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The_Red_Shoes

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  1. The_Red_Shoes
    Well done Angela. You should be really chuffed with your progress. Don't fret about a few mistakes like the head or the behind the music, as the marks will balance out across the exam as a whole and if you mostly had correct coordination or timing then you can still get a good mark for that component. You are very brave doing an exam that late in the day. And after doing a run through? I like to take exams late morning or early afternoon while I've got myself going properly but still have some energy left. As Carlos Acosta says in the Observer today about being a mature age dancer: dance in a way that you can still walk off and not need an ambulance! Fingers crossed now. At least with the RAD's new speedy marking you shouldn't be kept on tenterhooks for long. Onwards to Grade 6 (which is a very nice exam).
  2. The_Red_Shoes
    I'm kind of kicking myself for not taking the DR level 2 exam last term when I could, but I was feeling that I had a lot of family stuff that I should be doing so I backed out and now I regret it! And now no exams are on the horizon for me as I shall probably be moving house in the next few months and then will have to start again in a new school. When I eventually do get settled I'll do DR and possibly return to Grade 7 which I missed out during COVID. Very occasionally I have thoughts of IF which I have never done as I went straight to Inter and I did learn it at home during lockdown. Re sweating: baby powder on body, lots and lots of loose powder on face.
  3. The_Red_Shoes
    I was in my 60s while taking Inter and Higher Grades, up to last December when I passed Grade 8. I'm 70 now and not actively preparing for anything although Discovering Repertoire will probably be the next thing. I do really like the structure and pressure of exam preparation. Like others, I've found teens pleasant and supportive and those parents who were aware of me were admiring if anything. Teachers have always been very supportive and said that adults are very motivated and seem to be better at applying correction than the teens. I'm aware that I will never get the marks I dream of but I have got a few marks higher with each exam I've taken. I have done the larger part of exam prep in private or semi-private lessons which gave me more individual attention. I'm fully aware that technical improvement is slow and painful (literally - I take quite a lot of ibuprofen) but it is still happening - I know that hard work is paying off. Jumps are decidedly unspectacular, I don't get on well with forward bends or kneeling down and extensions very, very low but it's generally agreed that I have very good posture, beautiful arms, good musicality and expression. I have some arthritis, often painful feet and when I've had injuries they have been slow and stubborn to recover from. I've found stamina pretty hard to regain after the COVID hiatus. Grade 8 took a heck of a lot of puff! My teacher requested longer than usual rests as a reasonable adjustment.
  4. The_Red_Shoes
    I started age 6 or 7, up to Intermediate (old style) as a teenager, stopped for a few years and started again in my late 20s after babies. I danced in open classes/adult classes more or less consistently and at times quite obsessively till I was around 40, stopped ballet then and switched to Kathak for about 5 years then stopped completely for the next 20 odd years. I returned to ballet 6 years ago and have passed Inter (for the second time but obviously with nothing like the same result!), Grade 6, missed Grade 7 because of COVID and then Grade 8 just last year.
  5. The_Red_Shoes
    I was going to take Discovering Repertoire this term but I decided against it as there are some very important non-ballet things that I really should be doing and I know that if I'm preparing for an exam they will be put on the back burner (again). But I do miss the excitement and focus of exam prep and I've found as well that I've been a bit lax about class. I think I've missed more classes this term so far than in the whole of the previous year.
  6. The_Red_Shoes
    I don't think it's ever advisable to jump on a cement floor, no matter how you cover it. However it's possible to mark the footwork while practising the speed, timing, arms and directions so that you get all of that thoroughly in your body. I think with Allegro it's often that sense of half panic over not being 100% sure of what comes next that you have to overcome.
  7. The_Red_Shoes
    Happy New Year everyone, and wishing super good luck to all who are taking exams this year. Not content to take a break from exam pressure, I am entering for one or two units of DR Level 2 in the March exam session! I shall be 70 in March so that's a good way to celebrate, I think.
  8. The_Red_Shoes
    I'm so glad to hear that you have a good result, despite the injury. Huge congratulations.
  9. The_Red_Shoes
    Well the RAD has certainly improved as regards speeding up exam results. My teacher just phoned to say that I have passed, with a Merit. As I predicted, my performance marks were better than my technique marks and my best dance was the Danse Russe.
  10. The_Red_Shoes
    At the RAD itself adult students can begin to take IF classes after, I think, two years of adult classes. Until they started offering Discovering Repertoire the vocational grades were their only adult exam classes as far as I'm aware. They don't offer even the higher grades which is a bit odd as many keen adult dancers take the higher grade pathway and don't want to do pointe work, and in fact lots of adults seem to begin with Grade 6.
  11. The_Red_Shoes
    Inter Foundation is a Level 2 exam, so in that sense equivalent to Grades 4 and 5 whereas Grade 6 is Level 3. I know that at my last school students started IF work in parallel with Grade 4 but because it takes longer to prepare for than a Graded exam they continued in parallel with Grade 5 and often did both exams in the same year. However at my present school some students were taking Grade 6 and IF in the same session this month.
  12. The_Red_Shoes
    My exam went generally ok, I think. I didn't dance as well as I have in class, but then that's exam conditions and exam nerves. Technique was a bit shaky in places but I think I performed well. I think I danced the Danse Russe well and survived the Valse Printemps still breathing and smiling. The examiners were really lovely and a responsive audience. They applauded us in the end and chatted for a while about our dance journeys and what we plan to do next. And the lead examiner said that she couldn' t do Grade 8 now and she looked to be a good decade younger than us! So hurrah for adult dancers of advanced years.
  13. The_Red_Shoes
    Well, it's exam day tomorrow, at 1215! I think I feel ok about it. Being a control freak I have everything organised: to do list (0730 up and shower, 0800 sensible breakfast, 0830 make up, 0900 dress then down to my daughter's for her to do my hair, etc....) I leave nothing to chance! I have spare shoes, spare tights, sewing kit, medications.... The final run through last Friday went well, possibly too well. All the dances, my teacher said I performed the best she had seen me do. Fortunately I messed up the Finale Polonaise, otherwise she would have been worried. Anyway, whatever happens in the exam I know that I have grown and improved immensely over the last year, especially in quality and performance, and that is really what counts. I had rather an unsettling experience last Wednesday when immediately after class I had a sudden loss of energy, was pale and cold and felt weak and shaky. I was ok after a banana and an energy drink so I am now careful to have suitable drink and snack to hand. Fortunately in Grade 8 it's possible to nibble something between each dance. So now (after sorting out several pairs of perfect tights, cleaning my shoes and steaming my skirts) I am mainly sitting quietly and knitting socks as an activity that is quiet and de-stressing but keeps the mind fully occupied.
  14. The_Red_Shoes
    Strange, I'm having trouble posting. My comment keeps disappearing. I hope this post doesn't eventually appear half a dozen times! I was just trying to say: Angela, that sounds like a character cabriole (holubetz?) It appears frequently in higher grades. I usually just kick myself painfully and don't manage the required neat audible click.
  15. The_Red_Shoes
    I will take up Silver Swans probably at some point in the future but for now I'm continuing with regular classes. I don't do plie in 4th, avoid anything that involves kneeling (but had to manage somehow in various exams) and, alas, favourite grand Allegro jumps like grand jete en tournant, fouette and saut de Basque are no longer in my repertoire. Yes, it's landing on one leg that just feels too risky when combined with a turn. I'm still fine with pirouettes but it's slow adage type things I struggle with as my balance is absolute rubbish. I like nice dancey enchainments with plenty of pas de valse! My mock exam went pretty well with comment on my musicality and expression, which is just as well as that's where I'm hoping to pick up the marks.
  16. The_Red_Shoes
    I hope you are recovering from your injury, Viv, as well as the terrible disappointment. Wishing you all the best. I have my Grade 8 exam on the 29th. My mock exam is this week and then I will have just three more lessons in which to put the corrections into place. However I am feeling fully prepared and actually quite pleased with my Free Movement and Character dances. I'm aiming to pick up the most marks I can for expression and quality in the classical dances as there's not much more I can do to improve the technical side. However my teacher does say that I have beautiful ports de bras and expression so my aim is always to distract as much as possible from my feet! Valse Printemps is still a challenge to my stamina but at least I can now get through it in one piece even if I have to have a lie down after my exit! We have a very sensitive pianist who keeps the tempo up in the sections it's needed and adds a judicious rallentando for catching breath wherever possible. We will have two trainee examiners. I don't quite know how I feel about that. Possibly it may even feel more natural having a larger audience.
  17. The_Red_Shoes
    First class today after the summer break and my calves and glutes are really noticing it! I have committed to taking Grade 8 exam in the winter exam season - I have just paid the fee - so end of November or early December. I'm adding an extra weekly coaching class to my regular routine. So far I have been working in a semi-private lesson with another super-mature lady but in the coaching class we will be meeting the teens who will be taking the exam with us. There are three of them and two of us, so it looks like we won't need to be in a group with any young ones for the actual exam.
  18. The_Red_Shoes
    Oh Viv, how unfortunate. Wishing you a speedy recovery. My Grade 8 preparation is going quite well. It's all in the body and now fine tuning and really concentrating on performance. I do really like the Etude Lyriqus. I'm enjoying the free movement (Dramatique) much more than in previous grades and I'm pleased with my Dance Russe which my teacher says really suits me. I still need to increase my stamina level to get through the Valse Printemps in one piece. It really is unrelenting. However it's slightly on the back burner for the rest of this term as we're concentrating on end of year show, so will probably enter for exam in the autumn session or maybe even winter. There are just two of us and so it also depends on how my fellow student feels.
  19. The_Red_Shoes
    Huge congrats to Ballet Gremlin and commiserations Viv. I underwent big changes during lock down which led to me moving from one end of the country to the other (to be close to family) and consequently starting classes at a new school once they started up again in May. I had a big loss of stamina, flexibility and technique which at my age (I'm nearly 69) takes a lot of work to get back. I feel not exactly despondent but certainly less confident in my abilities. However my shoulder problem has cleared up. I had the big disappointment of having two attempts at Grade 7 exam cancelled. At my new school the Grade 7 class is not at a suitable time for me, and the class is still at an early stage in learning the syllabus. So I have decided to jump on to Grade 8 which I am working on in a private lesson together with another elderly lady. I have also begun DR Level 2. I hope that I'll be able to return to Grade 7 later, as I did love it so much and had worked so hard on it. Wishing all the other exam syllabus enthusiasts every success in 2022!
  20. The_Red_Shoes
    Just had an email from the studio where I do my non-syllabus adult ballet, and they are re-opening from Wednesday under the same conditions as before this lockdown. I haven't heard from my RAD teacher yet.
  21. The_Red_Shoes
    The last exam I took as a teenager was Intermediate in 1969, but I continued in adult classes for many years after that. Then I had a 25 year break and came back to ballet four years ago, aged nearly 64. It's been hard work, but a source of great pleasure, although I have had to come to terms with the fact that I will never regain the standard I had in the old days. However I know I have come a long way over the course of these four years and I know my teacher is very proud of my achievements. I took RAD Intermediate two years ago alongside a group of teenagers and have since taken Grade 6 and am about to take Grade 7, both of these in private lessons (nobody else at the school I go to is currently working at this level). I have been welcomed and supported throughout by my teacher, other students and students' parents.
  22. The_Red_Shoes
    Back to class yesterday with my first Grade 7 lesson in 6 months. Oh, it was such a joyous experience to be able to move freely again in a big studio space. We got through the barre, port de bras and pirouettes and my teacher thinks I should be ready for the exam again before Christmas. Apparently my fees are held over till March and if I don't take the exam before then I will lose the money. However, it looks like there will be no problem in being ready well before that. I was surprised by how much I had retained, not just remembering the exercises but dancing with style and up to speed even though some points of technique are lacking and my stamina is distinctly low. However my teacher says it's the same for her, a real drop in ballet-specific fitness. No problems with my previously injured shoulder. My calves are really uncomfortable today, however. Best wishes to everyone else who is returning!
  23. The_Red_Shoes
    Definitely the first petit allegro exercise(s) with sauté in 2nd and échappé to 2nd being the worst! Is it partly because there's usually quite a lot of counts of bouncing up and down on the spot? I find that assemblé, jeté, sissonne, all the dancey across the floor exercises and all the grand allegro are fine.
  24. The_Red_Shoes
    And especially if you wear a long-sleeved leotard that you need to wriggle back into when it's already all damp from sweat.... and in a hurry because your next class is about to begin and there's a queue building up outside the loo... Also needing to go to the loo immediately before class (or even halfway through) isn't just an issue for the littlies. It's very much a mature ladies' issue too!
  25. The_Red_Shoes
    It appears that exercise with a facemask is a far greater exertion than without. The heart rate is raised, breathing may be affected and may lead to breathlessness or dizziness. It is suggested that it's equivalent to exercising at altitude. So if people do exercise while wearing a facemask they will need to choose a suitable mask - there are some specialist sports masks around and Bloch has one for dance (I bought one from Just Ballet) - and change it when it gets wet. They'll need to to work less intensively than usual, take more rests and watch out for feelings of faintness. See https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2020/06/12/should-people-wear-a-face-mask-during-exercise-what-should-clinicians-advise/ However I must say that I don't see myself dancing in a mask. I started feeling uncomfortable, breathless and a bit panicky just in the supermarket.
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