BalletBoyMumma Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I've had the email from our London teacher and she's said no yoga mats. Not sure if this applies elsewhere though. We've been told one large towel (I guess for laying on) and one tea/hand towel size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Eschler Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Hi everyone, we are feeling very excited about next week. I was wondering how many classes/schemes etc do your DC do in addition to JAs? What about gymnastics or other training? How many ballet syllabus classes? Private lessons, etc? Many thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazylifecrazykids Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 23 minutes ago, Lara Eschler said: Hi everyone, we are feeling very excited about next week. I was wondering how many classes/schemes etc do your DC do in addition to JAs? What about gymnastics or other training? How many ballet syllabus classes? Private lessons, etc? Many thanks in advance. My daughter does about 5 hours or ballet a week RAD and NATD and Ballet Boost associates, also tap, musical theatre and modern. X 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletBoyMumma Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 (edited) Personally it feels like we're ALWAYS 'at dance' 😰 but that's more because I have three children who dance. Individually it's not a crazy amount at all. My son (he's 9) does 40 mins of each ballet/tap/modern (normal class) and then has a 30 min private session with his teacher per week - though the private class is fairly new, just a few months, as was to get him exam ready - it's worked out well and his teacher is really great with him so we're trying to keep it going as long as we can this term. 😊 You can be a one session a week student (or have zero previous ballet experience as some professional dancers have proven) and picked for associate programmes if you have what the ballet schools are looking for, I'm sure. Or do hours and hours of training and still not picked if you aren't what they are looking for, unfortunately. My eldest daughter does a lot more actual ballet than my son (she's G6 so naturally it requires more time-dedication) but she can't keep up if she goes to a one-off intensive class/workshop at a vocational school (she's tried - she's good but definitely not a natural and I doubt any vocational school would look at her twice - she only dances as a hobby and has a completely different career path in mind so thankfully it doesn't bother her one bit). Edited September 9, 2019 by BalletBoyMumma 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Eschler Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, BalletBoyMumma said: Personally it feels like we're ALWAYS 'at dance' 😰 but that's more because I have three children who dance. Individually it's not a crazy amount at all. My son (he's 9) does 40 mins of each ballet/tap/modern (normal class) and then has a 30 min private session with his teacher per week - though the private class is fairly new, just a few months, as was to get him exam ready - it's worked out well and his teacher is really great with him so we're trying to keep it going as long as we can this term. 😊 You can be a one session a week student (or have zero previous ballet experience as some professional dancers have proven) and picked for associate programmes if you have what the ballet schools are looking for, I'm sure. Or do hours and hours of training and still not picked if you aren't what they are looking for, unfortunately. My eldest daughter does a lot more actual ballet than my son (she's G6 so naturally it requires more time-dedication) but she can't keep up if she goes to a one-off intensive class/workshop at a vocational school (she's tried - she's good but definitely not a natural and I doubt any vocational school would look at her twice - she only dances as a hobby and has a completely different career path in mind so thankfully it doesn't bother her one bit). Many thanks @BalletBoyMumma, this seems similar to what my ds will do, just one ballet class and 30 minutes private ballet coaching locally. I was worried it was not enough (though he will also do another scheme most Sundays). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiaramum Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Leeds JA's tend to use towels - Miss Hatton is lovely and will go over everything that first lesson, so don't worry. Enjoy it all x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAboutTheJourney Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Hi @Lara Eschler - my DD is starting JAs on Saturday and that's the only external associate scheme she is going to do. She is 8. She does quite a bit at her own dance school, including two graded RAD classes, jazz, contemporary, tap, competition team classes etc. She also does their own internal ballet associates class. It all adds up to quite a few classes each week but she loves it all and it's very social. Fortunately her school don't do many competitions so we don't have many weekends where they are off competing and missing class etc. Our 'problem' is that she also does competitive gymnastics, so once you add that in it makes for a busy week. It's 2 x 4 hour training sessions each week. We've always just been waiting to see which direction she'd prefer to go in and it's becoming clear that it's dance she wants to focus on so her current plan - as I said above i think - is that she will stop gym next summer. It's getting to the point where the two activities are starting to clash, not just in terms of time/classes but also in terms of the way she uses her body, so I think her plan is probably a sensible one. Getting in to JAs has definitely made DD want to focus more on ballet so I hope she enjoys it as much as she is expecting to - either that or she may have a totally different plan this time next year! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Eschler Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Wow, that is impressive @Waverley. She seems very talented and exceptionally mature for an 8 year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAboutTheJourney Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 To be honest the thing with gymnastics - to do it at a high level anyway - is that they have to be absolutely focused on that and not much else by 7/8 ish, which is crazy I know but it just seems to be the way it is. DD has two friends who now train over 20 hours a week in gym (at 8 years old). DD isn't on that track at all. So it's a conversation we've been having on and off for a few years now, without trying to put ideas in her head. If i'm totally honest with myself I would prefer her to focus on dance (for various reasons) but we've been trying to let her decide so that it's on her own terms. I'd be delighted if she would quit gym today but she's just not quite there yet...! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 51 minutes ago, Tiaramum said: Leeds JA's tend to use towels - Miss Hatton is lovely and will go over everything that first lesson, so don't worry. Enjoy it all x Oh brilliant. Thank you x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BattementBatty Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 4 hours ago, Waverley said: To be honest the thing with gymnastics - to do it at a high level anyway - is that they have to be absolutely focused on that and not much else by 7/8 ish, which is crazy I know but it just seems to be the way it is. DD has two friends who now train over 20 hours a week in gym (at 8 years old). DD isn't on that track at all. So it's a conversation we've been having on and off for a few years now, without trying to put ideas in her head. If i'm totally honest with myself I would prefer her to focus on dance (for various reasons) but we've been trying to let her decide so that it's on her own terms. I'd be delighted if she would quit gym today but she's just not quite there yet...! Gymnastics is bonkers I have a 6 year old who does 13 hours a week and an 8 year old who does 10 hours alongside its of dancing. Something has to give quite soon. In terms of ballet my year 6 JA just has her syllabus class 45min, a general ballet class 1 hr as well as a pre pointe conditioning class 1/2 an hour. She also does tap, contemporary/ jazz, modern and musical theatre. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletboy8 Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 On 09/09/2019 at 11:45, Waverley said: To be honest the thing with gymnastics - to do it at a high level anyway - is that they have to be absolutely focused on that and not much else by 7/8 ish, which is crazy I know but it just seems to be the way it is. DD has two friends who now train over 20 hours a week in gym (at 8 years old). DD isn't on that track at all. So it's a conversation we've been having on and off for a few years now, without trying to put ideas in her head. If i'm totally honest with myself I would prefer her to focus on dance (for various reasons) but we've been trying to let her decide so that it's on her own terms. I'd be delighted if she would quit gym today but she's just not quite there yet...! I share your pain. Until a few weeks ago DS (* years old) did 18 hours of gymnastics - he competed in the foundation age British Championships in Liverpool this summer and came away with two golds. He did, Modern Tap, Contemporary, Street and Ballet. He has always said ballet is his first love and is so proud to start this weekend as a JA. As much as he loves ballet he likes gym and has of course got a few people interested in his development which flatters him. When I speak to him about it (daily) he still wants to do ballet. The JA lesson clashes with both gymnastics and dance so he has recently had to drop Street and one of his gymnastics sessions. His dance school have also changed days so further clashes mean dropping Modern/Tap. Additionally, his Dance School have just announced that they are not doing exams anymore and so if he wishes to continue these then he will have to do private lessons. They tell me that Top Ballet schools are nearly all by audition and so he won't need his grades - but this is not what I see when I go onto their websites? I'm so disappointed with dance school that I now feel I have to find another and the only one that will do his level at a time he can do is many miles away. It's all getting difficult so I do hope he chooses soon - he tells me that he has chosen ballet but wants me to try and keep gym going for a while as he is being considered for the GBR team. Who knows what the future holds! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farawaydancer Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 25 minutes ago, balletboy8 said: I share your pain. Until a Additionally, his Dance School have just announced that they are not doing exams anymore and so if he wishes to continue these then he will have to do private lessons. They tell me that Top Ballet schools are nearly all by audition and so he won't need his grades - but this is not what I see when I go onto their websites? I'm so disappointed with dance school that I now feel I have to find another and the only one that will do his level at a time he can do is many miles away. Top ballet schools ARE all by audition and they have no interest in how many exams a child has done. They go on what they see at audition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 It is perfectly possible to be accepted to a top school without ever having taken an exam, Farawaydancer is completely right. Conversely, it is possible to work up through an exam system getting very high marks without possessing the special qualities Vocational Schools are looking for. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletboy8 Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 That's good to know. Many thanks to you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 Good luck to everyone tomorrow. I have a very excited DD who wanted to get out of bed to try her uniform on again 😂. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDanceMum Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 I have one very excited DD too 🤣 Hope they all manage to get some sleep tonight. Good luck everyone x 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 Hope everyone enjoyed today as much as DD. They were made to feel very special. ❤️ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BattementBatty Posted September 14, 2019 Author Share Posted September 14, 2019 My daughter had a wonderful time. It was all quite overwhelming with the homework exercises for me though! I’m rather cross about this though. She splashed a bit of water on herself in the train home! 😡 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 Oh no @BattementBatty. That’s terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletBoyMumma Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 On 14/09/2019 at 19:53, BattementBatty said: My daughter had a wonderful time. It was all quite overwhelming with the homework exercises for me though! I’m rather cross about this though. She splashed a bit of water on herself in the train home! 😡 Oh dear - that is really bad. ☹️ Is it permanently stained or have you managed to shift it at all? Was the belt bought from the RB shop? If so, I reckon it'd be worth complaining. That good to hear SJBallet and BattementBatty, glad your DDs enjoyed it. DS enjoyed it too. We had an absolute nightmare of a morning, very stressful, which really wasn't the best way to start a new programme but he came out smiling and said everyone was really nice - much to my relief. Their teacher seems lovely too. We're looking forward to the next class. 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAboutTheJourney Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Oh no @BattementBatty - nightmare! I never thought to tell DD to take the belt off travelling home but think I will now 😲 Agree it would be worth emailing the supplier... DD loved her first class on Saturday - she was so excited beforehand and then suddenly a little bit quiet going in but when we were invited back to see the homework exercises she was beaming and said she'd loved it. The teacher seems lovely and the studio is big and bright. I'd forgotten they would have a pianist - that was a nice surprise. In terms of travel, we will be getting the train usually (it's 1.5 hours on the train) but for the next few weeks we will have to drive as the line is closed for planned maintenance... Typical! Anyway we thought it would be 2 hour drive but was actually closer to 2.5 hours each way. Long day for us (DH drove this week, I'll do it next week...) but DD was absolutely fine and I think it will be much easier once we can train it down. More relaxing anyway and we can sit and do homework etc on the train. Sounds like they all had a good first day anyway 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishballetmum Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 10 hours ago, Waverley said: In terms of travel, we will be getting the train usually (it's 1.5 hours on the train) but for the next few weeks we will have to drive as the line is closed for planned maintenance... Typical! Anyway we thought it would be 2 hour drive but was actually closer to 2.5 hours each way. Annoying that it is only Saturdays that are affected! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelovesdance Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 Just a note about the bands. Definitely worth washing them, just to get any excess colour out of them. I hand washed my daughters as I’d marked it when trying to adjust it (I’m not that forward thinking to consider the colour running lol) and was surprised it made the water slightly blue. What a pain for you @BattementBatty😩 DD absolutely loved her first session and loved Miss Hatton at Leeds. A few people had warned me it will be basic and boring and I did start to wonder if it would be right for her but she loved the calm and the discipline of it. I think it was almost like meditation for her💙💙 How did everyone else find their first week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julsgalaxy Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 I’m glad everyone enjoyed their first lesson so far 😃 We travelled with @BalletBoyMumma which was just so lovely to have someone to share this journey with but as she said, our train journey turned into a nightmare lol but we were just so glad to have at least made it to the class even though we were 20 minutes late (we were soooooo stressed about being late/not making it for their very first class but everyone at Royal were so lovely and understanding) , there was a moment we thought we might not make it at all 🙈 DS came out smiling and though he did say some of the exercises were slow , I think he really enjoyed it and felt extra special and proud of himself ❤️ Getting him to do the homework every day is going to be a bit of a challenge I think once the novelty wears off hehe 😋 I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed having a wander around Covent Garden during class 😍 xx 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Eschler Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 It is lovely to have a forum to discuss things with other parents. I was wondering if there are any whatsapp groups for the parents of children in the same class, etc (i.e. my DS is in JA4)., Looking forward to next Saturday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julsgalaxy Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 1 minute ago, Lara Eschler said: It is lovely to have a forum to discuss things with other parents. I was wondering if there are any whatsapp groups for the parents of children in the same class, etc (i.e. my DS is in JA4)., Looking forward to next Saturday. I was wondering the same as we have a friend who is an older JA and they have a WhatsApp group for their class which would be super handy 👍 xx 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Shelovesdance said: Just a note about the bands. Definitely worth washing them, just to get any excess colour out of them. I hand washed my daughters as I’d marked it when trying to adjust it (I’m not that forward thinking to consider the colour running lol) and was surprised it made the water slightly blue. What a pain for you @BattementBatty😩 DD absolutely loved her first session and loved Miss Hatton at Leeds. A few people had warned me it will be basic and boring and I did start to wonder if it would be right for her but she loved the calm and the discipline of it. I think it was almost like meditation for her💙💙 How did everyone else find their first week? Wow, I don't think I would have expected anyone to call it basic and boring. I did tell DD it would go right back to basics which would be what she should expect. DD really did enjoy it and has done her exercises every night so far. It would be really good to put a face to our balletco names (I'm the parent that asked about the social media photo's!!!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAboutTheJourney Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 On 16/09/2019 at 19:52, Scottishballetmum said: Annoying that it is only Saturdays that are affected! I know, typical! Is anyone else on here in the Newcastle class out of interest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAboutTheJourney Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 20 hours ago, SJBallet said: It would be really good to put a face to our balletco names (I'm the parent that asked about the social media photo's!!!) What was the answer to that question out of interest? I did put a pic of DD on my (private) instagram page but still feeling a bit bad about it (even though no-one other than my immediate family and close friends will ever see it 😂) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 1 minute ago, Waverley said: What was the answer to that question out of interest? I did put a pic of DD on my (private) instagram page but still feeling a bit bad about it (even though no-one other than my immediate family and close friends will ever see it 😂) I specifically asked about private Dance school Social media accounts and the answer was no x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PutYourBooteesOn Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 17 hours ago, SJBallet said: I specifically asked about private Dance school Social media accounts and the answer was no x Hi! DD is in the same class, I was sat behind you. And hello @Shelovesdance. I’ve also had people say to me they haven’t applied because their child would find it too boring and basic but my DD absolutely loves it. We knew Miss hatton already and love her as a teacher but DD also loved it in the RBS context. She can’t wait for Saturday again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Eschler Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Good morning everyone, I was wondering if anyone received an email about spring and summer intensives. I saw the applications are open now but we have not received the email (thought JA’s would). My DS will turn 10 the week before Spring intensives but I think that should be old enough to apply. Many thanks in advance and happy week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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