Anna C

Yes, Bloch do specify which are men’s ballet flats: https://uk.blochworld.com/collections/adults-dance-shoes-ballet

Dd and I were sat in stalls circle side on Saturday evening and the lady next to me kept talking to her partner - not only while the orchestra was playing but repeatedly during the dancing. By the the Rose Adagio when I had missed Naghdi’s first balances by glaring at the couple, I’d had enough and hissed “Shhh”. I’m accustomed to elderly and seemingly hearing-impaired people talking during cinema broadcasts because I’ve only paid a few quid for my ticket, but not at the ROH. Why can’t people watch ballet without discussing it during the performance? 😒

Trog and Pictures are correct; however, some online dance shops do have a men’s shoes category: https://www.movedancewear.com/dance-shoes/ballet-shoes/#language_id=1&pg_reset=1&lp_106=5&lpo_106=5&hp_106=37&hpo_106=37&uet=1&eis=0&a_101[]=103&sort_bp=1&sort=BS&pt=Ballet+Shoes Definitely worth visiting a good dance shop to get properly fitted though.

Yes, on one leg, using the barre (lightly) as support. Here’s the Royal Ballet in class; rises start at 26 minutes:

I agree with Xandra about Naghdi and Ball. Naghdi is surely THE Aurora of her generation. She was perfection last night and thanks to the wonderful chemistry she and Matthew Ball have and Ball’s gorgeous secure partnering, I was able to enjoy the wedding pdd without worrying about those fish dives. What a glorious performance from them both. They really should be filmed for posterity. Super performances from Calvert (whose Lilac is one of my all-time favourites), Avis, Magri, O’Sullivan, McNally and Pajdak. Choe’s fairy was lovely but she struggled with Princess Florine even before her unfortunate slip. Daughter and I couldn’t decide whether Choe’s shoes were bothering her or if she had a weakness in one ankle as she struggled with Florine’s hops en pointe. What a shame; I did feel for her. Isabella Gasparini and Leticia Dias stood out with their lovely stage presence and glorious smiles. I’m so glad Naghdi and Ball received such rapturous applause because they really were outstanding. I love this partnership.

Hi EmilyR ☺️ I agree with valentina; there’s no need to put suede protectors on soft blocks. They have a much softer box and no defined platform like pointe shoes (and you never go en pointe in them) so the ends don’t wear out or fray like pointes.

I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the auditions yesterday! If it’s a “no” this time round, it’s always worth trying again in future. My daughter has nothing but happy memories of her time at CBA, especially her classes with Miss Samaai. Wishing everyone luck for results time. ☺️

Hello York UK beginner and welcome! Your paragraph above really struck me because this is (or should be!) the format of *every* ballet class for anyone over the age of about 8, whether they be absolute beginners or professional dancers in a Ballet company. ☺️ So if that is not to your liking, you’ve probably picked the wrong art form! The barre is a warm up; preparation for centre work, which in itself follows a pattern of port de bras, adage, pirouettes/turns, petit allegro, grand allegro. You can see the structure of a class by watching the Royal Ballet “in class” videos by the Royal Opera House on Youtube. Even one to one tuition should follow this structure for adults. It sounds to me as if you need a class specifically for Adult absolute beginners with no previous experience of ballet. These will work on the basic building blocks of turnout, pointing the feet, posture, arm positions etc. There will probably be some centre work even at this level, just to get you used to working without the barre, but hopefully the work will be explained and demonstrated thoroughly so nobody feels left behind. Daytime classes for adults who are absolute beginners (by good, qualified teachers) outside London are probably going to be hard to find but if you google “Adult beginner ballet classes” it might be a starting point. Hopefully one of our Adult dancers might know of some. Good luck!

Is Battersea doable, MVP? I would recommend the RAD’s own dance school at RAD HQ if so.

Hi TKT, There are lots of threads about CBA auditions; I don’t know if you’ve managed to read any of them yet but if not, if you click on the “CBA” tag/button underneath your thread title, all threads tagged with CBA will appear: https://www.balletcoforum.com/tags/CBA/ Have a read and if you have any unanswered questions, let us know. ☺️

How sad; 59 is no age at all. He came across as a thoroughly nice man on tv.

Crikey, that is late! I’m assuming it’s the last few days of term as getting up for tutes and lectures could be tricky. ☺️

I agree with almost all of your post, katharine, but I would disagree that the Russians tend to be “better trained” when they are clearly encouraged to “sit back” into swayback knees. It is an unfortunate fashion that has developed though, that a “beautiful line” is almost an S shaped leg and foot with a swayback knee and banana foot. The safest line for pointework is actually straight down from thigh to toe but this is not considered “beautiful” so dancers like Osipova with naturally straight feet feel they need to wear fake arches under their tights. It’s ridiculous that a Principal Dancer in one of the World’s best companies feels she has to do that. I may be unusual but I find extreme “banana feet” distracting rather than beautiful during a performance, perhaps because I know how much more prone to injury they can be. However, like straight feet, the dancer cannot do a thing about it except ensure that her shoes protect her feet as far as possible. Ivy Lin is spot on about shoes being a dancer’s tool - sadly, there ARE people who comment negatively on tennis players’ attire (think of the stick Serena Williams gets) but IMO commenting out of concern or a wish that a dancer would get refitted in safer shoes is fine; implying that today’s dancers are “cheating” or that their feet look ugly by having modern, well made shoes is not acceptable.

Gaynor Mindens are great for my daughter’s bunion Lin, especially now she’s not dancing full time! Freed will alter a shoe and do a special order for anyone though, not just professionals. It might be as simple as a “heel pin” which alters the size of the shoe by about a quarter of a size, changing the cotton drawstring for an elastic one, lowering the vamp and so on. When my dd’s favourite “Maker” left Freed, she was able to have another Maker’s Classic Pro shoes customised and ordered two or three pairs at a time. Freeds certainly aren’t for everyone but if they do suit your feet (and you get one of the Senior Fitters) they can be tweaked in almost every way.

Absolutely ludicrous, Fiz.