meadowblythe

Long shot but if the knowledge is anywhere it's here ...

I'm looking for a book for DS who is in halls of residence.  From what I hear he is surving on smoothies, pasta and stir fry.  Nothing wrong with that, but are there any books out there on nutrition for male dancers (including recipes)?

All the books I can find seem to concentrate on reducing body fat which is the last thing he needs to do!  Needs to bulk up a bit, if anything.  Still something of a whippet like build (unfair).

Many thanks for all help

Meadowblythe

NB:  for all of you with short DSs - he has now reached the giddy height of 5'10.5" at the age of 16 and a bit.  Has literally grown 6 inches in 6 months!  

Almost on topic - if you have a moment after the show, when we've been to the Curve, where the theatre is in the middle of a larger building, after the show they raise the sides so you can see the backstage area.    As non dancing DS's vocation is backstage this was a real experience for me, a glance into his world ... and impressive on any level, to understand the mix of new and old, modern technology and basic manual equipment that goes back hundreds of years.

Did you know, for example, that over 50 backstage crew are used to stage BRB's Nutcracker?  Takes 30+ crew just to keep the scenery moving!

Have you tried parkatmyhouse.com?  People essentially rent out their driveway by the hour/day/week.

I've used it when in Oxford in the day time and it works out very cost effective.  I also use it as an alternative to station car parks which can also produce fairly eye watering charges ..

I saw the Grantham performance of Out of Bounds and had a really great evening.   I know very little about modern dance but I found the show to be both moving and very, very entertaining.

Ad fidem is probably the closest to what I expected the dancing style to be.  As well as thought provoking choreography it was beautifully produced with very effective lighting and music.

404-not found was a lighter piece demonstrating the dramatic and balletic skills of Paul Chantry. 

Singing Day highlighted his choreographic skills, sensitively interpreted by Rae Chantry.

All I can do is be me - I must admit I was dreading this, as I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan.  In the event it was my favourite part of the evening.   It was a light  feel-good end to the evening.  I particularly loved the look of sheer delight on Paul's face as he watched his company at work.  It was also the most balletic of the four pieces, and as such well within my comfort zone.

As it says above - leave your pre-conceptions at the door (as always with this company).  This modern ballet in the true sense of the word - if you like dance you are in for a treat.

Must admit when one of my first conversations with DS after he started at RCS was regarding assessing out.   They had been told that no one would be "surprised" by being assessed out.  This flumoxed me at  the time as I had conveniently managed to block assessment out of my mind.   Chatting to a third year when he was moving in, she said students had repeated years due to injury.  

Thinking back, I had been told that the degree is structured so that students gain academic credit for each year completed so if things didn't work out they had a paper qualification to take elsewhere.

I do hope that conversation wasn't an omen ....

Funnily enough I never thought to this question - my understanding (now!) is yes, some certainly do.  Just when I thought I could breathe ....

Might be worth asking at auditions although I dare say the answers will come flooding in here ...

I guess the other question is what happens then?  And presumably it is /for A level/Btec/Trinity/Degree courses ?

Moderators - should this be a new thread?

Would thoroughly agree with Picturesinthefirelight - make sure you know the words of your song and your monologue - it always seems to me that Hammond value the students who care enough to think things out for themselves, and can make themselves stand out  - to learn a speech other than the set suggestions, to be able to explain what is happening at that point in the play, to choreograph something themselves and to learn the words of a song.  I would look at possibly some of the less popular musicals.  If you are the 15th student singing, for example, something from Les Mis, in in the afternoon but you are not very confident you will not hold their interest in the same way as if you are the only student singing something from say an early Sondheim, which is probably musically very interesting.

My DS certainly wasn't the worlds best singer but they explained that they need to know what they are taking on and how the balance of talents would pan out.

Good luck to your DD - there are some wonderful teachers at The Hammond.

Others on this forum  will have more info than me but I do know  that they had very high rates - when I last asked this question (last april) they were expecting 90% plus for the year  that were graduating - destinations mentioned were Ballet Wales, Northern Ballet and several going to the Far East.  Afraid I can't remember the details.

Bear in mind they are talking fairly small numbers.  To be honest we felt that these were people  we trusted to give our son the best chance of finding employment, so we were prepared for him to take his chances at the end of the course, or at the very least, to gain an excellent training along the way.

A quick and unashamed  plug for the wonderful Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  

The course is a 3 year degree course,  student funding available. 

In the current first year there are 10 students.

The studios are very modern.  

There are close company links with the Scottish Ballet (students visited in their first week, and actually used the studios for class as the Genee was using theirs ..).

Students generally live in halls for all 3 years, with pretty much exclusively RCS students, from a variety of courses. 15 minutes walk from the studios.

Very generous bursaries are available.

RAD training also encouraged.

Actively encouraged to be part of the wider artistic community

One very happy DS - except he has to be in early so can't always hang out with his mates on the jazz course who don't start until 11!

have just re-read the original post and noticed that your daughter is in year 10.  As such I would hesitate - and hesitate again - before changing her academic school now that GCSEs have started. 

Meadowblythe

A different perspective ......

Whether are children are at vocational school or not, it's probably fair to say an inordinate amount of the week is spent driving them to and from classes, festivals, group rehearsals, associate classes - the list goes on.

Perhaps for one week of the year family should come first?  There'always another summer school but time spent together is so limited.

This is from the perspective of a parent whose family were all under the same roof for precisely four days this summer.  Who in the last two weeks has had two children starting at universities at opposite ends of the country,and yesterday had to drive 300 miles to collect the third from a large musical event to get her to an orchestral rehearsal.  We have booked our family holiday for next year (for the first time ever) without consulting any schedules and nothing will be more important than a collective chance to draw breath.

Meadowblythe

A science teacher I know was once a Chelsea player (retired just before Sky went into football, hence the teaching!).  They took regular classes at White Lodge, sometimes with the dancers.  Idea was to develop their core stability to improve ability to turn and also to kick with the "wrong" foot.

Well, you can tell its the first week back as I'm pondering summer schools ....

Just wanted to belatedly comment on Chantry Dance and their summer school.  When Rae introduced the parents' performance, she said "it's not your typical summer school."

And how!  20 students aged 12-mid 30s, working together.  From drama school students wanting to extend their dance technique, professional ballet teachers, contemporary students at top institutions to local ballet students.  The idea was to mirror the company day, so starting with ballet class and then sessions on improvisation and learning some of Paul's repertoire from his work for his own company.  Also sessions to learn a work that Paul had choreographed for the diverse group that arrived on Monday.

The funny thing is it really worked.  At the end of the performance every student was individually recognized for  at least one are of growth and improvement.  I had tears in my eyes watching the improvisation, something that has never happened to me at an end of course performance before, but watching my son working in complete harmony and partnership with someone he had only met 5 days earlier, and would never have normally come across was so moving.  It has certainly set DS up to embrace new dance forms as he moves onto the next phase of his dance training.

Dates are already on the website for next year.  We will be there!

Meadowblythe

Fiz

You might want to try gumtree or something like that.  I don't know if our church would pay the moving fees but the one we currently have is really only fit for landfill - you can't play anything in more than two flats/sharps after the second hymn because the black notes have stuck down by then!  And as for tuning ...

Fiz

Where abouts are you (and the piano!)

Just been into our local bank.  DS off the RCS in a month (gulp!) so wanted to find out about a student bank account.  Because he's 16 he is not apparently eligible, as under 18 (you can tell I taught maths).   The bank have promised to look into this, but I wondered if anyone else had encountered the same problem, and could shed any light on banks that are particularly good with young university students.

Meadowblythe

I so agree with pas de chat - looking back our inability to discuss our concerns with DS's teacher should have been a sign it was time to move on ...   we were too afraid that we would be classed as "difficult" and DS wouldn't get into JAs/PVPs/vocational.

Having no background at all in ballet we just did not know what was expected or reasonable - either of the school or ourselves.

Meadowblythe

Thought I'd start a new thread on this ..

Non dancing DS has passed his driving test (hooray!) but unfortunately this means the ugly subject of cars and insurance has raised its ugly head.

As he is going to the  Birmingham School of Acting I suspect that it would be a waste of money for him to buy a car, as he would have nowhere to park it, but he will need transport.  One option is to upgrade his current provisional motor bike license to a full one, and buy a bigger bike.  Another is to put him on the insurance for my little car, and the third is one of these policies where you buy a set number of days per year.  

Any thoughts or experience to share?

Meadowblythe

There's a new Hampton by Hilton opened in Birmingham - quite reasonable rates at present.  We have stayed in the Newport outpost of this chain and were very impressed - think upmarket Holiday Inn Express

I had the privelege to stay near Keswick recently with a group of year 7s.  A pure Swallows and Amazons moment as we canoed from island to island on Lake Keswick.  And if you haven't tried ghyll scrambling you really haven't lived .....

Have borrowed an entire set of ordinance survey maps from school so I can return in the summer!

Never mind the students - I also had to have an interview with the head, to explain why I needed so much time (unpaid) off work to take my DS to auditions!  Have promised my attendance will be better this year.  So it is unfortunate DD is now seriously considering a vocational school for music. 

Meadowblythe

Rambert audition - some perform a dance and some don't.  It was emphasised that not dancing your solo did not mean you weren't being considered - indeed it could be just the opposite - you had sailed through.

Certainly at my son's audition the vast majority did a contemporary rather than ballet solo (I'm sure that the situation was different at others).

Why not promenade?  I have done this with my children since they are little.  If they are interested in the music we queue early and they usually get a seat in the prom area, if not they take a good book or, in earlier days, colouring materials, and lie flat out on the floor getting on with their own thing.

And you get a wonderful view from the prom area.  If not, the gallery means they can sit cross legged on the floor and look down, but it is a long way away.

Have recently had this conversation with DS.  What if at the end of  all you can't get a job as a ballet dancer.  His chosen options are take a second degree in history or join the military.  Get this, he has been to check at the recruiting office and because he will have a degree (albeit in Modern Ballet) he can go in as an officer.

Yes that well known route - vocational school, degree in ballet, Sandhurst.

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when he was having that conversation!

we were in this position many (many!) years ago - there was no way I could have taken the time off as I work in education.  We rang the RBS and they were able to find us an alternative place.  If memory serves we had a choice of two but chose Birmingham.  So don't panic too soon if the Friday place is not viable.