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Interesting now to revisit my original question. After further discussion with dd's teacher we decided not to go for split soles. She is not yet 13 and her advice was to stay in the full sole to continue strengthening her feet.

Fascinating stuff. My mum would always say "talent will out" and was reasonably convinced that if you have the talent in any particular field then fate will put the opportunities in your way. Sadly I suspect this is not so. However, i do think luck plays a huge part in any ones dreams coming true, being in the rightl place at the right time. I have heard of auditions for dancing roles where the room is halved and half sent home without even dancing a step. (Urban myth?) I have to admit, maybe not very fashionably, to being something of a fatalist. We can give our children, dancing or otherwise, every opportunity, support and encouragement that we have energy or finances for, but in the end what will be will be.

I always enjoy the ramblings x

Thank you everyone. I just feel that I need to clarify a little, though. My original question was about the amount of strength needed for the intermediate exam, i was not actually saying that my dd has had a loss of strength. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead all you lovelies. Xx

Hi ballet mum 20. Just tell your dd to enjoy the experiences. It seems a bit of a mystery as to what they are looking for. Our own experience is that they rarely ask them to do anything particularly complicated or daunting. We haven't been to Tring, so can't comment there. However, I would say fairly confidently that the RBS look for a particular look and body shape/type. They are looking for potential...does this child have the type of body suitable for classical ballet training. My dd has had lots of rejections but some lovely experiences. I don't think she has ever been to an audition that has made her feel uncomfortable or worried. Just enjoy, the decisions are out of our control.

Hi taxi. Yes, they are as she does ballet 4 nights out of the week. But she has boundless energy, always has. She certainly never seems to be particularly fatigued. I think it sounds as if her young muscles are just working hard !

I have thinking about you and your daughter drama scientist, since reading your post. Seeing our children hurting is so painful, especially if there doesn't appear to be an easy way to help. I quite agree with the comments made about car journeys. I think generally it helps if you can be in a situation where talking does not appear to be the priority. Somehow it takes the pressure off. Otherwise we can feel cornered and end up saying things we did not quite mean. You seem to be wonderfully supportive. Keep up the positives, tell her how pretty she looks today, or you like what she has done with her hair. Compliment her on her school work or her dedication to her hobbies. Take a long walk and talk about the coming spring. And if she does start to open up, take it very slowly, cautiously almost. Accept what she says about how she feels. We sometimes leap in with "but you shouldn't feel that about yourself...." Tell her its ok to feel sad sometimes. And there is help out there from professionals. It's nothing to feel embarrassed about, after all we go to a doctor when our body is hurting. I hope things work out. X

Thank you, some extremely interesting comments here and very useful too. My dd does weekly two graded ballet classes each 45 mins, two vocational each 1 hour 15 and a monthly private lesson(1hour). She also does 45 mins modern. I feel that's about right for her. And then there's homework, lounging around watching tv, applying makeup, texting......what a busy life they have !!!

I am becoming even more fascinated now! I love your description of the body in balance Anjuli. My dd's teacher has said that she engages her core well, and she certainly has enviably flat abs! I notice that her leg starts to shake at about 90 degrees but she can hold it there. She achieves about 130 degrees with a sweeping motion(!)...she tells me that's a grand battlement. But it sounds as if she could perhaps focus a little more on her core as well, Anjuli?

Yes Aurora, my dd will have been studying for the grade for over 2 years if she takes it next spring. I can not see her being ready for it any sooner drdance, can I clarify? Does the shaking muscle mean that she is working at full capacity? It's only really visible in her legs and I know that she does work exceptionally hard during her lessons. She never seems to suffer from aches or soreness afterward.

Thank you that's helpful. Actually her core strength is excellent and she has lovely musicality and presentation. However, when she works her legs etc, you can see her muscles shaking with the effort, which she finds a little embarrassing ! But I guess it shows she is engaging the right muscles? A year is a long time, so it sounds like she is on the right path.

My dd is studying the fairly new RAD intermediate syllabus. It is unlikely that she will do the exam for at least another year, as she is not yet 13 so is in no rush. Her ballet teacher says that the guidance puts a lot of emphasis on strength. However, she has not yet put a class forward so can't yet judge quite to what degree. Has anyone any thoughts on this? My dd has always been strong rather than flexible but is also on the younger side. Apart from her dance lessons, she swims and does school sports ( currently athletics) but is there anything else she can do to build up her strength?

My dd auditioned last year. She wasn't successful and they did say that there was a high volume of applications for a limited number of places. Nothing new there! She loved the audition though, finding the atmosphere very encouraging and warm. She is keen to try a dance day with a view to trying again sometime.

I do like to learn something new everyday! Should I be embarrassed to say that I have never heard of this company? The performances look great but sadly their tour dates are not very local to us. Are they based in London? I could not really tell from the website. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of their workshops or summer school, or whether its all fairly new.

I am so pleased to hear your news Encouraged ! Huge congratulations to your daughter. Her perseverance in the face of disappointment has paid off.

The foot stretcher looks painful. Is that something that the vocational schools would actually recommend and use?

I have found trial and error helps! Initially I tried sewing them at an angle as spanner describes, but then getting my dd to try them out. The first pair, I then had to take off and try again. Frustrating but worth it in the end. My dd also likes them closer to her arch as she feels her foot is more supported. She also wears elastics, sewed in a similar place to non ribbon shoes. Not sure if this varies according to the shoe. I have also found some surprisingly helpful films on you tube. EYB give some useful tips on their site...or at least they used to. Edited due to dodgy spelling!

My dd and I have just watched this. It made both of us squirm. Too much like circus acrobatics for our taste! This did not have the beautiful lines and feeling that I love in ballet. I can't even say I was wowed by her technique. It all left me cold. Fascinating to see but i really hope this isn't the future of ballet!!

Fantastic news. Congratulations to your daughter Klaris.

Clara. I really understand what you are saying. From the mum of a dd who has had lots of disappointments in auditions, I think my advice would be to just let her enjoy it. The time to stop and think is when she is no longer enjoying it or coping with the disappointments. I think it's important to tell our children that it's a tough profession but why should that put them off following a dream? I do sometimes wonder if, knowing what I know now, I would have discouraged my daughter from attending auditions. She has had so much heartache for so little gain. But she, with the wisdom of youth, puts me right on the matter. "look at the places I have been! Look at the experiences I have had. Rejection has made me stronger!" it is a humbly experience for our talented children to realise there are always others as good and better than they are when they leave their small pond and I do believe that is an important life lesson. I have been very humbled reading the very many wonderful stories of success on this forum. Is my own dd as "good" ? No. "does she still bring tears to my eyes when I watch her dance?" Yes, absolutely, every time

Very clever and such a simple idea.

Just been reading this thread. I am going to Bristol in May with my two dds 14 and 12. Sounds amazing and we are really looking forward to it.

Anjuli, your beautiful words reminded me of my Dad. He used to say that if you could touch the years that your family live through with your fingertips, then you could span nearly two hundred years! My own grandmother was born in 1890 .....and my own children will hopefully live long into this century. It's a lovely thought. A kind of immortality through those we love.

Congratulations. That is fantastic news Just Ballet.

What does YDA/WLSD stand for?