Laura_ballet

6 minutes ago, Hadtopost said:

 

I have read the comments on this thread.

I have read the newspaper articles and watched the Panorama programme.

Not one thing that I have heard or read has contradicted the real-life experience that our daughter had in the world of vocational ballet training. It is a toxic environment, and one that unfortunately it is so hard to see as such whilst they are in it. One of the posters on here used the term ‘groomed’ and Luke Jennings referred to its cult like qualities, and I would say neither were far from the truth.

 

During training from the years of 11-16 there was the daily belittling, humiliating, bullying, coded comments such as needing to lengthen her lines, the not so coded comments, eat less biscuits (she didn’t eat biscuits anyway). While she was in training at upper school (RBS) she suffered with eating disorders, self harm, and suicidal thoughts. She made the decision to leave as she was so desperately unhappy, and hasn’t stepped into a ballet studio since. 

Although she is out of that world now, and studying at a mainstream school, the internal wounds, as she calls them, are still there.

 

She didn’t watch the programme, but she read the article in the Times on Monday night. She called me at 11am yesterday morning from the toilet at school where she was having a panic attack. Reading it unearthed all the trauma that is still inside. 

 

So it’s easy for people to comment, parents should know or protect their kids, well female dancers need to be light enough to be lifted in PDD, whatever whatever whatever (and by the by it wasn’t just the females in her boarding house who said they felt ‘fat’ after dinner so they needed to go and throw up, the disordered eating/eating disorders/body shame/self loathing ran across both sexes). But the wounds are still there for all these ex-dancers, no matter who it feels easier to blame.

 

I don’t have any more than that really to say on the subject. 

 

When I spoke to my daughter yesterday after she had come home from school following the panic attack (she basically broke down having the trauma resurface and her school sent her home to recover), she said she still feels wrong, and damaged inside, and alone, and I thought how wonderful it would be if out of all of this something positive could happen. Something like a support group for survivors of this world, where they could talk and share their experiences and feelings and feel truly seen and understood by others who have been through this. I really don’t know how such a support group could be facilitated but if anyone has any ideas or thoughts and wants to DM me about this please feel free.

 

One thing both my partner and I thought after we watched that programme was that in fact she isn’t alone, none of them are alone, there are so many of them who have been damaged. 

 One good thing that might come out of this is, less children going into vocational training at 11 sparing them the abuse/bullying/body shaming. I feel this programme has highlighted my fears for my own daughter and has seriously impacted our decision making. 

Just now, Thelittleswans said:

on 15 September, a whistleblowing line for the general public is also available on 0800 028 0970 for anyone who feels they can't directly raise a concern with the School. The line is staffed by independent experts and is available to call from 9.00 to 21.00 daily.

@TwirlyWhirly

on 15 September, a whistleblowing line for the general public is also available on 0800 028 0970 for anyone who feels they can't directly raise a concern with the School. The line is staffed by independent experts and is available to call from 9.00 to 21.00 daily.

25 minutes ago, TiredOfThis said:

Would it be so obvious if you didn’t see your child for at least three weeks at a time and the only contact you get is a very distracted, tired 5 minute phonecall per night (if lucky)? And when they are home it’s so brief and they are just knackered and relieved to be able to do nothing for 24hrs. Or worse, feel like they have to catch up with everyone? And deal with the many, many questions your concerned parents are asking? It’s quite easy to close up and say all is fine. 

These are my fears as a mum with a daughter wanting to go to vocational school. I fear she will put up with it out of fear and determination to succeed. 

Really sad to watch as an ex elm and having seen and heard all this whilst I was training there many years ago 

@BalletBelle this is lovely to hear. Can I ask, how much training did your daughter do per week? I’m curious as I would love to offer the option of training at home for my daughter I just worry that there aren’t enough hours to keep at a high enough standard to be in with a good chance of upper school. 

@SW mum I had a response. Elephant and castle (30 min on northern line) Cariad Ballet School advanced 2 Tuesday 630-745. Email cariadballet@gmail.com

Thank you for your input. Determining whether my child will find happiness in any of the mentioned schools is quite challenging and beyond my control. Even the audition process won't give us a true sense of what daily life at these schools will be like. While intuition might provide a preliminary impression, I personally don't put too much stock in first impressions, as I've been proven wrong in the past.

Like many parents, if I had the means to provide my child with the same level of training at home (3 hours per day, 5 days a week, plus 2-3 hours on Saturdays, totaling 18-20 hours per week), I would. I'm well aware that there are exceptional private teachers in the UK. However, this isn't currently an option for us. My daughter has expressed her desire to attend a vocational school, and I fully support her. I'm simply researching these schools to make an informed decision about their pros and cons when offers are on the table.
 

I think my main concern is the training itself. Are these schools absolutely amazing at teaching ballet? Is the training superb? Because that’s what I expect. However I am interested to find out what other people have noticed.

Considering factors like financial considerations, geographical proximity, and the availability of boarding facilities, I've streamlined my daughter's school choices to RB, Elmhurst, and Tring. I believe this trio offers a balanced approach that minimizes stress and avoids building high expectations for schools that are far away with limited funding or inadequate boarding options.

I'd love to get your take on the upsides and downsides of these three choices. I get that everyone's got their own stories and opinions, however– a mix of personal insights gives us a well-rounded picture before the auditions. 

For instance, a strength for Elmhurst and Tring over WL seems to be that they offer 5 years of training whereas RB the need to reaudition in year 9 seems scary and daunting. However, im assuming some dancers who may have left WL have possibly joined Elmhurst or Tring to continue their training. A strength for WL would be its affiliation with the company and opportunities to dance at ROH. What sort of performing opportunities do they get at Elmhurst? I hear at Tring, some dancers have danced with ENB for Nutrcracker. 

As Hammond has now been added to the list of schools of audition for, anyone know the application process and audition format? 

Nothing come back yet from Facebook. I used to take Adv 2 at RAD on Saturdays. And London studio centre used to do also but i can’t find on website. Central do advanced 1 on Sunday but not advanced 2. 

Royal ballet school and associate applications open today 

@TwirlyWhirly solo are in private as far as I am aware. Has always been that way. But might be worth double checking for your dancers peace of mind.

I’ve asked on a closed RAD teachers group on Facebook  will get back to you if someone replies 

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 

15 hours ago, tutugirl said:

I highly recommend Moorlands for those pursuing a classical route 

Do moorlands offer financial assistance? 

21 hours ago, Swanwings said:

My dd did all these about 4 years ago so I cant give accurate info, but I remember her Tring/Elmhurst were on 5th and 6th Jan consecutively. Royal is always earliest I think.

 

Do also consider YDA, now London Vocational Ballet School. I know it doesnt have boarding, but many children do homestay very successfully, and the school is very focussed on ballet primarily. Its also got some exciting changes happening, not just the name. Happy to answer qurestions if you have any. 

This is great to hear. I have emailed YDA regarding boarding but all I got back was, we don’t offer boarding unfortunately and didn’t mention home stay or how to help with that. Is that something I would have to figure out alone? I have no idea where to begin. Also there was no mention of funding, that’s a problem for us. 

I wanted to reach out to this wonderful community in search of some advice and insights as my daughter prepares to pursue her dream of attending a vocational ballet school. We’re excited but also a little overwhelmed by the process. 

Based on last year, does anyone know when the Elmhurst application opens? Do all children who apply get an audition like Whitelodge?

We have decided to apply for WL, Elmhurst and Tring as ballet is her main passion. 

Please feel free to share your personal stories, tips, hints, and any information you think would be helpful. Your support and wisdom will be immensely appreciated as we embark on this exciting yet challenging path. Also it would be nice to chat to other parents who are going through the same process this year. 

Check out Danceworks also 

Gemma Pitchley-Gale usually runs workshops during December if I remember from last year. Lots of dancers of the royal ballet run workshops too. You could email theballetpros@gmail.com to see what the have planned for that time period. There’s so many that pop up on Instagram! 

I am looking for book titles that inspire and motivate young dancers. It doesn’t have to be dance related but will help curate the right mindset towards achieving hard things, discipline and motivation. My daughter is only 10 so would also have to be age appropriate. 

On 22/08/2023 at 15:52, margarite said:

Walking along the south bank from Waterloo (just over the bridge from Covent Garden) to London Bridge is always interesting, Festival Hall, National Theatre, The Globe and the Tate Modern are en route. As a Londoner I have done this countless times and still love it. Or you can walk the other way from Waterloo towards Vauxhall and the new Battersea Power Station redevelopment - there’s shops and cafes etc. The Sky Garden on top of the Walkie Talkie building near St Paul’s is free and an amazing view but you have to book in advance. If you like art the Wallace Collection (behind Oxford street near Selfridges) is amazing and also free. 
 

I must admit that I never did any of the above whilst I waited around - I usually had to find an ‘office’ for the day whilst DD danced i.e. a cafe with WiFi and a power socket for my laptop 🤣

Did you have any favourite spots to work from? That’s always useful to know also! 

Thank you @balletbean some great suggestions that I look forward to exploring in my many hours in the city centre!!! 

Hey fellow dance parents! I'm sure many of us share the same situation – finding ourselves in central London with some free time on our hands while our dancer children are busy with classes, workshops, and intensives. Usually, it's about 2 hours, but sometimes it turns into a whole day. I'm curious, what do you all do during these moments? On sunny days, there's no shortage of lovely walks and charming coffee shops to explore. After hitting up the main free museums and such, I sometimes run out of ideas. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated

This is really exciting for the RAD and teachers. The ISTD contemporary syllabus is for more senior students so I’ll be interested to see the Rambert syllabus and what it has to offer in comparison to ISTD modern which is very much outdated