Nicola H Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 3 hours ago, mimi'smom said: Sophie strikes me as an intelligent and self aware lady who has found comfort in dance. This interview really touched me. https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/interviews/2016/sophie-rebecca-its-unlikely-i-will-be-a-ballerina-but-not-because-im-transgender/ exactly It appears Neither Sophie's ( or my ) gender identity has influenced the desire to dance ( although being Assigned Male at Birth , has frustrated it ) attitudes within the dance community are aprt of it, but while there are wider issues especially with none binary identities in the community at large there will be issues with trans dancers being able to access the training they want , in the presentation they want ( especially in early transition or if none binary) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 13 hours ago, mph said: You need to think very carefully about what you have said and implied with your posting, as it could very easily be interpreted as transphobic. Perhaps the truth of the matter is that probably 99% of the general population (myself included) have never met a transgender person, and have no idea of the ways to discuss the matter. One can unintentionally cause upset without realising it, because of simply not knowing enough. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Hi Everyone, I've largely been avoiding the internet this week as quite honestly some of the respons to my story have been inhuman but I was shown this thread & thought I'd pop my head in. I'm happy to answer any questions or concerns but It's worth remembering I'm human, have feelings & would really appreciate it if we didn't use ' ' around my name, regardless of your belief of my gender it's actually quite a hostile act. Most of you have got gist here that the video you see here is after 3 hours of dancing for the cameras condensed into a few seconds by non dance editors, there's not any video of my exam just general studio for filming & I'll agree what they've used isn't my best work! the barre in Studio 1 is quite thin and pointing my toes on it puts me in agony hence that little detail. I did complete the RAD Intermediate Foundation Exam, including pointe work and all sections without any special consideration marks or leniency, this was important to me & neither the RAD knew when I was taking the exam nor did my examiner know I was trans (any why would it matter anyway?) after someone else made similar remarks the RAD gave this response, http://88.98.84.111:81/radcover.jpg & here is my mark sheet http://88.98.84.111:81/markssafe.jpg which I'm not actually incredibly proud of, I know I can do better but I was completely overwhelmed walking into my exam, I really wasn't prepared for how emotional I'd be, I spent the whole time shaking, my legs went to jelly & I don't actually remember all of it, I just thought I'd failed and cried for 2-3 days after as I was so disappointed in myself, I think that's why the first reaction in the BBC video you see is disbelief then realisation straight after. Talking of the BBC story, "why is this news?" why not? I agreed to do it after transgender people have taken such a kicking in the media so far this year, I'm normally an incredibly private person but thought it was worth the grief I'd get to show other trans and GNC people that there is positivity to be found, it also helps spread awareness that we are you know human after all, on top of that I know from other adult beginners there are plenty of teachers who don't see the point in teaching adults, I wanted to show them that an adult beginner could start late work hard and achieve a good grade, I honestly get such pleasure from people sending me messages that after seeing me they've gone back to or started ballet, I think it's fantastic exercise & I've honestly not met a more wonderful group of people. If you really want to rip my dancing apart feel free to have a look at my youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcYHLpGzmxk&list=PLKT8wR8jyKbsnLxprk3nxwRGaBx6FfQF1 I posted most of my grade there for some friends who were interested in learning inter foundation, I'm not over the moon with it being on youtube but facebook sucks at managing multiple videos. P.S. there's so much more I wanted to say but I've probably said it in past interviews & I realise this is quite the wall of text as is :-D sorry <3 x Edited April 21, 2017 by sophie_rebecca missed a bit 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Hello Sophie_Rebecca and welcome to the Forum! Congratulations on passing your IF - it's a great achievement for anyone. I hope you will continue to join in our discussions as we have a number of extant adult ballet threads. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet4Boyz Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Hi Sophie_Rebecca ..... I think as an adult (& I'm speaking from my own perspective here), it's often quite daunting to take up a new hobby for fear of the unknown and lack of confidence as well as a feeling of it being just 'too late' to start something new !! I think you should be applauded for taking up ballet as an adult & encouraging others to do the same if they are considering it !! As for ripping your dancing apart ...... who in their right mind would criticise someone for following their own passion and clearly loving it to boot. I've viewed a few of your videos & enjoyed watching you dance & the sense of achievement you clearly gained from your exam result......congratulations !!! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLou Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 1 hour ago, sophie_rebecca said: Talking of the BBC story, "why is this news?" why not? I stand corrected on my ‘why is this newsworthy?’ remark! Obviously it is as it has got lots of people interested and talking about it. My first thought when I saw the story was, as you said yourself, ‘why would it matter anyway’ that you were trans, and therefore at first I just thought - so another person took IF ballet, big deal. I’m glad that you didn’t get any special consideration, and fully understand why this would be important to you, as it makes your achievement ‘authentic’. I apologise for implying that you appeared to have been given special consideration - the footage shown obviously didn’t do you justice. Congratulations! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 9 minutes ago, BlueLou said: I apologise for implying that you appeared to have been given special consideration No worries I've had a lot worse thrown at me this last week & I appreciate it, I don't mind the insults & all the other stuff but my goodness that grade was paid for with blood, sweat & toenails 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Yes, I don't think they did you justice in the news clip! 57 is an amazing mark, you should be very proud, congratulations! On to intermediate now? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) 9 hours ago, taxi4ballet said: Perhaps the truth of the matter is that probably 99% of the general population (myself included) have never met a transgender person, and have no idea of the ways to discuss the matter. One can unintentionally cause upset without realising it, because of simply not knowing enough. i would ber very suprised if 99% of the population haven't met a trans person ... most transpeople don't go round with a big flashing sign pointing out their trans status ( we'll save ther arguements about whether drag is part of the trans community for elsewhere as there are 'drag queens of all sorts of gender identity both Assigned male at birth and assigned female at birth )... 'passing' is a whole tray of tins of worms , especially when people start setting standards of 'passing' that a good proportion of cisgender females don't actually meet. Edited April 21, 2017 by mph 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 We have a trans friend we first met post transition and we'd never have known if she hadn't said so (even though she transitioned quite late in life). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 1 minute ago, Colman said: We have a trans friend we first met post transition and we'd never have known if she hadn't said so (even though she transitioned quite late in life). exactly , and although i am none binary , when presenting femme people have thought i was binary + transitioned or a natal woman ... which was a shock . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 10 hours ago, Moomin said: Yes, I don't think they did you justice in the news clip! 57 is an amazing mark, you should be very proud, congratulations! On to intermediate now? Thank you, I've actually started Grade 7 which I have fallen in love with, the romantic style is just divine & I need to introduce more gentle & expressive movement into my dancing. I've also really started struggling with my strength loss, short version is I started testosterone blockers last year which has been sapping my strength, it'll last another 12 or so months before the worst is over, without testosterone I have to work twice as hard to get the same effect (as any other woman) but I have the disadvantage of still having the muscle bulk / weight (this will take significantly longer to go) so my ankle & core strength is getting to the point where it's not safe to dance en pointe & inter has significantly more complex pointe work than inter foundation. I did an interview with Buzzfeed early last week & they just produced this slicing in some of my youtube vids which came out nice, sadly I made the mistake of glancing at the comments & am taking the usual kicking. https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedLGBT/videos/1480544818633198/ 10 hours ago, mph said: exactly , and although i am none binary , when presenting femme people have thought i was binary + transitioned or a natal woman ... which was a shock . I'm quite lucky in that I identify within the binary spectrum for my love of classical, other than the mice in Nutcracker find me gender neutral roles in the classics? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 There are indeed few gender neutral roles in the classics, but there are some companies who cast regardless of gender. Here is a Youtube link to an extract from Mark Morris's version of Nutcracker. The snowflakes are both male and female, some en pointe some not, but not divided by gender. Mark Morris - Snowflakes 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 (edited) On 4/20/2017 at 20:30, Jan McNulty said: I was posting at the same time as ballet bean. As a matter of interest BB where did you find it was IF? Apologies for the delay, I've been away and off line. The comment was posted by a friend/associate of Sophie, stating "Sophie had trained for three years before taking the RAD Intermediate Foundation". I can provide the name if requested but as the comment wasn't posted on here but BBC page not sure if I should publish a name. There were several others that also commented on the IF exam taken. Edited April 22, 2017 by balletbean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_emeralds Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Sophie_Rebecca, I've just had a quick read-up on your story and watched a couple of your videos. Well done you! It's really heartwarming to witness such a passion for dance and to see someone follow their dreams. The loss of strength you're experiencing must be so frustrating, but as I'm sure you know, progress in ballet is slow but sure whatever the situation, so be patient and stick with it! You'll regain strength for pointe in time. Your legs and your hip alignment in your barre work look great so the foundation is there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 1 hour ago, sophie_rebecca said: Thank you, I've actually started Grade 7 which I have fallen in love with, the romantic style is just divine & I need to introduce more gentle & expressive movement into my dancing. I've also really started struggling with my strength loss Grade 7 is lovely, enjoy Pilates and possibly floor barre would be useful maybe? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, sophie_rebecca said: <snip> I'm quite lucky in that I identify within the binary spectrum for my love of classical, other than the mice in Nutcracker find me gender neutral roles in the classics? Indeed i did hear of an interesting suggestion for a none-binary piece of dual casting , the same dancer dancing Rothbart and Odile - given some productions / version of swan lake have the same dancer dancing odette and odile ... or of course something with CGI to enable an NB person ( or pre and post transition binary trans person ) to dance a PDD with themselves ( and willing partners in blue screen / green screen zentais to be edited out) Edited April 22, 2017 by mph 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 (edited) 12 hours ago, mph said: ... most transpeople don't go round with a big flashing sign pointing out their trans status There really isn't any need to be so sarcastic. The point is that most people are unlikely to have actually had a conversation with someone who is trans about their preferred terminology (I've read quite a few threads on MN about this issue and I'm aware that it is huge) and it seems that it doesn't matter how much we try, some people will always end up taking offence where none was intended. Anyway,,, this is a ballet forum, so back to ballet... Edited April 22, 2017 by taxi4ballet spelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 @sophie_rebecca I'm sorry you'very had unpleasant online comments. I wouldn't take that too personally as unfortunately it seems that un- necessary negative comments are common on line. Keep on with what you want to do and the people who matter to you will provide all the support you need. Good luck! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Sophie you come across very well in your interviews. I am certainly glad that nobody is analysing my dance ability on the internet! I've watched some of the syllabus films with kids in them and people are similarly cruel. It says a lot about them as a person, there are many people on the internet I would not wish to know in real life! I can imagine that it's a very difficult time with the hormone treatment. You may gain some flexibility but the strength to control it will be more difficult! You have a lifetime, no need to speed through the grades. It is frustrating but you will get there. Have you only been learning ballet for 3 years? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 1 hour ago, Moomin said: Have you only been learning ballet for 3 years? Thank you Moomin, Yes just over 3 years now, the first 18 months 1 hour a week (in term time) then 2 classes a week for another 18 months & finally 3 classes a week for the past 9 months roughly, I did go a bit crazy in the run up to my exam doubling my private lesson to 2 hours a week, I think it's the private tuition that's accelerated things, you can get so much done with that focus & Lynne really is amazing. It's hilarious to watch the official RAD DVD's with some tiny young person leaping about so quickly & thinking, I've got to move all this like that!!! I've started thickening my skin and dipping into comments, I had to laugh when a "professional" dancer of a claimed 14 years called them tip toe shoes,,, never in the history of professional dancers have they ever been called that in a dance studio 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 12 minutes ago, sophie_rebecca said: I had to laugh when a "professional" dancer of a claimed 14 years called them tip toe shoes,,, never in the history of professional dancers have they ever been called that in a dance studio Go for it - wishing you many happy years of dancing ahead By the way, in the USA I think pointe shoes are sometimes referred to as 'toe' shoes so perhaps that is where it came from. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 2 hours ago, taxi4ballet said: Go for it - wishing you many happy years of dancing ahead By the way, in the USA I think pointe shoes are sometimes referred to as 'toe' shoes so perhaps that is where it came from. I've seen them referred to a toe shoes on the American equivalent of this site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 When I did ballet as a youngster in NY they were toe shoes! May I take this opportunity to send warm congratulations to Sophie_Rebecca, not only for passing your exam but for the gutsy way you have put yourself out there, and for your total lack of bitterness and even good humour in the way you handle the nasty stuff thrown at you. You are inspirational in many ways, and long may that, and your ballet studies, continue. Very best to you dear lady. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 (edited) 12 hours ago, taxi4ballet said: By the way, in the USA I think pointe shoes are sometimes referred to as 'toe' shoes so perhaps that is where it came from. 8 hours ago, Sim said: When I did ballet as a youngster in NY they were toe shoes! Haha no way! I stand corrected, just another thing I can my USA friends with, we often have a discussion on how they call a retire a passe, confuses me as passe means to pass, so having a passe without a pass isn't a passe but a retire, they call it a passe with a pass,, so a pass with a pass there's a few other examples too. Sim Thank you for the kind comments <3 x Edited April 23, 2017 by sophie_rebecca hit ctrl + ent by accident (fat fingers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_emeralds Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 It's not just in the USA where that position is called passe....when I studied ballet as a child / teenager (RAD) it was always retire. In open classes in London as an adult, over 15 years I think I've heard it called retire a couple of times. Almost always passe. I can almost hear countless teachers shouting "HIGH PASSE!!!!!" in my head Another one is the coupe / cou de pied terminology. I was always taught the position with the foot pointed just above your ankle was 'cou de pied' - ankle in French. Many teachers/dancers call this position coupe. I was taught you could coupe or 'cut' through the cou de pied position but I've heard the terms used interchangably. There are so many examples of this! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngatheart Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Hi Sophie, Great to see you have found your way here - you are very welcome! (For the record, my point of view is simply that I'm delighted to hear about another adult dancer who has passed a ballet exam, whether trans or not!) I saw your videos on Youtube a while back and had wondered if you were actually going to be taking the exam as the pointe work was missing - I'm really glad to find out that you did actually master it! I'm so sorry you have had to put up with such negative comments, especially the ones from those who don't even bother to read the full articles - it's very brave of you to put yourself in the public eye. It must have been so frustrating for you when the inaccuracies about the Royal Ballet School kept creeping in - I too have had past experience (in my day job!) of journalists not sticking to the quotes they have been given and changing facts in this way, so I can sympathise - I know it was not you who got it wrong! I quite understand why you feel going straight on to Intermediate would not be your best option at the moment - your body and strength will be changing a lot over the next few months and Intermediate is a very demanding exam. I'm curious about why Grade 7 and not Grade 6 though? (Grade 6 is the first of the Higher Grades and is still a progression from IF in terms of vocabulary - in terms of syllabus, IF comes after Grade 5). I also see that you are looking forward to the new Repertoire syllabus - I'm intrigued to find out what that is all about myself.....! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 19 hours ago, youngatheart said: I saw your videos on Youtube a while back and had wondered if you were actually going to be taking the exam as the pointe work was missing - I'm really glad to find out that you did actually master it! Hi youngatheart, Those video's were from about 2 weeks before the exam, we video my class every 6 months or so to help me focus on the worst areas and remind myself of how far I've come, the pointe work section isn't on there as two weeks before the exam I was having a shoe nightmare, I'm a 10UK so ordering is a custom affair and takes months to arrive, with general dancing I dropped from a XXXX to a XXX but then on hormone blockers dropped to a XX & with the weight of a 6'2" frame it was murder, knowing I'd probably lose toenails (again) we practiced the pointe section on demi rather than risk it before the exam, for the exam I wore my Gaynors which are a size too short, the wings are non existent & the knuckle on my little & 4th toe are just out of the box so I had very little support but could get right over the box. I do get so embarrassed when that Royal Ballet School misquote keeps coming out, it's a year old & from the Times, I really don't want to detract from the incredibly talented & hard working students of the RBS, I pinned a post on FB & Twitter as journalists kept raiding my social media profiles without bothering to talk to me. I think 5/6 are about IF level, or at least that's what I was led to believe Grade 7 is a level 3 exam IF a level 2 so it's a progression, Lynne has never been afraid to push me & I've never given anything less than 100% in class, it's just not in my nature. I'm so sad we didn't trial the Repertoire syllabus, Lynne is an RAD trustee of many years and has trialled all the other new syllabuses but skipped this one, here are some more details if you've not seen them, I think there will be something really rewarding learning actual ballet variations rather than exam ones, ETA 2018 https://www.rad.org.uk/news/discovering-repertoire-a-classical-ballet-performance-programme Quote Learners have the option of taking regulated examinations recognised at the following levels on the UK qualifications framework: Level 2 (equivalent to Grade 5/Intermediate Foundation standard) Level 3 (equivalent to Grades 6–8/Intermediate & Advanced Foundation standard) Level 4 (equivalent to Advanced 1 & 2 standard) The variations studied are taken from the following ballets: Level 2: Coppélia, Giselle Level 3: Paquita, The Sleeping Beauty Level 4: Nutcracker, Swan Lake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 20 hours ago, youngatheart said: I'm curious about why Grade 7 and not Grade 6 though? I just remembered a whole conversation I had with my teacher about this, Giselle was written for a taller dancer so I can use my long limbs to create beautiful lines, Lynne doesn't have my long lines and always hated dancing Giselle as it made her look like a T-rex ( not my words ) I found IF to be a bit basic or held back, starting with Grade 7 it just seems to flow much better & I pick things up faster as it seems more right / natural. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Grade 6 is a level 3 qualification too. You may like to try some different styles of ballet although I understand why you would want to stick with your teacher if she's very supportive 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie_rebecca Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 42 minutes ago, Moomin said: Grade 6 is a level 3 qualification too. You may like to try some different styles of ballet although I understand why you would want to stick with your teacher if she's very supportive I probably should try other styles but I love classical so much, I respect contemporary but it just doesn't move me in the same way, Knowing Lynne she know it's something she can push me to do & she knows with hard work I can achieve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 I meant other styles of classical- Russian, cecchetti, Balanchine, French, danish etc. Whatever you can find really! They are all really quite different and it's great to try them and compare once you've got to a certain point in a syllabus. The world is your oyster so to speak! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 @sophie_rebecca So glad to see you on here, putting yourself out there and clearing up misconceptions. I just want to say that you've been very inspiring for me as an adult doing syllabus classes. I am preparing for my inter found exam now and your joy when you received a merit was so pure. It pains me that people would make negative comments to you. Even the ones that are not intended to be rude demonstrate a general ignorance about gender/sexual identity. Hopefully, through having the opportunity to ask questions, and hear stories, that will begin to change and we can all be a lot more understanding of each other. I'm sorry that you have to be the person on the front lines so to speak, but if not you, who? If not now, when? Unfortunately, though it's hard, I hope you continue to put yourself out there. Your love of dance shines through and you're doing very well for so little experience. While it may be a trial for you at times, I hope that your journey makes it a little easier for the trans/gender fluid/non binary dancers who come after you. They see your courage and the way you live your life the you way YOU want to, and hopefully they feel more accepted. On a lighter night, your trials with pointe work seem nightmarish! I'm lucky that I have childsized feet (literally, smaller than the 12 year olds I take class with) but I've still had some issues... I'm doing grade 6 as well as IF and like you I love the higher grades. So romantic and dancey and a little bit more mentally complex. It's an entirely new type of challenge Hopefully you keep posting here on some of the adult ballet topics, I think we can all learn a lot from each other 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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