Lemongirl

Is there anything in London for girls?

Which online dancewear shop would you recommend in terms of price, speed etc? Do any offer free returns? My dd needs a flesh coloured leotard and new tights very soon. Where's the best place to look?

Thanks. So there are no buses directly from Kings X or Euston, you have to go to Victoria first?

Does anyone know what parking is like round there on a weekday morning? I seem to remember quite a few meters just round the corner but don't know how many will be free. What buses pass by the door?

My dd also got recalled last Sunday and we are still waiting for our letter! Wonder if it's got delayed in the post. Anyone else still not had a letter? Should I give them a call tomorrow?

Thanks, I managed to email her.

Does anyone have a contact number for the Hounslow organiser? The number on the All England site is wrong.

I did think about that and personally I wouldn't have a problem with that at all, but she's not that confident about doing an unfamiliar journey alone. She travels home from school on the tube but she's familiar with the route and goes with lots of girls she knows. Plus the District line can be a bit confusing I think, it goes in so many directions.

I don't know if anyone can help but thought it's worth a try. My dd is auditioning for LCB this Sunday, she is 13 and in Group H. They are due to finish at 4.10pm or 5.25pm if recalled. My dh and I are due to go to a celebration that evening which starts at 5.30pm which obviously makes it very tight for time. We'd like to be there by 6 ish really. I've phoned the LCB office to see if they can see if there is anyone in my area but they can't help due to just sheer numbers which I understand. Does anyone have any ideas how to find someone who lives locally to me who could possibly drop her home? We live in NW London/Middlesex.

Thank you Sheila, will make a trip down next time. Think we'll probably drive.

Thanks for the tip, maybe we'll try Just Ballet. We are in NW London so not too bad a trip. So you think that's better than trying Dancia in town?

Thank you for all the helpful advice. Sugar plum - it LOOKED like they fit her properly, her feet weren't spilling out etc. It's a costly business as I suppose they don't really know for sure if the shoes are right until they dance in them! I just wanted to make sure the shoes are ok as she is starting EYB next week so will be spending a lot of time doing pointe work! Maybe she can try Grishkos next time, where do they stock them? Thanks for that link spanner, will have a read.

Dd is 13 and has been doing pointe for a couple of years. Her most recent pair of shoes were Bloch European Balance pre-arched which she liked. However they started to hurt a bit at the toes and thought they were getting small. We went to Bloch at the weekend and she tried the same shoes in a half size bigger but the assistant said they were too big! She said if she was fitting dd from scratch she wouldn't recommend those shoes as they weren't a good fit for her narrow feet. So dd tried a different style - Amelie, which we eventually bought. Dd thought they felt a bit tight around the foot but thought it was because she wasn't used to them and they needed breaking in. Is Amelie a good shoe for narrow feet? Also are pointe shoes supposed to be comfortable from the start or not till they've broken in?

Sleep - they normally have about 10 days of rehearsals in a local school before transferring to the theatre for dress rehearsals and performances. Each day is 6 hours and it varies between 11-5, 12-6 sometimes 1-7. They are either at weekends or a block of rehearsals in school holidays.

Royal Carribean

We've just come back from a cruise round the med which was great. My ballet-mad oldest dd now has her eye on a cruise next year which goes to St Petersburg. It actually looks very interesting anyway, starts in Copenhagen and visits other interesting places along the way. So my questions are - how can I find out what ballet-related things there are to do and see in St Petersburg? Would a day there be enough? Are there other places in Russia which would be good to visit?

Stevenage good for us too! Which ballet are they doing there?

How do you view the photos? Is there a password?

For anyone who did Week 1 - what time did they finish on the Friday? The performance is at 3 but then I suppose they have to pack up etc?

Busymum - my dd told me that they are down to 6 girls now in dorm 7 as one wasn't well so moved into the houseparent's room and not sure about the other one. Dd's been phoning each evening with an update, she's having a great time. Apparently there was a lot of bed swapping and putting mattresses on the floor the other night! They're all having lots of fun

My dd is having a great time too. She's been ringing each evening with her news. Swayback - how old is your dd? Mine is 13 and in Dorm 7.

That sounds really good drdance, we are interested. What part of the country would it be?

My dd would love a winter school. She did the Tring Christmas weekend a few years ago and had a great time. That's a few weeks before Christmas though. I would prefer residential as it's less running around for me!

We love Graze boxes in this house! Dd has been known to polish off nearly the entire box before anyone else can get to it!

Thanks all, some good ideas. I like the Hobbycraft box Aurora and see from their website they come in different sizes. Magnetic thing is good too although I want something portable for taking around to festivals etc. Pictures - you have a very good point. I suspect I will carefully organise the box for dd and she will STILL leave hairpins and nets everywhere!