Pasdebourree15

Hello! I'm in the exact same boat... I'm in Year 10 and also wanting to audition for 6th Form places at vocational schools next year. Where does your DD want to audition? Best of luck to her as well!

Because of the area I'm currently living in, I don't actually have a current pointe class during the week. Before I moved to the UK, i was taking 2 1.5 hour long pointe classes a week, and I'm really worried about my technique slipping... I don't think I should be practicing pointe work on my own without instruction, but I need to do something.

Thanks Anjuli! I wanted a personal opinion, so thank you!

But as a 15 year old, how much pointe work would probably be required/expected at say a ballet summer school like Elmhurst?

I just found out about this 3-day thing at Olympia called MOVE IT. Has anyone ever been/is going? Is it worth looking into? It's not cheap, but I wonder if it is something really worth going to?

I've always wondered that too Tulip... you certainly can't judge a dancer's potential just based on photographs, can you? And what exactly makes a 'good' audition photograph?

I have a very similar foot and have worn Bloch Sonatas since I started pointe. I recently began wearing Freed Studio IIs... they fit my foot better than the Sonatas ever did, and seem to last longer as well. I'm finding they support my highly-arched feet much better compared to my previous Blochs. There are quite a few variations of that one type of Freed... I went to a shop that specialized in Freed shoes and there was definitely a huge range available. Just a thought... I would also recommend buying Jet Glue, and using it to strengthen the shanks of your DDs pointe shoes, if you haven't already. It has been my life saver after dealing with dying shanks after only a few lessons. My parents were getting tired of my constant request for new shoes! Hope your DD finds the right shoe, and that this was of some help to you! :-)

Any other advice on showing height of leg/flexibility vs. clean square lines? eg. simple, square 90 degree arabesque line vs. a 150 degree line with a slight rotation in the hips to allow the leg to go higher? The same for a la seconde? Any advice would be much appreciated x

Wow! That's amazing! Congrats, and best of luck for the show! Enjoy it

Thanks Julie I will

Thanks so much to everyone for the advice...Shimmer I have high insteps and my feet roll inwards if I don't think about walking 'flat'....my problem sounds very similar to yours, so thanks so much for your help. I will definitely talk to a physio. This is such a wonderful forum. Thank you all... it can be really frustrating to be restricted in class by pain! So hopefully I can get all this sorted out. My aim is to go to vocational dance school for 6th form, and this is really not something I want to have to deal with for the rest of my dance career! But I really can't stress how grateful I am for all the help! Thanks again

Thanks eloise! I wasn't really sure if it was worth going to see a doctor.... I think I'll wait it out a bit, but I should probably see someone eventually. It definitely affected my performance at my RBS auditions :/

*NOTE: THIS IS DIFFERENT TO A PREVIOUS POST ALSO ENTITLED SHIN PAIN* I've always dealt with pain on the inner length of my shins, but lately it's been getting a lot worse as I've increased my dance hours. It's worse on one side, and really restricts my jumping abilities.... I've talked to a couple of dance teachers and received a wide variety of advice... some say to try alternate hot and cold therapy others have said that there's nothing I can do apart from warming my legs and feet up properly before class. I've tried both of these things and nothing seems to really help. Does anyone have any advice?

Thank you :-) I'll be 15... would you say it's worth going to?

Spanner how old is your DD/was your DD when she took the course?

Thank you Ribbons! I will... by the time summer come around I will (hopefully) be working at an ADV. 1 level.

Jellybeans... I started Ballet aged 11 and took my RAD grade 3 exam then. I am almost 15 now (Currently Year 10) and have not taken a graded examination since. (I've been based in a non-syllabus program due to the area I was living in) I am now living in the UK though, and will take my ISTD Intermediate examination in March. Would you say that I would be at an acceptable level, (and I know this is impossible for you to judge, seeing as how you don't know my physique/capability/potenial etc.), but based on my experience could I do the RBS SS in Covent Garden?

Yes that's right Anjuli... thanks so much. And eloise my dance teacher has also suggested going for the 'simpler' & more squared lines, rather than extension. Thanks so much to both of you for the advice!

Thank you Sassy! I couldn't find it anywhere! x And alright swanprincess. best of luck for any other auditions tho! x

Is it better to show flexibility and height of leg in audition photographs vs. simple lines? (e.g a clean, square 90 degree arabesque line vs. a 120 degree arabesque line with a slight hip rotation to allow the leg to go higher) And should photos like this be different for Summer School auditions (by photo application only) compared to the ones submitted for a full-time school audition? Or does it really matter?

:-( Aw I'm sorry swanprincess... better luck this year maybe? I didn't realize it was selective... now I'm nervous! Are you auditioning for any other Summer Schools? x

Does anyone know if the Elmhurst Summer School is first-come first-serve, or selective by photo application? Their website just says: 'Download your booking form here. Book before 25 March for a 25 pound discount'. Also has anyone ever done their summer school? Any opinions on it?

You're welcome! xxx

Sorry just as an added thought tomuchtallent I'm not an expert on any of these Summer Programs/Schools, so please take the time to research them yourself!

If you're already on pointe look at this one: http://centralfloridaballet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=193 You can send in a video audition but you need to call them first. This one is for 9 years and up: http://www.sarasotaballet.org/summer-intensive They are both well-known in Florida... but here is a link to Joffrey Florida which is a really big deal...http://joffrey.org/academy/programs/summerintensives Explore their site... they're definitly a more Advanced/Well-known Program than the other 2. Hope this helps! And thank you! Congrats to DD2...WL is a big deal! And it's definitely a good idea to audition for a lot... much better to have some choices than nothing at all! Best of luck to DD1 with her career as well! And good luck to DD3... I wish everyone in my family loved ballet as much as I do! Haha... but it definitely sounds like you guys will have a busy summer. Enjoy it, and I hope all goes well.