mumtotwoballerinas

Did these all sell ? 

20 hours ago, Raquelle said:

Yes for us too! Not 100% sure we will keep our place though...depends if we can find a friend week 4! X 

This will be my dd third summer and second Easter. She made some wonderful friends the first year and they have kept in touch and look forward to meeting up and various YBS events. The team are brilliant and make sure everyone is well looked after x

19 hours ago, sunrise81 said:

Just for info.....those of you who drive and would be using the A59 to Harrogate through the Blubberhouses....that road is closed from mid April for 15 weeks, so very long and busy diversion in place!

Thank you for info 

For the trainees it's a true apprenticeship taking class and performing alongside the company learning on the job. Some are 16 so you could argue it's a better route than many upper schools. They do offer scholarships up to 100% 

My son has had a really positive experience with the company and says the rant on Facebook is a disgruntled dancer from last year.  I can only speak from our experience and no I haven't paid for him to be there as I can barely afford his flights never mind anything else !!

On 15/03/2024 at 19:15, Peanut68 said:

My thoughts exactly!!! And it had loads of extras incl higher fee for non Spanish & I think there was additional fee for costumes!!! That’s rich as bet any audiences pay standard ticket prices & assume they are watching professionals (which they are)  but I’m guessing they also assume the dancers are paid as such. It’s disgraceful & isn’t this the sort of thing that should be outlawed? Like paid internships to the legal industry were years ago? 

They do have paid dancers within the company, trainee 1& 2 dance alongside the company. The director is very passionate and all dancers were taken on the latest tour. I think it is all to easy to make assumptions. 

On 15/03/2024 at 10:37, BarbaraH said:

I have no personal experience, but I read a recent post on the Facebook Group "Parents of Pre-Professional Ballet Dancers". I'm afraid it wasn't positive news...

 

 

My son is currently with ballet de catalunya and is having a wonderful time, you can't always believe what you read ! 

On 23/10/2023 at 22:14, Peanut68 said:

I think some of you ‘been there done it, got the Tutu’ parents should set up as advisor/recruitment agents!

It’s making me realise just how out of my depth & how naive I was….I kind of assumed the schools would actually deliver on what they say at open days - ha ha ha! Lifeafterballet puts it so well…the keeping quiet rings true! 

But there are those out there who do share info & opportunities do come up….

I do believe in Karma too…

And the old adage of ‘be nice to those whilst on the way up’ as they will see you on the way down! And you never know who/what/where…

Mine got a small one off gig simply by one person from a former school in another year recommending her because ‘she was the only dancer she liked’. Kindness goes a long way….might not pay dividends immediately but important for the long game…

Sorry, but off topic…

You are right to take it upon yourself to research….it should of course be the dancer themselves but they are terribly busy with school/exams/classes/

assessments/projects/shows (not to mention TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram etc etc etc 😂) 

Good luck!

 

It is a lot easier if you hold a European passport. As a UK passport holder the visa application process can be painful since Brexit 

7 hours ago, invisiblecircus said:

I always wore Capezio tights and loved them, they lasted years! 

My girls are currently using tights from Decathlon and haven't had any problems with them, they're lasting really well. I'm only replacing them once they're outgrown.

I might give decathlon a try. She's at vocational school so has ballet everyday 

2 hours ago, Colman said:

 

But they don't have to code switch - helps to have dance wear to get into the right mindset for class when dance isn't your job.

He wouldn't wear his dance pants or shorts outside. He changes as it is his work wear. The point is there is no need to feel as an adult dancer that you should wear a set uniform of leotard and tights, just something comfy that shows your lines. If you prefer leotards wear moi do a nice one with built in dance belt ( thong style), but again even at vocational school all the boys wore tight fitting white or black t-shirts (Primark mens muscle fit t-shirts are perfect and look like a leotard if tucked in 

On 04/09/2023 at 18:37, Thelittleswans said:

Thank you everyone really interesting especially regarding Hammond. It’s a school that I have completely forgotten about and doesn’t seem to get a mention when it comes to classical training. Definitely worth exploring then. Thanks 

I certainly recommend moorland my DD is in year 9 having moved from Hammond and the difference in her is amazing she is so happy. Academics, vocational training and boarding all great 

On 07/08/2023 at 10:53, Ballet Power said:

Imperfect Pointes last well and they recycle your old ones too 

well worth the money 

Although lovely imperfect pointes do ladder around to foot hole and up the back of the leg in some cases at first wear. At £22 a pair this doesn't seem good value. The faulty pairs were exchanged but replacement did the same. IP are aware of issue. We have gone back to move as they a lot cheaper and last a lot longer 

On 10/10/2023 at 11:36, c6erb said:

Thank you all

My son is pro and wears slim fit Adidas pants or shorts and a t-shirt no one in his company wears official dancewear. Dance belt essential! 

On 11/11/2023 at 07:58, Chloedance said:

Hi Everyone I'm a 13 year old who loves to dance. 

So i currently have 4 different solos: Tap, Lyrical, Song & Dance and Ballet

But i am wanting to do more different styles in solos next year. 

All the styles i am wanting to do are: Jazz, Lyrical, Song & Dance, Song & Tap, Tap, Neo-Classical, Contempary

I understand this is a lot but wanted to know what you would recommend with this. 
Should I try and convince my parents or should I do less? 

What styes from this list would you recommend?

All ideas appreciated. 

Thanks so much 

Chloe

My daughter used to do a lot of solos and had 6 whilst still in baby section. She picked things up very quickly - one lesson in some cases and remembered them she had 10 solos in the end and duet trio group

Ballet,Character, Modern, tap,Greek, National, Lyrical,  Song and dance musical comedy and Acro

Not all these were eligible for some comps (AED) but she loved them all 

talk to your teachers and see what they think and your parents as there is a cost implication. If you feel you want to push yourself and love learning definitely try and do more 

Send me a DM 

On 04/09/2023 at 09:19, Peanut68 said:

A shoot out for Hammond - certainly provided a great all round education for academics, all forms of dance & music & drama experience also through whole school musical theatre productions & very slick annual Xmas Carol concert. I know there have been lots of changes to courses/staff & to boarding (big improvements there I imagine!). I felt it had the benefits of ‘normal school’ too as they did trips like normal schools (one to Conway with coast steering eyc) & another to include war graves in France 

I think the more defined courses now can only be a good thing. 
Hammond Shows were all incredibly high standard, great content & by far the best I saw from any vocational school/college. 
In our day I did feel some members of staff & classical requirements were not rated or given the priorities as they should’ve been…. Again, this may have been improved.

But I do think it was a great place for our early school years  with lots of varied performance  experience & exams across genres which may well be beneficial down the line for any move into teaching/UCAS points for uni etc. 

Also, city centre proximity was also good giving a ‘normal’ weekend of going into town shopping/swimming etc with friends…..

And they have MDS & possibly bursary funding too.

Good luck! 

Unfortunately lots of changes at the Hammond not for the better. This includes a change back to the old boarding house. Standards in ballet have deteriorated in the past 18 months leading to us moving our DD. Incidentally 1 of the boys who got into ENB was a day pupil recieving training elsewhere 

On 26/09/2023 at 20:36, expatballetmom said:

My DD loves Virtisse (and she's tried Bloch, Capezio, and Freeds)  but where do you find them in the UK? We buy stock when we are back in the U.S. would love to just purchase them here if possible. 

Virtisso have just started hitting shops in the UK they are very similar to grishko 

My DD has tried the and they were similar to other russian made shoes 

I would always try and go to a shop with lots of different brands and be open minded. 

We can't recommend this summer school highly enough. Our DD is at vocational school and this is the first year she has attended. She absolutely loved it, small classes based on ability not age, full days dancing with plenty of breaks. Lots of individual attention and the most amazing show at the end of the week, fully costumed and everyone given an opportunity to shine. One of the best shows we have seen DD perform in. Homestay was arranged for her with a lovely family, we didn't hear from her all week. She definitely wants to return for summer 2024. 

On 25/06/2023 at 11:11, DingDongDancer said:

Just to say we went to Pose A Pointes yesterday based on recommendation on here and it was fab thankyou. Olivia is lovely and seemed to know exactly what shoes my daughter needed. Also she is moving back in to a full shop stocking boutique leotards next week. I know it's another opportunity to get fleeced but I'm a sucker for a beautiful leotard 🤣

Olivia is lovely glad she helped 

On 02/07/2023 at 23:19, Anniedancemum said:

Hi everyone, 

I’m really torn at the moment and need a bit of advice. There have been a few thing’s recently with my daughter’s dance school that I’m not 100% happy with and wondering whether to just get on with it or whether to look to change schools. My daughter is only young and does a lot of dance. She’s in the comp team and competes with solos too. She’s reasonably good, but not a protege. My issues are that:

1 - the dance teacher changes class times and adds in extra at very short notice (eg day before), but also cancels at short notice too (sometimes on the day). We aren’t charged for extra lessons, but we are expected to drop everything and attend. This is very stressful because we have busy jobs. 
2 - another pupil my daughters age has been given a very similar solo. Same theme and almost identical costume. There are definitely favourites and this girl is one of them. 
3 - class uniforms are changing. The new ones are very expensive. Sometimes very little consideration is given to cost. 
4 - some classes and solos are taught by seniors. Maybe this is standard? But I feel like sometimes technique is missed. It’s just a case of ‘do this’ rather than proper teaching iyswim. 

5 - it is very heavily focused on comps and winning. My daughter loves the comps and loves winning.  But I do wonder about this element sometimes. If they can’t do something straight away they’re not in the section. They’re not really taught how. 
6 - one of my daughters ‘friends’ is actually quite mean to her. Says really upsetting and belittling things. The teacher is aware. She took it seriously, it was better for a while, but has carried on. Maybe this is just the dance world and my daughter needs to toughen up? 
The teacher is very busy so I can’t really talk to her about it. 
 

There are loads of good things too of course. My daughter has loads of friends, she has been given opportunities older than her years. The teacher is very committed and gives extra time. My daughter would hate to leave. It’s probably the best school locally and the parents are nice. Also, the girls that want to go on to professional training seem to manage to. 
 

Thanks everyone. 

My daughter was in a very similar situation and was relieved when we changed schools. We gave her the choice and she jumped at it 

It was mentioned in current students boarding meeting that the current boys boarding house is the intended new post 16 boarding from September. Years 7-10 will be in a separate house to year 11. We do know a current year 11 intending to move into a shared house which is an alternative, but you would then have to transport yourself 

On 04/04/2023 at 15:47, Dancing unicorn said:

Thought I’d start this thread for Pointe Shoe Shops North West!

 

Now that That’s Entertainment is closing down any others know where’s best to go to for pointe shoe fittings from North Wales please?

 

A mum has just text me with Bedazzled Bazzar Chester! Never heard of it so any feedback would be great please. Also Footlights Liverpool.

Don’t think mine would all travel to Dancique in Birmingham 🤣

Thank you 💗🩰💗

Pose pointes in Urmston - Olivia is brilliant does weekends and some evenings. She does school visits too if that helps any teachers. That's entertainment is a huge loss 😕

On 31/03/2023 at 14:29, sunrise81 said:

Get yourself a subscription to Amazon Prime 🤣🤣🤣

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We would be lost without Amazon - when they announce 2 days after exeat that they've run out of shampoo, or their trainers are dead- absolute life saver !!

On 31/03/2023 at 16:47, OnTheMove said:

I do apologise if anything I have said goes against the policies. 

In a lighter note,  it was interesting to see Oscar winning actress  Michelle yeoh came from Malaysia to England at 16 as she wanted to study ballet - at the hammond 

On 30/03/2023 at 14:09, OnTheMove said:

Yes it can’t be denied that many children have private coaching now. Which may be financially inaccessible to many. 
 

It’s not necessarily needed though. There are plenty of very good teachers out there, that’s year in year out get their students into vocational school. 
 

A round trip of 5+ hours for any associate program is a waste of money and time in my opinion. Maybe paying for a coach is preferable! 

Unfortunately there has been very little choice for boys. On the reverse there is probably too much choice for girls now ! 

5 hours ago, The Graceless One said:

HI, how many hours of ballet are taught in year 8 please? How is that split between general ballet classes and RAD classes? Do they put the children through the exams as a class? And how many hours of dance in total do they do?
 

Sorry for lots of questions xx

I've sent you a DM