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!

[teacherwith2kids]

saintly,

That's interesting about older kids. DD was very similar - fine working with the adults, and with the much older girls in her troupe (2 troupes, both provided by local dance school, usual type of thing). It was the big bunch of girls a year older than her that she had real trouble with - the more so because she's not 'obviously younger' - tall, sensible, mature. had she been a cute dot, things might have been different. Her 'twin' in the other troupe with whom she shared costumes was 5 years older!

[saintlyjimjams]

Weird that isn't it. Maybe they're just very aware of smaller age differences - because at school they can be quite important.

Apologies for deleting the posts above btw - I just get paranoid in case I say too much about the production. I think what I said (not much) was fine, but thought I'd delete just in case.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I shouldn't worry too much - parents of other Bs have put much more detail on NAPM and the casting director herself posts.

Upcoming productions are a different matter of course when things sometimes have to be confidential until casting is announced.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I have however reported my post too.

[Sparklymommy]

I think my ds auditioned for that tour. He didn't get in, he was only just six and had never done an audition before but he held his own and wasnt put off which is promising!

[Sparklymommy]

I am a licensed chaperone. Dd has been in a local variety show since she was 6 and the theatre expect parents to be licensed. I held off until last year and my mum was licensed originally because when dd first got in I was pregnant.

It's a good way of seeing more of dd. especially when she's in panto or something, which kind of takes over your life for six weeks or so!

[DowntonTrout]

Hello I'll join in!

DD (11) is off to full time vocational school in a week or two- think you know where Pictures we have spoken before. She has already done 2 terms but now she is going to board. I'm dreading it TBH- I will really miss her.

How is your DD feeling about her new school- is she looking forward to it?

Just to say a girl out of DDs class is swapping to Redroofs this year. It sounds lovely.

[saintlyjimjams]

I know I said almost nothing, and what I said was nice but :paranoia: Your post is fine though, don't worry about it.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Yes, I think we've PM'd

Dd is getting excited now. She would love to board but she hasn't got an MDS so we can't afford it. I'm still going to miss her though as its long hours 9am-6pm & we are hoping she can have her evening meal at school so she doesn't have to eat too late.

We are just debating whether to allow Facebook so she can keep in touch with people. I've had a friends request from a Year 8 she met on induction day & it's not appropriate for me to accept children.

[DowntonTrout]

Well at the risk of getting flamed- DD has FB. They all seem to keep in contact via Instagram, tumblr, what's app, vine, pheed, etc. All are accounts linked to my phone so that I see everything.

Not that I snoop, but I do keep an eye out for anything inappropriate.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

No problem. MN Towers have accidentally removed 1 post too many but hopefully the thread should make sense.

I also asked for the name of dds school to be removed although I know I've mentioned it in PMs I thought it gets to leave it off the thread

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I think it is a bit different when they are away at school out of the area.

Dd is almost 12 so would only have 12 months to go anyway. Her email address is linked to dhs phone. He even gets copies if her messages so he would set it up & warm her if she tried to lock us out or set up another account her phone & iPad goes.

[saintlyjimjams]

TBH I think it's wise to allow access to internet earlyish when you can still insist on viewing everything. DS2 doesn't have FB, but he does use boring minecraft forums. He's allowed to providing I get email alerts of posts and I can check all his posts whenever I want (I check daily/every other dayish). When he's older I won't be able to do that. That way he's learning to be safe online.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

That's what we were thinking.

[RussiansOnTheSpree]

Hello. DD2 is doing Panto for the 4th year running this Xmas. She's also got a biggish (for her age) role in a production at our local big theatre at half term. And one ballet and two music exams towards the end of term. So it's all go! DD1 is also in the half term production but not the Panto (she doesn't/can't dance but she had a major role in a production in the summer, where all she had to do was sing and prowl a bit which was ideal really). She will also have two music exams - possibly 3 but I might put my foot down - at the end of term. And various concerts, auditions etc.

I think that Dd1 will become a professional musician, I doubt that Dd2 will become a professional performer but I might be wrong. My doubts aren't based on her talent (although that's not to say that I think she is uber talented, just that it's not that I think she is rubbish, you know? I think she's fine. Better than some, not as good as some) but on the fact that as a family we can't facilitate her ambitions in the way that some of the families we know manage with their kids. I also think that she isn't actually as single minded as you need to be - it's not just stage/dance for her, she won't give up music, and she likes to be top of the top table (still at primary school) so, unless something gives, she won't give herself the time thats needed to devote to gambling on a professional career. But for now she's having a lot of fun. Which was kind of the point. :)

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Welcome to the thread Russians

I think you are right. To truly excellent there are sacrifices that have to be made, some children are so single minded but is it always good to give up everything else

[RussiansOnTheSpree]

Pictures Mind you, I know several somewhat well known actors and musicians who didn't do anything remotely like the really driven kids do now. Clearly there are multiple ways to crack an omelette. :) None of them are dancers though. Well, not really.

[Sparklymommy]

My dd likes to be the best at everything. When she isn't (sport is a particular downfall of hers) she gets really upset with herself! So funny!

Mine have all just danced at a fete and I'm shattered. Even the four year old did her solo. Performance is so important in our house. It's like a religion!

[saintlyjimjams]

I'm not sure you need to be single minded at a young age. Not for acting anyway. Dance/music different maybe, but ds2 is an actor and singer so I don't worry too much. I'm not sure the work he's doing now (great fun though it may be) will count for much in the future (eg if he wants to apply for drama school) as so much will depend on the audition. Having said that I'll be encouraging him to apply for things like YMT, NTMT and YT as he gets older. Of course these early experiences are giving him the confidence to go for things & to some extent getting him known to CD's etc I guess - but not convinced that will be much use for the future.

He also loves IT/computer programming etc, and I am very much encouraging that as well. Seems a good combination with acting.

[DowntonTrout]

I agree saintly. I think for a dancer or musician it takes a certain singleminded ness to get to the required level in the first place. Singing maybe slightly less so but acting is something that can be taken up at any age.

My DD is not single minded in that she does not have an aim that she is going for no matter what. At the moment she has a talent that has been recognised by others but not necessarily herself. It is just something that she enjoys, no maybe more than that, it is what she is that marked her out as "different" at her old school, but now she is at vocational school she is the same as everyone else. She fits in, they " get" her. That is her understanding of it. I hope belief and confidence will come.

That said, she is physically not a MT child, or a dancer. She is too tall for the roles. Mainly it's the singing that interests her, she has dabbled with some piano grades and while she will never be a pianist she says she hopes to get to a level where she can write her own songs. All I can do is support her and keep her feet on the ground. As yet she has no desire to be famous, she just wants to do what she does.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

That's interesting what you say about fame

Dd has no wish to be famous, she simply wants to perform. She talks about cruise ships, theatre in education, small scale tours although her dream is the West End

[RussiansOnTheSpree]

DD1 certainly has no wish to be famous. It's about the work, for her. Which of course she doesn't see as work. She has a clear idea about what she wants to do. DD2 on the other hand while not wanting to be famous does want to do what is clearly high profile stuff. We shall see (or, more likely, we won't).

[saintlyjimjams]

I'm not sure ds1 wants to be famous but he does like performing in front of large crowds. When he was confirmed for his second stint of the west end tour I showed him some photos of the theatre (it's a really beautiful one). He just wanted to know how many it seated - and was happy with my answer of over a thousand :rolls eyes:

Ds2 has just stated singing lessons. Decided we ought to organise some if he was going to do more MT. His teacher also teaches piano & music theory & he is having sessions on both of those as well as I think it will support singing. In his case of course his voice will change so we have no idea what it will be like in a few years

[Sparklymommy]

Dd has no interest in being famous. It's about the performance for her. Fame would be a by product. She is already quite infamous locally and had a reputation that she finds difficult to love up to sometimes. She would much rather just have the oppurtunity to perform and she is by far her hardest critic too.