Dance*is*life

Have just finished watching the Gala -much longer than advertised! Some wonderful pieces, but some of the more modern works had such dark lighting that I could hardly make out what they were doing. Is it just my screen or did others find that? I'd be interested in hearing what it was like in the actual auditorium! I loved the Diane and Acteon duo - didn't he win gold two or three years ago? Such an exciting dancer to watch and a real dancer with his whole being! Macrae was fabulous too with his "tap" piece - brilliant -those turns round the stage at the end!!

I can only tell you that in my opinion RAD Grade 7 is quite a bit more advanced in content than RAD's IF. I use it as a stepping stone rrom IF to Intermediate. In IF the exercises are quite short and basic, but in Grade 7 they are long and need a lot Yes IF has echappé battu and petits battement, but Grade 7 has frappę en croix, ronds de jambe and battements fondues en l'air, plus sissone en avant. I'm afraid I don't know BBO.

I do so agree with you! Having struggled to teach my own students on Zoom, I know the problems well. The beginner pointe class somehow learnt how to tie the ribbons and how to get up on pointe properly and amazingly are doing really well, having been back in the studio for 18 months. The older students didn't even attempt to do pointe out of the studio and quite honestly looking at the spaces they were working in I wouldn't have dared to try and teach them.

It's specifically for advanced and even trainee company members,so the level at the Masterclasses is really high. I have sent two or three older students and I've seen the action photos that were taken -it looks amazing! I have been to Prague - it's a lovely town. All in all a great experience for the advanced vocational student. I'm afraid I have no idea about the other course.

12 is the average age of our IFs and they have 3 hours a week syllabus and pointe training. We call IF our 6th level - Grade 3 would be the 3rd level, so your daughter did a very big jump in order to take IF!! They mark IF very differently from the grades, so 58 is a reasonable mark, especially under the circumstances. I would guess that they recognise your daughter's potential and talent and decided to give her a push. She will need much more than an hour a week on the Inter syllabus.

I usually recommend Bloch to my first timers as they are relatively problem free and easy to break in. I find Grishko very hard, but they do last well! You don't want too much spare material on the heel when the foot is on pointe, but when standing on flat the shoes should allow for wiggle room for the toes! Once you've sewn on the ribbons and cut them to the right length, don't forget to singe the ends or paint them with invible nail lacquer so they don't fray. Good luck!

I know this is a very old thread but I am suffering from PF at the moment and was desperate to get some helpful ideas. Thank you all - rather belatedly - for your really helpful tips! I did an ultrasound and will start physio on Friday, but cannot rest really as I am still teaching three times a week and as someone said it's more painful after resting. I shall ice and roll and stretch my calf muscles, which I have felt to be a bit tight lately. Fingers crossed that it goes away! Oh and csmith 263 did it clear and is your son still dancing????

I think it also depends on what level the pointe work is that they teach at the Associate classes. We start pointe work at IF level, but they spend weeks on the barre just doing rises and relevés on two feet, so if I have the odd 11 year old in the class (they're usually 12 or nearly 12 by that level) I am not too worried about their overdoing it. The problems arrive when they attend outside classes such as in summer courses. The level of pointework expected is often higher than what they have reached with us, but that's only for a week or two and I don't mind them trying to rise to the challenge - it often gives them more confidence to try things in regular classes. Associate classes are a different kettle of fish entirely and I do agree with the others here, that it's probably wiser to listen to her regular teacher.

I have to say that I find it rather wierd for your daughter to have taken IF and still remain in Grade 4! There is absolutely no comparison! If she's good enough to have passed IF then she should definitely be working at a higher level than even Grade 5 in order to bridge the gap between IF and Inter. Where a school only has once a week Vocational level classes then I know they often offer alternate level classes to add dancing and training hours. However, if she is to reach Intermediate level, she needs to work on far more advanced exercises than are in the regular grades. Once they have passed IF our girls get 3 ballet classes a week of 90 minutes - 2 syllabus and one non-syllabus. For a start pointe work needs to be developed, along with double pirouettes and numerous other more advanced elements. As someone mentioned Grade 6 or 7 would be a good transition level to Intermediate.

So sad for you - I had a male student attend a vocational school in the UK at 16 and for him it wasn't just home-sickness, but also a strange country and a completely different environment. His Mum set up a chat together with me and together we kept him going. Those two years were invaluable for him training wise, but hard going. I'm so glad your daughter is happy now!

I can only tell you that I was desperately homesick and unhappy when I was dancing in a ballet company in Germany. It was my first time away from home for more than a few weeks and although I really loved the dancing part, I felt so alone. I remember crying like mad at the thought of going back after the summer break and my brother in law asking me very sensibly why on earth I was going back? Of course my dramtic reply was "Because I have to dance!" I was 19 then and not a kid, but I was used to having the support of family and friends and in those days there was no instant communication. However, when I went back for the new season there were several new dancers and we hit it off immediately. I even made a lifelong friend amongst them. Once I had some support, everything changed and I had a great time there and I suppose grew up. So I think my question to you is has your child made friends at the school that can offer some support and comradeship? Vocational school can be very competitive and it might be hard to develop a feeling of belonging. On the other hand it might just be too soon for them. You can go to Vocational school at 16 and still become a dancer!

The tutu skirt was and is completely optional, so it was always candidate/teacher's choice to wear one for the dance or not. My students absolutely adore wearing a tutu skirt though, but our school provides them, so no extra expense. All uniform is optional now - but recommended . We are all delighted about the demi-pointes - sighs of relief all round!

I would also say that they probably use both croise etc and corner numbers so important to learn it all. LaCamargo - I get round the dessus, dessous problem by explaining the problem to the examiner beforehand. As neither English nor French is their first language they simply cannot hear the difference! They are invariably accommodating! 😊

What she has to understand is that in the free enchainement the examiner does not demonstrate at all - she just says the names of the steps -what arms she wants (another lot of terminology) and to which direction or corner to face. The candidate will be expected to perform it 4 times through, which is not easy. Any of the linking steps can now be given with any of the focal steps. I only teach my students over and under, because they cannot hear the difference between dessus and dessous, but the examiners always say both terms, so it's okay.

An American student I know, who is now training in the UK - she's about 18/19 - asked me about Winter ballet based Intensives during the Christmas break. Is there such a thing in the UK or Europe? Has anyone done one that they could recommend? Thanks in advance!

I had a very promising student, who moved to the UK - also London - at 11 and she too was rather put off by the limited amount of hours the studios offered. For example, had she continued with us she would have had 3 x 90 minute ballet classes a week plus modern, jazz and flamenco. She found one school where she could do 1 hour of ballet and 1 of modern, so she learnt to supplement. She took classes at different levels and added on others at different schools - including at the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in Battersea. And yes she joined a proper Associate programme. It took time, but she did very well in the end going to vocational school from 16. If you're not looking for RAD training, then the two schools recommended by Pas de Quatre might well provide the solution and are definitely worth checking out.

I imagine that Rambert gives equal emphasis to both techniques, because the company started out as a classical ballet company, so its roots are classical. There are of course conflicting points of view as to whether you need strong ballet technique in order to become a contemporary dancer and I have had many an argument ovver that! I personally feel that just like pianists and other musicians benefit from and develop their technique by playing classical music, so too do dancers, All our students dance ballet, but the majority will never become classical dancers. A far higher percentage have gone on to become contemporary dancers, with the strong jumps, nice lines, good pirouettes and nimble feet that ballet training promotes. In fact our jazz and contemporary dance teachers refuse to work with students who have not had ballet training. I do feel that your daughter should probably have an hour or two more of ballet per week, but practising at home will also help. Anyway, good luck in whatever she ends up doing.

The Masterclasses themselves are Advanced level plus being suitable even for a trainee in a ballet company. All the students I have sent in the past have been advanced older teenagers. As you write Intermediate level, does that mean that these classes are different from the regular course? Would they really be suitable for younger students at Intermediate level?

What I find a bit sad is that all the ballet students are really familiar with certain virtuoso variations gleaned from Youtube, but haven't really got a clue about the ballets they come from. Most of the big classics are also on Youtube, but comps like YAGP have conditioned kids to concentrate on tricks and showy variations.

With reference to Balanchine's classroom - there is an excellent series on Disney + called On Pointe - a season at the School of American Ballet. It explores the lives of the younger students, whilst they audition, rehearse abd perform in Nutcracker with New York City Ballet and the stories of the older students desperately trying to get accepted as apprentices with the company. I for one am glued to it and binge watching! Highly recommended!

Does anyone have a DD attending the RAD for the second week Intermediate level? I just wondered because I have a not quite 14 year old student going alone for that week and she's a bit nervous about being without her usual support group of friends. It would be really nice if she could correspond with someone beforehand - her English is good enough I think to write an e-mail or WhatsApp. If anyone is interested please PM me.

If anyone has a 14 year old accepted for seniors this summer, perhaps she would like to correspond with my student - WhatsApp or email? It would be so nice for her to even sort of know someone there! She's a lovely girl and her English is quite good. If anyone's interested, please send me a PM.

I would think, as someone mentioned above, that actually smaller feet for pointe is good as they don't make you too tall for your pas de deux parner to work with you well. Women normally have smaller feet than men and your shoe size seems perfect for your height! It's not the size of feet that matters, but how strong they are. Concentrate on doing lots of strengthening exercises, so that you can show off your lovely high arches to advantage.

Oh yes I so agree! A trip to town without a browse in Dance Books was never the same after the shop closed. ☹

Fantastic! Thank you so much for the encouraging review! Unfortunately because the course is so late I won't be able to visit or watch at all, as we start teaching on Sep.1st. It's a pity because I'm very curious to see how she compares to the others! I find it also encourages them to cope better, when I can watch and reassure them!