Dance*is*life

I do think it's an individual thing. Some older teenagers, however competently they can look after themselves, may not be up to living away from home. I went away from home for the first time to join a ballet company, when I was 19. I travelled around Europe auditioning on my own, was clearly capable of looking after myself, but when it came to living in a room all on my own I was hopelessly lonely and homesick. Later on I took a room in a communal building where I could pop into other dancers' rooms and there I was fine. I needed a substitute for my very close family. Of course that was before mobile phones and instant messaging, so we were really on our own!

I love that piece! And the choreography!

Yes, flamenco is a great extra dance genre for them. Each class has a colour leotard to suit the RAD level and then we order flamenco skirts to match - so they have their costume for performances all ready! Several of our seniors have actually become pro dancers and teachers. They also learn to sing, play castonets etc as part of it. It's fun for them and we prefer to start the Grade 3s on flamenco as an extra, rather than jazz, which we bring in at Grade 5 level or modern, which is taught from Grade 4.

We had a teachers' course on DR not long ago. I felt that the classes were not challenging enough for the level, the barre was particularly limited in content. That might be because I believe I read that it was originally planned for adult dancers, but I may be wrong about that. The solos on pointe would on the other hand be very challenging, so I am not sure about it. I also felt that having to show the development exercises in the exam was unneccessary. I would have preferred a more advanced class with a choice of set repertoire variations. It's useful that you can take the exam in sections, so you can fit it in wherever it works in your particular school. I had thought to use level 3 for my last years Intermediates, but decided I'd rather challenge them with Advanced Foundation.

Just wanted to ask what level she's at ballet wise? The 9 year olds in the school where I teach are usually in RAD Grade 3. There they have 2 x 75 minute ballet classes plus an hours flamenco. They are still very young in 4th grade at school. Your daughter sounds rather talented especially if she's an Associate as well, but she is only 9....... Kids do need some downtime too just to be kids.

Yes in a developpé there is definitely not supposed to be a kick in order to raise the leg. The description you are looking for is extension using a controlled unfolding of the leg. And in fact even a sissone with a developpé shouldn't be kicked, but squeezed out at the end ofvthe jump. Grands battement is a sort of kick, but even there the dancer has to control it by brushing through the floor, keeping the turn-out and definitely controlling the lowering of the working leg. A good way of practising in order to build up the strength needed to raise the leg higher, is to shoulder the leg (the stretching movement) and then let go of the leg trying to keep the leg and placing as they were. Also when you put the leg on the barre for stretching try and lift up the leg from the baŕre and hold it. The video above is a perfect example and shows how you are supposed to lift the leg from the retire through attitude in order to help the extension. Don't despair it will come with work and more strength.

Lisa - if I could have given you two likes I would have! I refuse to accept that my beautiful ballet is a sport. Sport doesn't satisfy the soul! I wish that there wasn't such an emphasis on athleticism nowadays, but even with that I cannot agree that it's a sport. My husband is good at most sports and can't dance - no feeling for rhythm bless him. And I was hopeless at sport, except for basketball where as a shooter I could do a great temps leve in arabesque to pop the ball into the net!

Ballet movement has to become part of your natural movement memory for you to always remember to do the correct technique. Look how long it takes children to learn. It takes several years until they do things automatically! Even for adults you have to acquire the skills you need. If you've only been dancing ballet for a few weeks you won't remember automatically to point your feet yet, so don't feel badly about it! The most important part of pointing the feet is the flexibility of the ankle, much more than the toes. If I ask someone to point their feet who doesn't dance, the thing that stops them is the stiffness of the ankle. Work on flexing and pointing the feet to loosen the ankle. Then work on going through the feet - through the balls of the feet, pushing out the instep. When dancers jump we push off against the floor going through the feet and landing the opposite way. Non-dancers don't have that flexibility in their feet. I remember gojng to a physio after I broke my ankle. I said to him that I couldn't point properly with that foot and he asked me to show him my point. He was quite impressed with it - didn't see anything wrong! So I pointed my other foot........... enuff said!

I was absolutely shocked by your story, Primrose. I have signed and sincerely hope that your tragedy will lead to a positive outcome for the benefit of others in similar situations. One of the first things doctors ask is if the patient is allergic to any medicine - so why would they ignore this? I am so sorry for your loss - may you have the strength to keep up the fight.

Thanks - that's very useful to know.

Did anyone attend Central's SS this year and can give me info for next year. Now that ENB has switched to two weeks without residency we're looking for somewhere else to send more advanced students. Grateful for any info you can give me. Thanks.

I just hope they haven't altered the inside of the actual opera house building - ie the foyer, crush bar and stairs leading up to it and of course the most beautiful auditorium in the world! I still miss the giant mirror half way up the stairs to the crush bar or whatever it's called nowadays. When I was a little girl I adored walking down those stairs and admiring myself in my best party frock with feet beautifully pointed and turned out as I was descending gracefully!

Yes, I too found the new Discovering Repertoire a bit of a puzzle. I can't figure out the right levels for it. The class work is really easy, but the dances on pointe are on a totally different level. I had thought to teach it to my students who passed Intermediate last year, but in the end I decided to work on Advanced Foundation instead. I agree that it seems geared more for adults, who would be more likely to attempt the dances in soft shoes. I really think that the Higher Grades would be a great choice for adult dancers. I like to do Grade 7 between the vocationals IF and Inter, as technically it fits in well and it develops their artistry as well as enlarging their vocabulary. I also like the fact that it allows the students who are not physically suited to classical ballet to do well in an exam, because there's also character and free movement, which means that less points are awarded to classical technique - probably another factor that would encourage adult students. The exercises are long and interesting and dance quality is very important as well as an understanding of the romantic period style. I think they need maturity to do justice to them.

I agree that Grade 8 is lovely too - I never really had the opportunity to teach it, because we only have one exam session a year and I tend to concentrate on the vocationals, so I never really learn it properly. Shame, I know! I am so glad that they haven't done away with the higher grades!

Won't they be in their new premises next year on London City Island? I wonder what accommodation will be available in that area?

I teach Grade 7 between IF and Inter. As The_Red_Shoes so acurately put it - no pointe work , double pirouettes or brisés in the exam! And I would add to that no free enchainement! It's a beautiful syllabus and a charming way to teach my students about the Romantic period in ballet. I find it also matures them before they tackle Inter after IF. Of course I continue to work on double pirouettes and pointe work throughout the year as well as other skills that they will need for Inter, but the exam feels more like an exhibition class than an exam, because it's so important to show the right style and quality as much as clean technique. I hold a demonstration class for the parents just before the exam and they are always thrilled with the "performance"! I don't teach Grade 8 and only rarely 6, but I never tire of teaching Grade 7. With the old vocational syllabus I used to skip AF, but it is an exceptional student nowadays who can take the new Advanced 1 without first studying AF. AF is really very hard and a challenge in it's own right.

I am finding it rather hard to take it in that a teacher would want a student to take 3 exams in one go!!!! First of all remembering all three and not muddling them would be a nightmare! Second of all it's not fair, because it's too much stress and pressure and exhausting. You are the one that's paying for all this Viv and you CAN say no way!!! As a teacher I would suggest that you take Grade 7 and Inter together because they're a similar level, but very different in content, so you can separate them easily in your brain! Advanced Foundation is far far more difficult and you can't get away with "almost a brise" or indeed with anything else not up to scratch. I would definitely leave the AF until the next session and if that's a year away, then start learning Advanced 1 and don't worry about the AF exam, which is not compulsory to take before continuing with Adv 1 after Inter.

I know this isn't really relevant to the question, but reading the reactions to the reference to terrorism in England, I thought you'd enjoy this. Moderators if you have to remove it, so be it........

Thank you that's all very useful info. ENB would be a bit problematic I think, however brilliant a course it is, unless a parent is willing to accompany the student for the two weeks. That's a real shame.........

To go back to ENB changing to only the 2 or 4 week options, what happens at weekends? Are there any organised activities or outings? Are there 5 or 6 days of lessons each week? What happens about food during the day - is there a canteen? I'd be very grateful for the info - it will help us decide if we can send a student or not next year. Thank you.

I skimmed through this thread and discovered a post I'd made about a correction a tutor had given us at an RAD course a couple of years ago. Funnily enough she came back again this summer and mentioned the same thing and I told her that I always use that now! She was very pleased! It's the one to help alignment - standing in croise or efface remember it should be 5 minutes to 12 or 5 past 12 ànd not 10 minutes before or after!

This is what I was talking about - adding on hours in ballet rather than reducing gives the child a chance to advance quite significantly technique wise. Then once she begins to feel that she is mastering the work, she will develop a greater sense of achievement and that in turn encourages more enthusiasm!

Really? Oh dear!

All the very best of luck to your daughter in her new adventure!

I occasionally fly into Manchester and my niece collects me. She usually waits somewhere until I phone her and then drives to the drop off zone to pick me up. Do you mean that she can't do this now? And when I arrive at Stansted now, my sister parks in one of those carparks and takes the bus to meet me!