Pas de Quatre

Yes I was watching it too Tulip. It was good on the whole, but certain bits were irritating. My main gripe is that we got such short snippets of dance so you would just be getting into it when they cut to other shots. Even the final show suffered from switching between cameras every few bars and a roving camera. It was very hard to appreciate the full impact of the choreography. I also really dislike the way they build up the drama before cutting numbers of people. I know it is the fashion in tv these days but I makes me feel like a voyeur. Having said that, Michael and Billy are an amazingly talented pair and amassed a company of very talented dancers. Keep an eye on their website. DD did a day long workshop with them last year and loved it. She was also going to do a week's summer school but it was cancelled (they were very prompt with returning payment). In general. these days very few companies want only classical technique, most want dancers who are strong in contemporary too. Just look at the dancers in Prix de Lausanne.

Sorry Trog can't agree with you over Suspiria. I have to admit I couldn't watch it all the way through as I thought it was sick (in the true meaning of the word not the modern kids way of approval). In fact I thought it had the same merits as Black Swan, i.e. none!

You are right, it will first be examined in 2015. Dates for Vocational exam sessions will be published a few months ahead - as they are currently.

Excellent news. Congratulations - it seems a perfect fit!

No there is definitely no overlap. All exams in 2014 will be the current AF and Adv 1. The new versions were launched this autumn so teachers can already use this in their teaching, but it will not be examined until 2015.

Something you might like to consider Ellie is the changeover dates for the RAD Syllabus. The current AF and Adv 1 will only be examined until December 2014. The new Syllabii will be examined from January 2015. So it rather depends on when your school is going to change its classes. The new exam content is rather complicated, with each exercise being very "choreographed" so they will take a long time to learn.

I don't think it will really make any difference to her chances in the audition if she does a summer school elsewhere. Also, as it is so different from normal life at WL it might even put her off the idea of going there.

Didn't anyone at the Bolshoi see "The House" about ROH, or the documentary about ENB (can't remember the title offhand), both of which exposed more than perhaps the organisations were expecting!

Exactly - you have to be pretty special just to get into PdL. I have watched Lauretta grow and mature over several years and think she is lovely, I saw her dance Gulnare in Southampton. Although she is a little older than my dd, they were on summer courses together & she was already remarkable as a student. It may be that people entering from a partner school are not wishing to change schools, but just hope to win a scholarship to pay the fees where they are. The schools then benefit from the exposure and may see the number of applicants rise. When Bruce Sansom was Director of Central School and also on the Prix jury, they had many overseas applicants for the school. There still are, but I don't think as many.

Things have changed a lot since Darcey's day. The prizes are scholarships for the younger dancers and apprenticeships for the older ones. It is fairly comprehensively explained on PdL's own website. However, it is an amazing opportunity for all participants to train and rehearse with world class teachers and choreographers. It really is a case of taking part being nearly as important as winning. ENB's Lauretta Summerscales didn't make it through to the finals - but look how well she is doing now!

I know a very talented young lady aged 18 who has just started in Yr 1.

Pour it over ice cream!

I don't think the "unspoken threat" is fanciful. Sylvie Guillaume earned the nickname "Mademoiselle Non" because she dared to say no to the powers that be. If she didn't want to do a role for whatever reason she would refuse. This was totally unheard of, dancers are supposed to do what they are told, even Principals, and be grateful for any roles. She could do it because she was so strong minded, famous and very much in control of her own career. She knew she could go anywhere in the world. For lesser mortals this isn't the case.

Actually in the photo of "Sous Apparence" the girls are wearing flesh coloured leotards on top. The girl with pink rope is wearing is fairly opaque one, whereas the other girl's seems semi transparent.

I have no problem with nudity if it is entirely voluntary. The audience can then decide whether or not they wish to buy a ticket. However, can you picture the pressure on young dancers if they are uneasy about stripping off? I can imagine they would be anxious about future casting or career prospects if they refused.

No it isn't. In fact there is a film of it with NDT (possibly on Youtube) where from a long shot the dancers look splendid with their red bottom halves, but as the camera comes in closer you realise that even the slimmest dancers can't get rid of the jiggle factor and to my mind it looks silly. In the 1960/70s NDT produced a nude ballet and John Percival a major critic at the time damned it by saying men shouldn't dance nude unless they had control of every part of their anatomy.

Response to music is certainly marked, not just timing, but interpretation and dynamics too.

I have just copied and pasted this from the RAD as they were all Genée finalists - with regard to contracts with Scottish Ballet for the Hansel and Gretal production. "Pascal Johnson has been engaged by the company on a temporary contract, whilst Katie Rogers and Natasha Watson (Genée bronze medallist) are on student secondment from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Ballet West respectively."

If possible I would suggest getting the written syllabus - even on the DVD there are little mistakes and blending of the timing so it is not absolutely clear which count it is meant to be.

Delighted to hear your DS has made such a good recovery. With regard to the hip problem - I have a 15 year old girl pupil who has had a similar problem due to a late rapid growth spurt. She has been seen by her GP who referred her to a consultant but they couldn't find anything wrong structurally. She was given some exercises to help by a physio who fortunately had been a dancer, so knew the demands of ballet technique, and the general conclusion was the same as for your DS, just work through it and eventually it will ease.

To be honest I have found some of these ballets which are supposed to be "pushing the boundaries" end up being rather repetitive and boring. It reminds me of some of the more outrageous modern comedians - they haven't anything clever or original to say, so they just use shock tactics to get a response.

Brilliant news!

The Pasha in Corsaire does too.

There is a difference because Grades 1-3 are the new syllabus, Grades 4 & 5 are still the old one, the new one for those two will be released in January.

Firebird.