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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Any ballet mums out there?

12 replies

ItsAllAboutTheCakes · 05/11/2015 22:04

Dd has a ballet exam on Tuesday and her dance teacher sent out a letter yesterday with a list of things she needs, bobby pins, kirby grips, bun net etc which I've managed to get hold of but she has to have pink ballet socks (which she has) with shearing/shirring elastic sewn through the top?? Anyone got a clue what I'm supposed to do? I'm useless at this kind of thing. Any help is massively appreciated.

OP posts:
OVienna · 05/11/2015 22:09

Ballet teacher should have some suggested suppliers for you for something specific like that, if not at local shops then online sources. Ours does...your teacher sounds a bit disorganised if the exam is next Tuesday TBH, sending a list out just now. But then again the DDs teacher is pretty darn intense. I still think it's late to tell you though. I would just ask her advice.

Bumpinthenight · 05/11/2015 22:18

I think you are supposed to sew the elastic in yourself reading this quote "We also follow Mrs P’s strict exam guidelines so for those of you who were wondering ‘why do we thread shearing elastic through the ballet socks?’" from this site.

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheCakes · 05/11/2015 22:19

Yeah I did, she said just her usual socks but I have to sew the elastic in myself! Shock I wouldn't know where to start. Dd had another lesson on Saturday so ill be going to ask her then but just thought I'd ask if anyone has any ideas first Smile
Yes I thought it a little late, but it's not a problem as long as I find out how to sort Confused

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheCakes · 05/11/2015 22:20

My god that was a lot of emojis! Sorry I got a little carried away there!

OP posts:
elephantoverthehill · 05/11/2015 22:27

Just use a running stitch (under, over, under) if you have to. However my DD has been doing ballet for 6 years and I have never been asked to do this or witnessed unsightly baggy ballet socks. They have lycra and/or elastine in them to keep them up these days.

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheCakes · 05/11/2015 22:31

Yes dd has really tight lycra socks bit the ballet school insists on it so will give it a go. Will I do it right at the top of the sock or about a cm down?

OP posts:
woodlands01 · 05/11/2015 22:36

Yes - I remember this palava................... think in the end I paid extortionate price for 'proper' ballet socks that stayed up. Wait until you DD is older and you have to get the character skirts and shoes. I refused to pay £35 for our ballet teacher to make the character skirt for me and ended up making about 8 of them for the whole troupe at about £5 each. They are still being handed down now and my daughter has long outgrown ballet!
How the hell I found the time I don't know (too much of a skinflint).
Oh and I knit about 4 of those wrap around top things and then as they got older it changed from pink to lilac so I knitted 4 more. I feel no nostagia for ballet at all.

elephantoverthehill · 05/11/2015 22:42

I do think you need to ask if it is about the turnover of the socks eg a sock with cuff IYSWIM. However I think I would ask my DD to put on her ballet socks and jump up and down a bit. Firstly with the sock pulled up and secondly with the cuff. If there isn't any movement why worry. It seems you are being given the exam not DD. Now you are going to tell me the exam is for The Royal Ballet.

Katymac · 05/11/2015 22:45

DD never needed them thank goodness

Just extra money at exam time Hmm

She was desperate for a knitted cardy but we had no-one to knit one for her Sad

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheCakes · 05/11/2015 23:20

It's a RAD exam so I'm not too sure if it's their requirements or just dance teacher wanting them done but will do it anyway. Think I'll just ask on Saturday and go from there. Thanks everyone for replies, who knew ballet would be this much hard work Confused

OP posts:
Scholes34 · 06/11/2015 00:21

Won't be long before your DD is in ballet tights and it won't be a problem.

I was shocked when I paid close to £100 for DD's pointe shoes . . . and still had to sew the bloody ribbons on them myself!

dodobookends · 06/11/2015 01:02

Never heard of anyone having to sew elastic into the tops of ballet socks, whatever for? They stay up on their own. Definitely not a uniform requirement of the RAD for the exam (dd's done the lot), so must be a foible of that particular teacher. Maybe it is something that used to be done before the invention of Lycra! I'd ask her how she wants it sewn and get her to show you.

Incidentally, Irish dancers use a specially-made sock glue to keep theirs up!

Scholes nearly £100 for pointe shoes sounds rather a lot, usually they're about £45ish, plus toe pads etc which you only have to buy once, but tend to put the price of the first pair up a bit. (By the way, they don't come with ribbons already sewn as each dancer needs them sewn in a slightly different place and at a different angle depending on the shape of their feet and ankles).

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