WrapsnBows

Morning I’ve not been on here for about two years as my DS lost his way in dance what with covid etc tough time at high school, he was in 3 associates pre covid and has dropped out of them all now and one of his main issues is with ‘normal’ associates there seems to be NO boys work!!! And all 3 associates he ended up being the only boy left at 12!!!  He’s the only boy of his level at his dance school as well now at 14. He loves his boys days at the Hammond and Tring and his Main Stream school has been running a dance club for years 7-9 and my DS has helped push dance to the fact they've included it onto this years GCSE’s, to late for my DS as he’s year 10 now so I’ve spoken to a few teachers in the north west and I know one who is keen to start an boys only associates in the north west as they know the Tring one is popular, so is there any boys out there who would be interested in joining an all male associates in the north west???

The faculty will be industry and vocational teachers, within an hour of Staffordshire, Manchester, Liverpool, north wales.   
 

please pass on your thoughts as we need all the support for our boys both physically and mentally 

On 19/03/2022 at 16:45, taxi4ballet said:

My dd did the Tring easter residential several times a few years back and always really enjoyed it.

Can you remover the time table etc I’ve asked my DS again and he has said yes was it as similar standard to the normal teaching?    And it says a theatre trip now is that to a west end show do you remember. Sorry about the questions 

My DS has said he would like todo Tring Easter residential but a few years ago he did another residential at another vocational school and we were very disappointed with it, my DS son loves his associates at this school but the ss wasn’t a patch on what we expected so before i sign my DS up for tring I’d like to hear of experience please especially for the older ones as he’s nearly 14.   He’s already disappointed as his school music tour abroad has cancelled so hence last minute change  

I can’t understand why they closed the whole school another school / collage had 24 cases the other week and 3 were in one year of BA’s. It’s been heart breaking , my DD flat Got it last September and she had to isolate for a whole month as the periods reset itself each time someone tested positive, she chose dance for assessments which were assessed dancing in her flat kitchen and has come out with lower grade than her friends who chose drama vocal and singing, she’s never done a live performance  in 3 years, they have one evening next week for agents and parents to watch! Theve been given just a week to learn it all.     I could cry for all these students.   So many of my dd friends have decided to take time out or even leave the industry already 

Is there anyone’s child been excepted on the Hammonds TA associates program (NOT DANCE) please and what day is it on please Saturday or Sunday any information be most grateful 

Just being nosey sorry has the Hammond given any dates for next year also have they clarified what day the theatre arts is going to be please 

On 22/06/2021 at 23:40, cotes du rhone ! said:

Our Dd graduated from her vocational school last year with as you very eloquently put it, a pitiful graduation 😞 The school offer a graduate placement program, the students can stay for a further year as staff, no fees, but perform a role within the school in exchange for ballet classes. They get no summer show or graduation this year either 😢 After now nine years of training how can this be ? I feel very sad for this years and last years graduates 😭 I just wish there was a bit more realism and honesty and then support available for those who wish to/ or have too pursue different pathway. The past year and this has been unprecedented. But they are the forgotten generation/graduates 😢

 

My DD just been offered this live in and with a £16.000 wage so she’s jumped at the chance, hopefully it will all pan out as she will be fed with a bed with a wage and still able to be signed with an agent whilst still having access to classes and the studios .. 

Afternoon is there any current Hammond associates here please as we paid for the last 4 and we believe the 3 is tomorrow but we’ve received no zoom code at all I’ve emailed several emails and messaged via insta and still no reply!! 
can anybody shed any light please 

On 22/05/2021 at 09:33, Anita Tennant said:

My 18 year old daughter is starting in September on dance/musical theatre diploma. We have looked and thinking of booking the Trinity Halls for accommodation, it seems nice but I’m conscious that she may be only pupil there from the Hammond. Is anyone else staying there?

My daughter in in her 3rd year at tramways, the staff have been brilliant over the last year or so through Covid, always putting activities on, checking up if every one is ok, when my DD was in isolation they offered todo emergency shops for them.  Since September my DD has been in a complete flat of 6 hammond students 2 3rd years and 4 2nd years as they have tried to restrict bubbles etc..........I can honestly say my DD will be sad to leave her flat lol oh a good thing is it’s directly next to the train station, nearest to the Hammond oh and town centre  

1 hour ago, alison said:

 

It's a lovely city - and quite compact, too, I think?

Yes tesco in walking distance, B&M small Sainsbury’s in town along with all major shops, Aldi and home and bargins a bit out but walking distance oh and I think there is a Waitrose just round the corner from my DD flat though she dosnt use that.  Plea that if nice pubs and eatery’s apparently, my Dd has had fab fun filming show reels etc around chester this last few weeks even in the amphitheater and gained an audience 🤣

4 hours ago, cotes du rhone ! said:

Just wondering if there is any  happy news for this years, and last years, graduates.

I've heard of a couple of “big” contract successes 🤫 The others have been “parent pays” apprenticeship opportunities with the added US/EU visa difficulties. 

I still get a lot of job pop ups on my social media and share them, but there isn’t a lot about 😢 

My DD has just been applying for commercials n Tv work as nothing up

north as of yet 

I’ve always encouraged my two to do sport and music and drama and never asked them to sacrifice one thing for another, my youngest hasn’t gone vocational but they are now enjoying playing rugby, hockey, basket ball and there school is lucky to have its own pool so they do swimming most weeks, going into year 9 this year and he wants todo PE gcse and go and do it in dance and gymnastics, my oldest is now doing a BA in MT at a vocational school after doing her Alevels at 6form and dosn't regret it at all, she was never given the chance to try for vocation school but is now representing GB in rifle shooting and has been embraced by the collage in having time off for international comps etc, she has completed her gold dofe, and is about to become a DofE assessor and is also a scout and explorer leader in her spare time.   I guess what I am trying to say is my two don’t regret going down the vocational route and life life to the full where as some of their friends went down the vocational route and gave up everything outside of dance, some didn’t last unfortunately and dropped dance now. 

Hammond in Chester is a monthly and is a day long or was on a Sunday, included MT, singing , contemp as well as ballet

Midas is a very good one run by a lovely team @drdance and is based in birmingham near to elmhurst, it’s ballet based with conditioning and an extra lesson in MT or Jazz etc 

KS Dance in Warrington 

I think BBO or did do an associates in manchester 

Ballet Boost in Stoke,  

staffordshire youth ballet again in stoke 

plenty about 

26 minutes ago, drdance said:

@Raquelle @Pinkpip100  @Streetdancer @balletbean  @WrapsnBows

 

Thank you all for your feedback. I've had a bit to think about and based on your feedback I've had some more thoughts about future directions.

 

Next step - larger consultation! Please complete and/or share this very short survey (less than 5 minutes) 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/H9SQPG6

 

Many thanks

Emily

Done for you and shared xx glad to be of help, hope you find the answers and please don’t give in you and your teachers are amazing. 

7 hours ago, drdance said:

Thanks everyone. Still doesn’t help with my decision really!!! 
 

Do we still need a scheme such as MIDAS?

Yes your teaching is fantastic and my DS came away with so much if it wasn’t for it clashing with another associates we would still be with

you now or if it had been left to me,  Most associates don’t teach as in-depth as you do especially with PBT,  I have never heard a bad word said against MIDAS and will always continue to recommend you to others.    My DS also enjoyed his open zoom classes especially the ballet and the conditioning.  xx. 

On 01/04/2021 at 19:07, drdance said:

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. I'm looking for some help from parents and teachers regarding the current state of the dance training options for students aged 10+.

 

A little bit of background info:

In 2009 I finished a PhD which had a specific focus and found that professional ballet dancers did not have the fitness levels required for the demands of performance, and that technique class and rehearsal were not sufficient to train the elements of fitness needed. Therefore dancers were suffering, or at greater risk of fatigue-related injuries and illnesses. This was the first full PhD to publish a lot of data on this topic and I like to think that it has played a part in real change in how dancers are trained world over the last 10 years. 

 

However, my personal interest isn't in professional dancers, it is in training children and adolescents safely and effectively. Therefore, I set up MIDAS in 2011 to provide monthly additional training, with an emphasis on safe dance practice, and equal balance between technique, artistry and fitness. At the time there were very few options for students to take supplementary classes and what did exist in the Midlands were limited to RBS associates, and Elmhurst (which only had juniors at the time). 

 

Fast-forward 10 years and the world is very different! COVID has affected all our lives, and in recent years there's been an explosion of 'associate' / additional training schemes from anywhere and everywhere. I also feel like a lot of young dancers and dance teachers are more aware of the need of additional fitness training. Is there still a need/call for what we offered MIDAS? 

 

My question to parents and teachers (especially in the Midlands please) is: What are you looking for in terms of additional training for your children/students? Is this available in your area? Is there still a need for MIDAS? Are you looking for something different? Has the COVID pandemic altered how you spend weekends? (eg more priority on family time and less on travelling miles to associate classes etc). I'm interested in genuine, honest and open feedback please. 

 

Please do not name or identify any specific teacher, school or programme.

Many thanks,

Emily aka DrDance

 

 

Hiya I think every studio is different, where my D’s is now they do PBT and Body Con 50/50 fitness and stretch but over lockdown we’ve found a a dance physio who has been fab looking at all the things which you have mentioned, we’ve also been doing low impact weights with the local gymnastics club which again I only know of one other dance school who includes weights in its training programme, the dance physio also includes low impact weights into some of his sessions.   

My DD did weekly classes never did associates and did normal A levels still danced normally till she went to a vocational school at 18 todo a BA in MT, she’s just about to graduate.  She applied for about 5 at 18, 4 being a diploma and got nowhere but the BA she got excepted.   Where my DS dances locally and is part of 3 1 ballet 3 mixed associates and he applied for full time for years 7,8,9 and though he’s made finals has never been lucky enough for a funded place.  So associates isn’t the ‘be all’ I’ve questioned a few and talked about the money spent on these and if the money would be better of being spent on a good private lesson.

This year has become very apparent I have several social media accounts and I only use them to promote my business but I do feel that this year the audition process has become a divide,   My DC was given an hour in the studios to record the tapes and that was it where I’ve heard of Dc parents spending over £100 a week on privates, I couldn’t even afford that in a month! Well probably never atm.     I approached one vocational teacher and they wanted £35 per hour and a lot of others are around £60, until zoom and lockdown this wouldn’t of been the case at all and the auditions would of been more on an equal footing.    My DC Will leave it now and we will keep plodding and dancing and hopefully will apply again at 16 when all of this horrible time is long gone. 

Just to highlight the MA’s I do know of two lady’s who one and been through JA’s and Mids and summer schools and didn’t get Snr but he friend had tried every year for JA N Mids and always got a no until she audition for another year but for Snr and got a yes, the one who got assessed out was so upset but apparently they did asses a few out that year ........ so again for all those no’s if it’s your dream never give up

Chester is a wonderful city well it’s sort of a large town 🤣 we live 20 mins away on the train and my DD still decided to board for her 3 years of her BA,  it has everything during my DD’s 3 years she’s been to the zoo, done escape rooms,  been cinema,  been around the cathedral, walked the walls, river and canals. To name a few things.   And she’s now talking about taking roots there as she loves it in Chester 

Not sure with 16 year olds atm as they changed accommodation last year but my DD is in her 3 year as a BA and she’s at tramways opposite the train station it’s run by student roost but that may be for the over 18s but it’s lovely staff have been brill over the last year, kept phoning my daughters bubble whilst in isolation asking how they were and if they needed anything also been tough on keeping them safe through Covid as well 

I would do your research on other associate schemes, we are in the same boat, DC is part of 3 associates and isnt flourishing as one would like to see, Dc main teacher has also said this to me on several occasions, so we’ve looked further afield and we over lockdown DC has changed direction and joined a local gymnastics club for strength and conditioning and also we have found a highly recommended physio who does dance conditioning and Dc has come on so much and is enjoying the new lessons...... once this academic year is over we will be reassessing the associates and looking at which my child wants to carry on with and enjoys. At the end of the day you do what’s right for your child not what the teachers want. 

1 minute ago, Dancemumk8 said:

But why call any other yr groups in at all if that’s what they do? Gives false hope to the poor kids 

Unfortunately that’s common i once attended another of the top schools whilst my child auditioned for a year 7 place and the principle gave the ‘parent’ talk and a parent asked about ‘assessing out’ and that’s when it came out ‘unfortunately we don’t assess out! so unless somebody leaves  then we don’t have the space!!  It’s not fair at all,  the system isn’t fair at all 

8 minutes ago, Mumof4monkies said:

No offer of bursary, scholarships or waiting list.....but shocked really. 

It’s really is bizarre this year we got a no to MDs but yes to a waiting list after MD’s auditions..... it’s really is bizarre.   Seems like they have really struggled with everything this past year reading through the post,  it’s a shame as the teaching staff are amazing as my DC has attended summers schools etc there and I’ve and I know children who are there now or have recently been.  
like others have said I know it seems it at the moment but it’s not the end of the world as my DC has now got the chance to pursue other options and is lucky to be able todo theatre and music tech at gcse level oh and drama and I’ve mentioned that they might be able todo dance as part of gcse PE 

3 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

Yes, who knows!!! If only we did 😂.  I was thinking the same. Surely they like to fill up year 7 first as priority, but ours in other yr groups could be waiting a while to hear then as some yr 7's won't accept until they've done all auditions at other schools and heard back from them too.  Huge well done to those yr 7's who have been offered funding though....brilliant news 😊😊

I was told by a teacher out off all the MDs offered last year all went to year 7’s,  I think about 12 in total with 56 places offered (out of the 80+ who applied) in total made up with fee paying. I know of 3 others who got a bursary of 30%, I think a girl joined in year 9 in September then offered a MDs after she started!!!!  Previous year all who made recalls got a 50% bursary if they didn’t get a MDS, no matter what year they were in.

congratulations to those who have had fab news today and those who havnt then don’t be lose the way as every cloud has a silver lining you just have to choose another route which might turn out to be a better route at the moment although it may not seem like it