Dance*is*life

Just as an encouragement, I would have to tell you that all the students in one of my grades refused to participate in anything on line! Whilst the other classes were working at projects and attending zoom classes, this level virtually went on strike! However, we started back last week in our studios and amazingly they are fine! No idea if they were practising in their own way, but whatever they were doing they look okay and pretty much as they were two months ago! So don't panic!

Oversplits are dangerous and should be avoided! Strength to hold the legs in extensions is more important than hyper flexibility. A beautiful line and correct placement are more important than over the top extensions! Totally agree that ballet is a performing art not artistic gymnastics!

I'm just wondering if you were to explain to the school about her preferring to stay with them for the time being rather than go to vocational school, but because of that she is really keen to have extra lessons - perhaps they would be more accommodating? Grade 4 /IF sounds a good level for her age, although 75 minutes would be better than 60. Private lessons are expensive and not always appropriate - if you go elsewhere they may bring you into conflict with her school....... Whatever you decide to do most important is that your daughter is happy and continues to enjoy her dancing!

The defining factor is ultimately not just talent and sufficient high level training, but the "look" - if you look like a classical dancer with the right proportions and physique you're much more likely to be selected for upper school. I would say that the fact that she got to the finals at 11 is probably a good indication of her having the "look" and is a good omen for the future! How long are her ballet lessons? It's not just the number of lessons, but also the length that makes a difference training wise. If you asked - do you think that your daughter would be allowed to join some extra ballet lessons - perhaps on a different level -? What level is she doing now? That's also a crucial factor. Eleven is very young to board away from home -not every child is ready for that step - I know I wasn't !!!

How wonderful for your daughters! Definitely worth every penny! Osipova came to Israel to dance Giselle with the Israel Ballet Company and in a lovely gesture gave a class for students. There must have been anout 40 or 50 students in all, but the company studio is really enormous! I was privileged to be able to watch and she was amazing!!!!! Her corrections were brilliant, lovely exercises and she herself was so sweet and unpretentious- we all became instant groupies! You can see her at the moment in Anastasia on the Royal Opera House youtube site. So beautiful!

We had students here in Israel who were going on scholarship to the RAD SS but were told it's been cancelled. Now that may just apply to foreign students because of travel restrictions, but it probably doesn't if the ballet schools in the UK are not opening.

As you can see now from the CD cover you missed out loads of exercises! Barre Pliés , Battement Tendus, Battement Glissés and Jetés, Rond de jambe à terre, Fondus, Frappés, Petits battements, Ronds de jambe en l'air, Adage, Grands Battements and Grands Battement en clóche. Centre Ports de bras, Centre practise and pirouettes en dehors, Pirouettes en dedans, Adage, Allegro 1, Allegro 2, (Free enchainement), Allegro 3. Variation 1 or 2 Pointe Rises, Relevé passé derrière, Relevé passé devant, Posé and coupé fouetté raccourci Temps lié, Relevé and échappé relevé, Reverence I hope that's everything! Of course you also have the extra music for boys on the disc plus music for the free enchainements.

Great idea! It is difficult finding gifts for male students. I once gave a boy student a little green frog on a key chain and added the greeting thzt one day I was sure he would turn into a Prince! He did too 😅

There's a petition on Facebook which I signed. Probably won't help, but I did want to try. My very first teaching job was at Contis as ballet mistress at the end of the 60s! I was in a panto with a troupe from Contis. They didn't give the poor kids enough rehearsal time so as Good Fairy/Principal Dancer, I decided I would work with them, because they looked up to me. I worked with them between shows to tidy the lines and correct their technique and after a week the ADs came to watch and were so impressed that they offered me a full time position. I loved it there and the students were very talented. Ballet had always taken a secondary place to musical theatre etc, but I found that they soon grew enthusiastic about their ballet classes, so much so that they cried when I left! It was an incredible work experience and I've had a soft spot for the school ever since. Some years ago I saw them perform at Move It and was very impressed. After more than a hundred years it is very sad that the school might close. Hope it can be saved.

This whole situation is really difficult for everyone - students and teachers alike. I am trying really hard ro keep the interest and love for dance going and by showing I care, I have managed to turn around some kids, but we have a whole class who refuse to do anything! They won't join zoom classes and when I was trying to do projects on WhatsApp they refused to join those as well. The only thing they did enjoy doing was a continuous dance. I choose the music and each girl choreographs and dances a 15 second piece and passes it on to the next student who starts in the pose where the previous one finished. The results have been lovely and a great reminder of the Corona lockdown. Zoom ballet classes are really frustrating. The lack of space, an unstable "barre" , hard slippery floor (our floors are all tiled) plus the fact that they all hear the music at a different time according to their internet speed combine together to make it rather unsatisfactory for all concerned. It takes lot of commitment to continue trying and I think it's just been going on too long. Now I am finding that whenever I want to fix a zoom class with the students the bulk of them are so inundated with school lessons into the evening that they just can't fit my classes in to their schedule even with the best will in the world. However, the parents have told me that my contact with the students has made all the difference. It grounds them and gives them the connection with the world they love so much. So I keep on trying. I wouldn't worry too much if they lose their enthusiasm, as long as they're not actually depressed. Parents can really boost their morale by helping them find a suitable space for the zoom classes - even if it means vacating the living room for them. It's so difficult for them to do anything when they're stuck in a small bedroom between the bed and the wardrobe! Anyway, let's hope that it won't be long before we're able to get back to our studios............ The most important thing is that we all stay safe and well.

I checked her out and recommended her to my students. Looks like something the older ones could manage. I presume most of them have instagram (I don't) so I'll letvthem know about the classes suggested here. Thank you everyone - this thread is very helpful.

It is an awful situation - last week I gave everyone mock ballet exams and felt that they were all ready. However Saturday evening the announcement came that everything must shut down, and the next day was supposed to have been our first exam day! Our girls dance almost every day and they are quite devastated! Luckily, every class has 2 WhatsApp groups - one for parents and one for students, so I've been working with them on ballet vocabulary. They have to film themeelves dancing the step I ask for and send it to the group. It's working very well and is giving them something fun to look forward to. Other teachers are giving online lessons with Zoom and other things. I think the problem is that we simply don't know how long this will last. It's desperately difficult for the teachers and pianists who are supporting their families. And we can't get into the studios in order to film the exams, even though they've given us the option. Just stay safe everyone............

Sorry to put in a negative note, but I don't really "get" why the teacher would ask parents to work with their child on exercises that require an understanding of correct technique. With the best will in the world a lay parent can't take the place of a trained teacher and I would never ask our parents to do that. A parent can make sure the child practises, but honestly how would they know if they're doing it correctly? The video of the Russian children is actually not how the RAD does it, as far as I know! I always taught it with a jump - hop through with a turned out petit developpé into a gallop followed by a step hop with the back leg turned out. It can also be done to the side and with a turn. Good for you Isabella that you're trying to do it properly, but in my opinion as an experienced teacher, I don't think you should have been asked.

Thank you very much - I'm relieved that I was right!!

A former student has been accepted for an excellent summer course, but because she is auditioning for various full time vocational schools, she is concerned that if one accepts her, they will expect her to attend their own course. I have advised her that I don't think that's likely - once she has registered and paid for a summer school I really don't think a school would expect her to cancel it in favour of their own summer school. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? She has to register and pay by tomorrow, so she's very stressed.

No one seems to be answering you Princess dreams! Wish I could help , but I have a student auditioning in March for 12th year (6th form) she was accepted from a video application - so I'm very curious too! Good luck to your daughter!

Thank you that's very helpful. They write this year that there are going to be masterclasses too, so perhaps they've added that on.

I would be very grateful for any info on the senior summer school at Elmhurst. The website doesn't really give much info about the accommodation. Does the course start with classes on the Sunday or is it just an introduction on the Sunday? In other words can you stay overnight from the Saturday or only from Sunday? If you decide not to take with accommodation, I know you have to pay extra for meals, but can you attend the activities in the evening? Are all participants in the summer school accommodated in the Elmhurst residences, which I believe are on site? Thank you very much!

Thanks - that's very helpful!

I didn't realise that the other foot is not pointed. Is there a difference in the value if the foot is pointed? And I also wondered about the difference in doing it parallel or turned out. Does anyone know??

I nagged and nagged my parents to let me leave my grammar school to which I'd won a scholarship through the 11+ . All I wanted was to dance! Eventually they agreed to let me go to a performing arts day school. I will never forget the momentous day when our incredibly awe inspiring, tweed suited headmistress came out of her inner sanctum to try and dissuade me! I remember her words to this day - What if you don't succeed as a dancer? You won't be able to go on to university from there! My ingenuous reply that I could always become a housewife probably led her to wash her hands of me! But I have always blessed the fact that my parents let me do what I wanted, including going to the Royal Ballet upper school. I was very lucky in that the LCC, as it was known then, allowed my original scholarship, which I had given up, to be transferred to RBS. They renamed it an Advanced Academic Award and I was invited to a party in the County Hall for those with this award. I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I was going to train in ballet, when they were all off to do serious subjects at uni, but no - they told me that they actually envied me, because I was studying something I loved and knew what I wanted. I succeeded in having a performing career, turned to teaching when I got married and for twenty years had a second performing career as a character artiste with our pro ballet company. I also have a degree - a B.Phil (Hons) - through the RAD - just to prove my old headmistress wrong and I got it with First Class Honours! I have had a life of ballet, which has continued to fulfil and inspire me and honestly I wouldn't have had it any other way. My kids and grandkids and lovely hubby all know that for me truly dance is life............

YBSS in York is excellent. Extremely high standard, great teachers and wonderful master classes in the evening. Lovely atmosphere and challenging too. If she can get in there, I recommend it even though it doesn't lead on to an upper dchool.

I broke my ankle twenty years ago and it took me 6 months to get back to dancing again properly. I was in plaster for 6 weeks but did gentle exercises all the time and when they took the plaster off they were really surprised at how well I'd kept the muscle tone. Physio and patience is the order of the day. I do remember going to the physiotherapist for the first time and telling her that I'd lost a great deal of flexibility and couldn't point properly. She asked me to point and seemed to think it was fine - until I showed her my other foot!!!! The moral is try and find a physiotherapist who works regularly with dancers!

As an RAD teacher myself, I think it's rather unreasonable to make your daughter wait so long just to take an exam. The exams give the students a goal and maķe them work harder, but I find that working for the exam longer than necessary has a detrimental effect on their progress. Some children do take longer than others, but not being in the UK we only have one exam session a year. If a child really isn't ready by then for the exam, we put them up anyway at the end of the year in the hope that they'll catch up. I very often find that sooner or later they'll be ready for an exam, and in the meantime their interest and enthusiasm has been maintained. Exams can't be compulsory- what if a parent can't afford them? If the school is being unhelpful I would definitely suggest you look fof an alternative.......

It's fabulous that the ballet schools are getting brand new state of the art studios! Central is moving to the South Bank in a few months. Makes all the difference to have purpose built modern studios!