

@Thelittleswans Both Moorland and YDA do have funding available. They’re just not government-funded. We also couldn’t pursue YDA due to lack of accommodation.