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I have been very touched reading this thread by everyone's honest and heartwarming comments. What a difficult decision it must be. My dd loves to dance,but to go away? She was not in the situation where she had to think about it, but I know she would not have chosen to do so. What amazing young people there are in our world, with such passion and determination. Thank goodeness we are not all the same. I suppose many with a vocational gift make sacrifices, art, sports, music, dance, and, whether they go on to use their gifts professionally or not, would still not regret the hours spent on them. I believe that such gifts enrich their lives and the lives of those around them. Such pleasure can be gained from watching a beautiful dancer, listening to a outstanding voice, watching someone run like the wind.....oh the wonders of humanity...

I think I have double booked myself so won't be possible to go this year after all. Unless i can split myself in two.....I will try and remember for next year.

Has anyone ever done this? I have just been looking at it on the web site. My dd is twelve and has the appropriate grade.

If that is what they are called! Mydd does a lot of dance in bare feet at secondary school now and the teacher has said they can wear these. What do I buy?

My dd is 12 and has probably been doing her own bun for the last 6 months or so, getting better all the time. I think it's just practice. Mine were awful at the beginning as well! I have never mastered pleating at all, not matter how many times I try. Would love someone to teach me.

My dd's teacher has introduced a regular session with the threaband into her vocational class. My dd has noticed a real difference with feet strength and also her ability to spread her toes rather than curl them. Just a few minutes in class, but she repeats the same exercises at home.

Thank you again everyone, some very helpful comments here.

My dd has reached the grade where a lot of the girls at her ballet school start wearing split soles. I understand that the full sole encourages the foot to work harder to achieve a point and therefore strengthens it,and that the split sole shows off your point more. A basic explanation, but I think about right. I have spoken to her teacher. She is happy for her to have them but would also like her to continue to use her full sole ones as well. Dd happy with the compromise. So does anyone have any tips for buying? Dd tells me that you can put the canvas ones in the washing machine. Sne wears capezio full soles.

Did you all enjoy it? This clashed with another commitment for us, so maybe another year?

Thank you everyone. My dd has been told that when she stands in first position and heels touching, her knees don't touch. She can, however, bring them in by concentrating on pulling up through her knees. So she is presumably of the bowed construction Anjuli writes about. I suppose this shouldn't surprise me as her overall construction is fairly rigid and she has had to work exceptionally hard over the years on her flexibility. Pleased to read that it is not necessarily a problem if she chooses the ballet route in the future, though. But it's something else for her to think about while she's dancing until it presumably becomes second nature. She can't understand why it's not second nature to me to pull my tummy in !!!!

I am interested to know how easy it is to achieve that straight "banana" look ballet leg. Obviously for some people, it's what their knees do naturally. But what about for those whose knees don't bend in that way. Is it possible to train your knees over time to stretch out in this way? Are there benefits to these different knee constructions?

I have enjoyed reading these posts. My dd is a slightly stronger ballet than modern dancer but she is loving experiencing the lyrical routines in ballet. A good form to put lots of feeling and emotion into, she tells me. I am looking forward to seeing her dance it in a bigger space than our kitchen!

Thank you so much everyone.

Interesting. Watching my dd dance around the kitchen this morning, it certainly did look floaty. But isn't ballet also? Unless with ballet, it's more about the strength in the apparently effortless movements, whereas with lyrical it's looser.? I think i am potentially talking rubbish now!

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between these. Often hear them talked about but not sure what each one involves. Thanks.

H hi spanner. We do go to London from time to time so it's not impossible. She is studying intermediate so it's not an excessive amount of pointe. She didn't experience difficulties with the foundation syllabus but is struggling more now to get up onto pointe quick enough to keep In time. Sounds like its time for new shoes! I haven't heard of the pro pads, as she just has the standard ones. Are they good?

Hi drdance, she has had her shoes for about a year. Her feet haven't grown particularly but It sounds like a good idea to have another fitting.

I am sure some of you experienced ballet co-ers can explain this to me. My dd wears capezio shoes, loves them and they were certainly the best fit at the time. I also understand that they are a good first shoe as they are supportive. Now that she is doing more pointe work, she is finding it more painful. We are trying extra padding etc to see if this helps. She wears ouch pouches (spelling?) as well as wool padding, gel toe tips. I understand from her teacher that the capezio shoe has quite a thin end ( not a very technical word, sorry!) . Some brands apparently have more cushioning. I seem to remember reading on this site in the past that this " thinness" is a good thing as it helps the student feel the floor more easily. So how does she now balance feeling the floor sufficiently with feeling comfortable. Any words of wisdom and explanations would be really appreciated.

My dd has done a couple. She really enjoyed them and they are a lot of fun. I would also say that they are a positive experience whether you decide to audition or not.

Having had a lot of difficulty getting shoes this year that were wide enough, gave support to dds high arch, were acceptable to me and her.....we found some brogue types in Clarks, called "softwear" .They give a lot of support and dd is happy with them. A bit more expensive than usual Clarks kids shoes but I am hoping they are worth it. I did find myself having a chunter though about how the good brands seemed to be giving in to the demands of fashion and producing school shoes with no sole or heel to speak of nor any real arch support inside. oh dear, it must be an age thing......

Just returned from holiday and have donated without hesitation. I remember how upset I felt when I thought the site had closed and that made me realise how much I value the suppot, advice and friendship I receive. I can only urge you all to do likewise. Thank you to everyone who keeps it up and running.

Congratulations to your dd dancingmuppet. What exciting news!

Fantastic news pups mum, well done to your daughter, that's a fantastic achievement.

Thank you

Both my breast fed dters were solid and chunky, right up there on the 91st for weight until they became toddlers.....my eldest still loves milk the best!