LinMM

No I haven't done that particular class.....I'm not good at doing Pilates and all the other classes supposed to help ballet but I should really. The prob is if I am up in London I nearly always want to do a ballet class that I can't normally get to which doesn't leave much time for anything else and I'm also not good at doing more than one class a day yet and certainly not two consecutive......I might get away with one in early morning and one in the evening(done this once so far!) where a nice big gap! However have also just discovered an RAD class (intermediate/advanced) locally on a Tuesday eve I'm trying it out next week and that could be a possibility too. If I can find good classes locally I prefer that really and I'm just so lucky having this choice where I am.

I was just thinking last night that maybe as thequays says above, actually leave it and next time you see her just act as if nothing has happened especially as you say you have never really been close friends etc. The main thing is for the girls to feel they can still be friends if they want to and you can explain(if needed) that unfortunately adults can have "off" days too sometimes and not behave as they normally would.

Hi yes ...this would be for me...to start in September....if I manage to get on this taster day!! So won't be doing the summer term. Could be difficult for me if want you to pay online.....a bit like trying to book insight evenings at ROH....if you don't do it pretty quick like within 5mins of the tickets going on sale then you won't be lucky! So by the time you've phoned they're already all gone! How do you know which classes to book if there isn't a timetable on show though......does this go on once places are available? If there are classes 4days a week maybe a chance though!

Well I'm a teacher too(not ballet) and Ive had a few warnings mainly from my parents!! "You're not at school now" or "look Im not one of your students you know if you dont mind!" my dad would say....if I came over a bit too bossy. In later years I was a bit more mellow and reverse could happen.....more likely to be told to "act your age...you're not one of your students!!" Can't win. A funny story though. Once when I was round the back of the Festival Hall there was a stretch where for few mins no people were around. Suddenly I heard this running behind me and someone was tugging at my shoulder bag. I turned round to see a boy of no more than 14 and instinctively said" WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" anyway the old teachers voice worked then as he thought better of it and ran off!!

Have sent email to be on their mailing list. Out of interest I couldn't see an actual timetable anywhere. I think you said you go up on Tuesdays .......are ALL the adult classes held on the same night but at different times etc(or concurrently?) or is just the level you are doing now on a Tuesday? It could change next year anyway I suppose. Also how do you pay.....can you just send them a cheque or do people pay online so to speak!! I rarely do online transactions so hope it's the former!!

Thanks Michelle that's really helpful....I will definitely get on the mailing list ASAP and hopefully get to try out both those levels....I'm probably level 3 ish really but if I like the class/teacher etc don't mind doing level 2....always great to slow down and really work on technique, correct placement, turn out and coordination of arms etc etc. I'll have a good perusal of website now anyway....I think R my partner would prefer if was in the week rather than on a Saturday (RAD one) if on regular basis..but lets see what happens. X

Unpleasant situation....may have been better to call out first just to let the mum know it was you! Perhaps she was expecting somebody else to arrive but still seems a bit odd especially this "how dare you" business to another adult.....more reminiscent of a teachers reprimand to a VERY naughty child!! (She isn't a teacher is she? ......sometimes they forget they're not in teacher mode! Anyway ten to one on reflexion she may(hopefully) be a bit embarrassed too and may ring you before you get chance to ring her. I'm sure it will all blow over but for your own peace of mind perhaps give her the weekend and then ring and see how the land lies...she may be surprised even that you have been so upset by it all if she hasn't realised how she came across. Good luck!

I felt like that the first time.....just watch you now don't become addicted..merde!

Yes the decline of old age gets to us all it seems cats included!! Someone mentioned earlier in this thread about their cat liking to go under the duvet and Toscar did in his last couple of years and he would purr and purr non stop! I think it was some sort of security thing as he hadn't done this since he was a kitten.

Thanks for explaining. Could be impossible for some people then! Quite a few children seem to come to Dance having done gymnastics first so I suppose these things start creeping in! Anyway fingers crossed for DD.

My last cat Toscar was hopeless at catching birds. He usually aimed a bit high....trying to catch pigeons. He did all the right moves the crouching and the slinking along flat on tummy but when he went in for the kill the pigeons just flew up and landed just a little way off and carried on with their business as if to say "missed again" or "you'll have to do better than that" . However there was a cat a few doors down who had no such problems. I was washing up one day when suddenly I saw this cat go flying through the air from one tree to another and landed with perfect timing right on top of a pigeon! When I told the owner about this feat a couple of days later he was not at all surprised and said "she" is always bringing in pigeons et al and wouldn't be surprised if he came home to find a dead fox on his doorstep(joke). However he reckoned....having had a few of both sexes....that female cats were almost always better hunters than males. Has anyone else noticed this...or the opposite!

At the risk of appearing totally stupid...what are box splits? I'm imagining its normal splits but both legs absolutely flat on the floor....so flat pack box...is that where expression comes from? Doing someone elses's hair to stay looking good would be my worst nightmare....and making sure shoes don't come undone. I totally understand the sonic hedgehog situation! The little experience I have of this is helping out occasionally when there are local ballet exams and I usually rellogate myself to pinning on numbers(and even that can be nerve wracking trying to avoid pricking anyone) and making the tea!! It seems to be common practice for ribbons to be sewn into place now which I don't remember doing when younger. But I definitely stay away from hair....infact the Head of the school did everybody's hair personally and I could only look on in admiration. Anyway Katycustard very entertaining reading and I really hope it's good news for your daughter who has at least already proved she has staying power and that whatever they are she is soon able to do these box split things.

I have emailed the company to see if they would like any initial ground work in Brighton. Because in my final job I travelled round lots of schools so it's easier for me to do this sort of thing and now Ive more time a nice way to support ballet. A couple of the schools also have girls who attend BBO classes in Brighton.....you can imagine my surprise when I turned up at a grade 5 class a year or so ago and a little voice said "oh hallo Miss Morris I didn't know you did ballet" I only went into that school once a week but the news had spread around a bit as suddenly the school secretary seemed to know all about it!!

Well anyway this Harid Conservatory might be useful to know about too

Pas de Quatre I think CeliB's mum mentioned the San Francisco school as an alternative their Russian teacher had suggested.

Well this is a cat thread but the blackbird story reminds me when I lived in London a blackbird built a nest in one of the flower boxes on the balcony. We placed a slow release camera on the nest and got some lovely piccies.....but the point is......when the babies started to fledge...they seemed very tiny still and managed to hop off the balcony(third floor) to garden below so I rushed down to try to rescue and put back in nest but got chased by a very angry blackbird who was really diving at me and didn't appreciate the "rescue" at all!!

Sorry KOBBORG!

Aileen I read that about Kobburg too and in another that Kobburg and McRae were the same height so perhaps he is 5ft 9in then.....he has certainly never given me impression of being that tall. Sorry all you dancers out there I really don't mind what height you are!!!

JulieW same well done...love to see a photo...when I go for next IPad lesson must ask them how to post piccies on the forum..and links..not sure yet. So he's top Tartu now! Taxi4ballet I love the bit about the cat wolfing down the dog food!! But they do get fussy with age. It can be annoying....you think they've got a "thing" for particular ....usually expensive...brand and flavour...go out and stock up and then they turn their nose up at it...grrr!

If you spread the news he could be in demand locally then!!

Exactly....as this forum seems to have substituted for my job since I retired....I'm going to start investigating!!

Sorry took so long to write last post...."above" refers to spannerandponys post. Since then I see Pas De Quatre has left an extremely helpful post too so thanks for that info....the funding situation will sink in eventually. The private donars/charities may be worth investigating then for some people.

I do understand the above as it must save some time/money not to have to audition EVERYBODY however presumably there will be some children who dont live near enough to any of the associate classes to attend on regular basis but might want to do a summer school......where quite a few places are already automatically given out then!! But you wouldnt think that from reading all the summer school threads recently it certainly seemed as if EVERYONE had to audition for places....associates or not. I do agree however that any dancer not thriving at any of the really big schools where everyone dreams of going would keep their place for long. I don't have so much problem with this as schools cannot predict over time(7-8yrs of time in some cases) who will stay the course....my problem is where a child is still very good, wants to stay and parents have to withdraw child for lack of funding. However to get back to thread teachers are important....a school gains its reputation from having CONSISTENTLY good teachers and not so good ones are probably asked to leave....just like the pupils are. In a big concern this keeps the situation healthy but I do fear in smaller concerns certain individuals can get away with a lot especially if they run the show!! Hence the dilemma of CeliB. Especially as the scholarship is for that particular school and they haven't had time to reorganise....yet! And as Pastel has shown some pupils don't thrive well without a really dedicated teacher......adolescents are already struggling with lots of things.....changes in the body etc.....at least us adults don't have to put up with growing 2-3 inches in a year......and academic work ...so having a teacher believe in your talent can be important for a few years at least.....especially 12-17 I feel and even more so if NOT at a vocational school already. In my opinion teachers are more important than the schools in the end as many people will have experienced looking around for another ballet school where the teaching was not so good I think.....and there are destructive teachers out there(luckily not many I feel) which even some adults would have problems surviving with let alone a developing child! And what does one do when hubby's job suddenly takes one 500 miles away and your child is with the best teacher ever!! If your child is NOT at a vocational school already you are not going to split the family up you just have to hope for the best you will find another good teacher. I seem to remember in the film First Position where both the children at that point had a good teacher the father moved his whole company so as not to disturb their routine which meant all his workers had further to travel instead!! But not many are in this somewhat "fortunate" position.

Interesting Marianne that chart one forgets these things as a WORLD average too!! I would have sworn that the average would have been about 5ft 11 in say UK America Australia and Scandinavia but there you are we are not as tall as we think!! Though of course on an individual level this can appear very different.....I am considerably taller than average for a female then and so,are most of my friends who all but two are taller than me!! Found out Nureyev was 1.73 which is about 5ft 8ins as I thought. In one article I read it said Steven McRae was 5ft 8ins or thereabouts so a bit vague....so guess he won't be more than 5ft 10 ins........which is getting on the tall side for a dancer!!!(male or female) currently.

Can't find any info on his height he is same as Johan Kobborg apparently. He may well be taller than the impression of him on stage with others gives but your daughter has had the experience ......I would have assumed about 5ft 9ins otherwise....which is small by average male standards but not in ballet. Anyway whatever his height he has a great stage presence!! I can't remember how tall Nureyev was who had a wonderful presence but it was the opposite with him he seemed taller on stage than when I actually stood next to him I'm sure he was no taller than 5ft 8ins or 5ft 9ins maybe.