Anna C

There were quite a few little flurries at odd times during yesterday afternoon’s Onegin.

I’m not sure, Caroline - but welcome to the forum! Hopefully one of our resident teachers might know the answer to your question. ☺️

For me he will always be remembered as Sgt Oscar Blaketon in Heartbeat - he had a marvellous way of emphasising the “s” sound at the end of names like “Greengrass” and “Ventriss” when irritated. A wonderful and versatile actor and a very sad loss.

Hello glissade, Apologies if this sounds obvious but I think my first port of call in your case would be dd’s dance teacher and Associates teacher, if she’s an Associate? They will have a much better idea of your dd’s strengths and areas for improvement and whether she has the potential to succeed in full time training. What is your dd’s ultimate goal? Performing? Teaching? If performing, what sort of performing? Ballet or Musical Theatre? Once she has narrowed that down, then you need to look at adding in other skills - Contemporary classes for ballet or singing, jazz and tap for Musical Theatre. For a teaching career - something like the BABE degree at the RAD - she will need RAD Intermediate (or equivalent) at the very least so Vocational ballet exams are much more important if teaching is the aim. I’d say for a Ballet performing career, being in full-time training by Year 12 is a must. For Contemporary or Musical Theatre, A Levels alongside top quality training (or a Foundation course if you can afford it) is fine. When I say “full time training” for a performing career, I mean Vocational school rather than a Dance Degree at an academic university. I hope that gives you a starting point? I do know of teachers/ex dancers in London who will assess a student’s physical facility and potential for full-time ballet training but I think narrowing down your dd’s eventual aims might be more useful to start with.

Oh no. 😔 Poor Cuthbertson.

To teach RAD Silver Swans you have to take part in Silver Swans Licensee Training. To be eligible to attend the training you must be an RAD Registered Teacher or have passed RAD Intermediate (or the equivalent thereof) AND a Level 4 ballet teaching qualification. Quite strict criteria which can only be a good thing as those attending Silver Swans or any licensed RAD classes know that the quality of teaching will be of a good standard, delivered by a qualified teacher (who has the appropriate insurance). Unfortunately, anyone can refer to themselves as a “Coach” yet take no responsibility for injury or accident during a “coaching” session. It’s one thing dancing a solo for your classmates during the break but quite another to start “teaching” your fellow students - especially when it’s the RAD teacher who has paid to hire the studio, paid her public liability insurance, paid in time and money to do the teaching qualifications and licensee training and - most importantly - would be responsible if anything untoward happened in class.

Welcome from me too. ☺️ Ten is certainly not too late for an eventual career as a dancer, especially if the aim is general dance (or musical theatre) as opposed to dancing with a classical ballet company. As Taxi says, auditions for year 7 entry in September are now well underway. For most full-time dance schools, ballet is a major part of the audition class so a little more experience before auditioning would be advisable - not necessarily taking more exams but studying the basics so that the steps at audition won’t go over your dd’s head. Did you have any schools in mind at this stage?

I think it’s perfectly natural to be disappointed, on one’s own behalf and for the performer in question. It’s even understandable to be annoyed initially if the cast change is unexplained or not apparently due to illness or injury - for example I was very disappointed to learn that Lauren Cuthbertson won’t be dancing Tatiana in Onegin. I was slightly annoyed at the time because no explanation was given. However, it is what it is, I’m not going to find out the reason for the change and I have moved on, although I’m still sad for Cuthbertson. I don’t judge anyone for being disappointed but I don’t think annoyance is at all appropriate when a performer is ill or injured - it’s neither the performer’s fault nor the ROH’s.

Your post in “News” is still there, glissade. I expect News was deemed a more appropriate place than Doing Dance.

I’m very glad I’ve booked to see Soares as Onegin one last time - he was terrific last time I saw him in the role. He made me cry as Rudolf in Mayerling and I’ll miss his presence onstage at the ROH. Wishing him all the very best.

I expect Cuthbertson is busy with The Cellist so I hope that’s the only reason.

Very well deserved and about time too, in my humble opinion!

I’ll still go, of course; it’s just that Cuthbertson is such a wonderful actress. I loved her partnership with Soares in Mayerling and I’m sure she would be a brilliant Tatiana. I hope she’s ok and not injured?

No! I booked especially for Lauren and Thiago. 😭

Good point. I can’t imagine it would have been easy to say no. I’d like to think the ROH had some say about whose photos to use though, even if the Brexity branding was out of their control...