Tulip

Nor really primrose as the gorgeous Jorgie made it as an actress not a classical dancer.

Our dancers do get a shockingly low wage though and they are sometimes treated shockingly bad. My daughter last year went to an audition in London, the company was a small foreign one. The way they spoke to these young dancers was actually criminal, some were told they were too fat, British training was rubbish etc etc. my daughter was called back but chose not to go back as she was so upset. After all the insults the company actually selected British trained dancers, but even up to now their contract and start time has not appeared????? Not all companies are like this, we have some brilliant ones, but there are some appalling ones who treat their dancers so badly.

Sorry but Georgie will be earning more than the average professional ballerina and I consider her to be very successful as an actress in a very well known soap. I actually don't watch hollyoaks and therefore I don't know Georgie but we can't presume being a soap actress is less successful than making it as a ballerina.

No problem SBF x

I don't get why you have used my comment SBF? I commented that it was cruel to suggest that Georgie was drinking lots of cider etc?

Very cruel and shocking.

Very often in upper school for ballet, if students are carrying too much weight they are told to lose it. They are not telling students to be matchsticks, but to be professional classical dancers there has to be a 'look', lean, muscular and healthy.

Students at Central and Rambert come away with a BA Hounours degree, this can be used to in lots of areas

Neil don't worry as it is all swings and round a bouts. I know children in the past who have not had a call back for Elmhurst and have made finals for Royal and visa versa. Also auditions are brilliant for gaining experience.

My suggestion is to bring your daughter home to really listen to her. Listen to her and then allow her to recover in her home with her loving family. When she is ready then perhaps draw up an action plan based on what your daughter wants to do, eg to continue where she is or attend a school at home etc. by doing it this way will enable your daughter to be in control of her situation. Don't be so hard on yourself as you have provided your daughter of a opportunity to fulfill her dream. She may still want to Persue her dream but perhaps she wants to be closer to home? Which school is she at by the way? Big hugs sent, it's awful when your child is feeling so low.

My daughter throws on warm up clothes after a ballet class. Joggers and a t shirt, she's done this for years.

Perhaps children who are academically gifted should have access to top academic private schools where their needs could be met and their skills fine tuned. Children who may become our future surgeons, professors etc. jobs that we know are available. Sorry but if we are funding the arts then we should also be funding other talents. Nothing is free, and if you finally find some extra money, you then have to consider all the extra hidden costs. My daughters friends family haven't had a holiday for years, even though they both hold excellent jobs, dad is self employed and their child is an only child. My sisters daughter was offered funding at a vocational school but no way could they afford all the extra costs. They sadly accepted this but not once did she ever say to me and another sister who's child was also at vocational school that it was due to where we stood on the financial ladder or that I could cook the books being self employed. It was sad but my nieces parents were amazing and continued with excellent local classes and associate schemes.

Me and my husband are also self employed and no way would we fiddle the books. We also have an accountant that would not allow this, how insulting to suggest that some people might.

I know lots of classical dancers who started vocational training at 16. However most were tapping into associate programmes and good training locally.

Every person is looked at equally and individually to see if they fit each schools own criteria. I don't think the panel have time to look where a student has trained or done what during an audition. They may review a students CV to decide perhaps. I really do believe that everyone who auditions, gets a fair crack of the whip. Those who are already a part of an associate programme clearly already have talent and good physique to have got in.

Actually my daughter has just told me that some vocational schools are funny about padding in shoes, as a student needs to feel the floor.

Meant to write, where my daughter has been before in regard to vocational schools.

In the vocational schools all have been happy with padding in shoes, the right padding that is. However all of them do not like Gaynor Minden shoes. I don't know why and even where she is now, no Gaynor mindens.

Sorry just re read the very first post and information is there ????

Where can these be fitted in Britain? They do sound very promising. I woul love to hear what a few more people are saying about them though as they are quite expensive.

In the three top ballet schools my daughter has been in, right up to now she is told to not over turn out. She has flat turn out from the hips but to maintain it everything else must be in place. When she was at a very good programme in Europe it was all about over turning out and how high can you get your leg. Within the first week her foot was so sore that it was a struggle to walk on. Now this school was very caring and very supportive to its students. It wasn't right for my daughter because she was getting injured all the time.

It's certainly not promoted at Central. The school does not want to see over turning out unnaturally, and they won't let their students put their legs up way too high unless the support and correct positioning is there. I can't speak for other top vocational schools, but I'm sure other parents might.

Central are brilliant and very sensitive in this area. Students will be told to put on weight and they are also told privately if they need to lose some weight. Everything is done under the guidance of their nutritionalist. Dancers by the way are healthy and look healthy at Central. If dancers want to audition for ballet companies they really do need to be at their best not too thin, but toned and with long muscles. I am talking about 17 year olds and above. Girls do fill out when they go through puberty, this is a natural process and their bodies will soon settle down. Healthy eating with a few treats is fine.

And me but I delet it straight away ????

A barre would always be better and why not use one if its there?