Dance*is*life

I think what was good about the school that I went to was that all competition work was separate from our regular classes, so we still had our usual morning ballet class and regular afternoon dance classes, however, because it was an arts day school, we had the time to do performance rehearsals as an extra and of course we had privates for the solos and duets. We also only took part in a few competitions, such as the All England, spread out throughout the year, additionally, as our competition dances were of such a high standard, we were often invited to perform them in various concerts as well. I certainly do not agree with teachers spending all their time on competition choreography and rehearsals at the expense of proper technique classes, nor to the practise that I have seen in the States of travelling long distances to a different comp every week. I was very fortunate that I was able to have the best of both worlds, technique and performing opportunities,

I used to put out food for some strays and they kept coming around and ruining my front flower beds! Eventually I stopped putting out the food and they went elsewhere. It was tough, but they need to be able to survive by themselves, so I think it's probably best not to feed them. Funnily enough they didn't seem to drink.....

I did competitions in England throughout my childhood and I adored them. I really think that it is the child's attitude towards them, together with sensible parenting that makes the difference. I adored them because they gave me the opportunity to dance on stage - as simple as that! I didn't particularly enjoy standing on stage at the end waiting to hear if I had won a place or not, but performing - that was my whole life. I was really quite shy off stage, but ON - that was a different matter altogether! We did solos in everything - ballet, demi-charactere, national, greek, modern, song and dance, plus duets and groups and troupes in ballet, modern and national. I honed my craft on those competition stages. I learned how to work together with other dancers and to have the confidence to get up on stage alone and perform. I learnt that you have to work hard and practise hard to get anywhere and I became very versatile as a dancer and performer. Sometimes I came first and sometimes I placed amongst the top and sometimes I didn't - I understood that not every performance turned out perfectly, but that was life - it was OK to flop, but if you did you had to learn to "pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again" Maybe things have changed in the 50 years since I last did a competition, but dancing is a PERFORMING art - it is not enough to have fantastic technique, what makes a dancer special is his/her dance quality, musicality and presentation and to get that you need to perform.

Stardancer - you need to get your daughter out of there immediately!!!! Why are you afraid that your daughter would be persecuted in the next school as well??? This is not typical RAD school/teacher behaviour by any means. If I have a student, who wants to take an advanced exam and we are not able to offer her enough lessons at that level, I myself recommend that she take extra classes elsewhere. And I'm sure this is true of most teachers, who only want to help their students advance, not hold them back. This whole thing does not make sense. You don't pass an RAD exam by smiling! Of course you do have to pass the section on dance quality, presentation and musicality, but that does not necessarily mean you have to smile nonstop! You have to have an appropriate expression for the exercise - not everything calls for a smile. And if your daughter is being made miserable by the teachers and fellow students, then I'm not surprised she finds it hard to enjoy herself and smile. You know something, even if I thought that you were exaggerating or imagining things (which I don't ) I would tell you to take your daughter away, because no child deserves to feel miserable doing something she loves.

If it's true that three important vocational schools are discontinuing RAD classes for their senior students, I think that's a real shame and probably quite a blow to the RAD. I wonder if they don't want to start with all the new syllabi?? It's costing our school a fortune to keep buying all the new material and it's very hard work for the teachers to learn and understand the new system. Of course, the vocational schools may just be waiting to see how the new work is received by the dance community in general.

How frustrating for her! But you know I've had students who have come to classes and danced with their arm in plaster! What's important when the arm or leg is in plaster is to keep the muscle tone as high as possible. If she can clench and unclench her hand a few times every now and then, that will keep the arm in better form. I broke my ankle some years ago and I worked like mad with my foot to keep the calf muscle as active as possible. The surgeon was very surprised when he took off the plaster - I think he was expecting a little shrivelled up leg, but my exercising definitely paid off

There's a film with Baryshnikov called "Dancers" all about an American ballet company filming Giselle in Italy. I always remember the opening sequence - hot (or cool as you wish) Italian guy zooms up to the station (or was it airport don't remember) on his motor bike. He's looking for the latest recruit to the company, just arrived from the States. His eyes fall on a beautiful young woman standing in a perfectly turned out 4th position and of course he knows right away that that is her! It sounds such a cliche, but of course we all know that it's actually true to life There's just something about the look of a dancer..........

I have only ever heard of the 3/4 shanks as being used by professionals. Someone suggested them for a pupil with a very high arch who breaks her shoes all the time, but I have never heard of their being used for near beginners! Do not sew on the ribbons, wait and let your daughter show her teacher first and I would phone the shop, not just to find out why the fitter recommended them, but also to let them know that you may have to exchange them if the teacher does not approve, and that it won't be immediately as the teacher is away.

Oh that's what it was - walk towards traffic, so that you can see the cars coming - I read that somewhere in a sort of girl-guide book, I think! So this cyclist was not obeying a stupid rule - he was just being a dangerous idiot!

Life can be really wierd sometimes. Coincidences happen that really set you scratching your head in wonderment! I met up with a childhood friend on holiday recently. We have not seen each other for 50 years and yet our paths in life have criss-crossed quite a lot. In casual conversation, she mentioned the name of a really good friend of hers and it turned out to be someone who had been Principal Boy in panto when I had played the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. When I got back home I found my "memory book" in which I had asked people I had worked with to write a message. There was the message she wrote to me in 1969! I sent it to my friend who forwarded it on to her - talk about a blast from the past!

I had a student there for the second week this year and she too had an amazing time! She particularly enjoyed doing pas de deux for the first time, even though it wasn't easy because she's quite tall. I have found glimpses of her on some of the blog videos, which was fun to see, but wasn't able to open the gallery photos, I don't know why. I think what's so special there is the professional feel about the classes and rehearsals. Definitely worth attending if you're of the age and standard to cope with the high demands.

Just wanted to add that it's about an 8 to 10 minute walk to the bus stops in the main road leading to Battersea Bridge, which is why I suggested taking a taxi to the tube. Also to South Kensington it is not particularly far, even in the rush hour and you are I understand 4 (?) people, so a taxi at the end of a long, hard day might be a nice treat!.

I wouldn't consider taking the earlier train either. Even if her exam finishes on time, she has to get changed etc - perhaps have a drink. You can take a taxi from HQ - they will order it for you if you ask - to Victoria to pick up the Victoria Line, or you could take the taxi to South Kensington, which would be shorter and therefore cheaper, but then you would have to change from the Picadilly Line to the Victoria Line at Green Park, which is a bit of a walk to change lines.

Bloch do pointe shoes with suede patches on the tips.

Frankie Laine - if you want to wallow in nostalgia here's a link to the song on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9pQdlTUow

Well done! You must all be feeling very relieved and very excited!

When you always walk down the stairs with feet turned out and when you hang around waiting for someone you usually stand in 4th.

The amazing thing is that it doesn't age! Sadly it may be because there's still so much ethnic rivalry in the world that its theme remains relevant. However, apart from that the music is ageless and glorious - every song a gem and the orchestral interludes are incredibly powerful. That opening sequence with the whistling - WOW!!!!!! I mean with Jerome Robbins' choreography and Leonard Bernstein's music - what more can you ask for? I think I'll go and watch the DVD again.........

I have to say that hearing the orchestra warm-up before a performance is very special. Then the conductor walks in and there's the applause for him, and then he lifts up his hands and you sit there almost holding your breath waiting for the magic to weave its spell again...... Now that's goosebumpy!

I never wore stilletos, but I did wear small heeled shoes. I remember one day trying to get with my niece to a ballet matinee at the Opera House and the tube took forever. We literally ran all the way from Trafalgar Square to Covent Garden and those wretched heels kept catching in the cobblestones. I was very tempted to take them off, but instead ran on demi-pointe. I remember huffing and puffing and my niece encouraging me - "Come on, Auntie, you can do it!". We flew in just as they were closing the doors! Luckily our seats were in the stalls at the end of a row, but we spent the first few minutes of the Prologue (It was Australian Ballet in Sleeping Beauty - now how do I remember that after all these years?) hyper-ventilating to the undoubted annoyance of the people sitting around us!

I used to use blanket stitch, starting at the bottom and working up, shaping it in towards the top, which I finished off firmly. We also used to sew tapes inside the ribbons where they crossed on the instep to give more support.

I am impressed that people still darn pointe shoes - I thought that went out with lambs wool! Wouldn't you like to stick suede tips on them instead???

I too have hundreds of programmes and dance magazines packed away in large plastic boxes, but the problem is that the room at the top of the house where we store everything is so full you can't ever find anything

I know there is a rule somewhere that cyclists should ride against the traffic, but personally I think that's even more dangerous. The other day my husband went round a blind corner and came face to face with a cyclist coming at top speed towards us. Luckily his reactions are still fast and he managed to vere the car out of the way in time, but both of us had shaky legs after that

Is there an upper age limit for a student bank account and would it be an advantage over a regular account? My youngest son is going to UCL to take an MA and he's 32. Sorry I know this is Doing Dance and he's not, but just wondered!