hfbrew

This would sound trivial to lots of folks but I am delighted to learn that my once fastidious and slightly vain mother has finally made a hair appointment for next week!( its not been done since before xmas) Shes looking forward to seeing my ds in Aladdin at Worcester next week although she keeps asking what day its on.. Now to make sure she remembers the hair appointment.. Wish I wasnt 2.5 hours away!

Very wise Haggis!

My ds year had an unusually low number go to US compared to the years either side. However ALL of them chose to continue vocational training elsewhere and a high proportion of them are now professional. Although we would probably have accepted US if offered I dont think the training would have suited my ds. In fact there was a slight feeling of relief when he didnt get faced with that choice and some of the other offers at places that he had already said he preferred. It is made clear at the outset that being at WL does not guarantee natural progression to US. A lot can happen even in the two years that they are "safe" ( the gcse years). Ive seen it myself as a teacher, promising students losing interest or drive, injuries, or simply plateauing. And then Ive seen others suddenly blossom... Ds year all decided to continue vocational training but I know many in other years who chose to follow other paths as was their right. Each year is different so I too find this thread a little difficult and also worrying because if someone responsible for funding reads this without looking at the bigger picture it could ultimately impact on future years chances. My heart goes out to current WL year 11s and indeed the whole lower school as I know that they have seen many changes recently which wont have helped. Good luck to you all and congratulations on graduating from WL which is an achievement in itself. For many people there are far better places to train than RBS upper school.

How funny you should post this today. I was advising my advanced lads earlier to treat todays more slippery than usual floor as an opportunity to feel how their turnout muscles should be working! It was a fight to maintain it I can tell you!

Contrast that with my wonderful evening tonight at one of the Ballet Schools I work for. Watched by 3 other teachers who all own other local schools, happy just to see students doing their very best..and yes, some students are "shared" by us. Technically I suppose we are rivals but it really doesnt feel like that as we all support one another and recommend each other as and when necessary! And we love going to each others shows! I dont believe teachers should exercise a monopoly over students or hold them back. Part of good teaching is to recognise when a students could benefit from other classes/teachers. I do think that students should have the courtesy however to keep their teachers informed if they are attending another school. It makes planning easier for one thing- us teachers have to think far ahead. I am already planning timetables for next year and it all depends on numbers, even just one child giving notice can make or break a class. And if I know about a students other commitments I can endeavour to be flexible with exam coaching etc. Sadly there are unqualified teachers in my area and just tonight me and the other dance school owners who were at the show were saying how frustrating it is that we get pupils from these teachers already badly trained. Which is why we much prefer our own students to go to each others schools if necessary knowing that they will still be in safe hands! As for teacher training, well it depends on circumstances. Ive trained a good few but it is not easy to timetable as parents do not necesarily want to pay for classes where their children are being used as "guineapigs" as it were. The RAD for example rightly expect a trainee teacher to do many hours of teaching practise both unsupervised and supervised which is not easy for a school to provide even if a trainee could cover the considerable costs involved. So if a school is not going to benefit from a teacher who has used their facilities for training then its probably not surprising that they would think twice about offering this service.

Just beginning the same sad journey with my mum. Early days yet but already breaking my heart with the constant repeated conversations. Wish I lived closer. My cousin and I are taking her to see ds is Aladdin soon. Possibly the last time she will see him dance.

Yay! Yay! Thank you for the information, am looking forward to seeing what they do with Don Quixote already!

Do you know which hospital/ clinic you should have been referred to? It might be worth contacting them directly.They should be able to tell you whether your referral has come. Ive hardly ever gone through my doctor to get an appointment with the audiologists at our NHS hospital.

Surely its a dance teachers job to act in the best interests of their students? Only today I was advising a young lady to continue Ballet at another school now she can no longer attend mine.Another student is now going to extra Ballet lessons at another school at my recommendation as I dont have the facility in my new school yet to accommodate this. Id much prefer to know what extra lessons my students are doing rather than them go behind my back especially as there are a few unqualified teachers operating in our area. Some schools/teachers though are actually just a bit ignorant about associate programmes rather than against them.

Chase it up. It really shouldnt take that long. I should know as Ive had to see audiologists all my life and my last "emergency"appointment ( when Id lost my aid) took just 2 weeks. I am so sorry about your tinnitus, a truly difficult position for you. While you are waiting for the appointment it would be worth doing some research online about how to manage the condition. Also get your mum to alert the school in writing. You are so right, being an unseen condition makes it difficult to get understanding doesnt it? Good luck.

Me too. I did try to stop ds! Failed miserably. Glad I did!

Echo all advice above. And its not a funny question! Oh how I wish the parents of my students were as interested as you! Nutcracker is about the only Ballet they can name. Do watch as much as you can. If you cant get to live performances then there are a wealth of dvds..

Its down to the local teacher as to the level of communication. Provided the information is clear on the original associate form as to name and contact details of teacher then they will get sent an invitation to watch their student. Sometimes this information is sent to the student to pass to their teacher. Ive never had any problem discussing associate pupils and have always had useful feedback when Ive asked. And Ive always tried to make time to observe students in class at least once. (Teaching commitments prevent more visits.) But its up to the teacher to ask about their student. It wouldnt be practical for the associate scheme to contact the teacher on a regular basis.

Its not something as mundane as a dentist check up is it?

My ds always gets flapjacks, bananas and water!Ive got the odd ballet.coer to take him these....

My teacher used to help at auditions for an Upper School many years ago. She said that she once queried why an outstanding dancer who turned up had not got a place. She was told that the panel felt that there was nothing else to teach her and that she wouldnt benefit from their training. Whilst this thread is based on a rumour (how quickly they spread!) it does show that panels do have an open mind. They do know from the applications that some students wont be as advanced as others due to restricted training opportunities but will still consider them if they show enough talent snd potential. Dont like the thought of positive discrimation. My ds trained with several wonderful students of "ethnic minority". They I am sure would be insulted to think that they got their places on anything other than merit. They are all dancers with big name companies now.

My ds started with 4 and dropped one in 2nd year. A friend managed 4 all the way through! But most average around 2. It involves super duper time management and hard work!

ENB spring gala at the Dorchester? Pretty pricey though!

Dates for Harpenden this year are 24th-28th August.Its unlikely that the website will be updated until after Easter but the contact details on it are correct.www.harpendensummerdanceschool.co.uk If you want to know any more please do pm me or contact me using the details on the website. Helen Brewer (co director)

I loved her too. On my first starry eyed trip to the Opera House many years ago my fiance ( now dh!) was very bemused when I started jumping up and down in great excitement as we climbed the back stairs past a notice board telling us that she was replacing a dancer as Giselle that night. Id only seen her on much watched videos before then!I also saw her final performance which also happened to be Giselle!

I think ds has managed just fine but found partnering more tricky on raked stages in as much as the girls weight placement has to be different especially supported pirouettes.Another problem was some of the sets/props coping with rakes. Picture my ds behind a door in Alice trying to keep it in place whilst a dancer was on his shoulders creating the illusion of "tall" Alice... Or the runaway ship in Little Mermaid that started to move before ds had got in it properly, how I wish Id seen that! Ive always understood that some of the difference in Russian Ballet compared to say, British is due to the raked stages and studios the Russians dance on. The weight placement is therefore different.

My ds has had plenty of them to contend with on his tours round British theatres!

Good points drdance. At an vocational schools (not RBS)insight day for teachers I attended many years ago the director said " we can always tell the festival children". Then went on to explain that whilst great experience, some students who do lots of festivals do end up over stylised and affected, traits not easily corrected.

Considering that the chances of getting a JA place are low why not audition for the lovely experience anyway? If by merest chance your dd gets a place then you can make decisions then. Plenty of lucky students do indeed manage to commit to associate schemes, festivals, exams etc all at once although it takes super duper planning and fortitude. I wouldnt expect my students to miss out on good associate schemes such as RBS for the sake of a few rehearsals. But it depends on the.situation. For example if a student is letting peers down by non attendance to say rehearsals for a group dance then obviously its best not to commit to that group anyway. And as for students "going downhill" as JAs, well that depends again to how a student responds to the scheme. Its meant to supplement existing training and students are meant also to do the exercises given daily. However there will be some who substitute associates for their normal lessons and dont find alternatives. If they are not then following the exercises also then yes there wont be much benefit. On the positive side though there are hundreds of ex JAs who are now professionals. I am sure my own ds would not have got his WL place if it hadnt been for the excellent training and experiences as a JA. That was over 10 years now and he is now professional as are many others who were fellow associates.