sillysally

its lovely but not for us - she tells me cap sleeves are not her thing 🤪

Thank you for sending so quickly. 😀

Hi, Is this still available? I'd love to buy it if it is. Can you post to scotland? How do you want payment? Thanks for letting me know

thanks all..... the purchase of so many tights in a year means that checking out the alternatives is worthwhile. similarly I know many pointe shoes are kept as back up but my DD must unpick ribbons/elastics off some of the "dead" shoes to reuse them... 😆

Thanks all. I saw silky on amazon but really was unsure.....I'm going to buy some, maybe just 2 pairs s she can see if they work for her. Whats the sizing like?? In general I find the price of ballet tights CRAZY!!! But then I think the the price of ribbons and elastics for pointe shoes is too 🤣

Hi all, The question of ballet tights is always a head scratching topic in our house....we buy a lot and have found that all tights are not equal 😞 As we need to stck up on pink & black footless I thought I'd check out the forum for help. We normally buy Capezio but only when its on offer (special price), but at the moment I cant find any offers so I'm looking for an alternative. We have in the past bought Bloch (not our fave, snag too easy) and Move own branded tights (colour seems to fade to a grey very quickly) This brings me to my question. Has anyone worn the brand Merlet? Are they any good? Thanks for your thoughts.

HI I'm assuming that you have checked out their website, its quite extensive. DD has a friend who applied last year, great dancer but wasn't asked for audition. https://www.koncon.nl/en/programmes/dance-department/dansvakopleiding/dancedepartment/auditions-bachelor-dance#content

I have a sneaky suspicion that she may look into these for her 17th! Good to hear your experiences, I'm always happier to buy from a brand that looks after its customers.

Good to hear about BUllet Ponite - I've taken the plunge and ordered so I'll update you when Santa delivers and she eventually wears it.

Thanks. Degas is one brand I'm not really that captivated by. Ballet Rosa & Wear-Moi have been our staples.....I guess now at 16+ my DD has hit a point where she is looking for something that actually reflects personality not just lines, and actually I think she's looking for a style that represents at least some of her personality not what s expected of a vocational student. Gift buying is never easy 😉

yes I'm beginning to see that "deviating" leads to disaster! thanks for sharing

Hi all, I'm looking for some general advice on Claudia Dean & Bullet Pointe leotards. I see compared to Bloch, Ballet Rosa, Mirella & Capezio they seem to be fairly pricy. Family members want to buy my DD a special leotard for Christmas but I'm really not sure if they're worth the extra cost. After checking on website I see CD designs have beautiful fabric but I'm not sure if they're a little cutsey for 16 year olds. Does anyone have any experience? BP looks like a very New York chic. My boring mum thoughts include are they washable, by which I mean machine wash durable without shrinking? Are they actually really that extra fit flattering? Thanks for any comments. sillysally

Thanks to everyone thats a good few leads for me to check over the weekend. 😀

Hi all, My DD needs to buy some R-Class/Russian Pointe shoes (same brand just diff names for diff markets europe/uk/america). She is now in vocational school in UK, whilst I the family lives abroad, so I thought we would be able to order online from UK (it can be quite expensive to send from europe post brexit)but I cant find any shops offering the brand. RClass look ok and last well. We have tried other brands but cannot find good alternative. Does anybody know of any sellers/shops? Thanks for your help. Have a great Friday sillysally

The stitching is so beautiful! And neat 🙂 I think blanket stitch is going to be her way forward, embroidery and sewing are not her strength (mine neither 🤣)

Hi all, My ds needs to darn her pointe shoes. She has never done this before...Darning wasn't required in her old school and none of her friends/older peers darned either so we have no first hand experience of this. Amazingly neither does her teacher 🤔 I have researched a little on the internet but I cant find the answers to a few specific questions about the the practicalities, maybe someone here can help.... Thread - I understand crochet thread is good to use, but am not sure what thickness or colour. Any recommendations? Needles - Is a curved needle really easier to use? As for the actual darning stitches and style I have found many videos, it seems to be a really personal thing...once a dancer picks a method they seem to stick with it. I have the impression many dancers copy the teachers style. Does anyone have any strong recommendations about the stitches/style? As always thanks for any help/tips. It's really great that people are happy to share their knowledge.

Hi, I'm interested in this leotard is it still for sale? My DD would normally take a ladies small in bloch or capezio. Are you able to say what ind of size in another make it matches. The sizing chart online is a bit vague 😜 Thanks

Hi, is this still for sale.Do you have a photo ? I am interested. Thanks

HI All, as a mum of a to be vocational student I just want to say to all the other mums/dads/supporters waiting for results - hang on in there! This is our first year of applying to vocational schools and it has been an intense experience. I totally understand the obsessive email checking and I must admit that I am also too familiar with the youtube studio content page view & analysis section 🤩 I wish every dancer bucket loads of luck and every supporter behind the talent strong nerves! 😍

Hi All, Does anyone have any experience with the physical screening for Central or RCS? I have some questions about their procedures and would like to understand them better. Thanks for sharing. I'm happy to DM if this is preferred. sillysally

wow i am surprised to hear this. Is this official? My DS was on an autumn course in 2019 and the end of course presentation was a fanfare for the new school, the staff had boxed up everything and were preparing to move. Surprising, especially when other ballet schools such as Central are moving/recently moved to new state of the art premises.

Hi Shauna, I dont have any career or dance advice sorry. What I do have is a big virtual hug 😀 I can offer some general advice that I try to remember myself, both as a woman and a mum - When the going gets tough, hang on in there. Life really isn't always fair so just hang on in there. I see from your message that you have a passion and that makes me think you have a big heart. That is very precious so use it well. Good luck! 🥰

Hi Liliya, I noticed you were also asking about Brussels. Did you try any UK schools or just european ones? Have you received offers from both of these schools, BIB and Perm? I'm really interested to understand the characteristics the different schools are looking for....was there a difference in these two schools? Thanks for sharing sillysally 😄

Hi all, Has anyone been offered a place off the waiting list for Central yet? I'm interested to know if there has been any movement. In fact, does anyone know anything about the timeline? When do prospective students reply to their offers? Also, does anyone have any idea if there are 100 or 20 on the waiting list, its hard to gauge if moving from on the wait list is a realistic option or a nice pipe dream..... P.S. I must say that I really appreciate being a member this forum, it seems to me that people genuinely want to help each other and that is precious. Thanks to everyone for sharing. Sillysally 🥰

I honestly dont know! In our experience this year, it is clear some schools are using their own standard "no" & "waiting list letters." Including the wrong entry year is a give away. I'm pretty confident that there are standard "yes letters" in use too (gold ticket is coming to mind 🤣). I guess it would be impractical and inefficient not to use a standard approach if you're replying to hundreds of applications. My heart feels sure that there may be a few people who get a more tailored "please try again letter" 🤞 although my head is not so sure if this is necessary based on the supply and demand for these businesses wooops sorry I meant ballet schools When preparing school applications I am constantly reminding my DD that although a "No" is a rejection, in this scenario you must be aware of the context. You can look upon it as more of a "no letter" as "no - not this time." It rarely means "no-never". Good luck Newbie2. Its our first year on the merry-go-round of vocational applications and I'm finding the parenting challenges and life lessons are unexpected free gifts 😂