Anna C

How's the weather in Casablanca, John? ;-)

Let us know how you get on! :-)

I absolutely agree! :-). I didn't mean to suggest she wasn't; far from it. I just meant that in general, I think schools should not specify high insteps as a condition of auditioning. I hate to think that schools might focus on just physical proportions and therefore miss someone who could have outstanding musicality, expression, technique etc. but who had either been "paper sifted" out, or overlooked at audition once the panel had looked them up and down and decided that their feet aren't "pretty" enough.

This might help. :-)) http://www.pointeshoefitting.co.uk/pointe_shoes/Grishko_Demi_Point_Soft_Block_Shoes.html

Wow, thanks everyone! Firstly...why has the physio recommended them - because dd is very hypermobile and while she has fantastic strength in her core and back, she is weak in her feet and the backs of her legs. She's given dd a rigorous exercise regime which has made massive improvements so far. :-) The physio asked to see dd in pointe shoes and flat shoes and told us to give the splitsoles to the dog to play with (!) and that unless you already have very strong feet, they give the foot nothing to work against. She said that the rigid sole of a softblock gives the foot a surface to work against and that even balancing in them in adage work is more difficult and will help strengthen feet, ankles, legs and core. So dd is wearing them for both grade 6 and Intermediate classes now. I do intend to buy her a "real" pair of softblocks for the exam. :-) Anjuli, she grew out of these for pointe while they were still hard, so they haven't gone at all mushy yet. I love the idea of recycling ribbons but at the moment she hangs every pair of pointe shoes - in order - from the end of her bed. :-) And congratulations on your 50 years in June! What an achievement! My parents reach theirs in August....they are doing indoor skydiving to celebrate. (Don't even go there!)

I finally managed to catch up with the Scarlett "Sweet Violets" rehearsal yesterday and I must say I was absolutely blown away. Loved the chemistry between Leanne Cope and Thiago (looking very dark and villainous), and to watch Scarlett trying to get his visions out of his head and into the dancers' bodies was utterly fascinating.

Thanks both! They were surprisingly easy to de-shank; they are one of the Bloch models where the shank and innersole are only glued to the first 3/4 of the shoe - the very back is intentionally left to come away slightly. That meant that once I'd got the nails out (and used a bit of brute force at the front!) everything came out very neatly. :-) It's because DD's teacher refers to them as "the very hard softblocks" that I wondered if "real" softblocks are in fact much softer!

And if they are major donors or anyone who has enough influence to request a meeting with the board, then one would assume they would know who Baroness de Mandat Grancey is...!

Evening all! :-) The dance physio has advised my dd to start wearing soft blocks for all her classes (except pointe, obviously) and as money is somewhat tight, I have successfully de-shanked a pair of pointe shoes which were just grown out of. They were fine in the length but just a little too narrow for pointework with ouch pouch pro pads. They fit perfectly as soft blocks, but the teacher has said that they are very hard in the box, and that we should shut them in a door or in a vice, to soften the box. Never having bought a "real" pair of soft blocks, I was wondering how much softer they are in the box than de-shanked pointes. Is there a big difference?

Absolutely Jellybeans, but to my untrained eye Tamara Rojo has hyperarched feet; it would be interesting to know how many (if any) injuries she has suffered. I must admit I do have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about feet because my dd doesn't have a very high instep (i.e. the arch of the top of her foot) but her hugely experienced dance physio has told her that there is nothing wrong with her feet at all for classical ballet (apparently she has nice strong feet identical to Agnes Oakes...who knew!?). Yet she would not even be eligible to audition for some schools; one of whom (not a British Vocational school but a foreign school auditioning in London) actually specifies "high instep" in its advert. I would rather see a strong straight foot on an intelligent, thinking dancer with beautiful artistry than a so-so dancer with a super-arched foot! :-)

Yes, I was thinking about this earlier and wondered if some of the people involved are ENB dancers. My first instinct is to think that the dancers as a body aren't behind it, because I think they would probably ask for a meeting with management, but if one or two individual dancers have signed the letter then it could indeed jeopardise their careers, in which case I'm not surprised at the request for anonymity.

Mmm, I thought that. There's nothing wrong with objecting to the loss of a Director so I wonder why the authors would feel the need to hide behind anonymity? Why not just write saying how sad it is for the company and ask if anything can be done?

This is interesting! I wonder if ENB will respond? http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/features/item/851-whywastewayneenb

Wasn't Rupert assessed out of White Lodge?

I found that article fascinating Nana Lily. Of great interest to me was the part about feet: "FEET AND ANKLES: Feet and ankles should have sufficient flexibility for the line of the tibia (shinbone) to continue through the pointed foot. Hyperarched feet are a potential source of weakness, especially in pointe work."

I wonder if the situation would be different - and the loss of the "English style" less marked if Gailene Stock had been a product of White Lodge?

No, you're right Willow, although one would hope that Robert Parker will keep strengthening the links between the school and BRB. RBS however does call itself "The school for the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet". To have even one year with no WL students making it through US and into the company is worrying indeed.

Thanks for posting the article Ian. Mr Jennings has clearly been thinking and researching hard since he wrote an article a while back questioning the work ethic of British ballet students and dancers....very interesting.

I tried to watch the re-run as I'd missed everything from "Polyphonia" onwards, and fell asleep (out of tiredness, not boredom!). Seems as if highlights will be available on Monday. :-)

I loved the parts I managed to watch. I've been fortunate enough to see a company class live in Clore before and as expected, that was my favourite part of the day. I find Olga a fascinating teacher and it's strangely inspiring to see Principals being given corrections. :-) I can't help thinking that if the ROH had advertised the day on a site like digital Spy, they may have pulled in some more viewers who weren't already interested in ballet.

Looks like the Welcome Performances are the way to go then, for those that are eligible. :-)

I can just imagine Brian Cox presenting! "One million billion billion fouettes"! :-))

Ooh, Marianela rehearsing "Pagodas" now - fantastic. I'm not finding George Lamb bothersome, I'm just relishing the opportunity to see Company Class and rehearsals!

Shame it's not viewable on ipad, but I've dragged the old laptop out. Loved watching Company Class. :-)

Yes, that's right. :-)