Anna C

Hi Rachael you haven't posted on the wrong site, I just meant it may have been better to start a new thread. :-).

For Central your DD would have to apply to start their 3 year course at 16. Rambert will take applications at 16 or 18. Basically, if it's classical ballet she wants then she needs to be applying for a place at 16. If she's more into Contemporary or Musical Theatre then 18 is fine. I'm not sure about LCDS wrt age but I know they offer both undergraduate and postgrad courses, so would assume that 18 is fine.

The best thing to do is to either go to open days, or summer schools at the schools in question. Central are starting to hold an advanced summer school this year for dancers interested in applying for the senior school. Might be worth a look.

Very true lisadebs. I know my DD wasn't ready when auditioning at 10 for a year 7 place, but the way she's going she may well get a place at 16. But if she doesn't, I don't feel that all the years of dance have been wasted. She loves her classes and all the holiday courses she's done, she loves EYB, she has great posture, has learned discipline - even as "just a hobby" it will have been wonderful. Not being ready to get a place at Yr 7 doesn't mean the end of the road!

Pleasure. She makes a point only to watch the DVD auditions on or after the audition date, but you're fine in that respect! Always worth asking. :-)

...as do Rambert. :-)

hi my dd is ready to take advanced one she is 15 after that there is only advanced two at our dance school in ballet any suggestions please as my daughter does want to go to vocational school she has done eyb last year and has attended yorkshire assembley which she thought was excellent. Her dance teacher thinks we should take alook at northern ballet for future eg age eighteen any advice would be appreciated.

Rachael, it would probably be easier if you copied your question into a new thread. :-)

We shouldn't forget that ballet is a performance art, so doing shows ie learning how to perform in front of an audience, is an important part of a students training. Ideally you would want syllabus (or more importantly I should say 'technique' classes) to keep ticking over while preparing for a show. But shows are important.

 

Dancers don't get jobs by passing exams, they get jobs by performing.

Yes, very true Glowlight, but obviously the technique has to be in place first. My DD's Associate Teacher summed it up well for me by saying that once the technique, line and vocabulary is second nature, by not having to consciously think about it, this frees the dancer up to be able to perform and act. When I mentioned the school we moved DD from at 7, it concentrated solely on performing with a fixed grin - but not concerning itself with quality technical training, feet, line or turnout.

Of course schools can go the other way and concentrate purely on technique....hence Summer and Easter schools and performance experiences like EYB are so invaluable.

I don't think you'd be human if the "no"s were easier! :-). After all, as parents, it's gut wrenching when someone rejects your most beloved child; we want to protect them from hurt and harm yet here we are, delivering them into situations where a "no" is much more likely than a "yes"!

But in real life, the people who've been through the mill tend to cope with change, rejection, disaster etc. much more capably than people who everything has come to easily and without testing circumstances. I know for the rare few, everything goes perfectly - perhaps they win at their very first festival, get outstanding results in every exam, breeze into an Associate Scheme, breeze into voc. school, never have an injury, graduate, get a contract with RB, become Principal....how wonderful for them - but when life, as it inevitably does - throws that first curve ball in whatever form, how will they cope?

I'm convinced that by letting our children put themselves at risk of rejection early, we are giving them a valuable coping mechanism for adult life. Even if the only lesson we, and they, learn is "Don't take it personally". :-)

You are absolutely right Anjuli. Trouble is in the UK, as you say, syllabus work is the norm in almost all local schools. Good local schools that offer great quality non-syllabus classes are - where I live - rarer than hens' teeth! :-)

Just want to throw in here - whilst it will feel like the end of the world to an 11 year old - there have been plenty of dancers who didn't go to vocational school at 11 who went on to have professional careers. And similarly plenty who did go to vocational school who didn't go on to be dancers. It's only the start of the road.

 

Another word of wisdom my dd's teacher gave me was that it can be HARDER for those who don't get rejections early on, because when they do come, when they are 16/19/whatever they just don't know how to handle it.

 

The first 'Nos' are horrible - for the child and for the parent. They often seem to get better at handling them as time goes on. I'm not sure that we do!

Very wise words Glowlight. :-)

 

 

My youngest DD is also doing EYB in Aylesbury! She's 11.

Older DD was ill on audition day for that, so didn't go.

In certain circumstances Miss Lewis will let people audition by DVD, so if your older DD still wants to do it you could email Miss Lewis to ask. My DD is also doing EYB at Aylesbury, it's a popular location! Lovely theatre. :-)

Sorry to go off topic slightly. :-)

You're right re. Outreach courses Primrose, every single Easter and Summer School my DD has done has asked for the last exam taken and the result, and some specify a minimum of RAD Inter Foundation, for example. For the Voc Schools to do RAD classes and enter their pupils for the majors, there must be some merit in the exam system, surely? I'm not saying that my DD will get into a school at 16 just because of good results in her majors, of course not. BUT if, where I live, the best quality training happens to be syllabus based, with only one other school who sacrifice quality teaching for big money making shows, I have to choose the syllabus based school.

Luckily my DD's Associate classes offer excellent non syllabus training in ballet, pointe and contemporary so she does get free work.

If you are a fan of the ROH on Facebook, try going to their page and finding the post where they link to the new RBS page...that's what I did yesterday and it worked.

All I would say is that it's just a "no" AT THE MOMENT, it's not a "never". There are so many reasons why people get a "no" at any given time, it could purely be down to not enough beds. It's not the end of the dream - just a minor delay. Xx

Yes, good luck from us too! Xxx

Difficult one Lilac...my DD was at a school which concentrated on shows and only did exams every other year, and then only when the whole class was ready. Even though your DD doesn't want to move, sometimes it's the only option. We are currently having trouble getting enough local ballet classes for DD but there is no other equivalent school within travelling distance. A lot of the classes DD could attend clash with her Associate classes so we try to top up with Easter Schools, Summer schools, EYB etc. If your DD is set on applying for Vocational school, it may be that she has to move local schools....

Yes, I would agree re. the singing. We knew our DD could sing but she had some private singing lessons before her audition a couple of years ago, and was offered a completely unexpected place on the Theatre Arts course (she was auditioning for the dance course)! The teacher helped her pick an age appropriate song which showed off her range and vocal tone, and that in turn gave her confidence. :-)

So sorry to those with a "no" :-(. Huge congrats and good luck for finals for those with a yes! Xxx

Yes, ROH released a very short statement but with no details. Bit of a shock!

I always wash ballet tights (always capezio or Danskin) at 40 with other undies - no problems.

And Julie - you are right, it is very confusing with the names being so similar

Glad it wasn't just me! I was always under the impression that they were affiliated. Thanks everyone for the clarification. :-)

Oh kiwi mum, your poor DD! But I would echo what others have said. She is a beautiful dancer and there is a good reason that she has been given finals at Elmhurst and Tring. Doesn't sound as if the panel acted very sensitively but you never know the reason for them doing things like that. Keeping fingers crossed for her. :-)

From what I remember from an old thread, it seems to be a good school. What I did find interesting though, on reading the dancers' biogs on the Northern Ballet website, is how few dancers seem to have gone from the school into the company - whereas several of their dancers trained at Central. Is Northern Ballet School a feeder school in theory, or not really?

Yes, our local school used "a star is born" for a modern dance, which worked really well.

If you wanted something a bit more pop-ish, I was just thinking about Adele's "Rolling in the deep", or "Set Fire to the rain" which DD's Modern class are using for their Grade 5 exam...?

I agree re. Non syllabus classes, which unfortunately aren't offered at DD's local school. She is doing Grade 6 though as well as Intermediate, and fortunately her Associate Classes are non-syllabus. :-)

Yes, I didn't mean raunchy when I suggested Chicago, just that the music is good for jazz! :-)

I agree though that it should be in whatever genre your DD is best at, and most comfortable doing. It often helps if they dance to a piece of music they really like ad have chosen themselves.