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Stirrups36

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Everything posted by Stirrups36

  1. DS never a JA, although did audition. Placed into Elmhurst and wait list for RBS in year 7. Now been at Elmhurst for 7 years.
  2. any specific questions - ask away - DM if you wish . DS (age 18) and friend is doing it again this year (3 weeks only due to clash of school ending dates). it will be his 4th time!
  3. Yes, I am happy to answer PMs as well. And we combined pickups with family holiday for a year or two (this will be DSs 4th time there!). Take a look at the YouTube channel as there are loads of videos, of the teaching as well as the shows. So you can see pretty much exactly how it is. As you can tell, we have nothing but praise, with some caveats I suppose. We were worried the first day he phoned us, walking round on his own on the campus area on his own at 14 years old. But everything was fine. That year, he ended up sharing a suite of rooms with 3 lads including a 24 year old soloist (now principal) with a US company! Not sure that would have happened anywhere else! But great experience.
  4. They have a variety of students, not that many over 20. most between 14 and 20. Not all vocational either. It is truly international and my DS (who did his first one there at 14, which is probably the very lowest age limit really) has made loads of friends from it around the world. Great teaching as well.
  5. Finally got round to sorting out summer schools - looks like it's 3 weeks at SIBA in Salzburg - which gives us an excuse to have a couple of days there as well!(missing week 1 because of school not ending) and a week at OPES.
  6. There are a really good set of facebook posts by Graham Watts that have video of the various sections and also the results. 22 dancers out of 165 who started the process were called for discussions with Directors - although that doesn't mean they definitely got a contract. Only 1 UK dancer got through. Congratulations Eloise Hazlewood. Here's the link to his facebook page. Scroll down for all the different posts. Edited to add, there is also a Grand Audition facebook page. The final list of company directors present is as follows: Filip Barankiewicz (Czech National Ballet) Kenneth Greve (Finnish National Ballet) Charles Jude (Ballet de L'Opera Bordeaux) Ingrid Lorentzen (Norwegian National Ballet) Kaloyan Boyadjiev (Norwegian National Ballet II) Michael Messeser (Mikhailovsky Ballet) Gennadi Nedvigen (Atlanta Ballet) Aida Orillac (on behalf of Ballet Nacional de Panama) Ruta Butviliene (Lithuanian National Ballet)
  7. online schools can work well. Here's my eldest daughter talking about Interhigh on TV a couple of years ago. http://bit.ly/2j26cqx Note. I have no relationship with them at all! There are good points and bad points - as with all education I suppose. Now, if you wanted some online maths... but then I would REALLY be breaking forum rules!
  8. Home school thread might be needed... also consider the 'online school' options as well. Such as www.interhigh.co.uk, which one of my children used for a while.
  9. if only... I thought it was too good to be true - £58 million a year, doubling the current allocation. so, a few days later Nick Gibb confirmed in Parliament that there is no extra money for MDS, it just stays the same - here's his written answer. The press release was wrong and that money isn't 'additional'. But hey, £29 million, £58 million, £350 million, who's counting???
  10. Just trying to destress the situation. I have heard from an artistic directors mouth, that the photos are just an aide memoire for the auditions. so don't get too stressed out with perfection or costly portfolios. Everyone gets an initial audition anyway and that is what is important. (Graduation portfolio photos are another matter!) As for our photos the past, All have been done on a phone. For lower school, we bought a 'doing ballet' book and tried to make sure he looked as much like the relevant photos as possible. It seemed to work.
  11. "In particular, the company now offers a Vitamin D testing and supplementation programme to its dancers - in response to a growing body of research suggesting that indoor athletes may be more at risk of health problems and injuries than sports professionals who train and perform outside. Dancers like Avis, who see little daylight, routinely spending 12 hours a day in the theatre, now undergo a twice annual blood test to check vitamin D levels, with high dose monthly supplements prescribed for those who are found to be deficient. During the summer months, all company members are strongly advised to spend 15-20 minutes daily exposing their skin to the sun, on the outside terraces at Covent Garden’s magnificent Opera House, the company’s London home. Greg Retter, Clinical Director of the Royal Ballet’s healthcare programme, says that international research involving several dance companies including the Royal Ballet, is looking at whether increased Vitamin D levels can deliver better jump-height, fewer coughs and colds, shorter recovery time after injury and improved bone health." and https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/29/vitamin-d-ballet-dancers-injury
  12. Throat infection and antibiotics means return will be Wed Not today... But as last time he had a throat infection, it ended up as a Quinsy throat, best to be safe not sorry! Have a good term all, especially all those starting a new school. And their parents.
  13. David from http://www.davetriesballet.com/ was based in Bath. He might have some more ideas. But also some similar stories...
  14. Thinking about this a little more, I agree that private lessons are a good idea - before vocational school, extra lessons was where the money went. (And I include the extra costs such as travel, food etc). But better value than summer school. And yes, that did mean coping with different teachers, different styles. And it was all about technique. No splits at 11 years old for example, but at 16... Splits like there is no tomorrow! To be perfectly frank, if private lessons are needed whilst at vocational school... Change the school!
  15. I think any extra money we have went on associate schemes, summer schools, and specific boys courses. For the price of a performance course, your daughter could have done Some weekend or longer summer courses. For younger ones, associate schemes are a great indicator (although not infallible).
  16. ALWAYS ask and explain your position. You will not be the first, and by no means will be the last. Any decent organisation will have something in place, be it instalments or reduced means tested fees. If they don't, I would look elsewhere. Ballet, as also other activities, is sometimes a good example of the 'Matthew effect'. I.e. To those who have, more will be given
  17. I am another Elmhurst Parent and my son loved the chance to take a role on the Friday in what is indeed a very sophisticated ballet - Elite Syncopations. The whole show is a learning experience - from the performances right back to initial rehearsals, dress rehearsals, casting, being cast, not being cast! timing of entrances and such like. Remember, they are still learning. It was 3 hours long, but I also remember complaints from vocational school parents that they never see their children dance (i know you were not complaining Billyelliot). Whatever method is used will always be some form of compromise. But when a year 7 parent, it was great to see what will be done in future. Now a 6.1 parent, we enjoyed remembering the first steps 6 years ago and seeing those starting the journey. Indeed, part of the learning experience may well be that performances after the last night of school (for some, their last night at Elmhurst), with the lack of sleep that entails are unlikely to be the best! It was a unique one-off to have the last performance after the last night of school and I am not sure it will be scheduled that way in future. It was difficult for many reasons. With respect to the Jazz, as nanalily, I have never felt it to be the best part of Elmhurst. But then, there is plenty of other provision for those wanting to spend more time on jazz or musical theatre. It will never be Elmhurst, which is quite openly a classical ballet school and increasing the 'classic-ness' (whilst keeping versatility and also strengthening the contemporary). Congratulations to all involved.
  18. Just to say that my teenage son was in the audience and thought it was really good. No more details unfortunately, but then, that's just the way it is... 'Really good' is praise indeed.
  19. We didn't choose vocational school for the academics. Like Billy above, with a boy, vocational school makes everything a lot easier ballet-wise. Being 'in education' means I do see there are different options and routes and I have no doubts that even though being at a state school would have meant more top grades, the benefits of being at vocational school, if a contract doesn't materialise in due course, would enable him to do a whole range of things. For me though, money would be a big decider. If we had a girl dancer, training options nearby are MUCH more possible and that might make the difference for a family as a whole, as well as for the daughter. Finally, as my son says 'I'm going to be a dancer... What do I need A levels for?'... > Edited to say, that was supposed to be an 'ironic' emoji
  20. Take him to a class this week! I am pretty sure any classes will love to have more boys. If you're worried about what others might say (it sounds to me like you aren't really sure about him doing ballet) see if there's a class in a nearby town that accepts boys. I think I would say try to find a class/school that knows how to treat boys. Don't bother about the other things to prepare for ballet, the ballet will prepare for other things.
  21. My glass is always half full... Maybe they got employment BECAUSE they trained in the UK! I have heard it said that some company directors like to see 'British style' rather than 'Russian style' all the time (and yes, I do realise there are a lot of assumptions and possible stereotypes in that sentence) Edited to add: we have a family member who was given a performing contract overseas recently and a number of those (not British) not given a contract were moaning to the audition director that it was unfair a British performer got chosen again! There was even a 'sit-in' at the end of one of the 'cuts'. Which I don't think helped their chances.
  22. Thanks David, sounds really interesting. This link might work though as the other one didn't. https://www.facebook.com/Grand-Audition-Dance-811179605661416
  23. Well done to him - see you at the Elms in September.
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