twinkletoes

you're normally entitled to 4 years funding so if you have a 2 year diploma there is still funding for a conversion or top up degree after that

most russell groups now require 3 alevels and the top ones won't accept the qualifications such as RAD advanced 1 which can carry UCAS points it will depend on the course the DD is looking for the new universities will take the alternative qualifications and allow you to build points from those and alevels

bun head ones are really good last for ages

we use craft boxes, or tack boxes they have big sections for brushes etc and smaller bits for the pins which seem to vanish in to the ether

if you can get to London and your DD wants a mix of classical and MT Urdang youth academy take up to 21 year olds and have a good reputation I believe they do monthly sessions

I agree with aurora that the teacher is probably frustrated but it has to be said that teachers shouldn't teach for exams, the exam should just be an extra, the teaching, support and corrections should be the same whether you take an exam or not after all you are paying the same price as those who are doing the exams its just the don't get the ability to say they have x students taking level y exam there are many reasons for not wanting to take exams i guess its human nature to let frustrations out on people and Dance teachers are human after all if its not working for you go elsewhere, there are plenty of dance schools out there and some really good teachers looking for hardworking students Tx

Did you have the panto dates before the CBA? I think that the prior commitment takes priority but I have to agree that the CBA would be my priority and panto should have been clear with the dates before

sadly there are still teachers out there who feel its ok to comment on the size of their dancers, i've known a few who have either told the parents the child has to lose weight or worse told students they need to lose weight or they are fat etc. we all would like to think that it doesn't go on but its wishful thinking to think it doesn't happen, sometimes weight is a key factors (going en pointe for example) but there are some people, teachers, parents and students who think you can only be a dancer if you are thin

the audition is the deciding factor not the exam, as has been mentioned there is an examination world outside out the RAD I love the new syllabus, I suspect thought that there are some very worried teachers as it will be very hard to teach but hopefully will remove the pressure to push through exams as a student will be very hard pushed to fully do the syllabus in less than 2 years

could you consider a different board from RAD? the work already done won't be wasted and remember that to be a professional dancer the grade doesn't matter, no-one looks at it during an audition they just want to know can you dance, its an indicator for the students and by opening up to other options you may find a school that is more suited and supportive

hope it goes well, my DN is Newcastle based i'll ask if she has any recommendations, are you tied to RAD or would you be willing to study a different board but at the same level

i wouldn't risk the 6:30 incase of running late or delays

It's normally a nominal charge about £1 an item, most elections will do it and I think some DIY shops do it too

I understand the desire of people to do pointe but there really is no rush the damage from going to early is something that can't be undone, 13 is still young and although many think that they are ready the only person who can determine this is someone with training, its quite complex and i've seen far to many girls en pointe who really should not be on, grade 5 is (I assume this is RAD) doesn't require it and its normally the vocational grades that require it, too many rush to get up then wobble, go over, don't have the core strength to do it safely and too many teachers (in my humble view) put up too early for a whole variety of reasons. I know its frustrating but I would say delay and follow the teachers guidelines, particularly if you can't attend all the classes till after the production. Or, as you attend other ballet classes, ask a different teacher if they would be prepared to take you. But don't rush to go up before its 'sanctioned' T

both my DDs did pilates and yoga (with a specialist yoga teacher) its not just about the flexibility its about the mind set and understanding of the body which I felt helped, being aware of the signals the body sends and developing that core is something that not all teachers have time to explain or focus on in a 60 min grade class

although its been a couple of years since we were involved with these I recall/believe that the smaller groups are for those who have been noticed for scholarships, I think they do this for those who they are not sure of too

you're better off toughening up the feet normally or using surgical spirit where it rubs, its as good as any toe tape out there for the interim

in terms of what i wish we had known, i would have liked to know if there was a primary focus from the school, some schools are down as performing arts schools but focus more on Tap or Ballet and others claim to be focused on Ballet but don't do the higher grades needed for vocational schools/training.

I have 2 DDs and when the first one was first learning I deferred to the teacher, believing that they would know what they were talking about, its all very well saying that parents should notice and pick up on these things but the fact is the parents unless they are in the industry may not notice the change, children may not tell them, or the may believe what the teacher says there is a tendency to trust the teacher. The problem is that with lots of niggling and nit picking the teacher can cause a lot of damage to a childs self esteem without it being realised, drip drip effect has a huge impact. I selected my DD's school based on the qualifications on the wall, it turned out that the teacher had never actually danced herself and with hindsight we should have looked at experience AND qualifications combined because it took a long time for the damage done by the critical teaching style to be corrected, by the time we had a second DD we learned and only went on references and recommendations its a mine field out there lol

i have to admit to not being a fan of taking higher classes along with the normal class, both from the students and the teaching perspective, a private class is more likely to be effective, although some students are able to do this without issue more often taking the class above may mean that the student doesn't have the required pre-requisit knowledge/skill from the lower grades, its actually better to take the class below and work on perfecting underlying technique. I am always worried that the students in the grade suffer if the teacher is having to spend more time on those who are doing the grade as an extra top up, having seen a few schools operating this I find that there is also a risk that the students who are doing the extra grade are sometimes ignored or left to fend for themselves particularly if there is exam prep going on, though i am sure that the teachers try hard not to do this. it seems though that the private is the best option for you DD anyway and i'm sure she will love her time at the performing arts school

according to DN there are 2 from newcastle who also go and some from the north of England, she says there are a lot from all over Scotland too, she thinks about 3/4 are from scotland

from what i gather (niece attends) they don't assess out, the audition is a 1hr class and the numbers they have varies depending on the number of current students deciding to remain for the new year. the classes are split by age not ability though apparently within the class they tailor work for each student's ability/level i think its quite good value for money when you break it down per hour but i guess travel may be a problem, my DN gets the bus there as she's fairly local, she recommends it

there are a few that are still going depends where you are looking, Ballet West normally do their auditions in June i think and some are flexible if you are able to attend a summer school, some like Graham Fletcher's offer to see you in a class instead, its worth giving them a ring and asking

i think i would be wary of putting too much emphasis on the balletmum talk some mums are really helpful but there are still quite a few out there who like to psych the 'newbies' ... or just talk rubbish lol one place seems a little unlikely for an associate program to me fingers crossed

I would say 2 years to do grade 8 based on one grade 8 class a week is about normal, there are a certain number of hours that RAD recommend for the grade to take (her teacher will have this in their syllabus notes) , these are based on a certain number of graded classes a week working on that specific grade (they would not class additional hours doing other grades or unset work). I'm sure your DD could do the grade in less time but it is likely that they would be simply learning the steps to pass the exam which is not the intention of the process, longer gives more time to perfect the technique underpinning it all and also gives time to develop as a dancer. I'm sure your teacher will enter her when ready