Out-the-other-side

Thank you for clarifying. Even if I had the incentive to email ( I don’t - DD is as my name suggests, out the other side) I’m sure the any response would be he is giving as much of his time to Elmhurst as his schedule allows. And this may well be equal to, if not greater than, Mr Bintley. Or maybe they were the golden years but we just didn’t know it??? I do know, however, that the association with BRB is a big selling point for the school and so transparency about what this actually looks like on the ground should be a given.

Hmm it’s always difficult to detect ‘tone’ in a written message but I very much doubt you are seriously suggesting that it would be credible for a member of the general public (albeit with an historic link to Elmhurst) to ask the question ‘Are you as committed to the students of your associate school as your predecessor?’ As Elmhurst continue to sell themselves as ‘in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet’, I think it’s fair enough to muse on whether this relationship has changed. That was why I asked the genuine question of how much actual, day to day involvement he has with the school as we have personal experience of what that looked like under David Bintley. Maybe a current Elmhurst parent can answer that.

I don’t doubt that he is but is he as passionate about the Elmhurst students as his predecessor was (and the wonderful Marion Tate) or is that ‘special relationship’ a thing of the past?

How frequently does Carlos Acosta visit Elmhurst? David Bintley was a very frequent visitor to the school - working with students, adjudicating internal competitions etc. This, I’m sure was, at least in part, due to his strong relationship with Robert Parker. I’d be genuinely interested to know if this is continuing under Carlos’s tenure. He is vice president of the school after all. (He is both a governor and on the Advisory Council at the RBS.)

A social club has said it is offering ballet and other performances in a "world-class" programme of arts delivered at "affordable prices". Comedy, poetry and music are also on the bill at revamped Hockley Social Club in Birmingham. The schedule had been created with the cost-of-living crisis in mind, organisers said. The venue has partnered with Birmingham Royal Ballet, which will perform at the 900-seat site under the project. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-68215432?at_medium=social&at_link_id=5E7DDD8C-C658-11EE-810D-1A39AAF30DC0&at_format=link&at_link_origin=BBC_Midlands&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign_type=owned&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_link_type=web_link&at_ptr_name=facebook_page&fbclid=IwAR2FdELkq2HS0D2kIMRCphbUopyrpBNHjtVyxXFkettBVSa1fsVb1Vy8Cd4_aem_AYAeqH2Z3qyejWgPWLQdLhe9I_BSgOk1f1sFjFCEpDbs5coAV4AgDVtmzKAbtTtTRPE

https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/blog/2023-blogs/abuse-in-ballet-update/ Quote: my clients and I are requesting the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to conduct an inquiry into allegations of body shaming and other abuse in ballet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001thyv from 1 hour 4 minutes

I’m so surprised to hear this as feel there should be consistency! My daughter’s degree (LLB) is totally unrelated also - how annoying for your dd!

Annette Nicholson’s studio is in Digbeth- a short walk from Birmingham Moor Street (5 mins more to New Street). Annette is an outstanding teacher with vast experience of working with vocational students. If I’d known about her sooner, I would have definitely had my dd train with her for the lower school years.

There is also the option to complete an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) alongside A levels. This is a level 3 qualification that carries UCAS points.

I agree that the dance should be the focus and of course every student is different but I do feel there is probably a limit to how much physical exertion a body can safely do in one day. My DD is of the personality type that she would have just continued to push her body in the studio and the gym if she hadn’t had to break to study. (Plus, as alluded to in the Panorama thread, a safe space away from the studio with non dancing, often very supportive academic teachers is a godsend) Of course, there is always the third, post A level graduate year to really strive for the dance goal. Elmhurst really pushed the plan B and of course none of them felt at the time they were going to need it. But psychologically, for my DD at least, when covid derailed plan A, to feel plan B was already in place helped ease the sense of panic. To be able to move fairly seamlessly to uni life, not feeling she had to ‘start over’, was incredibly important for her mental well being. This, of course, may not be the case for every dancer.

It is worth noting that for many (if not all) unis, A levels needed to have been awarded in the same year (ie you couldn’t top up with a third A level studied later) This precludes the more prestigious Russell group unis who need certain grades in 3 A levels. Those operating on a UCAS points system were for us the only option - and boy were we glad of that random one-off Cecchetti exam she sat in year 10…🤣

The issue is that for many they are not offended by what they hear - they believe it, internalise it and carry it as emotional baggage for many years to come.

This group seems to have been removed from Facebook or perhaps just hidden? (Although a private group, it was always visible before) Does anyone have any idea what might have happened? I thought it might be a useful source of experiences to back up any future investigations. (Unless the name was unintentionally misleading)

The carefully curated records…

Sorry I should have clarified - those referenced in the documentary no longer teach at the school (but do elsewhere which is one of my biggest issues)

More from us…(Elmhurst first hand experience) - preferential treatment/casting towards students with sponsors - Casting on the basis of costume size - inappropriate behaviour from invited choreographers (sexual language, homophobic comments, remarks about weight - taking students out of the piece if they dared to complain) - Being told by the AD that a hearing loss ‘isn’t a problem till it’s a problem.’ - teachers being told about said hearing loss and how they can help (please look at them when speaking, try not to give too many corrections to them individually whilst piano is playing etc) and blatantly ignoring it - then screaming at them for ‘not listening’ - houseparents handing out excessive punishments and making judgements about the students’ moral characters - an AD who had no idea of a students strengths and weaknesses despite leading their appraisals for 8 years I do have to say though that for us the health and well being care we received both following an eating disorder and a subsequent significant injury was exceptional. I am incredibly sad that this huge cloud is hanging over the whole of the artistic team when there are some amazing, nurturing, compassionate and dedicated dance teachers there too - the one who was always on the end of the phone; the one who cried genuine tears over the injury; the one who first referred to them as women and not girls thus validating the bodies that in the previous year they had learned to be ashamed of; the one who spent time after class helping work on corrections; the ones who never ever said an unkind word. Meanwhile, those accused have moved on to teach elsewhere and are not even in the spotlight that they created. -

Interesting! Is this just for RBS or Elmhurst too?

Panorama interviewed 50. If you listen to the radio 4 programme, Terry Hyde is interviewed who has supported many more. Luke Jennings has experience of countless others. This is prevalent and damaging.

At the ‘graduation party’ referred to in the programme, my daughter was given the ‘joke’ award of ‘Most Likely to Cry in Class’, so clearly her daily torment and humiliation was a source of amusement for the teacher in question.

And whilst they remain unnamed, the good, compassionate teachers who are at these schools are living under this cloud which is also incredibly unfair.

I’m not sure anyone would describe the programme as entertaining… The very fact that it has bought nothing new to light is surely one of the issues - nothing has changed to make these institutions accept responsibility, act appropriately to safeguard their pupils and to ensure that students leaving them, whether successful in gaining employment or not, are not left struggling with trauma induced by the very people we as parents entrust the well being of our children to.

I should just also add, as has been referenced in many previous threads, it is practically impossible to speak out whilst still within the system.

Thank you for clarifying. I think those of us who have children affected are just so anxious that this become the moment of change.

If we are going to be pedantic, several is more than 3 but my daughter, very much impacted and in the same cohort as one of the dancers featured left 2 years ago. Regardless of how long ago the abuse took place, (I choose my words carefully as someone who deals with safeguarding in education as a daily part of my job) these students and their families are still very much living with the impact of this whether that is 1, 2 or 10 years down the line . The issue is that the culture has not changed, that teachers known to have these outdated practices are still working with vulnerable young people both within and outside of these institutions and that unless this is acknowledged we will still be having these conversations in 10 years time.