Miss Lewis, English Youth Ballet: Private Assessments for Students

[HollyLou]

For any kids taking part, Miss Lewis offers a private assessment for those considering vocational training. It's done one to one with a written report at the end for a reasonable fee. She's incredibly honest and will tell you if it's worth spending time and money to persue it. My DD was a little nervous before hers but she really put her at ease. For us it was definitely worth the money.

[Waitingmum]

I would agree it is an amazing experience and definitely set my dd off on the road of wanting to take ballet seriously. I didn't know Miss Lewis did private assessments but I do know she had a go at my dd's ballet teachers for not putting her forward to RB associate programme!!!

4 years later my dd is at WL, despite my protestations!!!

[HollyLou]

It's advertised very poorly for the assessments. Miss Lewis  advised my DD to stop acro and do specific exercises to help her improve. She told her not to waste her talent and if she was serious about dance she'd need to work incredibly hard and make a lot of sacrifices. My DD was in total awe as Miss Lewis does the exercises with you,  she couldn't believe how flexible she was for being a teacher.

 

"From EYB page 

 

Will EYB help me with a career in dance? 

Any student who takes part in an EYB performance is given a confidence boost and an enormous sense of achievement which helps with any future they may have in dance.

With so many parents wishing to know whether their child has the potential for a professional career in dance, Miss Lewis now conducts official consultations and individual .assessments to advise parents about their children.

Please contact Miss Lewis personally by telephone (01689 856747) or email if you are interested in booking an appointment. The assessment takes up to two hours with interviews and a written report is given. There is a small fee for this service"

Edited May 6, 2017 by Sarah2203

[TooTu]

I didn't know Miss Lewis did private assessments either. Can anyone give me an idea of the cost of this?

[HollyLou]

Tootu I think I paid around  £60, money well spent though. Gave my DD the confidence she needed to apply for vocational schools.

[TooTu]

2 hours ago, Sarah2203 said:

Tootu I think I paid around  £60, money well spent though. Gave my DD the confidence she needed to apply for vocational schools.

Thank you. That's very reasonable. I will definitely make enquiries about it

[Foreverdrivingtodance]

when does she do these assessments?? Is it part of when you are doing an EYB production? Or can you see her privately.My DD did an EYB a while ago but did not know you could ask for an assessment.

[HollyLou]

She did my DD at the theatre before the cast arrived on show day. An amazing experience for my DD performing on the stage alone. 

I know others who had them after they'd finished at EYB, they travelled to her just for the assessment.

[Jan McNulty]

I thought it was worth highlighting this valuable service in a separate thread so I have moved the relevant posts here.

 

Thanks Sarah2203 for mentioning this.

[ArucariaBallerina]

I'm guessing you have to be doing EYB to access these assessments?

[taxi4ballet]

43 minutes ago, ArucariaBallerina said:

I'm guessing you have to be doing EYB to access these assessments?

Perhaps you could email Miss Lewis and ask?

[Meglorien]

On 08/05/2017 at 16:42, taxi4ballet said:

Perhaps you could email Miss Lewis and ask?

Did you get a positive response? Does she do private assessments if you're not with the EYB?

[elfin]

You don’t have to be an EYB participant to avail of this. Miss Lewis is happy to assess anyone if you contact her 😊.

[Fiz]

That sounds an amazing opportunity. I was lucky enough to have an RAD examiner as the head of my dds dance school and although she loved both of my dds she was honest enough to tell me that my youngest didn’t have the look although she had the ability and my eldest had the look but not the ability! 😢 If I’d melded them together maybe one of them would have made it to vocational training. 😂

[Peanut68]

Just intrigued if anyone who has paid for this type of service from the various providers offering it  actually received a truthful negative ‘forget it you are wasting time and money’  - cloaked, I am sure, in a nicely worded way - answer? 

I am a cynic by nature so do wonder if this sort of trend towards personal assessments & ever more ‘associate’ schemes (which then don’t seem to actually be associated to anything????) is really just a new earning stream & yet another pull on parental finances. After all, we all know of stories whereby a young dancer got a no only to prove the then professionals wrong by their achievements later on..... (am I right in thinking that Darcey Bussell failed at first RBS audition?) 

Coversely we all have seen that ‘Wunderkind’ age 9 who can do 32 Fouettees en pointe (raised eyebrows from me here too I’m afraid as I do think training should be age appropriate) with hours of daily intensive training who then at puberty changes shape or loses interest (or can exert own choice as to how to spend their life!) and gives up. 

I do also worry about the trend to advanced standard & successes at  ever younger ages & the pressures (easily exerted with the massive exposure these prodigies get on SM) this places on regular kids & families with regular lives/incomes/opportunities. . 

Childrens minds & bodies deserve time to develop & ‘hot housing’ or dream crushing can both have negative efffects mentally & physically. 

Just a perspective & in no way meant to suggest there is anything wrong with services provided or opinions given.... just to remind myself that life is a very varied thing & we are all individuals! 

[Pointetoes]

Miss Lewis does not mess around with her words, she is brutally honest. 

 

Granted there may be others who twist the truth but the dance world is such a brutal and harsh world I doubt there are any professionals who offer help and support who aren’t honest. I certainly know of a few.