balletmummy

wondering if anyone could help... my dd is interested in auditioning for Elmhurst Associates but we have missed the Birmingham audition for this year. If she were to audition at another venue and be lucky enough to get a place, how possible is it to transfer to another location? Any advice gratefully received...

I wonder if anyone can be of any help... My ds who is coming up to 6, has grown up watching dd (now 8.5) dance since he was born! He has masses of energy and is now showing any interest in starting ballet himself. Fantastic as my dd's ballet school is, I feel though, that ds would benefit far more by having a male dance teacher as a role model and be part of a boys class, rather than being the only boy in a class of girls. He is very sensitive and could easily be put off by the girly giggling about boys doing ballet. I know of the London Boys Ballet school, but we are near Gloucester, so is far too far at the moment for ds to travel. Does anyone know of any boys ballet classes for 5-6 year olds? Or does anyone have any advice? Do boys tend to start later for this very reason? Is it better to start with tap rather than ballet? I don't want to quash his interest, but neither do I want him put off being the only boy in a class of girls... Many thanks in advance

Hi all I just wanted to pick your brains, if thats ok! My dd who is 8, loves her dance. She does 4 classes a week and would do more if she could. The slightly unusual thing, though, is that she is very much an introvert and is less keen on the performance side of dance. She does not seem to really enjoy being on stage and is much happier dancing in a studio environment. I am wondering if this is particularly unusual and whether anyone else has had a dd like this, who has gone on successfully into dance teaching/choreography etc rather than performing? Many thanks in advance

Hi all I'd be really grateful if anyone has any answers/advice on the following- My dd who is a young 8, will shortly be doing one of the JA taster experience days. How have others found it? She is really looking forward to it and it sounds a great idea. With it being a 2 hour session, I am presuming they will have a couple of short breaks as it is quite a long session for the younger ones... Do parents tend to take the photos for the JA application form, or do the teachers do it in order to get the correct positions? With London and Birmingham offering both weekly JA classes as well as monthly, does a sort of hierachy develop within the Associates, where the weekly children are ultimately more successful in securing vocational school places, dancing with the companies etc, as they will have had much more RBS style training? Are the weekly classes much more oversubscribed than the monthly ones? Do the 8 year olds find the classes more of a struggle and are there fewer of them than, say, the 9 year olds who are stronger physically and more able to cope with the demands of the class? How have other balletforum dc's found the style of teaching in terms of rigour? My dd is very quiet and sensitive and would not respond well to the "shouty" type of teacher, if you know what I mean. How many children apply for JAs and how many are accepted? Any advice or answers gratefully received before we possibly embark on this rollercoaster of a journey! Many thanks in advance Balletmummy

Firstly, Happy New Year to everyone on this forum! It is fascinating to hear everyones different stories and journeys... I wonder if any of you have any tips- my dd is just 8 and joined RAD Associates recently, which she loves. She is interested in doing the Associates Summer School at Elmhurst in July. The problem is distance...we are 20 mins south of Gloucester, so driving up and back every day might be too much for her as well as the actual classes. Then there is my 5 year old ds to consider too, who, much as he loves vehicles and motorways, may not appreciate 3 hours in the car every day that week! Does anyone have any tips-well located places to stay or bed and breakfasts etc that are affordable or other ideas...any would be gratefully received... Or does anyone know of any other summer schools nearer Gloucester which focus mainly on ballet? Many thanks in advance Balletmummy

Hi Happymum My dd will be there-in the 7-8 age group from 12-2pm. She is tall and very blonde if that helps and will probably be wearing her pink Sally Prout School of Dancing top! I will also have my 5 year old ds in tow in blue Muddy Puddles waterproofs if cold! My dd did the Nutcracker workshop in Gloucester yesterday and absolutely loved it. I'm sure the Birmingham one will be just as good and she is so looking forward to it. What age group are your dd and ds? Might see you there, although I remember from last year that its a bit of a scrum signing them in in the front foyer! Balletmummy

I have spoken with her teacher about RBS JAs and she also mentioned Elmhurst. We are nearish to Gloucester.

Hi all Firstly, thank you for all making this such an informative and useful forum! I wonder if anyone has any opinions on associate programmes. My dd, who will be 8 in December, is potentially interested in auditioning for RBS JAs. She takes 4 classes a week (2 ballet, 2 tap) and so badly wants to do more! She is currently Grade 1 ballet and tap. Im wondering how RBS and Elmhurst JAs compare and whether there are any others we should be looking at...and if anyone has experience of either, it would be great to hear your thoughts-are RBS and Elmhurst looking for the same things at auditions, etc Also, we have found the RBS outreach JA class, where dd can go and do a JA class to get an idea of what goes on, before deciding whether or not it is for her and then auditioning. Any views/experiences of these classes would be great too... Thanks in advance to all! It is an exciting new path for her to be thinking about, and she is very determined indeed, but a nervewracking one too... Balletmummy

Hi Yaffa Although my daughter is only 7, I wouldn't say no to the books if they are still going! What age range are they for? Not sure I would be able to find you tomorrow, though, unless I give you my mobile number and you ring me once there! Let me know what you think! Will be on the road by 8.30am though... balletmummy

have sent you a pm too, JulieW!

That would be lovely, JulieW! I am tall,late 30s, brown hair in a bob just above shoulder length and will have my tall blonde 7 year old dd and tanned nearly 5 year old ds with me! Driving up from Gloucestershire early tomorrow so probably looking rather jaded with a blue rucksack ! DS loves music so will probably try and sit on the side of the pianist so he can see! Not sure how to pm you though!Do let me know how you do that... Hope to see you tomorrow and any others!

thanks for that...do you think I should ring the school first to check though? I also cant find this year's membership card (we are hoping to move and I have mislaid it in all the clearing up...) Would be lovely to meet some of you and put names to faces! My daughter (age 7) is very blonde and will probably be wearing her pink Sally Prout School of Dancing hooded top! My ds is 4 and has blondish brown hair! Thank you all for such a fascinating forum and see you on Saturday!

Oh dear! I have booked accommodation up in London for this weekend especially so I can take dd and ds to what I thought will the Open Day on Saturday. I rang a couple of months ago before booking accommodation and was not told it was not open to the public, nor that it was not an Open Day. I am a friend of White Lodge-does that mean I can take dd and ds? They have been so excited for months about going and will be absolutely devastated if I have to tell them we now can't go... Any advice on this, please!

Thanks to all for the advice and support. What a lovely bunch of people you all are and what a useful and fascinating forum! DD's exam seemed to go well and she came out happy, which is the most important thing and she is thinking of Grade 1 already! Do any of you plan to be at the White Lodge Summer Fete in June? DD and DS (4) love the whole day and we are all looking forward to it! Do post if anyone is going as it would be great to meet some of you... Many thanks to all and good luck to any others taking exams over the next few weeks!

My dd will be taking her RAD Primary Ballet exam very shortly. She is 7.2 and has been taking two ballet classes a week out of choice since Pre Primary. Just wondering what the format is for the exam and any other helpful tips that anyone might have... Most of all, she is so excited about the prospect of having her first character skirt next term when she moves up to Grade 1 and to (her words) dancing longer dances! Thanks to all for such interesting and informative pages as our children lead us along the dance route!