Tulip

My daughter gets huge ones. In the day she wears a compede plaster, but as soon as dancing is done she allows it to air dry, keeping the raw skin clean and dry.

We will all be championing your son on CeliB, all the very best of luck to him.

All the very best of luck Bristol Ballet School/youth programme is brilliant. The staff are all wonderful. I won't forget the care that chika and yuri gave to my daughter. Carol was also so lovely and really cared about everyone. This school will and already does go on to become better and better.

Gosh I couldn't imagine anyone clicking their fingers at the pianist.

All royal ballet children are awarded MDS funding. Congratulations everyone for being brave enough to audition and for those who have done fantastically well getting a second audition.

It is a really horrible time waiting for those letters and what they may contain. Good luck everyone, stay super busy so you don't have to think about the letters.

Ha I forgot Elmhurst, Kate Simmons etc too and no doubt a few others.

Yes you are right as ballet west and Hammond have excellent reputations. I clearly wasn't thinking because there's Northen and Leeds also, silly me.

What a lovely young lady. A student that will do everything she can to dance. I really hope she does well in life.

All the very best of luck from me too. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone on this forum got some fantastic news to share

No one has mentioned any names apart from ones that have publicly been published.

For dance training I personaly do believe that if you want to become a professional dancer then you do need to be in London that's just my oppinion.

Ah but I get a feeling the summer school is nothing like the real school. My daughter did a musical theatre SS with them and it was rather ropey compared to what we are used to.

If Elliott Clarke is closer to you, then you won't get much better, coupled with some classes from Hammond then you are lucky. Don't forget our famous Lipa research that, lots have graduates have done very well from there.

I know when our Japanese student have been selected to do something it simply is because they are the best for that particular piece. The thing is in our school no one seems to take offence because these students are so lovely. UK student also get chosen but only if they are the best for a certain piece too. I mention the Japanese students in particular because they are very very good, but the are so humble with it.

Good luck to your daughter, but don't worry about ballet grades, just get good old technique right.

If you can get to Chester, The Hammond vocational school have classes in the evenings for non vocational students. Elliott Clarke is supposed to be excellent though. You have a good choice being near Liverpool. Isn't Liverpool theatre school not sure of the name supposed to be good, that's based in aighbut.

It wouldn't be fair anyway as some children love it there and some parents may really be looking forward to auditioning their children there. I wouldn't want to worry anyone either, it's stressful enough when your children are leaving at such a young age. I only raised my experience because someone said about communicating with the schools. For us that was the worst thing we could have done, it would have been a lot easier to have shut up and put up. But I hear what you are saying Fiz.

I know Elliott Clarke as a recreational dance school has a very good reputation, I've also hear the principle is very dedicated. I don't know anything about senior training though but pictures might?

What where your warning signs Regahtta?

I would get lynched if I named this school there are a few others on the forum who's daughters had the same experiences as mine. Two of those girls have gone on to do exceptionally well at their other upper vocational school. Not everyone will have had the same experience as us, the principle liked their kids. But I know of lots and I mean lots of families that where in the same sutuation as us. Nothing has changed at that school, the Director knows what is going on, but he has been powerless to make changes.

Yes it's completely different. It's respect for the students, teachers are available if a student needs to talk. Our year is a very happy year with students who come from lots of different countries. The teachers WANT their student to do well. The training is tough but they get a sense of achievement. Ballet Central students are allowed to attend top up classes from second year classes if they want to, so if they are not needed for rehearsal, rather than sit around they can have this opportunity.

I will actually reveal one kind of situation we had to deal with. When my daughter was about 14 I noticed that she was starting to become very fixated on her food and portions. She was only very tiny naturally anyway. I was very anxious and I phoned the principle to raise my concerns, I was actually tearful. Firstly and I will never forget it she said is this important as I have a meeting to go to. I explained about my daughters help and the principle said it was not their department take it up with the nurse.

I was horrified, what we were hoping for was her class teacher who she was very close with, to explain that my daughter didn't need to cut back on food and calories, just that at that point would have been enough. Did ANYTHING happen, no, it took us and her private outside ballet teacher to put things right. I will have to stop thinking of our experiences there as I can feel my blood beginning to boil as it bring back memories.

So glad your son is doing well gotokeepworking, he's made of tough stuff.

Well I'm really really happy with Central School of Ballet. In first year All of them as a year were told that they had been chosen because the school believed that they all had a career in dance. Since then everyone I believe has been encouraged and trained very well. My daughter has come on leaps at this school, I believe if she had stayed at her previous school she would definately not got anywhere near the standard she is at now. Ofcourse some students get more opportunities than others but that's fine and the students feel fine about it too. Almost all of my daughters confidence was ripped away from her by one principle at her previous school. But just like jojo daughter, thanks to outside coaching her dancing and confidence improved enough to secure a place at other schools, with funding. I have not got a single negative thing to say about Central.