Adult Ballet - questions, answers, classes and info

[sophie_rebecca]

On 12/05/2017 at 11:45, Kate_N said:

Actually, that information is locatable on the RAD website - well, certainly I found it there, and the links to the Eventbrite site.

 

Really? I was going backwards and forwards here https://www.rad.org.uk/events using location or "Adult Repertoire" in the search terms & could only find the London courses, no idea what I'm doing wrong.

[Michelle_Richer]

Those RAD workshops are part of the Adult Associates at Elmhurst, but you can book them  separately without being part of the Associates. I think today Sunday 14^th is the last day of the 10% Earlybird discount.

 

I’m part of the Associates so I’m booked on them all. We have done a little rep in the Improvers 2 sessions before, but I guess this is a little more formal and it opens the class up to greater numbers to make it more cost effective. As Improver 2 usually has only 4 or 5 dancers, except for last weekend when it was opened up for drop in from some of our previous dancers and we made 7, however improvers 1 is usually fully booked at just over 20. Not sure how popular these will be.

[LinMM]

Unless it has improved quite a bit in the last twelve months I've always found the RAD website not that user friendly for finding adult workshops! It used to be that once you were told how to find them....fine ...but certainly not obvious.

i missed a few like this .......unless Michelle had happened to mention them....though mostly the timing ( for the London ones that is) just didn't work for me anyway.

The ones I did attend were very enjoyable .....especially the Cinderella one ... Loved that one ......but haven't attended any for a couple of years nearly now.

[Kate_N]

I'd like to do the Giselle one, as I'm writing about the ballet and its place in the history of concert dance for a book I'm researching. But getting to Birmingham early enough on a Sunday by public transport from the depths of the West Country is the challenge!

[Colman]

How are these for boys? I'm half contemplating trying one: if you can sort cheap flights Birmingham is a comfortable day trip from Dublin.

[sophie_rebecca]

1 minute ago, Colman said:

How are these for boys? I'm half contemplating trying one: if you can sort cheap flights Birmingham is a comfortable day trip from Dublin.

 

That's a long way to go for a 2 1/2 hour lesson! If you're coming that far I'd say The Ballet Retreat in either Leeds or London would be good, they're 2-3 days of, in the morning it's company classes then the afternoon boys / girls split for the variation, I think in a class of 45 ish there were about 8 boys at the one in Jan

[Colman]

It's not really: I suspect a lot of the UK people are spending more time and money travelling than we would - return flights for some of those days are €35 at the moment. 

 

The multi-day courses are on the radar too, but you end up with baby-sitting and dog sitting issues and so on. 

[Kate_N]

Yes, Colman, a train ticket from Devon to Birmingham is usually around £29 to £35 each way (and that's by splitting tickets & buying a long way in advance).

[Kate_N]

By the way, re finding workshops etc on the RAD website: I found it quite easy. There's a drop-down menu at the top of the RAD home page "Learn to Dance". You can then navigate to the Adults' classes from there either via "Adult Classes" or "Find an Activity." When you follow links under "Find an Activity" you get more information and then they will lead you to the Eventbrite site. Hope this helps.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Kate_N

[Nicola H]

14 minutes ago, Kate_N said:

Yes, Colman, a train ticket from Devon to Birmingham is usually around £29 to £35 each way (and that's by splitting tickets & buying a long way in advance).

beacuse they are priced by CrossCountry , whose capacity  issues  especially through birimingham  means they have little incentive to make advances cheaper

[Kate_N]

Yes, CrossCountry aka Modern Robber Barons.

[Jan McNulty]

I paid £80 for a return Liverpool to Plymouth last year ... and that was using a rail card!!

[2dancersmum]

Jan - one tip I can give you for journeys from the north that go through or involve changing at Birmingham is to check fares to Redditch as well. Its actually cheaper to buy a ticket for Liverpool to Redditch and just not use the last part of the ticket than it is for a Liverpool to Birmingham ticket. I think all trains for Redditch go through Birmingham so longer journeys can work out cheaper too by having separate tickets for the northern and southern leg of the journey, changing at Birmingham.

[Kate_N]

Actually train operating companies can pull you up on that, and refuse you permission to leave a station which is not the one on your ticket. They've become wise to that ruse. And Redditch station is only served by the London Midlands CrossCity service - Redditch is literally the end of a one-track line from Longbridge (former Bournville resident writes - very familiar with the Lichfield Trent Valley to Redditch line!)

 

The only way to reduce my fare to New Street is split my ticket - at Bristol and Cheltenham. It's fiddly but I save up to £30 - but the cheapest I can ever do the trip is around £29.50 one way, off-peak. The deal with ticket-splitting is that a train has to make a stop there. And if you want a booked seat (I'm always working so need a seat, table & power point) it gets very fiddly!

Edited May 15, 2017 by Kate_N

[2dancersmum]

Actually Kate I was not advocating buying a ticket for one station and leaving at a different one. I was talking about splitting the ticket for a long journey that goes through or involves changing at Birmingham when going from north to south. It is a strange anomaly that you can buy a ticket from many northern stations to Redditch cheaper than to Birmingham and if you are changing trains in Birmingham anyway then you have a valid ticket for your Birmingham onwards leg of the journey. Its fiddly but as you say, ticket-splitting can work out cheaper. Having had a few years of one child on the south coast and one in the north west we have got quite used to reducing fares by splitting tickets at Birmingham, Bristol or Cheltenham, depending on the direction of travel.

[Kate_N]

Ah, I see! I thought you meant one ticket, but getting off earlier than your designated stop - which has been stopped as a practice. The train ticketing system here is crazy isn't it? That a ticket for a destination further than the one you want to get to, can sometimes be cheaper!

[Michelle_Richer]

Don’t forget when you get to New Street station your journey hasn’t ended, Elmhurst is still a few miles away on the Bristol Road at Edgbaston, so its bus or taxis. For me I drive all the way from South Lincolnshire just over one hundred miles each way. That’s why I make a full day of it and do all RAD Adult Associates classes that day, otherwise its just not worth while, especially in the winter when its mostly dark both ways and raining too sometimes, not very pleasant.

 

Hi Colman

I’m sure if RAD know they have male dancers attending, they will select the rep accordingly. I’ve certainly attended RAD rep workshops with male dancers present. I have also attended RAD workshops where some of the girls have had to dance the male part for partnering. I remember this also occurring with ENB’s Le Corsaire workshop on the Coliseum stage.

 

As soon as I know the rep being taught, I will drop it on this thread.

 

 

 

 

[LinMM]

I think someone asked about the standard of the RAD workshops

the ones Imhave attended have been around Intermediate standard or say between grade 5 and grade 7 level ....nothing too advanced so in that way fairly similar to the ENB ones.

 

i too think that it's a rather long way to go Coleman for a fairly shortish workshop .....however good.

A couple of the ENB workshops are a little longer and therefore better value really if making a fairly long journey and likewise why I think Franziska Rosenzweigs workshops are good value and at least last for four and a half hours....if you are coming from a long way...though hers are based in London.

Rejane Garcia also runs workshops which last a whole day .....10-5pm .....but again in London.

 

i think,the RAD may run longer workshops but these are for under 18 year olds .....perhaps they are worried about taking a risk with older dancers where workshops are concerned.

some of the better workshops for male dancers have been run by LAB in the past

Tom Linecar Boulton .....used to run LAB .....is now mainly based in Milton Keynes.....so who knows perhaps he will run some adult workshops in the future from there .....I wish!! 

[Jan McNulty]

It could well cost Colman less to fly there than some of us to get there on a train! I didn't look further but, for example, I've just had an email from Ryanair with a headline of Flights from £3.99! My return flight to The Algarve in February cost less than my return fare to London last week!

[LinMM]

I've got some friends in Cambridge who are always finding these cheap flights from Stanstead airport.

 

Im sure they once went for a couple of days to somewhere in Spain for "£1" They had to pay airport taxes etc but that was the cost of the flight itself!!

Whether they had air miles as well I'm not sure but I think it's one of those occasions  where you sort of drop everything and can go in the next couple of days sort of thing!! They are retired needless to say!! 

 

I sometimes go over to Nantes in France to see some friends there and it's a toss up whether it's cheaper to fly direct to Nantes (but on one of those diddly planes!!) or train it via Paris. The Eurostar can get very expensive unless booked well in advance.

[Kate_N]

10 hours ago, LinMM said:

I think someone asked about the standard of the RAD workshops

the ones Imhave attended have been around Intermediate standard or say between grade 5 and grade 7 level ....nothing too advanced so in that way fairly similar to the ENB ones.

 

That's very helpful, Lin. I found the recent ENB workshop class quite easy (although my broken toe & grouchy Achilles tendon  begged to differ on that day) - or at least well within my conmfort zone. It was a lovely class - really well pitched to quite a diverse group in terns of technique & experience. - great teacher! I do wish I were closer to London, or at least nearer to the classes I used to do at DanceXchange. I feel I'm losing some of the more advanced skils I had because as we all know, constant practice is needed, so maybe I'm going to have to be brave and take an advanced level class at Danceworks next time I'm in London.

 

I like the ENB workshops, as it's fun learning the repertoire, and developing a sense of the timing and musicality that's sometimes easy to miss in shorter combinations. I once did a great workshop at Ludus when I lived in the NW, where we learnt the Big Swans from Swan Lake. First, the Petipa version, and then the Matthew Bourne version. Really interesting!

[Colman]

My wife has done a workshop in Elmhurst, and I've done martial arts workshops nearby. It's much less hassle than a 100 mile drive, and probably cheaper too. The good parking at the airport would cost more than the flight, which would be €33.98, or just under £30. This is nuts, but there you go - the biggest problem is that I'd be there way too early in the morning at that price. Anyone know a good coffee shop in Birmingham to sit for four hours? :-)

[Anon2]

Quarter Horse coffee shop. Few doors down from Dancique, 30 minute easy walk to Elmhurst. 

Cannon Hill park is great for passing time and has decent enough coffee shop. 

[Kate_N]

How early? If it's before 7am, I'd say stay at the airport - there's a Costa coffee in the Departure & Arrivals halls at Birmingham International. For early morning, you'd need to go right into the city centre- I'd say your best bet is a chain in New Street station, or around the markets (quite near New Street station).

 

For Elmhurst, try the university campus - it's only about a 15 minute walk along the Bristol road. And pop in to the Barber Institute (but it only opens at 10am) - a lovely way to spend 4 hours ...

[Jan McNulty]

Bell Ballet in Fareham, Hampshire offers Adult Ballet classes on a pay as you go basis on Monday evenings - one for beginners and one for improvers.

 

Christie Bell danced with Northern Ballet and was always an audience favourite.

 

https://www.bellballet.co.uk

[munchkin16]

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on the levels of Central classes? I’m thinking of trying one of David’s classes on Sunday (tomorrow) but not sure what level they are aimed at. Either beginner improver or the improver plus one I think it is? 

[Nicola H]

1 hour ago, munchkin16 said:

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on the levels of Central classes? I’m thinking of trying one of David’s classes on Sunday (tomorrow) but not sure what level they are aimed at. Either beginner improver or the improver plus one I think it is? 

you will enjoy  David's classes  .

https://www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk/classdescriptions.php

 

The Absolute Beginners class is for the absolute beginner ballet dancer and for adults returning to ballet after learning as a child. We start from the start; the correct posture, and the basic positions of the arms and legs. The class is about how your body moves naturally in everyday life and how that natural movement transfers to ballet. You learn how to identify the correct muscles needed to move the body in ballet technique; training and toning your muscles and changing the shape of your entire body. This class is also about learning about how to move in time and to the rhythm of the music.

Absolute Beginners has a joyful and light-hearted atmosphere: newcomers are welcome at any time and fit in easily to the flow of the class. The suggested time in Absolute Beginners is between 6-12 months before moving up to beginner improvers.

 

Beginner Improvers is for all beginners with a good basic ballet technique wanting to improve and move forward. It is the second level of the David Paul Kierce programme and a continuation of Absolute Beginners. The technique is based on how your body moves naturally in everyday life and how that natural movement translates directly into ballet. Beginner Improver ballet takes the basic ballet technique and adds to it. It increases the speed of the steps, adding arms, and increasing the difficulty. You learn the joining steps between movements and work on increasing co-ordination in the body. You spend less time at the barre and more time in the centre - eventually gaining the strength and body knowledge to learn pirouettes and more advanced jumps. We learn moving steps across the floor, and there is an emphasis on dancing and moving to the music, gaining a greater understanding of how the music helps the dancer as they dance.

You can happily spend one or two years in this class gaining strength and knowledge before moving to Beginner Improver Plus.

Beginner Improver Plus is the third level of the programme. This class is a continuation of Beginner Improver. The class is based on how your body moves naturally in everyday life and how that natural movement of the body transfers to ballet. The class will fill the final gaps in your ballet barre adding frappés, rond de jambe en l'air, and exercises on demi pointe. In the centre, you will add to your knowledge and technique;working on moving steps and more difficult combinations. You do combinations of jumps to move you in the air as well as across the floor. You build strength so that you can find your double pirouettes.

You can happily spend one to two years in this class before you move on to a more advanced level.

 

[munchkin16]

Thanks Nicola, the improvers plus is probably perfect then. Any idea how busy the Sunday class gets? Do I need to get there really early to get a space? 

[Nicola H]

25 minutes ago, munchkin16 said:

Thanks Nicola, the improvers plus is probably perfect then. Any idea how busy the Sunday class gets? Do I need to get there really early to get a space? 

Not been to one of his Sunday classes  ,  I know David through TBR  , although  if his weeknight classes are anything to go by ( which i  have  been to when in that there London on Business)   they are often  busy  and  fill the studio  , but  i don;t think you'll need to fight for space  necessarily ... 

you may ache after class  but  some of  that ache will be you ribs from  the laughter  that  pervades ! 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Nicola H

[LinMM]

He used to do an advanced class on a Sunday but just looked and think it's Improvers plus now.

 

I haven't done his classes for a while but when I first went back to ballet five or six years ago now I did his Improvers and found it perfect at that time....a good work out on the barre and a fairly basic centre practice.....which seemed to concentrate on individual steps more...just what I needed back then

These days I'd be attracted to a slightly more complicated centre work with more combinations of steps and I'm pretty sure this Improvers plus class would provide that but cannot say for sure.

 

Another teacher at Central who is very popular teaches in the afternoon there about 3ish I think (great if you've had a bit of a late night on the Saturday!) He is Brazilian and any minute now will remember his name ....he's also good but found his classes a bit too crowded for my liking. You should be okay with David if you get there at least half an hour before class ....there should be space but personally I don't like it when it gets any higher than 30 and David's when I went were between 20-30 people. 

A friend only told me in Saturday that he had attended a class at Pineapple with 60 people in!! Is this allowed? Must have been a nightmare....well he won't be going again anyway! 

[LinMM]

Renato Paroni is the teacher I was trying to think of but it does look as if someone else may be taking his classes just at the moment.

 

If you do try David's could you let us know what that Improvers plus class is like? 

[TYR]

Hey, we've just been reclassified from Beginner/General to Open Level. Not sure what to make of that.

 

That said, I took Improver last Sunday. Differences: not as many relévés or long balances, less physically challenging barre but somewhat faster pace, much simpler centre (in fact less emphasis on centre).

 

Also 15 minutes less total than the B-Technique Mafia like to hand out:-)

[munchkin16]

I didn’t make it this Sunday in the end, but I’m planning to try the improvers plus class next week with David so I’ll let you know how it goes! Does anyone have recommendations for a class any time on Friday in London which might be low intermediate level?