dancemad

Tota

I`m sure Patricia Macdonald must feel some sadness at the way things have turned out for Northern Ballet School in  Manchester.She set up the school over 40 years ago as a classical ballet school for the north of England that was non-boarding,but was the feeder school for Northern Ballet Theatre. Many of their graduates went into the company. In fact in old Dancing Times adverts of the school,the first 2 NBS students to be accepted into the company were shown. When I was there as a child,NBT would use children from the school in their productions of Nutcracker,etc. Then NBT moved to Yorkshire, Christopher Gable affiliated NBT with Central,and it appears,killed the connection with Northern Ballet School. Now of course,that connection is completely severed,by NBT`s own Academy. I`m sure the school is still very successful,but i get the impression that not too many graduate and join classical ballet companies,unlike the way it used to be. Sadly,they don`t even have children`s classes on Saturdays and coaching classes after school anymore.[Miss Rhodes was lovely with the younger ones.] Hardly ,I imagine the way the Principal would have wanted her school to end up. 

Your assumptions are not quite right!

Miss MacDonald has actually been very progressive and has recognised the developments in commercial dance opportunities and the financial cut backs facing ballet companies! For a fact, Miss MacDonald has made a CHOICE to develop an outstanding school from which her graduating students are employable. In fact Trinity would confirm that Northern Ballet School has one of (if not THE) the highest employment records for its graduating dance students. Consistently their DADA recipients have a 100% employment record before the end of the graduating summer term. There are many companies who visit NBS to hold private auditions because they are so keen to employ the students. There is one very well know company who call their NBS employees "The A Team".

I may well be wrong but I have never heard mention of the school being set up as a feeder school for NBT either. I know there were ties through contacts and that the two students featured in early school advertising were indeed taken into the company.

Miss MacDonald most certainly doesn't have a shred of sadness about the way her school has "turned out". Although from a ballet background herself, her only aim is to have a successful school that produces professional dancers ie. someone that can support themselves in a dance career, not a necessarily a classical ballet career. One of the schools strength is the fact that the students are so very versatile which is so important. There are students on this very day in London taking the RAD Solo Seal exam and others preparing for this evenings musical theatre performance in Manchester.

The childrens classes ceased to run when the Teacher Training Course closed and that closed when the school funded more and more Dance Course places through the DADA scheme.

Miss MacDonald could not be prouder of NBS and every single thing about the school it has become. She is to be congratulated for keeping up with the times, doing what is best for her students and for not sitting around with her 'ballet hat' on, knowing full well that all round training secures a career as a dancer.

Tulip, just curious as to why you would view Got To Dance as being so beneath him? I understand your opinion on it maybe being unfair he is a professional, but not that the ballet world is so precious it's dancers can't be seen in on a different platform! Why would ENB be embarrassed? I'm sure he will be incredible.

Hi Katymac

From what you tell us about your DD "living to dance" you have no argument. It doesn't matter what "shock reactions" you get from other people. Your daughter is old enough to express her opinion. Life is for living and if your DD is happy she will thrive. Forced into academia that she doesn't want to do will make her unhappy by the sounds of things. Better to try & even fail, than live with regrets.

Just my take on things!

Good luck

Thank you KathyG.

It's sad to hear them call DADA institutions 'private institutions'. I find the comments almost dismissive of the DADA schools. Its as if they are saying that they do not owe support to these 'private students' because they have selected their route to have a privileged time at a private school. Of course we know that isn't the case. DADA and uni funded courses often offer very different things and the student obviously chooses based on whether the course content suits them or not.

It's a shame that employment figures are not taken into account. The schools that produce the professional dancers should be funded! Maybe that's my simplistic way of looking at things but it makes sense to me!

Better still, lets get some dancing mums in the funding offices! We'd have it sorted in no time!!

I have had the same thoughts as Ribbons. The funding of the degree course is in reality far more accessible and possible even with the current DADA system. The worry for parents with the changes that may well be coming in very soon with the DADA will make the degree option even more attractive and far easier for parents to manage. Currently with a Dada you would still need to find about £12,00.00 per year (out of your net income) if you weren't able to get any extra help. For many parents the option of student loans makes it possible for the DC to train if they are offered a place I think Central are ahead of the game myself but thats only my opinion

Gosh that must be a London school current DADA rate??? Out of London the current DADA contribution with no additional 'hardship' top up grant (including accommodation) is about £8000 PA. Elmhurst is more I believe. Still a lot to find

Our DD turned down her Central place in favour of a DADA course to avoid the student loans that would have built up over her two/three years at Central. If she would like to, she can upgrade her DADA course qualification into a BA degree in nine months.

Good luck to all auditioning.

Get someone to ring the matrons on your house phone whilst you are talking on mobile. Ask the matrons to go to the dorm as DD very upset. They are wonderful, wonderful women & unfortunately as you are not there, they can actually give more productive support when it comes to homesickness. They will get DD involved in something or have them help out in the office to keep busy. We were lucky & only had one or two 'upset' phone calls. It will pass but an awful thing for you

Totally agree Primrose about the international students paying and of course it doesn't reflect the international students talent in any way.

Ditto to good luck wishes too

By coincidence there is an identical topic on BalletTalk this morning which has been bumped up in the news feed following a new comment. The two comments before the latest one read as follows. They are from 2010 but mention the levels Primrose was explaining about. In my ignorance I didn't realise there were so many students!

6 posts

Gender:Female

Connection to/Interest in Ballet:Student

Posted 15 August 2010 - 10:29 PM

>A friend of mine who attends there says that the school is split into two parts- a russian school and an international school, the international school being the less talented students who pay for training whereas the russian school's students attend for free. I was just wondering if this is this true?

419 posts

Interests:watching ballets, sewing costumes, reading, scrapbooks

Connection to/Interest in Ballet:Parent of a dancer

Posted 16 August 2010 - 05:17 PM

>Actually, the school is not separated quite like the way you are describing, but I can see how someone with the information given to them by the school would think that. The way the school is set up is that there are 3 "courses" for the higher grades, which correspond loosely to high school years in the U.S. The lower grades are also divided into "classes" 1-5.' There are a variety of ages in each "class" and "course," but there is usually not much more than a 2 year spread in the "classes," and a 3 year spread in the "courses." 3rd Course is the graduating class. Now, within those "classes" and "courses" (aka levels), there are several sections of each. Usually 3 sections, or sometimes 4 sections. Within those sections, students are placed in such a way that solely Russian students comprise at least one section, solely Foreign students comprise at least one section, and the other section(s) are comprised of a mix of foreign and Russian students. In addition, those sections are divided into "boys" and "girls." Each section has academic and "other than ballet" classes (i.e., character, acting, modern, historical, partnering) with boys and girls combined. Ballet classes and "variations" classes are with the main ballet teacher, and are divided by gender. In addition, the complexity of the schedule is such that it is difficult to move between levels. There are about 700 students in the school, with about 100 being foreign. Many of the Russian students are commuters, and live at home in Moscow, not in the dorms.

Morrisons pins are VERY strong & last forever. Definately hair nets & not bun nets

Hi Tulte. It won't be demi pointe You need to really understand what you are technically looking to achieve in the photograph if you are going to choose them without your teacher!

I have heard that if you cut a small V into the centre of the toenail, it allows the nail to draw itself together (as if trying to bridge the gap in the V) hence drawing the nail in away from the sides of skin.

One of the winners featured here:

 

http://www.thisissussex.co.uk/Dancer-jumps-joy-winning-major-competition/story-16426284-detail/story.html

Sounds like a very talented young lady

Wonder if it is acceptable for you to share the winners names on here??

It is a great completion

Just sent you a PM Dancersdad.

Hi balletboy6,

If you live anywhere near York then take your son to watch a senior boys class at the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars in the summer. If he loves dance it will inspire and amaze him even at the age of 6. Anyone can watch the classes.

Oh also forgot to say that DADAs are available to all students from an EU country. That's always seemed a little unfair to me as there are few schemes available in the EU that British students can apply for. Not that my opinion counts for anything!!

Hi Dancersdad

Just to add that DADA recipients from lower income households are eligible for money from the Hardship Fund. I believe this can be a non repayable grant of anything up to about £3400 a year. This grant is calculated on a sliding scale with £3400 being the most awarded down to lesser amounts as the cut off point is reached. I think the cut off is approx £30,000 annual household income but I'm not certain on the exact amount.

Hi Tulip.

Like Fiz says maybe this is just a teenage dislike! :/

However could she be using the wrong muscles for adage etc?? Often when teenagers go through growth spurts and loose a little strength, they will use other (incorrect) muscles to compensate.

Muscle mass can certainly be lost. It only takes two weeks for a muscle to go into atrophy and after that it will start to break down. Even over the summer rest your daughter would see a difference.

Hope she feels better about things soon

I have stumbled across this link this morning. Sounds interesting

http://balletnews.co.uk/northern-ballet-bbc-documentary-to-be-broadcast-in-may/

Nottinghamshire IS firstly part of 'The Midlands'.

'The Midlands' can then be divided into Shire Counties and it is only at that second divide that Nottinghamshire is categorised as being in the 'East Midlands'.

Interesting that the designer is from the US and there are photos of students at Royal Scottish in the ad!

My first reaction was the compression of the Achilles Tendon under all the elastic but I suppose that's nonsense as traditional ribbons tie roughly in the same place.

Personally I'm not sure they will catch on too quickly

My heart goes out to you Kiwimum! So hard to find the tuition top up and accommodation costs on a DADA award. At least on a degree course the student loans are available.

Hope you are able to sort something out & congrats to your DD.

 

I remember reading a report for each school on the MADE website that showed a chart illustrating the distribution of awards across the means-tested range and it seemed to suggest that they like to give relatively even proportions to low, middle and high income families. Not sure if it's still on there though.

Hi Interested Parent. That would be because, like I said, the vast majority of awards are given on talent alone. On that basis one would expect to see an even balance across the various income brackets.

Obviously it also doesn't mean that when the secondary criteria of 'need' is used, that the students being split because of equal talent fall into the lower end of income brackets. Given that, there wouldn't particularly be any influences on the chart created solely by the use of the 'need' criteria.

In an audition the most outstanding students will be given the awards regardless of income. The difficulty comes when there are another, let's say five students, that the school are interested in but there are only two awards left. Obviously those five students could come from any income bracket including maybe all coming from the top bracket. Again this demonstrates that the chart would not be influenced by the use of the 'need' screening.

Oh my! Does all that make sense?

They are primarily awarded on talent, that is the first criteria. However if a school needed to allocate one remaining award between two students, then the student on the lowest income would recieve the award. That is the official guidelines issued to institutions anyway.