taxi4ballet

Yes, I saw that on the BBC website and immediately thought of this forum!

20 hours ago, Birdy said:

For example?

POB

On 09/04/2024 at 17:14, Colman said:

And you’re happy for the rest of the world to reciprocate?

They already do.

The middle of the night is often when large organisations do regular system updates, so maybe that's the reason.

Aside from all else, changing it would cost rather a lot of money.

20 hours ago, Confuddled said:

I was also wondering what sort of parts an older girl (16, working on Adv 1) might get. I couldn’t see anything about it on the other thread, and as it’s not a classical ballet I don’t even know what parts it has!

There's a vido clip taken during rehearsals on the EYB facebook page dated 9th August last year, and that has a variety of dancers of different ages in it.

I saw a sign while driving past a pub car park the other day. They are quite near a railway station and have presumably had trouble with commuters parking there in the past. Now I know what they were trying to say here, but...

CAMERA-CONTROLLED

CUSTOMERS ONLY

🤣

You don't have to re-apply, but I believe in certain circumstances it can be withdrawn, which basically has the effect of assessing you out. I do think they have to confirm your income level each year though, to ensure that you still qualify.

If you like contemporary and making up your own routines, or collaborating with others to choreograph group dances, fine. 

If the teachers have actually trained as dancers rather than as PE teachers with 'dance' as an add-on module as part of their teacher training, fine.

If you are planning on staying at school to do A-levels and are considering A-level dance, and then going on to university to study some sort of dance course, fine.

Otherwise, don't bother.

DD did it and it was a complete and utter waste of time.

But then again, it might just have been the teachers at her school who weren't very good. I've heard of other people taking it at other schools and their experiences were entirely different. DD's GCSE dance teachers had a 'thing' against ballet for some reason, and treated it (and her) with utter disdain. The syllabus gives a choice of set works to study, all of the ones they did were contemporary, and they expected all choreography done by the students to be in similar vein.

Bear in mind that, unlike music GCSE, you need no prior experience whatever to choose GCSE dance as an option, and there may be a number of students in the class with little or no prior dance training, and one or two who have chosen it as an easy option and have no real interest in the subject.  That means that the standard of actual dance training during the course could be pitched at their level - ie adolescent beginner. You might also find that the school doesn't have a studio with a properly sprung dance floor. 

Not that I would want to put you off! 🤣

The higher grades give you UCAS points, and the vocational grades are a good grounding for the standard you need to be at if you are appying for vocational school, particularly the Adv levels, which you need to be at for upper school really.

But as others say, syllabus exams and grades aren't necessary. They give you an idea of your level of achievement so far, but what really matters is the quality of teaching you are receiving.

22 hours ago, Colman said:

Specific concerns about programmes or teachers are one thing, but a blanket discouragement - or outright forbidding it - suggests both insecurity in their own teaching and an inappropriate possessiveness. 

This is pretty much it. In a nutshell.

Some dance schools enter a lot of competitions, so I could understand that they would want commitment to rehearsals and competitions, especially in group dances, but if they have students who are really talented and need the opportunities and additional training that associate programmes offer, they should put the student's best interests first.

It was a few years ago now, but I think dd's cohort heard fairly quickly - within a couple of weeks. 

On 14/01/2024 at 17:52, LinMM said:

Sorry but am I being naive here….

Does the above salary refer to Mr. O Hare? 
Should we be discussing his salary here? 

The information is readily available to the general public via the Companies House website. 

If school B doesn't do IF, then there will presumably be beginner pointe students in their Inter class. Would you be able to go for a trial lesson at each, and see how you like it?

Us adults take things into account such as as journey time, ease of parking, the studio itself and whether we hit it off with the teacher and others in the class, so you might find that you prefer one over the other for reasons other than the actual class level.

The role of any director is to direct. 

That is literally their job.

Presumably the job of the Artistic Director of a school also entails ensuring that the training the students receive is in line with the AD's artistic vision for those students and the school as a whole.

I simply don't know how they could possibly do that unless they are present in class on a regular and frequent basis. 

Hopefully, it will be someone who is thoroughly familiar with what the Royal Ballet company is looking for in newly-graduated dancers.

Timing may have to be adjusted if a piece is be being danced by someone taller with long legs. 

13 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

And another area to look at is how the MDS/DaDa money is being spent. Are the taxpayers getting value for money & ROI? Also to know how it is potentially used as a bargaining chip to get/lose students in schools - again, speaking from my family’s own personal experience here. 

I agree about the funding issue. Someone in authority is eventually going to look at it and think 'we are paying all this money out to pay for this training, and hardly any of them ever finish training and get industry jobs'. They will then look at the ballet companies and see that there is a distinct pattern in recruiting dancers from overseas to fill vacancies. They will then wonder whether the taxpayer is getting value for money.

I wish the train drivers would stop going on strike, and I could reliably know whether or not I can get the train into London on a specific date.

Thank you to the mods for all your hard work throughout the year, and a Happy New Year to everyone.

4 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I would find this very disappointing.  Was there no other dancer who could fulfil the role correctly?

Dancers are not machines, they are people.

And if someone is at a stage in their career when one particular step is problematic due to minor physical limitations, but which can be replaced with another step (with official agreement), why not?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my online friends (and the few who know me in person- you know who you are!)

And a big thank you to all the moderators on the forum.

21 hours ago, Farawaydancer said:

I agree, really difficult to do. But not impossible to do, and without it nothing will change. In our case, there was no way I was sacrificing my ds’s mental health for a school place and possible future career. 
 

But the point I was making was that it’s naive to think this is an issue that only affects our vocational students. Cruel and inappropriate people are in positions of power throughout our lives, in schools, workplaces, churches, sports clubs…and they need dealing with. 

Some might not tell their parents though, not if they think that their parents will remove them from the school. It only comes out at crisis point.