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Taking Ballet Exams as an adult


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2 hours ago, balletgremlin said:

No love for the grade 6 free movement dance? I'm the only one in my class who prefers it to the classical one. Never learnt the character dance but anyone know why it's so much longer than the other choices?

 

Six of the girls in DD's Gr 6 class are doing the free movement one. Two are doing classical and two doing character. I thought the character dance was quite long! DD's teacher says she will get more marks for that than for the classical, so after some grumbling she has accepted it. I think it's a lovely syllabus, and DD very much likes being able to get away with single pirouettes. :lol:

 

@Viv - I'm so glad that IF went better. I still think it's a bit much to do them on consecutive days though!

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3 hours ago, Viv said:

My enchainment was this:
Music was 4/4 with a 4 count introduction.
Start croisse, left leg in front. For the introduction stand still on 1 and 2, raise your arms to 5th on 3 and then to 2nd on 4.
On counts 1, 2, 3, three sissone ferme in a row (over, under, over) with arms changing on each one (3rd, demi bras, 3rd), then stretch and bend on counts 'and 4'. On count 5, extend the back leg to second en fondue, then pas de bouree under 'and a 6' to face corner six. On count 7, changement with arms to 5th, changing your alignment to face corner five. Repeat on the other side. Then do it all again on both sides!

 

Fingers crossed for your results but I'm sure you've done fine & not half as bad as you think, I cried for about 3 days after my exam convinced I'd failed & I've been told that's fairly common :D it's when people come out & go "I nailed that" that the results tend to be worse.

 

I wish I'd had that free enchainment though :D  

 

Given I'm 6'3" I wondered why I was taught variation 2 as it really didn't suit me but it was because I hate waltz with a passion, since doing the exam I've dropped into another adult class doing IF to help & I've learned variation 1 which actually I find I'm much more suited.

 

Let us know when you get the results but I'm sure you've done fab 

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@Cara in NZ @sophie_rebecca Thanks so much :) I'll let you know when results are in, I'm thinking they'll be fairly similar as I was better in IF but it's harder to get the marks in vocational exams. So fingers crossed! And on the topic of dances, I actually hope I get to do variation 2 for intermediate, it's so much fun and I love the story behind it. My teacher today said 'congratulations on completing your first vocational exam, you're officially an intermediate'. That made it sink in a bit! Guess class tomorrow means back to work! 

 

7 hours ago, balletgremlin said:

No love for the grade 6 free movement dance? I'm the only one in my class who prefers it to the classical one. Never learnt the character dance but anyone know why it's so much longer than the other choices?

 

Actually, it was a toss up for me between doing classical or free movement. They were both about equal but I felt more comfortable with the classical (the jumps that change direction at the end of free movement mess with my brain). 50% of the grade 6s did free movement this year at my studio :) 

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Viv, that sounded like a good exam! You showed what you could do, and what more could be asked of you? Being on your leg, and getting the turns right is a successful class for anyone, I think.

 

A lovely petit allegro combination - quite straightforward if it had been set in class - but very different under exam conditions, I expect! But really quite simple & logical, so I hope that was a relief not to get something fiendish.

 

Good luck for your results. 

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@Viv DD had Gr 6 exam yesterday and says it went well. But of her group of 4, one stood on her scarf in the free movement, one kept whispering questions about the next exercise, and another forgot a bit in the waltz enchainement and DD saw her on the other side of the studio with a tear running down her face but couldn't think of anything she could do to help! (It was her exam partner, who she's very fond of). So it was all a bit gruelling. DD said she just missed making the sound with two heel clicks in her character dance and otherwise it all went well. It actually felt much lower-key than vocational exams, where they have to go to the national School of Dance — this was at their own dance school so felt more 'at home'. :lol:

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@Cara in NZ Sounds like it all went pretty well! Well, maybe not for your DD's exam partner :( If it makes any of them feel better, my exam partner dropped her scarf in the exercise for upper back and my character shoe came off in the mazurka, so I think that exam is bound to be a bit of a mess haha. I also made zero heel clicks, which was of course picked up by my teacher who was standing outside with her ear to the door :rolleyes: But oh well, you can only do what you can do on the day, and the examiners understand that we're human and make mistakes and stand on scarves and forget things, particularly under pressure. I like to think of everything that went wrong, so when I get my marks I can go 'okay, I understand why I got that, that's fair' and just pretend I would have done amazingly well if the exam had gone perfectly :D 

 

Now onto preparing for the concert. The IF dance this year is en pointe and I'm very nervous about it... Don't see how doing three exercises in the exam entirely prepares us for a 3.5 minute dance including arabesques and chaines turns en pointe! But we have 9 more weeks to work on it so as long as I can avoid breaking an ankle before then, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

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Any advice on what sort of leotard to wear for the IF exam? The guidelines say sleeveless and has to be black, royal blue, navy blue or purple, but I'm struggling to find one that meets the spec and I feel moderately comfortable in. I'm no good with anything that has thin straps as they either cut into my shoulders painfully or roll right off, but I'm not fussed about wearing a bra underneath so a low/cutout back is fine. The biggest issue is finding one that fits around the cake pouch (i.e. my stomach) and doesn't pull down too much at the chest!! I'm doing the exam in the November/December session this year so still have a bit of time to find something ☺️

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@BalletRocks1 I'm afraid I can't help you too much with leotards because I have to wear a set uniform (designed for 12 year olds which pulls down at the front and up at the back...), but I'm sure one of the knowledgable people here will be able to help :) I know that Bloch have an entire collection dedicated to RAD exam wear so you may find something you like that's suitable on their website (I like their Pansi style, it's got wider straps but a nice high leg line and is very flattering, and it's fully lined which is good if you're going without a bra). Freed I believe are the 'official' uniform suppliers but I have heard that their leotards can be a bit difficult to fit, I've never worn one myself.

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there are various options with larger leos , also some  of the physical shops  may have stuff in bigger sizes or be able  to order in . 

( you only need  compared the  height graphs to understand why  this is an issue for those of us with  trans history  as  Mr 75% line  height  wise is Ms 96% - but at least i'm not off the top of the  scale like  a certain person  ;-)  )  that said , the Uk does seem  to be matching the Dutch  and Scandiwegans for growing  young ladies of 6 feet in height  who  are by virtue of height are size 16 /18  at a healthy weight


Dancing in the street have a number of their products available  in larger sizes  up to a 'dancewear 8 ' which seems to be 18 -20  in  'people'  sizes , their  RAD uniform leos go to a size '6'   which is chest / hips ( inches) 

38-40 40-42 XLarge Adult 14-16

 

http://www.dancinginthestreet.com/Header-Content-DITS/Size-Charts

http://www.dancinginthestreet.com/Catalogue/Regulation-Uniform/Starlite-Regulation-Uniform/Starlite-Regulation-Caroline-Leotard

 where the freed branded ones appear to stop at  '5' 

if you  need to go larger still  http://www.dancinginthestreet.com/Catalogue/Dancewear/Cotton-Lycra-Essential-Dancewear/Starlite-Cotton-Essential-Leotards/Starlite-Cotton-Lycra-Maryrose-Leotard-SDMAR

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I like Bloch leotards because they seem to be slightly longer and have more boob room than other brands. I'm tall and a size 10/12 and always go for the large size to avoid wedgies.

 

This is my favourite exam appropriate leotard they do - http://uk.blochworld.com/product/L5415 - the neckline is more flattering on me than a scoop neck and I can wear a sports bra underneath it.

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Freed actually make the exam leotards to order if you really want to be perfect, I was a bit worried about what to wear but my teacher (& RAD examiner for over 40 years) said no one has ever failed an exam for not wearing the correct uniform & there are no marks awarded for uniform, obviously if you're neat, tidy & clean etc then you're showing the right attitude, I wore a black leo a bit like Freed Bethany but with a couple of crossover straps in the back this was me on my exam morning, it's one of my least favourite leo's but was as close as I could get.

 

 

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On 10/18/2017 at 16:14, Viv said:

Now onto preparing for the concert. The IF dance this year is en pointe and I'm very nervous about it... Don't see how doing three exercises in the exam entirely prepares us for a 3.5 minute dance including arabesques and chaines turns en pointe! But we have 9 more weeks to work on it so as long as I can avoid breaking an ankle before then, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

 

@Viv I do think that is a bit ambitious, and asking a lot of you! Even at Adv Foundation DD's class aren't dancing en pointe in our end-of-year show. Usually only the Advanced 1 & 2s do (much to DD's relief). DD only started competition solos en pointe this year, and finds that traumatic enough!

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@Cara in NZ I think she's trying to push us beyond the exam content for next year so when we start learning that we find it easy (the Intermediates are doing double pirouettes en pointe in their piece!). My teacher thinks there's a massive jump in pointework in AdvF that Inter doesn't really prepare you for so I think that's what is driving this. I'm a little worried about picking up bad habits because the music is so fast, sometimes it's tempting to bend my knee juuuuuuust a little to temps lie up... But eagle eyed teacher is quick to spot and call me out on it. I have noticed that I'm no longer as scared as I was of doing things on one leg so even if it beats the fear out of me then it'll be a good thing haha. Teacher has not yet decided whether we'll appear en pointe, she wants us to learn it that way but if by the concert our technique looks bad or it looks dangerous, she's taking us off and doing it in flats so we look our best. 

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5 minutes ago, Viv said:

@Cara in NZ I think she's trying to push us beyond the exam content for next year so when we start learning that we find it easy (the Intermediates are doing double pirouettes en pointe in their piece!). My teacher thinks there's a massive jump in pointework in AdvF that Inter doesn't really prepare you for so I think that's what is driving this. I'm a little worried about picking up bad habits because the music is so fast, sometimes it's tempting to bend my knee juuuuuuust a little to temps lie up... But eagle eyed teacher is quick to spot and call me out on it. I have noticed that I'm no longer as scared as I was of doing things on one leg so even if it beats the fear out of me then it'll be a good thing haha. Teacher has not yet decided whether we'll appear en pointe, she wants us to learn it that way but if by the concert our technique looks bad or it looks dangerous, she's taking us off and doing it in flats so we look our best. 

 That sounds sensible, and yes it's a big step up from Intermediate to Adv F. DD's teacher actually delayed their Adv F exam until next year as she said they weren't strong enough en pointe for the variations (which are all en pointe). And they only do single pirouettes en pointe for Adv F, thank goodness as DD is only just starting to do reliable doubles on flat! DD now says she may not bother with continuing the vocational exams as the grades are much more fun. But as she's just learnt a pointe solo and a variation for competitions, she'll need to keep up her pointework somehow!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another month on pointe and I can see myself making incremental progress. It's very slow going but focusing on what I can do rather than everything I can't is helping. The new batch of 13 year olds who have just started the class and are bored out their mind rising and releve-ing in flat shoes is not. They're so chatty and my teacher has to spend half the class telling them to shut up and concentrate.

 

Other good news - I'm taking my grade 6 exam next time my dance school holds an exam session (should be early next year) and I'm taking a grade 8 class and am learning dances I didn't do last time round (including the boy's waltz). So much fun and so much "dancier" than the vocational syllabus. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Sorry I didn't reply earlier on - for caught up in work and exam prep!

 

My exam was this morning (9:30am!!) and I think it went quite well. Fluffed a few arms here and there, but overall pretty good! :) the free allegro was a bit of a brain teaser so early in the day but we marked it four times through before doing it full out. Started with the left foot in front in 5th, facing the front, and did glissade derriere, assemble over, two changement, three assembles over, and then another changement (to then go on the other side). Kept wanting to do another glissade instead of the three assembles over!!

 

This is the leotard I went for in the end (in the blue) :

http://www.movedancewear.com/leotards-move_zia_backless_turtleneck_leotard/4296/

 

I got a bit excited and bought a few options, but this was my favourite! Not great if you need a bra but the material is nice.

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Fingers crossed for everyone awaiting results!

How is everyone getting on with exam prep? We had to confirm this week if we were entering for the Inter exam in the March exam session or not. The 5 teenagers in my class are doing it then , but the two of us who are  mature dancers are putting it off till June-July. I think we would probably be ok by March, but the other lady is worried because she feels she doesn't really know the exercises thoroughly yet and I feel my pointe work in particular has a long way to go, so more time and work can only be beneficial. And we will be having semi-private lesson once the others have taken the exam. However I have finally cracked Allegro 2 and I'm especially pleased with how my variation is coming along. Now I need to get those double pirouettes and pose turns sorted. I've been through a patch of frustration with myself and have come out the other side but I realise now that I have a problem with confidence that is literally holding me back. It's stopping me from really stepping out on those poses  and it's also the major block in pointe work especially on one foot. It's a kind of physical insecurity/fear as much as a mental one, like a fear of falling.

xx

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  • 2 weeks later...

Results are in!!! And I am very very happy :) Still no mark for Grade 6 because I didn't have that class today, I'll find out tomorrow. But for Intermediate Foundation I got 78% distinction! I got 8 for everything except pointe and variation technique so I know what to work on for next year, probably not a coincidence that those were at the end of the exam when I was getting tired.

 

Good luck to everyone yet to sit their exam, or still waiting for results :) 

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12 hours ago, Viv said:

Results are in!!! And I am very very happy :) Still no mark for Grade 6 because I didn't have that class today, I'll find out tomorrow. But for Intermediate Foundation I got 78% distinction! I got 8 for everything except pointe and variation technique so I know what to work on for next year, probably not a coincidence that those were at the end of the exam when I was getting tired.

 

Good luck to everyone yet to sit their exam, or still waiting for results :) 

well done Viv 

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21 hours ago, Viv said:

Results are in!!! And I am very very happy :) Still no mark for Grade 6 because I didn't have that class today, I'll find out tomorrow. But for Intermediate Foundation I got 78% distinction! I got 8 for everything except pointe and variation technique so I know what to work on for next year, probably not a coincidence that those were at the end of the exam when I was getting tired.

 

Good luck to everyone yet to sit their exam, or still waiting for results :) 

 

Huge congratulations! a Distinction is an amazing achievement.

 

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Thank you everyone :) Distinction for Grade 6 too which I think is a miracle considering my shoe fell off! One of the other girls in my exam got 100% so the examiner may have been so dazzled by her she didn't notice my many inadequacies :lol:

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