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Dance*is*life

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  1. We have been sending two students to them for some years now to the summer course and every student has loved the courses. I've also watched myself a few times when they were in York. Excellent course and very high standard of participants.
  2. Are there any performing arts day schools still in existence? I spent 4 wonderful years in one and revelled in it. Obviously the education couldn't compare to the grammar school I was at before , but I got to dance instead of playing hockey 😊! Also the all round performing arts training, with an emphasis on high level classical ballet, gave me a lot of options for career choices. There was no way I would have boarded away from home at 11, so for me this was the perfect alternative. I went to RBS Upper School at 16 also non boarding. Interestingly, in my day anyone coming from White Lodge only needed two years training at US (I had three) and were pretty much guaranteed to get into Graduates which fed into the company. Of course in those days you had to be British to get into the company, so it was very different. It's rather heartbreaking to hear the stories coming out now........
  3. LinMM - I'm some years younger than Monica Mason. I was at school with Wayne Sleep, Alan Hooper, Marguerite Porter, Georgina Sibley among others. I actually owe a great deal to my teacher, Barbara Fewster. She kept on and on about my extreme shortsight, because it really was affecting my dancing - for example I couldn't see anything to focus on in pirouettes 🥴 She pushed me to get contact lenses, which were quite a new thing then. They transformed my life!! Before I got them I would wave back randomly at people walking in the school corridors, only when I got nearer I'd realise that it was Fonteyn waving at a dancer walking behind me! Sorry I digress from this very serious subject, but yes you're right the bodies were different then and so was the technique. There wasn't the athleticism and "tricks" that are expected today, although that is not to say that the ballerinas weren't brilliant. Nerina could balance the Rose Adagio like few I've seen since, Beriosova had beautiful extensions, Seymour was an incredible actress as well as having strong technique and then there was Fonteyn...... I saw her live in Ondine and she was exquisite. Yet somehow there wasn't the clone look of nowadays. All the dancers were so different, but they had such artistic quality.
  4. My sister gave me a pile of letters I had written to her from the sixties, when I was at RBS upper school. They are very revealing, particularly the fact that I was obsessed with watching my weight, as I was weighed every week by the nurse. However, they were also full of comments about fantastic classes and little technical achievements, which offset the disappointments that came along with lesser casting etc. I don't remember being belittled in any way, but maybe I was but the remarks washed off my back! I do know that they wrote in my acceptance letter that they had noticed some physical problems, which might preclude me from getting into the company, but they still accepted me. I used to come in the top three or four of my test classes, but as they had warned, didn't get into the company. My dream had always been to go to RBS and I feel that my training there was a significant part of my dance journey. Of course, the fact that I lived at home and had a very close and open relationship with my parents was a bonus, I think, because I was less vulnerable. I haven't been able to watch the programme, but I can see for myself that the modern day expectations of physique and technique can't be compared to what they were in my day. If you look at old films you can see the difference in the "look" of the dancers. As a ballet teacher for some 40 years, and a grandmother, I think I understand how teenagers feel and react. It's a tough world - ballet, gymnastics - anything that requires a certain physique. So tragic how children were treated so negatively instead of being in a nurturing environment.
  5. Oh dear -your poor little daughter! I really do think that in trying to make the marking more accurate over all by using a rather complicated marking system, that the RAD have ended up making it almost impossible to get a high mark! I tend to instill in my students that they should not expect to get high marks for their RAD exams, so that way they are prepared. I explain to them that I know them and watch their progress and dedication every day, but the examiner sees them for one short period on one particular day and that under the pressure of the exam they may not do their best on that day. I send them for exams, because I see the difference it makes working towards them with that goal at the end. The last couple of years marks have been lower than I thought they deserved, so I told them that although I would have given them more, that I was still proud of their achievements and what was most important was how much the whole class had advanced over the year. We don't do graded exams anymore - only Class Awards. That way we can send the whole class and the marks are not the be all and end all of their efforts. Also, that way they get to Inter Foundation and their first real exam by a much less stressful journey. In the long run of things her mark for Grade 3 will not have any effect on her future as a dancer and honestly 71 is a really good mark! Did you receive the breakdown of the marks? There are ten marking categories, so getting one mark more or less for any category is pretty insignificant, even if it has an accumulative effect. I should add that the RAD has always been tougher than most other systems. When I was training - many many moons ago, we used to pass our Russian style ballet exams with marks in the high 90s, but if we managed to get a pass (60% in those days) for our Major (Vocational) exams on our first try, we were in seventh heaven and considered it a much greater achievement!
  6. Although I am a ballet teacher and devotee to learning ballet technique first, I am also very aware of the fact that most classical ballet companies include more contemporary ballets in their repertoires nowadays and that classical ballet dancers need to be versatile and trained in modern technique to be able to dance everything. Also, in an after school programme like ours, there are very few who have the physical attributes to become classical ballet dancers, however strong they might be technically in classical ballet. The classical technique, however, allows them to advance really well in all the other dance genres, so that when we do add them on, the students adapt to them easily and often find that they excel at them.
  7. They start proper school here at 6, but before that there are two years of compulsary kindergarten. Our students who turn 10 during the school year are usually in Grade 3 ballet. They get 75 minute ballet classes 2× a week plus an hour flamenco. They have an intro to modern class added on the following year in Grade 4. From Grade 5 when they're turning 12, they get 90 minute classes and add on jazz technique classes. When they are 13/14 they get an extra classical class. Obviously in every level there are younger and older students. In regular school in first grade there are kids who start at 5 (intake is up to Mid December turning 6) but also kids who are nearly 7. My 9 year old grandson whose birthday is in January had to wait to start school. His sister who is 18 months younger is a year behind him rather than 2 years as she would be in the UK. His cousin whose birthday is in October, so is only 2 months older, is a year above him in school!! That's why I can't really compare school years!
  8. I think 90 minute classes at this age are a bit much. At least in my opinion. Our students of that age do twice a week ballet of one hour and that's it. The school year, when they are 9 going on 10, add on more hours and longer lessons, but still don't have back to back classes. I also agree with the others that it's a bit early for contemporary. Your daughter sounds very talented - you obviously want to encourage her, but perhaps take it a bit slower and less intense at this age.
  9. I'll never forget watching a summer course in the States. It was a character class and one very talented dancer kept making a mistake. Watching her I realised that she was simply using the wrong foot at one point and that led to the muddle. However the teacher just kept shouting at her until she reduced the child to tears, humiliating her in front of everybody. Eventually, after ten minutes, she grudgingly told the girl in a very spiteful way, what she could have told her gently right at the beginning and of course the girl got it right. When I mentioned it to someone else there watching, their reply was "Oh yes that's so and so -she gets wonderful results"! My immediate thought was that no results were worth what that teacher put that poor student through! I believe in positive coaching. A child who loves what they're doing and is encouraged and taught to believe in themselves will work hard and improve and come through it safely and healthily.
  10. I think the French are actually a bit more open to speaking English nowadays than when I first visited in 1968! My friend and I thought we could speak French reasonably well, but whenever we asked for directions the answer would be in bullet speed French and all we could do was follow the pointed finger in the general direction and then ask again. They have a problem with speaking French slowly!😅
  11. From my own experience we have students who moved to us from other schools and whilst they had been quite happy where they were, once they moved they realised the difference in the quality of the teaching and were sorry they hadn't moved to us sooner! When my niece was 12, I started teaching in a school near to where she lived, however my sister-in-law didn't want to move her as she had lots of friends in the dance school she was attending. Then one day when they were working on the end of year performance, the teacher had a screaming fit and really shouted at our niece, who has always been a quiet, hardworking person and the opposite of trouble maker. She walked out and went home on the spot and finally they transferred her to me! She had such faulty technique and it took quite a while to rebuild it correctly and it was too late to develop her potential. She is now a research scientist and would never have become a dancer anyway, but I often think of the years she wasted at that dance school. Of course your problem is knowing which alternative school would be better - it's difficult for non professionals to decide that! The point is that your daughter may be happy where she is and not want to move, but she doesn't really know anything else and those things you pointed out are troubling......... I completely agree with Taxi4ballet - there are competition schools, whose whole focus is preparing tricks and working on dances and then there are schools, where they do competitions as an added bonus to give more performance opportunities, but concentrate on strengthening technique. The latter is definitely preferable.
  12. Obviously the social aspect of dance classes is important, but I am sure your daughter would make friends wherever she went. It really doesn't sound to me that she is being taught seriously and their demands and general attitude sound unreasonable too. I would go and investigate other schools if I were you.......... as Pas de Quatre said - what qualifications do the staff have??
  13. I think she's at a good place for 9 years old. Our Grade 3s are 9 and they do twice a week 75 minute classes, plus modern and flamenco. Going away from home at 11 to board can be traumatic (and being autistic might be even harder for her) and as people have said - joining at 11 is also no guarantee for continuing on to upper school, which is vital. Most important of all is that she enjoys her classes and that she is being taught correctly. If you can increase her ballet hours as she gets older that would be beneficial. She would also need to start pointe work at some time. I knew from a very young age that that ballet was what I wanted to do, but whilst being immensely supportive, my parents also made sure I enjoyed my childhood.
  14. I think the most important reason for continuing in the dance world is because you love it. My husband's accountant asked him when I was going to retire from teaching and my lovely hubby told him - For her, teaching is not just a job, it's her passion. As long is she still loves it and is physically capable of teaching, she won't retire! How well he knows me, bless him.
  15. Every school is different. Where I teach parents pay by monthly banker's order. A student broke her arm and was out for a couple of months or more. As far as I know the mother was charged for the first month and then her fees were frozen until the girl came back.
  16. Just wanted to say that a student of mine attended senior school last year, when she was 14 and had a fabulous time! Literally enjoyed every minute - both from the educational point of view and from the social side! She came back so motivated!!!
  17. That sounds about right! The usual problems! I can assure you you're not alone !😅
  18. Actually it's not just our school -it's a number of RAD schools in our country. We usually get between 80 and 90 students participating and together with their entry fees and some generous donations and fund raising, we manage to give quite a few scholarships. What we do is give them a workshop as well as the audition class, so that if they don't get through to the final, they have compensation! Last time I gave a Benesh Notation workshop to the younger students and they loved it! I was actually surprised at how quickly they picked it up! Everyone involved donates their time - judges, teachers and organisers, so that apart from paying the pianists and a few other expenses, all the money goes for the scholarships. We also don't hold it on stage, so as to save money. In London the week is just for the tuition, but out of London if it's residential we include that. Whoever accompanies the winners has to pay the flights and their own hotel, but it's rare that they don't take up the scholarship -especially where the selection process is tough (like with Elmhurst) and their daughter or son are guaranteed a place. The schools are very accommodating and it's a wonderful experience for the winners to meet international students! I did in fact write to ENBS when they first changed it to 2 weeks, but they didn't agree to let us send a student for one week only. If someone wanted to do it for their own school, of course the answer would be to bring in outside judges. I agree it would be very difficult to choose between top students!
  19. From what I gather Solo Seal is either pass or not - ie not with grades such as Distinction or Merit. I imagine that they would look at the dancer overall and not fail her for one slip. If your daughter is taking Solo Seal that must mean she's passed Advanced 2 with Distinction, which is amazing! Much luck to her!!! You must be so proud of her achievements!
  20. I am sorry they've made it a two week course, because not everyone can afford two weeks residency in London. Especially if a parent accompanies them from abroad. We hold an annual summer school scholarship competition and before Corona we were able to send a student to ENB. She flew over with her Mum, stayed in a nearby hotel and had an amazing time! It's such a shame because we would love to send other students there on scholarship. It's such a good course!
  21. I know exactly what you mean. However many times I tell my students that a pirouette finishes up in retiré position before closing, it doesn't help! I want to know what the teachers actually said or did to help the dancers have such amazing control?
  22. Doubles en dedans from 5th are really hard, because you can't get much impetus, but from 4th on a lunge, there could be two things that are stopping you. One is when you make the lunge too small, so you don't get enough push from the back foot. That usually goes along with sticking your tail out so that the pelvis is not in the right position. The weight needs to be over the front leg, so that you go straight up on the front leg, rather than having to bring the weight forward as you start the pirouette. The second thing is that students tend to twist away from the front leg thinking that that will give them more force - unfortunately it doesn't! It just throws them off balance. Make sure you start square with hips and shoulders aligned, open the front arm carefully, before whipping both arms to 1st. Spot to the front and keep lifting the torso up on the supporting leg. You can practise without the turn, just pulling up on the front leg to check that your weight is over the front leg. It's more of a pull up than a relevé, because doing a proper relevé with the foot displacement stops the turn. I sometimes tell my students to do a little cheat to get them started, if they can't get the second turn in. I tell them to do a little hop up in the middle and it usually works if they are on balance. The reason it helps is that it makes them pull up more as they do the second turn! Often as we get to the second turn, we sink a bit - an extra pull-up stops that. 😊
  23. Yes LinMM - you are correct. The problem is that students will often open that front arm too much and then you lose momentum and balance. However, if you open it just a controlled amount before whipping both arms in to 1st it really does help! Good point! Lynn Wallis told us not to do it, but that was some years ago. I tend to avoid teaching it, just let my students do it if they want. However it definitely helps in getting a good pirouette and I wreckon that's what is important here!
  24. Here is my input on double pirouettes. I have noticed that those of my students who manage really good consistent doubles are perfectly calm about it. When you're tense pirouettes just don't work, because you lose coordination. Everything has to work together smoothly. The preparation is really important - although you're standing in 4th and there has to be weight on the back foot for the push off, you need to hold the pelvis slightly more onto the front foot, so that you don't have to move your weight onto the front foot as you start the turn. That will throw you off every time. The side arm closing swiftly into 1st will help with the impetus and most important of course is the head. The head mustn't tilt as you use it. The head is very heavy and if you don't hold it straight, it will throw your balance off. I tend to teach not to leave the head and turn it round at the last minute, but to leave it briefly and then swiftly bring the head round back to your point of focus and immediately again for the second turn. Hope some of that will help you all - I think you're amazing! To those doing exams where there is a free enchainement make sure you work on that too. It comes between Allegro 2 and 3. There isn't one in Advanced 1, but there is in all the other vocationals. They are very tricky, because it's 8 counts four times through and it's not enough to know the vocabulary, you are given points also for quality, musicality and technique! If your teachers haven't already done so ask them for a list of the vocabulary. You can also google RAD Free enchainement on You tube and there are helpful videos for both the IF and Intermediate vocabulary. I haven't seen one for Advanced Foundation. Good luck to you all! You are welcome to pm me if you need some specific help on some exercise. Always happy to help!
  25. Thank you - that sounds a very good age for Vocational exams. Our students tend to be a year behind that, because they only get 3 or 4 ballet classes a week. We are also restricted by only having one exam session a year and after that we work towards the school performance, so exam preparation has to be done in 5 months. Good for your son that he kept at it in spite of everything. Covid has a lot to answer for in terms of ballet training - pretty much all our seniors have given up on pointework because they couldn't do it at home during lockdowns. Sad.....
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