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Original poster

"proper" ballet mums - RAD uniform....or not

36 replies

stealthsquiggle · 27/02/2015 15:24

DD does ballet lessons as an after school activity (ballet teacher comes to school) which means, amongst other things, that they are pretty laid back about uniform for lessons because no-one is there to faff around with neat hair etc - they get changed by themselves which means DD's leotard is on back to front more often than not.

Anyway, they are going to do Grade 1 Class Award in the summer (they did the preliminary one last year sometime) and she needs new leotard etc for it.

How bad would it be to get this one from Dancing Daisy instead of this one which, even adding the belt on separately from Dancing Daisy, is twice the price?

Is it absolutely not the done thing and will she and I get castigated for the fact that it doesn't have £10 "worth" of RAD badge on the back?

OP posts:
Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 27/02/2015 20:08

It would be interesting to know if the exam fees are standard, actually - ours is £30 fee for the exam - ok, whatever, but £12.50 per child surcharge to pay for the hall and the accompanists is a complete rip off IMHO. They must get easily 100 DC through in a day - so £1250 for hire of a primary school hall and a day's work for an accompanist Shock?

...and then they make parents take a stamped addressed envelope if the DC want the result which is a foregone conclusion for class tests at this level posted to them (not even the certificate - just the results slip!) - which of course they all "have" to have.

OP posts:
GoogleyEyes · 27/02/2015 19:49

At dd's ballet school they all have to have identical leotards, but it's really the shoes which are the tricky bit.

For some reason they have to be brand new and very tight for the exam, and we have to bring them in before sewing on the elastic to get the fit checked by the ballet teacher. Some people get sent back to the shop to get smaller ones!

So I would also check about ballet shoes...

christinarossetti · 27/02/2015 19:48

My dd does ballet with a teacher who has been teaching for well over 20 years (I have a friend in her late 20s who did ballet with her for over 10 years).

She's very 'old school' but no-one has a RAD badge on their uniform for class or exams.

The children pictured with their certificates having passed their exams are wearing exactly the same as they wear in the class ie no logo.

Fortunately, my dd has no interest in doing the exams, but if she was I wouldn't be buying a logoed uniform if this wasn't stipulated by the exam board.

I'd stick to my (lilac) guns if I were you.

Btw, how much do ballet/tap/modern exams cost?

Pagwatch · 27/02/2015 19:45

Yes. It's still a faintly amusing description for a bit of elastic, was my point.

taxi4ballet · 27/02/2015 19:42

The belt is there so that the teacher (or examiner) can check correct placement - that the hips are level and the dancer isn't holding themselves lop-sided!

On the RAD website it states that the candidates are not marked on whether or not they are wearing the correct uniform (there are specific rules about the type of shoes allowed though, but that applies to older ones really).

However... many teachers do insist that all their students dress the same when they take the exam, and some like the Freed leotards, others are happy with a cheaper alternative.

Pagwatch · 27/02/2015 18:31

The belt always makes me laugh. A bit of elastic.

Yy to Theas point about selling on afterwards. You do get a lot of money for them.

Theas18 · 27/02/2015 16:18

Ask around about 2nd hand uniform. Mind you the freed leotards go well on ebay too if you do buy new.

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 27/02/2015 16:16

..oh and there's only about 6 of them who will do the exam, so I don't think we would get much of a group discount Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 27/02/2015 16:15

Note from teacher which came with the form to pay an arm and a leg for the exam says "freeds aimee style sleeveless leotard and matching elastic belt - this will have the logo of the RAD on the back and the belt will come with the leotard. Colour - Lavender"

..which is clearly the second (expensive) one.

but DD had a Dancing Daisy version of the lilac "Megan" one required for the preliminary class thingy and no-one raised any objections - hence my rebelling against paying twice as much for the same thing.

Sounds like it's an "it depends" and I will have to brave her teacher on the subject. I don't often see her teacher TBH as DH or I pick DD up and whisk her straight off for something else Blush. Seems to me that if the RAD aren't bothered about badges then all that matters is that it's the same colour as everyone else's.

OP posts:
momb · 27/02/2015 15:58

RAD don't specify a badge.
The specs for the exam don't specify the leotard colour, just pink, lilac or something else. The teacher may want them to the look the same.
Have a look at the RAD website for the level of detail specified, and then talk to the teacher about her interpretation of this as it may be that she has a cunning plan.
As for the leotards: both the photos you give are from the same manufacturer.
Both Katz (who make them ) and DDaisy offer a discount for schools/trade. If the teacher is going to do this every year it would be more cost effective to order together.

Pagwatch · 27/02/2015 15:36

DD doesn't have badges but she wears designated uniform for exams. Exactly the same as wearing club kit for swimming competitions or school kit for school matches, competition leotard for gym.

Can you not ask her teacher?