along for the ride mum

Or maybe they are well adjusted, well rounded confident children who are secure in themselves and their family relationships and know their own minds......?

Really good so far, thank you for asking, dtadmin. In the right place for her, I believe. I was thinking about you the other day, starting out on the audition roller-coaster. Good luck to your dd x

We were in that position this time last year and as Dd had never done festivals or anything she didn't have a solo dance to perform. She was in the thick of show rehearsals with her dance school so no time to be taught a dance. So we went with the lyrical amalgamation from her last modern exam, it was exactly the right length and she knew it really well and was comfortable dancing it. It worked for her, good luck

Jazzpaws, I know wrestling and barking well as I grew up very near there, if you are in that area I'm sure Justballet could help you at her shop in Thorpe Bay! Blimey, wrestling and barking!!! Blooming autocorrect, should say Westcliff and Barling!!!

Thanks,they are new so I'll just do them opposite and leave her to find what feels more comfortable and secure, thanks for the help x

Thanks SandP, pre sewn one side so just wasn't sure which way to cross. Thank you

Hi I thoughtful seen a thread about this but my search has been fruitless. When sewing the double or crossed elastic on ballet shoes, should they be sewn in a particular way ie should the elastic that cross over or under in a particular order? I hope I've made that clear, can't think how to explain what I mean . To add to it, time is vital, I have to do it in the next hour or two. Thanks

Wow, are you taking orders, oldermum? X

I have a similar problem with my dd , can never get clothes that fit right, especially jeans. If they are ok for length we could fit about three of her in them, Next jeans are a particularly poor fit for this reason. I have found that we get a better fit for her by going 'down market' the cheap shops that are not so generously cut do Jeans that tend to be a bit narrower. Last year I managed to find some school shirts that fitted well in matalan although they had three quarter length ballerina style sleeves.

Thanks for that Mimi's Mum, I am maybe being a bit daft but when you say discount code, is that online or in store, and do I Ned to know the code? Thanks

So do santander, debit card available from 11

Try not to worry, not hearing from him is a good thing! My little dd went to her first residential course over a year ago, she was just 10 and the mums of her school friends who don't dance thought I was crazy to send her, especially as it wasn't with anyone she knew. She phoned me about half an hour after I left on the first night and then never rang again all week. This was because she was too busy having fun and had become firm friend's with the other girls in her room. They were a really tight knit group by the time Friday came! I'm sure that all the lovely dc 's there will look out for him, and being younger, I bet they'll make a particular effort to look out for him, there are some really good thoughtful young people out there you know, no matter what the popular press likes to say!! Do you get to watch.a performance at the end? I'm sure you will see straight away that he has had a great time and made some lovely friends. No news is good news x

Hi, they do an Easter dance course, residential, Monday to Friday, includes ballet, modern, jazz and possibly tap. They also do a 'summer school' which is non residential , I think it was 3 ;or 4 days. My dd did the Easter course and loved it!! If I remember correctly we applied around about Christmas time ( application was downloaded from their website) and we got confirmation e-mail that she had a place in the February half term . Hope that helps. Edited to add that they update the events fairly regularly on the website , I think it's a drop down what's on tab then click on the courses tab . There's then a link to the application forms . It is also worth looking out for the day of dance one day courses if you are close enough to make this viable.

Thanks for that Janet, by coincidence today we had a first try of doing stage makeup with Dd. She is off to vocational school in September and has been told she will have to learn to do it. It's the first time she's ever worn makeup. We had watched a few videos on YouTube before starting but it made me chuckle to then see this link, I think we have a way to go!

I said the same to my husband, I would love to have been there but no mention of it anywhere that I could see

or the 16-20, maybe more lycra clad morons riding 2 and 3 abreast from village to village on relatively twisty country roads near us last week refusing to narrow or break the group up meaning that I had to follow behind them through two separate villages all the way to dd's tap class since there was no way at all to safely overtake when it was impossible to see to the front of the group to ascertain just how far ahead it stretched! As a cyclist myself (occasionally) I try to be a considerate driver but....aaarh!

What am I saying!!! Master of the understatement, I was too engrossed watching it to add any more but would highly recommend anyone with I-player to treat yourself to an hour with this, beautiful!

Has anyone seen this? If you have I-player this is well worth a watch, some lovely Spanish dancing!

Thank you CDR

Hi, can confirm they are quite big, my dd is almost 12, just finished year 6 and she was still fine in the original one we bought when she got accepted for year 4. I think it says age 9-11, if memory serves

That's an interesting point, I wonder if any of the other schools do it, or if we could get it done at home. I was also wondering about ( forgive my ignorance, I don't know the name) the injections that girls get in yr 7 ((or 8) against the virus that causes cervical cancer. In our local secondary school they all have it, on mass at school. Does that happen everywhere. or will ppl we need to sort that out at home, I wonder?

We stayed at the Hagley Road Premier Inn too and found it really handy and perfectly comfortable, (had previously stayed at the Travelodge near the cinema but it was awful!! rattly single glazed windows which didn't fit properly, freezing cold and I felt really unsafe walking from the car park to the hotel) but the Premier Inn was comparative luxury and very reasonably priced.

Well it's definitely a week of "last ever's", Dd Is the youngest of four and is finishing year six this week. I have been dreading it for weeks, the last school production, the end of all those special primary school moments and most of all her last class with her lovely dance school this evening !! She has been with them since she was three and I was dreading making a fool of myself, I'm soppy at the best of times. But I have to say it was a positive experience. The teacher and the girls in her ballet class (all much older and about to leave year eleven) were lovely, kept it lighthearted and fun and I managed not to cry when I collected her .....just! Trying really hard to be positive but the emotions are bubbling away just under the surface. Oh well, she has two dance exams on Wednesday so not quite all over yet!

....when you have really sore fingers from spending all afternoon sewing name labels into uniform even though you have some iron on ones because the balletco-ers say that iron - on ones wont last!! ...ouch, time to give those fingers a rest...

Julie, that is exactly what happened with us, I was quiete taken aback to hear that my son was struggling with this, jadnt done that and had basically been a bit of a pain. He had always been so highly thought of before. Just glad i finally spoke up!