Pas de Quatre

Are we only talking full length ballets? What about Christopher Bruce's work, Swansong, about the interrogation of a prisoner by two brutal guards. Very modern and highly relevant today. Dracula is the end of the 19th Century so doesn't really count, although there are two versions currently in production, Northern Ballet and Mark Bruce company.

Thanks - isn't memory tricky. Off the top of my head I remembered the dates as being closer than that!

Yes I too went to performances in the big top many years ago - London & Cambridge. Any chance for dancers to perform should be welcome, I don't think it is a retrograde step for companies to appear at Festivals, the reverse if anything. By the way, when I saw the topic header I thought the thread was going to be about the ballet sections at Music Competition Festivals.Mmy mistake, but others might assume the same and not read on.

I would need to do some research to check the dates, but wasn't the renaming of LFB to ENB also connected to the relocation of Western Theatre Ballet to Glasgow and its renaming as Scottish Ballet? Thus both England and Scotland would have their own National companies in addition to RB.

ENB's dance for Parkinsons is also at Pavilion Dance South West in Bournemouth.

In July 2008, 2009 & 2010 I had pupils who were in Senior Associates (top class) perform at the Saturday matinees of Central School's summer performances. These were at the Unicorn Theatre. As far as I know Associates haven't been included again until this year.

But you never know - we might plant an idea that will take root!

Not just in RAD circles, Susan Robinson has a very good reputation overall and has had numerous students go on to Vocational schools and professional careers. She also guest teaches on various courses such as Dance Forward.

Helpop - no I have never left a dancer performance before the end. This whole idea of giving points started when DH and I were seeing various student choreographic competitions at Vocational schools. We just started giving our own marks as we went along to see if we had chosen the prize winners. It was then a simple step to say to each other, for example "I would have given it 8, but deducted a mark for excessive meaningful writhing, so only 7!"

Me too - it sounds such a fun event!

Still thinking of a move to the south, what about Bournemouth? They already have a dance hub in Pavilion Dance South West, which is housed in newly converted space in the lower levels of The Pavilion Theatre. The main theatre itself has a large stage and traditional flytower, just some of the backstage operations need updating. There is already Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (although at present it is based at Poole Lighthouse which has a medium sized theatre and a separate concert hall within the same building. BSO seems to act in some sort of partnership with Bristol, as all the concerts are repeated in both towns. So within the connurbation there are three excellent theatres, large, medium and small. ENB could still mount full size classics, but smaller offshoots could produce works at the other theatres ready for touring! There is a very strong feeling locally that the BSO is "our orchestra" and is well supported - perhaps ENB should look to this sort of model!

I have no personal experience of BATD, but two good schools in this area (Dorset) use their syllabus. As ever I suppose it is the quality of the teacher that counts, rather than the exam board.

As we have no classical companies based in the South, how about moving to Southampton - ENB regularly appears at The Mayflower. It is a thriving city with good transport, by rail, air & sea but still not too far from London!

Many moons ago when ENB was still called Festival Ballet, they were obliged by their charter to hold an open audition every year. This was before they had their own school. So I, along with over a hundred other dancers, took part a couple of times. As far as anyone could see, nobody was ever offered a contract from this audition. The rumour was that dancers at RBS had already been seen in their class, and routinely they were offered the jobs. So would holding an open audition really help? Most auditions these days are by invitation only. With the advent of electronic communication, applicants send a CV, personal statement and photos and/or video. Just getting an audition sometimes seems a triumph!

Why not buy one of the RAD's dictionaries of ballet vocabulary. Then you are sure that it is the exact terminology. Within the ballet world there are often different names for the same thing, or the same word can mean slightly different things

Shouldn't your teacher be covering this?

Well said Tulip! Whenever one of my pupils joins an Associate scheme I always warn them, pupil and parents, to be very careful about what they might hear in the dressing room and if in doubt to clarify it with the teacher there or with me. Sometimes there can be misinformation by accident - something misheard or misunderstood but repeated and embellished, and sometimes sadly it would seem there are intentional put-downs. Every Associate scheme is keen to work with pupils' local teachers and keep them informed. Very occasionally I have heard of cases where an Associate is advised to change their local teacher, but this is rare.

Yes, I have been watching Contemporary Dance since i was young. First it was Rambert and London Contemporary Dance Co as home grown companies with visits to UK of overseas ones such as NDT, Alvin Ailey etc. DH just gets dragged along, but has developed quite a discerning eye. Now we have Richard Alston, Mark Bruce, Matthew Bourne to name some high profile companies, but with the growth of many new smaller contemporary dance companies, and the establishment of Dance hubs, such as The Point in Eastleigh and Pavilion Dance Southwest (to name my closest ones,) there are many more things to see. What limits my theatre visits is timing. Like most dance teachers I have classes after school and am often busy at the weekends, so I can't get to everything, but have seen quite a lot this year. When I say contempt for the audience, it is probably the choreographers rather than the dancers, but I include shouting and haranguing the audience, climbing over them whether dancers are clothed, or even in the nude as in one production this year. Choreographers should remember that in general the audience is on their side - after all they have come of their own free will to watch, and probably paid good money for a ticket too!

Good old-fashioned laundry pens work well. Otherwise stick on labels for everything. DD has experienced the same in the past. However, as a teacher I am always finding forgotten unlabelled items. No matter how often I ask nobody says it is theirs! If there is a clear name I know who to return it to.

As DD is now focusing on contemporary, DH and I have sat through many works over the last few years, both student and professional shows. We have consequently devised a penalty system whereby a piece loses marks if displaying too much of any of the following. - slapping the back wall in angst (well known school has a wall in the theatre often used in this way) - slapping the floor - excessive meaningful writhing - slow motion without a reason e.g. Rites of War recently used it very effectively to denote soldiers crossing a minefield. In other pieces recently seen, it can take several minutes to sit down or walk across the stage for no apparent reason - treating the audience with contempt - excessively loud "music"or sound and/or blinding lights directed into the audience - this is not a third degree interrogation That's just a few for starters. Anyone else got anything to add? However, inspite of this jokey list, there is some wonderful contemporary dance around. Classics are classics because the duff pieces have been forgotten. With new work you can't strike gold everytime! So there are bound to be some less satisfying works as well as excellent ones.

have copied and pasted this from Tina's leaflet. Hope this is ok moderators. I have no connection except that DD and several of my pupils have done this for several years. HIghly recommended for all ages. Summer Ballet Workshop Week 2014 With Tina Marsh BA Hons N.A.T.D at the Regent Centre, Christchurch ‘Coppelia- From-Scratch’ 28th July to 2nd August This enjoyable workshop week gives dancers aged 8-21 the chance to experience daily ballet classes and rehearsals taught by professional dancers, culminating in a unique performance of the popular ballet ‘Coppelia’ on stage. A truly rewarding experience… Dancers will have fun and equal participation; receive expert tuition; meet new people, further their performance skills and their passion for ballet and the theatre. Back by popular demand, these workshops have been hugely successful in Dorset for many years and are designed to support and enhance your regular ballet training. Tina Marsh is a professional dancer with over 10 years performance experience with a number of ballet and contemporary companies. She is also an experienced and fully qualified teacher. Timetable Mon – Fri 11am - 3.30pm Juniors & Seniors Saturday 11am - 2pm Juniors & Seniors (performance 2.30pm) The cost of this course is only £140 per dancer. Places are strictly limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Please complete the form below and send with a cheque to: Tina Marsh, 19 Greenhill Rd, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2RF For more information please call Tina Marsh on 07903 753167 or email tina.marsh@hotmail.co.uk

No, they store the cases on site. Then they bring them out in good time at the end of term so they can be packed and the rooms cleared, so they can be used for residential events during the holidays. (Unless it has all changed).

Thanks for posting that - a very interesting read. It would appear that ballet is alive & well!

How uncharitable to imply that some of those moving to Upper School aren't good enough. And further to imply that whether Christopher Powney were involved or not, that Jay Jolley (Acting Director in the interim) and the rest of the audition panel weren't discerning enough! This was supposed to be a joyful thread celebrating the success of young dancers, not a nit-picking one! Edited to add last sentence.

Yes, but I had understood he visited before taking up his post full time.