hfbrew

Even my little dwarf bunny has a cold, vets put him on oral antibiotics! - thats going to be fun....

I once saw a class of WL students do 32 each on pointe- they were all 15/16 and had done gcses earlier in the day!

Yes thanks Spanner&pony,DS had in his words an amazing time.He is being taught by Mr Williams.Xx

Brilliant. Absolutely fabulous teacher and one of the reasons why DS nearly chose to continue his training at Central. And he also helped one of my male students enormously, he genuinely cares about his students.

I too have been, in my opinion, wrongly judged as snobbish thanks to my very distinctive voice (people always know its me on the phone!!). Its a legacy of brummy mum, southern dad, Worcestershire childhood and years of speech therapy!

 

Whenever I go to any event it really doesn't bother me who sits near me as long as I can enjoy whatever it is I've paid to see! And like others on this forum, I've really enjoyed meeting other ballet fans from all walks of life - we are all human beings at the end of the day and it would never occur to me to not go to anything because of "haughty,over weight, middle aged ladies!!" ( That probably describes me by appearance and sound anyway ).

I don't thimk that objecting to bad manners is snobbish wherever you are, be it cinema, theme park, theatre, football match etc. If people have paid to see any event they have the right to be able to enjoy it. I have to wear hearing aids which means that the sound of sweet packets, crisps etc is magnified horrendously if eaten behind me and can make me jumpy.

 

I am very curious as to what ballet Blondies family have seen if they think only middle aged haughty women go!! Obviously not much. which is sad.. I have been to performances where its obvious that some people have dressed to the nines as it were (nothing wrong in that) and others have, like me,been very comfortable in jeans (although mine don't fit anymore!!) . Anything goes as far as I'm concened. I am there to watch a performance not members of the audience.

 

My son has described how awful it is dancing for disinterested people so he scans the audience for at least one audience member who is obviously engaged- in one case it was a group of enthusiastic nuns!

 

Incidently my own family (incuding my mum!) never made the effort to see me perform professionally but this was simply because it didn't occur to them as they just weren't that enamoured with dance. They have been more supportive of my son though. I know of several people who will now make the effort to see more ballet thanks to seeing my son's company but I can honestly say that the reason that they didn't go before was not through any preconception about the people they 'd be sitting among.

 

And if I think something is good, I will cheer- much to the horror of my sister who said thet you couldn't do so at a Ballet! Says who? Although obviously one does have to pick the right moment....

 

Hope you enjoy watching your son Blondie, and good luck with trying to get more family support- at least your son does have you, the most important family member there!

My boss did a law degree at Liverpool (I think) and continued dance training at Merseyside Dance and Drama.

Covent Garden is where all London RBS associates are held.

Thats where we first saw them and every single one signed our programme and gave my son some much needed encouragement at the time! I was sadly rather snooty about going but was converted as soon as the curtain rose - yes they were funny but also very talented and respectful of ballet too!

Thrilled for you Lildance, I hope your daughter is enjoying the fab teachers at Tring.

 

The sets are very well explained by Tulip. But just to clarify the students get placed where it is felt they will most benefit- I have seen fabulous dancers there for example who are very capable of all the classical work but are in the "jazz£ group so as to maximise their potential. All the students do ballet regardless. And moving sets is not unknown- both ex students of mine who are there; successfully requested a move haviing had the common sense to work really hard and communicate directly with staff.

 

All the students are talented, regardless of sets- many who are not in a purely classical set are still on DaDas, they have just been placed where it is felt that they can get the best training for them.

This is great Julie! Hmm, think another journey to Estonia beckons....

Ok. Well first and foremost its best to ask the school direct about this- especially scholarships which I think are more for musical theatre but couldn't swear to it. And I don't know what they are worth anyway!

 

MDS is means tested. If you go to Royal Ballet School website and click on the auditions part of the site you will see a section at the top of the page labelled fees and ffinancial assistance. This page has a table on it illustrating the amounts payable per level of income. so for example if you earn less than a few thousand you don't pay anything but if you are earning hundreds of thousands you have no financial assistance!

 

Obviously the table is a guide to fees only. Tring are far more generous with the MDS award than RBS in that it awards a clothing allowance,music lessons and health insurance too.

But they are coming to the Lowry. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :D

 

Thanks for posting the link Alison.

Lucky you! I thought it would be a time to visit relatives but the dates are slap bang in the middle of a teaching week...oh why aren't they coming to London! I just hope they get the audiences they deserve!!

Well I had a student get accepted into 2nd year SA s after years of SWL and a straightfoward no for 1st year SA (she was a JA prior to that).

 

Did you enjoy the experience last time? If you did and felt it worth the expense to at least get a class in that environment then I feel that even if you are not successful then it won't be a waste of time, especially if you come out of it feeling that you acquitted yourself better than before. And if you don't go you definately won't get in!!!

 

However if you didn't really get that much out of it last time then perhaps the money would be better spent on a summer school or new pointe shoes or something!

Yes, the ROH used to allow access members far more generous discounts and a companion at the same rate but now they insist you have to be on benefits to qualify. It has effectively stopped me going so often as I feel that an organisation that gets such a large chunk of public funding should be more generous to its disabled customers .Not everyone qualifies for benefit but that doesn't mean an adequate income if you need special arrangements such as a companion. The Coliseum is definately more enlightened in this respect as is Sadlers Wells. In fact even my local theatres offer discounts and they are probably less able to afford to do so than ROH!

As far as I could tell it was by ability first and foremost but with age a consideration also. The lists were displayed on arrival and there was a note to say that the directors decision was final! There are plenty of photos on the website so you can see the size and quality (for want of a better word!) of the groups.

My son did this two years ago, and yes the classes were very big. He had the time of his life though, got some lovely encouragement and he particularly enjoyed the social aspect!

 

I will say though that I noticed that by the end of the week (he was only there for the one week) most of the girls still had to wear their name badges whereas the boys were already known by name. I also observed a few classes where some people did not even get a glance in their direction never mind some attention, whereas others got lots! However these classes were large and it was "whole class" teaching with some excellent exercises nonetheless.

 

Its certainly very good experience, especially for those not yet in full time vocational school. As many who attend are from White Lodge, Elmhurst and other vocational schools its a chance for those not in the system as it were to dance alongside them and get an idea of where they are standard wise as well as getting to know like minded serious students.

I have seen Northern Ballet on numerous occasions and the State Russian Ballet of Siberia (think I've remembed the name!) at Milton Keynes theatre. Unfortunately moved to a seaside town and although we have theatres not much ballet.

Its such a shame when theatres don't show ballet but then again it could be that when they did it was not well supported. For example someone I know who went to see Ballet Theatre UK in Rhyll was heartbroken to see it less than half full. But I have it on good authority that they sold less than 100 for another visiting Ballet company! Needless to say that Theatre is now not on the touring list. So goes the saying, if you don't use it you lose it.

 

One of my friends canvassed her local theatre with the result that Ballet Theatre UK are now visiting Dorchester for the first time ever in December. So if you are anywhere near do go and support it. If its a success, you never know the Theatre may well bring more dance to the area!

 

And Julie you are so right about trips, it does at least get students to see the Ballet. Although like you I can not understand why parents pay for ballet lessons but somehow don't view ballet as acceptable adult entertainment! But sadly the red tape surrounding children is indeed a nightmare.

 

Incidently,going back to original post, my son got paid yesterday. Now its not great but it pays his rent and leaves enough to live on provided he doesn't over indulge on biscuits lol. But I had a text today saying that rehearsals were hard, he was sore but he LOVES the new ballet (Christmas Carol.) Contrast that with dh who had to leave for work at 5.30 am and had to deal with the aftermath of two suicides before lunch.... No prizes for guessing which person is happiest with their lot!

That should really be "thinks he can't because of the prices" - a "fact" which is reinforced every time a newspaper or something quotes top prices at the ROH and doesn't mention the bottom ones, which are still around the £5 mark for the Royal Ballet. Oh, I know that some people will turn up their noses at the view/seat you get for the money, but the question ultimately is: "How much do you want to see the ballet?" If you want it enough and that's all you can budget for, surely you'll go if you know seats are available at that price? (Leaving aside questions of whether you feel comfortable enough to visit the place).

 

I've mentioned this before, but in the good ole days pre-closure when the ROH used to send copies of its booking leaflets out to libraries, I used to pick them up and think what a tempting bill XYZ sounded. I never actually looked at the prices, because of course "everyone knew" that they were extortionate. Then one day I did, and went: "What do you mean I could have been getting (now) central amphitheatre tickets for £6 all this time?!!!" I really regretted all the years I hadn't been going because I'd just relied on hearsay about prices.

I so agree with this. It really is possible to see ballet at a far more reasonable cost than many shows and plays. Obviously the time and cost of travelling is a factor if you want to come into London but why not then support Ballet companies visiting local venues? For example I've seen both Northern and ENB/Flawless at the excellent Waterside theatre in Aylesbury which is only a 30-40 min drivefrom me and parking is excellent. And theatres even closer to me have a Russian company visiting (with orchestra!) , Vienna Festival Ballet and the very high standard Ballet Theatre UK. I get quite frustrated that my students and their families seem quite disinterested in going even though they are regular ballet students. All of my local theatres offer discounts to children and students unlike many London venues.

 

Having said that I have often sat right at the back of ROH for far less money than local theatres and enjoyed a day out in London into the bargain! I personally like being far enough away to see the patterns of the corps de ballet!

Having just helped DS move into a flat (he really has gone this time!) I just got home and spent a nostalgic half hour looking through our letters file from 8/9 years ago starting from the "waiting list " letter for associates through to the acceptance place for WL then new parents info and term dates of that time. It brought back so many memories and was a reflection of his journey to date.

 

May I suggest that you parents who are just starting this journey do the same? Wherever the journey takes you I am sure you would find it fascinating in a few years time. I'm not suggesting wallowing in the past but I know for example how much I regret not having similar records of landmarks in my life, I even threw away most of my programmes and scripts from my performance days as I unfortunately didn't realise memories fade with time!

 

But right now I am so proud to be able to reflect on how a boy turned into a lovely young man- he has amazingly already rung this evening!

 

Hope all students everywhere enjoy the first weeks.Well I hope you all enjoy it all, but those first steps are particularly excitng so please, for your sakes write diaries and keep records!

And holding such events such as the one unveiling the Range Rover may well bring more patrons to the cash strapped Ballet World too! Its not compromising the students (who are not even there), will bring some much needed income to the school (surely this will help keep fees under control) and perhaps enlighten and educate more people about White Lodge. Shouldn't ballet be made accessible to everyone?

 

I wouldn't mind hiring out my garden to unveil new cars...

back to evenings sitting by the phoning waiting for a verbal snapshot of the day.

Huh, you'll be lucky!!

 

 

(says one who waited in vain night after night...)

This is an interesting topic. Recently I met Stephen Houghton who was a guest teacher at a Summer school I co run. Now he trained as a musical theatre dancer and has ended up having acting roles due to the right people spotting him at the right time. He was in Coronation Street for a while and would probably be quite cross to have it suggested to him that that meant he isn't a good actor!

 

His advice to our young students was to keep up the dance training because it takes years of years training from a young age to reach an acceptable level to become a professional dancer. Someone who has done years of drama training will not usually be able to dance whereas a good professional dancer may well be able to act!

 

But the performing arts business is difficult for everyone regardless of genre.

I think the two schools are as good as each other. Both are steeped in history. I would have been just as happy if Heather had have auditioned for the Vaganova, however we only did the Bolshoi. The two Russian teachers in Bristol trained at both these schools, chika for Vaganova and Yury Bolshoi Academy. I also think that the training and standards of the Royal Ballet School are just as good as these two.

The film of Isabella was beautiful, thankyou for posting it. She looked very at home . What struck me though was how uniform all the dancers look, you can see why the corps de ballet of Russian companies is so strong. But I agree about the training and standards at the Royal Ballet school being just as good, having watched classes at all levels many times. I remember some years ago watching a group of year 11s a year or so older than my ds all performing 32 fouettes en pointe perfectly easily despite being right in the middle of their gcses (maybe they wre dancing for joy!)

When my ds was at White Lodge I dreamt that I'd joined in year 7 and was desperately trying to convince the teachers that I wasn't a plump middle aged woman but a beautifully petite 11 year old!

 

Prior to my sons audition there I dreamt that I gatecrashed the event and danced on the panels table. My son reported having the same dream although he called it a nightmare!

I think many companies would love to pay their dancers more but are struggling as it is. They depend on audiences to back them. Unforttunately there is this perception that ballet is expensive but in actual fact it costs less than many sporting events , music concerts and shows! Even family theme parks can be more expensive. I personally prefer to watch ballet from above , quite far away and have as a result rarely paid more than £25 even at the Royal Opera House.

 

Now I've witnessed my son's valiant company taking an extremely high standard of ballet out into the wilds of the UK performing to half full theatres I have definately seen the other side of the coin and I promised myself to make a more concerted effort to support dance groups coming to local theatres.You don't have to go to London to see good productions! For example at one of the local theatres a trip to the ballet cost only £10 for children under 16 whereas most London theatre don't offer half price for children.

 

Obviously different companies vary in their contracts and some treat their dancers better than others. My ds is one of the lucky ones, yes the pay is low but the director has been very proactive in finding very reasonable accomodation during rehearsals and all accomodation is paid for once the company is on tour. Ds managed to save money last season!

 

The sad fact is that the majority of people in the performing arts do not make money. I always make that quite clear to my students. If you want to be rich financially then don't dance! If however dancing makes you happy and you don't mind living in tiny rooms (lets face it many dancers only go home to sleep as they are out all day anyway) then enjoy it while you can. Most dancers careers are short lived anyway so there is plenty of time later on to look at other more lucrative career options.

 

I'm not well off. But I have a very fulfilling career, its such a privilege to be involved in so many young people's lives. And years ago I was earning a very paltry (even then) £22 per week as a dancer. But guess what I had an absolute ball! And I didn't feel exploited as the entire company was in the same predicament- we depended on people paying to see us. I'm smiling now thinking of the fun we had..

 

I do agree that it would be good if all dancers were better paid but this is only going to happen if they can frequently attract good audiences. Even the big companies are struggling at the moment. Unless people support them then there may come a sad day when there won't be any ballet to watch and future jobs for our young dancers to aspire to. But maybe us people on Ballet.co who do know that there is more to dance than The Nutcracker could start to make a difference by encouraging more people to go to the ballet, especially when companies visit local theatres. If we don't use them, we will lose them!

 

Edited to say no disrespect to the Nutcracker but it does frustrate me as a teacher that many of my students and their families don't realise how rich and varied the Ballet repertoire is!