Come & join me in general chat all you patents of performers - be it dancers, actors, singers or musicians

[Picturesinthefirelight]

There are quite a few if us onhere though I know done if you from NAPM & Balletcoforum too

Here we can have a general chit chat about what our children are up to so we don't clog up the threads on specific topics

So Sparkly, Katy, Cory & loads more. Come chat!

[saintlyjimjams]

Hope he enjoys it! I was lucky in that my mum decided to take the boys, she bought tickets and my dad then 'didn't fancy it' - so I got his

[teacherwith2kids]

Think DD will be OKish at the end of the panto run. All the junior cast members come from the same dance school, so she spends many hours each week in the company of most of them anyway.

There is a very firm diostance put between adult and child perfomers - last year a child from a different dance school was removed part way through the run of a panto in the same theatre because there was contact between them and one of the adults on a social media site.

It is DD's second and last go at panto - next opportunity would be in 2 years' time and I am not prepared for her to miss that amount of school time in secondary. So the real sadness may be in the 'not me this time' experience next time round. However, DD is a phlegmatic and very pracrtical child, who will love the extra sleep!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

As a chaperone it is one of the things we are told to look out for as although it may be all very innocent it could be a sign a child is being groomed.

[saintlyjimjams]

That distance is protection for the adult performers as well - to prevent any opportunity for false accusations.

[cory]

How is everything going?

Is anybody else's child auditioning for the National Youth Theatre?

Dd is going up to London next weekend. Still some work left to do on her monologue.

She has just auditioned for the regional summer programme and is in a play that opens at the end of the month. So busy days.

[saintlyjimjams]

Just checking in with everyone. How did the NYT audition go Cory? Ds2 auditioned for YMT:UK - he enjoyed the audition - said the singing was fine but his dance was 'awkward' (it usually is ). I've told him not to expect to get it (he's very young for it anyway) & he already seems to have forgotten about it :boys: He was keen to sign up to a skills course if he doesn't get onto a production, but if we go for that I'll probably just check with them first of all about ages of kids attending before signing up and make sure he's not years younger than everyone else.

We're off to see the Lion King this week - my mum bought tickets for the younger boys, and my dad didn't want to go so I've nabbed his ticket.

Other than that ds2 has joined the school choir which is very small so they gets lots of chance to sing solos etc if they want. The person who runs it is great. He's also just started singing lessons with a brilliant teacher (very young, loves MT, and has worked on west end shows - really reasonable as well). They seem to get on really well - took me ages to find anyone so I'm delighted he's so perfect for ds2.

Oh and ds2 will be doing his final performances in the west end touring show fairly soon, so we're just starting to go over the script together again.

[cory]

dd had a lovely day auditioning in London for the NYT; no results until April but she thoroughly enjoyed herself and is happy to regard it as a practice run

in the meantime, she has done her first parth an adult amateur group and is getting ready to audition for the next part- I'm a bit about this one as it is rather out of her playing age and would require a lot of work; still, I can see why she feels she wants to push herself

[saintlyjimjams]

Oh good luck with all of that cory. Glad the NYT audition was enjoyable - ds2 wants to have a go when he's old enough.

[saintlyjimjams]

YMT UK reserve list. Which he's delighted with as he said his dance was rubbish There weren't many places available for the younger ones so I have told him to be proud of himself. Am slightly relieved not to be forking out a grand - yet - esp as dh's car is falling apart

[morethanpotatoprints]

Well done to all your dc, just for auditioning. I think they can learn so much from the process and it helps them develop as performers and individuals.
Good luck when results are in.

[saintlyjimjams]

He was expecting to get the summer skills letter (equivalent to a no) 'as my dance was really rubbish mum', so he's absolutely delighted to have been put on the reserve list. I do know a number of people who have been offered a production from the reserve list so my grand might not be safe yet

He was offered another cartoon series last week so any disappointment tempered by that.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Well done to him especially as he's so young.

Dd is finding things hard at the moment. She's feeling like she's not as good as everyone else. We're trying to up her confidence.

[saintlyjimjams]

Oh that's hard pictures. She's not allowed to do anything outside school is she? Do the school have a way to help kids with that - it must be quite common? Especially when they're younger?

I thought ds2 might be knocked back a bit as he had such a lucky year last year but he seems genuinely very happy indeed with a reserve place. Seems to realise that's quite an achievement in itself. We've had a look at some of the younger kids who have got places & they're all excellent dancers - he knows he can easily be out danced - singing is his strength.

Does your dd have a particular strength where she shines (singing? From what you've said before?). If so is there a friendly singing teacher at school you can talk to to help boost her confidence? I find ds2 copes well with struggling with dance (is happy to give things a go & proclaim himself the 'worst one there' - e.g. A Matthew Bourne workshop - he came out buzzing & laughing) because he's very confident about his singing & acting. He's also getting the idea that roles are looking for a certain 'type' - so someone who isn't the strongest singer might get cast because they have the right look & are an excellent dancer.

[saintlyjimjams]

How's everyone getting on?

[HSMMaCM]

Dd decided not to do Panto this year, but managed to get herself a part in the main school production, so hasn't saved herself any time (but doesn't have time off school).

She has pretty much decided she's aiming for dance college in a couple of years, so that could be interesting.

[saintlyjimjams]

Will that be at 16, or after 6th form?

[HSMMaCM]

She's going at 18. After sixth form.

[saintlyjimjams]

Excellent. Ds2 is only in year 8 but has already decided he wants to go to drama school. It may change, but I suspect not.