Anna C

:-( Lildancer.

And don't forget, different schools look for different things. Some schools like to see "performance skills", even at 10. Others consider that performance can be developed later, and look for musicality. They all look at physique, but even these requirements can differ from school to school. It's a minefield! :-)

Gorgeous pic, Anjuli! :-)

I think Bankrupt Mum is correct. Perhaps a more pertinent question would be "what do the schools actually look for at auditions" - which is of course the million dollar question! :-)

Not surprised! What a lovely position to be in. My advice is to take graduate employment into account - not just numbers, but where the dancers end up working. :-)

I would point out that equally, there are people whose dancing children have been very happy at Tring. I am not one of them - my dd is not at Vocational School, nor does she dance at Tring. Just trying to promote a balanced viewpoint. :-)

Well said Julie. And hfbrew - welcome back! :-))

Or it could be what my dd's local teacher calls "thirdy-fifth", i.e. halfway between third and fifth, when a student is having trouble turning out - or maintaining turnout, so the fifth starts to slip back into third. :-)

Oh, don't say that tomuchtalent! As a fellow parent, I think it's better to be informed of all possible pros and cons. To be fair to Luke Jennings, he's not come out with any great bombshell. I already knew that the chances of making it through classical training and into a company were small. There are issues with Vocational Training that need to be addressed and all the article has done is made people debate the issue. But as parents, surely it's better to know what issues might arise? Forewarned is forearmed, after all. :-)

Quite agree, pups_mum. And EYB are very good at making adjustments to the choreography to suit the standards of the children. It's a truly lovely experience, but is of course completely different to the audition process for Voc. school.

I've never experienced the phenomenon while watching ballet, but for many years now I've had vivid and recurring dreams where I am dancing en pointe. I stopped ballet at age 6 and have never even worn a pair of pointe shoes, but in the dreams I can dance beautifully en pointe and feel everything completely vividly. Not sure whether that's using the same part of the brain...fascinating stuff though!

Gosh, that IS a tricky question tomuchtalent! :-) Well, the reason I can't answer the pirouette question is that my dd auditioned by dvd the first time she did EYB, and this time around she was in the Senior Audition. There were children aged from 12 to 18, but the standard varied HUGELY. What I would say is that for any EYB audition, you do need a certain level of vocabulary (although Dominic does demonstrate), an ability to pick up enchainements, confidence to have a go (and confidence and spatial awareness to jump past or get out of the way of someone going the wrong way!) The Senior EYB audition was tougher than I had imagined, both in terms of steps, numbers on the stage, and slipperiness of the stage. Very different to auditions for Vocational Schools where my dd said the steps themselves were easier than the level she was studying. Of course they wanted to see movement, musicality, flexibility and physique, and quite right too. So it is a different type of audition for EYB.

Nobody knows....it's one of life's great mysteries. ;-)

So far, my dd has not been asked to do a double pirouette in any RAD graded exam (she's currently halfway through RAD Grade 6), but they are studying them in RAD Intermediate. Aileen is right, it could have been a turn...or EYB were just seeing who would have a go at an obviously difficult step? I know they approve of people who will give it a go. :-)

I absolutely agree, glowlight. I just fear that there is a worrying disconnect between our schools and our companies and that unless problems are highlighted and debated, things will get worse rather than better.

Thank you Afab. :-)

It has been nobody's intention to "attack" Irmgard. The Acceptable Use Policy of the forum has been pointed out, and hopefully that makes it clear that anyone posting what could be seen as highly critical material (be that of a school, company, or board, for example) does so under their own name (including surname). And welcome to the forum. :-)

No idea..yet! DD did Nutcracker at that age but hasn't done Sleeping Beauty before. Might be worth looking at EYB's facebook page - people tend to put a lot of photos there and you may get an idea of rough ages. My advice is to not worry too much because whatever part they get, they will enjoy! :-)

Gut feeling, definitely. But personally I would start by looking at graduate employment. :-)

Absolutely. But it also depends on the age of the child in question, and how much store you're going to set by the opinions given. One Director of Dance at one school said that my dd would never have a career as a dancer as she displayed no personality whilst dancing. My daughter was 10 at the time, and extremely shy. In the last few years dd has blossomed in terms of technique, grace, and a lovely serene presence whilst dancing. She is still very shy, but is slowly learning to let the rest of the world in to share her love of dance. She is still determined to apply for Upper Schools at 16. I never told her what that Director of Dance said. You do have to make a choice whether to take feedback on board, and when. I was going to say that by 16 or 18 it will be evident whether a student has the potential to get a classical contract, and in most cases I suspect this is true - but then look at Melissa Hamilton? Only one teacher at her Upper School saw her potential..... If a child dances for their whole childhood and youth, but it never comes to anything professionally, I still don't think they have wasted time or money. As long as they have enjoyed it. :-)

I think one of the article's most pertinent points is the confidence the children lack because of the atmosphere of fear surrounding their places. Who can work at their best with the threat of an axe hanging over their heads? I don't just talk about RBS here as of course it isn't the only school which assesses out, BUT, if I am correct, it's the only school which assesses out in Year 7 (is that correct?). Mind you, even my daughter's Associate Class assesses children out, and approaching that Assessment class there is a heightened stress level which, in young teenagers, can pretty much blow any performance skills out of the window as they're all anxiously awaiting their results. Even in the schools where children aren't routinely assessed out until Year 9, I get the feeling that the Assessment process is not transparent in the least, and often an "unsatisfactory" result comes without any warning. Who would put up with that in their profession? One day you're working happily, thinking everything is fine; the next "Sorry, you're sacked". At the moment, my (non-Vocational) daughter is growing at a rate of knots. Her hypermobile joints are struggling with a lack of supporting strength from her surrounding muscles, and she's having temporary trouble getting over onto the platform of her left pointe shoe. Her local teacher and the dance physio are carefully guiding her through this tricky period (which they both say is completely temporary and normal service will be resumed). Yet I can't help feeling relieved - for the first time - that she's NOT at Vocational School at the moment, as I have a nasty feeling that some schools may have deemed her "unsatisfactory" during this time of fast growth. Do schools in other countries Assess Out? Is the process done with more transparency than it is here? Do you get warning, and a probationary period while teachers help you resolve issues? Is the Assessment process in this country contributing to the poor likelihood of making it all the way through WL, into US, and into the company?

Hello Susan, welcome to the forum. :-))

Ha ha Anjuli....no, when I booked the skydiving for my parents, the lady did a kind of double take over the phone, and said "sorry, did you say they're celebrating their GOLDEN wedding??" My husband has wrapped the shoes in a clean teatowel and taken them into the garage, to do something......fortunately it seems to have worked! I didn't hear the car revving up though. ;-) Yes, the physio is marvellous - you can positively see the difference in dd's leg muscles and feet after only 3 sessions. I must admit I was surprised that our local teacher has always been in the camp for learning the intermediate syllabus in split soles, rather than getting used to soft blocks immediately (not to mention wearing them PRIOR to starting pointework, as preparation). Still, fortunately she is happy to go along with the physio's recommendations. :-)

Fair enough. :-)

Hi Siana, and welcome to the forum! :-)