Dance*is*life

I really don't understand this assessing out - if a child is good enough to be accepted in the first place, why can't they stay and complete their training? It would be different if they accepted someone conditionally, so they knew in advance that it might happen. Anyway, they only take a handful, if that, of students into the top companies, so why does it disturb them to keep someone at the school even if they're not star material. I suppose there is such a demand for places, that they can literally do what they like........ When I entered my 3rd year at RBS upper school, many moons ago, I was placed in Theatre Class (which was one under Graduates) with the former ballerina Pamela May as my teacher. I adored her - worshipped the ground she walked in - even though she wore high heels and smoked in class!! Anyway, after three weeks, they suddenly moved me and three other girls into a different class and I was devastated. I also didn't understand why, because all through my training at the upper school, I had been placed amongst the 3 or 4 top students in my class. As I didn't stop crying for a week and couldn't dance for being so stressed and miserable, my mother went up to the school to speak with Ursula Moreton. They actually couldn't come up with any real reason why they'd done it, just that I was one of the youngest in the class and the class was too full. I have no idea what my mother, bless her, told them, but I was moved back into Theatre class and continued to gain top placings in test class even there, so it remained unclear what it was all about. They only took two girls from Theatre Class that year into the company and I wasn't one of them, but neither were all the other students in the class, so again not a reason for the demotion at the beginning of the year. I am however so thankful that I got to complete my training - it was so important to me. I don't what I would have done if they'd have actually thrown me out........

I think I remember Barbara Sharples from when I used to do the All-England. Is that possible - has she been around that long? I'll inform my niece. Thank you. She lives in West Didsbury, but the kids go to school in a different area, so I think close to home would be helpful after the long drive to and from school.

I don't know how many of you were around when Britain changed to decimal money, but I was and everything immediately more than doubled in price. A sixpenny orange for example remained a sixpenny orange, only, if I am not miscalculating, it then cost 14 old pennies etc etc etc. The biggest cheat of course was when you thought a price was in pounds and then it turned out to be in guinees, which was one pound one shilling - that little extra shilling soon added up on expensive items. At least that practise disappeared with decimalization! By the way perhaps the shrinking boxes of chocolate is the manufacturer's way of getting us all to diet?????

I have an unregistered oyster for my trips to London and I have had my occasional mistakes rectified. It is usually quite clear what happened and they seem to accept my word for it! Perhaps I have an honest face

Thank you, balletmumfor2 - they are coming to stay with us at the end of next week. If she has any questions I will take you up on your kind offer then .

I too think Centrepointe would be great, that's one I actually have heard of, probably because of Matthew Koon, but I think she feels that it is a bit far to drive, not sure why - possibly opposite direction to their day school or something. It might be an idea though for my niece to phone them anyway - thanks for that - I'll suggest it to her. What I was wondering was if there were any smaller schools that were good. I myself went to a very small private performing arts school in Wimbledon and it was a gem. I suppose I was hoping for somewhere like that! They are both such "performers" - whenever I see them they put on a show for me, singing and dancing - I would really like to see them getting some decent training........

When I was 16 and in my first year at the RBS I still didn't have contact lenses (they forced me to get them my second year and I have blessed them for that ever since!) and vain creature that I was, I refused to wear glasses. I had to change to an overground train at Victoria from the underground and I was forever getting on the wrong train, because rushing to look on the board and not seeing well enough, I would jump to conclusions and end up in wierd places. My poor dad was always having to rescue me from unknown stations! I think he was very glad when I finally got contacts!

My niece is looking for a decent school for her daughters in the Manchester area. They live in Didsbury and are looking more for an all-round training school rather than a ballet specific school, because the girls love musical theatre. However, they definitely want serious training, where they'll actually learn something, because they realise now how important technique is. The older one who is 9 has been going to a school round the corner from them, but sadly has rather been wasting her time there. Nuff said. Any suggestions will be gratefully received and passed on. Thanks a lot!

Somebody posted this on facebook and I thought that it was appropriate to add to this thread = "To teach is to touch a life forever." Quite a sobering thought actually ........

I am always inspired myself by the films that show how teachers have turned their students around and made something of a class that other teachers have washed their hands of. I know they're often corny, but they seem to be based mostly on true stories, so I think if they can do it so can I !!! I am sure we all know stories of kids who have gone on to great things because of a certain teacher. As LinMM said some may be highly qualified, others less so, but they have the knack to inspire, to bring a subject alive, to infuse in a pupil some of their own enthusiasm for a subject. Motivation, whether intrinsic or external, can work wonders........

I just wanted to add that the best teacher my sons ever had at regular school was a man who was so highly qualified that he could have been a lecturer in university - I think he had a PhD from Oxford. He believed though that his talents would be put to better use in the school classroom making reluctant children love history than teaching in university so that's what he did. All three of my sons studied with him in turn and all got excellent marks with him as their teacher. However, my middle son truly shows the case in point. He only had him for 2 terms and his grade went up by about 20 marks during those 2 terms, because this dedicated, wonderful man got him interested in the subject and fired him into working hard. When he left his class, his marks dropped again.

Some ex pros are amazing teachers and some are not; some people who trained exclusively to be teachers may not be as good as people trained primarily to be dancers; some RAD teachers are excellent and some are not. As Anjuli said there are many teachers without formal qualifications, but it doesn't make them less of a teacher. And having those qualifications does not necessarily give them the qualities to be a great teacher. There are teachers who turn their students into world class dancers, but give mainly negative feedback and play havoc with their students' self esteem. There are teachers who do the opposite - tell their students that they are the greatest - until they go to another school and discover that their technique is actually weak and incorrect. In other words, as in all walks of life, there is no hard and fast rule to what makes a person good at what they do . I personally believe that a teacher should be the product of excellent training themselves, with performing experience and with formal qualifications. However, beyond this a teacher needs to be dedicated, caring and passionate about what they do. And I don't think that it matters if a child wants to make a career of dance or not, he or she is still entitled to top quality teaching. If something is worth doing it is worth doing well. Someone mentioned above that professional experience or qualifications might not matter so much at the "ordinary" schools where perhaps only one or two children might turn pro. If the teachers at these schools weren't any good, they wouldn't manage to turn out even a handful of dancers and even if there are only one or two children in a class of 16 who show real talent, those kids deserve the best training their school can give them.

You see I was right - with compliments like those it really does sound like she has what it takes to become a dancer - those shoes may indeed be worth a fortune one day Anyway, enjoy the show and your lovely daughter.......

I wonder what school it is - the Japanese girl says that when she came to Austria it was the first time that she'd left Japan and they are speaking German, so I presume it's in Austria. They're all so good with such perfect physique - it's rather depressing for those of us who try to make ballerinas out of average kids learning two or three times a week I often wonder what the teachers at vocational schools would make out of the students that we get to work on, but on the other hand I am so used to having a million corrections to give, that faced with this level of student I am not sure that I would be able to correct the technical minutiae that they latch on to.........

Oh the joys of new soft satin slippers - I remember them well! I loved admiring my feet in them, after the tough old leather everyday shoes..... If she doesn't use them you could always have her autograph them and put them in a glass display case for when she's famous! You could sell them then and make a fortune

Poor you! Here's hoping you're both up and bouncing ASAP!

Teaching is a bit like performing - there are some performances that are magical, when it seems that the whole company is inspired and the audience along with them and there are some that are humdrum and a bit flat. I find in the same way that there are classes when I feel energised and enthusiastic and really see that I am inspiring the students and some when I'm just giving them a class As they say "Life's like that". Just don't beat yourself up about a class that doesn't work out how you want it to - we all, however experienced we may be, have off days and there's always another class on another day to make up for it

Any age really! Depends on the person. I will never forget crying like mad (heavens I was a real waterworks ) knowing that I had to go back to the ballet company the next day and leave all my precious family. My brother-in-law looked at me pityingly and asked quite logically - "If you're so miserable just at the thought of going back - why are you going?" I remember my tragic answer to this day - "Because I have to dance!!!!!!!!"

I went away to join a ballet company in Germany when I was 19. It was the first time that I had been away from home and it was a nightmare! I lived in awful digs, had no friends to speak of and in order to phone home I had to go to the post office and book a call which was restricted to 3 minutes in a little booth. Post took ages and I lived for the letters from home with chat about the humdrum ordinary things they did. One day I was so homesick and miserable, that I collected all the coins I could find and phoned my dad from a call box. I spent precious minutes crying and I can only imagine how helpless he felt. He was clever enough to send me to the AD, who opened his apartment door to find me crying on his doorstep . He took me in, bless him, gave me a shot of alcohol (!!!) to calm me, gave me some of the steak that he and his girlfriend were eating and was so sweet, that I remember it until today. Somehow I got through the rest of the season after that and the next season new people joined the company, with whom I had instant rapport and suddenly the world was a better place. I have to say though that nowadays with instant messaging, and smart phones we are so used to being in constant contact, that when you are not, in a way it's worse........ And by the way my son has left home for the first time to do an MA in London and boy do I miss his presence in the house. However old he is, it will still take us all time to get used to it...... so I really do sympathise with all you parents with young teenagers away at vocational schools.

YES! My son is British, but because he is not resident in the UK and we don't live in an EU country, we have to pay the full fees for his university degree - I imagine it is the same for vocational schools.

I always go to Stockport when I visit my niece who lives in Didsbury, Manchester. It's easier for her to collect me from the train station in Stockport. I shall have to suggest to her that we go to the hat museum there next time. The trouble with most days out in the UK - they are sooooo reliant on good weather, which there's not much of!!!! I shall never forget a Rolls Royce meet at some stately home. The people all set up a wonderful meal with champagne and roast chicken, seated at tables with tablecloths on! Anyway, it started pouring with rain, so whilst the raindrops filled the champagne glasses, they calmly put up umbrellas and carried on dining.....

They are adding on open balconies to the blocks of flats over the road from our house. They are gradually working through the various buildings one at a time, so it is just never-ending. They also start at 7am, which is the legal hour that they are allowed to make noise here. Our student son, who slept in the front bedroom used to work at night and go to bed about 6am for a few hours. He had to close his shutters and windows in an attempt to block out the noise and sleep with air-conditioning. Lucky for him he's now left to continue his studies in England All day long we have drilling and banging and shouting and so far they have only finished one building and it's been going on for months.

I saw Michaela DePrince dancing with Dance Theatre of Harlem a few months ago. She was very good.

I hate reality programmes in general, I find them alternately boring and embarrassing! I don't think I would like to see this programme it strikes me as being a bit of exploitation. If "larger ladies" want to dance, why shouldn't they? But I can see people laughing at them - it seems rather cruel exposure. I have several little girls who how shall I say it delicately - do not have the accepted proportions of a ballet dancer?? They still dance very well and get a lot of pleasure from it, so why not.......

I certainly don't object to doing courses and whenever we have any I'm one of the first to sign up, but there are not always suitable courses that are relevant to my needs. Also they are very expensive. My son works in Hi-tec and when he is sent by his firm on a course, they pay for it. I imagine that the RAD can't afford to pay for us, but they could lower the costs somewhat. Many teachers find it hard to make both ends meet and simply can't afford any added expenses. My personal belief is that when a teacher thinks she has nothing more to learn or to improve in her teaching then it's time to stop teaching.Having said that, my quarrel with it is that I actually do hundreds of hours of activities each year related to refreshing and improving my teaching and can prove pretty much all of it. However, the RAD insists on only allowing 8 hours of all that time and money I spend as part of their requirement and they expect me to do another 16 hours of their courses to complete the requirement. Why would my going to a business management course for studio owners improve my teaching more than several hours spent watching SS classes for example? Especially as I don't have my own school. I take two classes a week with different teachers throughout the year - I listen to corrections, take in enchainements, observe other approaches to getting the most out of an exercise and it allows me still to demonstrate at my great age. That adds up to some 120 hours of enrichment, but they refuse to count that.