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Anna C

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  1. Anna C
    Great advice from everyone. As mum of an adult daughter who has the opposite problem (hypermobility), one thing we learned from the late, great Dance Physio Shirley Hancock is that stretches are like prescription medication - what works for one young dancer can be extremely bad for another. Also, that flexibility should be balanced with strengthening exercises, because there’s no point having flat turnout without the strength to maintain it while actually dancing. In my opinion, stretches & exercises should be tailored to the individual, and adjusted as necessary, especially when a child/teenager is growing. Flexibility and strength both go up and down like a yo-yo during puberty, so try not to worry too much. We were also advised never to stretch cold muscles, so to do a full barre session first before stretching anything. As others have said, stretches and body conditioning exercises should be prescribed by the child’s teacher or Physio.
  2. Anna C
    Indeed! @Entrechat hasn’t posted since 2021 though, so we’ll probably never know.
  3. Anna C
    Excellent. I’m a fan of Harris, and it’s great that he’s being given more stage time.
  4. Anna C
    Hi, Jones&dance, and welcome. Assuming you are representing emerging ballet, and/or have a commercial interest in the company, please add your commercial contact details as your “Signature”, as detailed here (under “Commerce”): https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/417-the-balletcoforum-acceptable-use-policy/ Many thanks, Anna C
  5. Anna C
    Certainly won’t cause me a sharp intake of breath, but it may make me wonder if you are Laurence Fox in disguise. Anyway, could we get back on topic, please.
  6. Anna C
    Nobody is being “cancelled”. It is forum policy to hide posts which *may* breach our forum rules, while said posts are discussed by moderators.
  7. Anna C
    They are quite expensive, aren’t they? I had a quick look and they’re more expensive than Central School of Ballet’s Preps and Pre-Seniors, and they’re in central London. I wonder if Scottish Ballet get grants or some funding for their Associates because they come under the company’s Outreach work, perhaps?
  8. Anna C
    Hi Fizzyliz and welcome. 😊 Do you mean the fees for the degree course at RCS? Or for Associates?
  9. Anna C
    I have personal experience of the full-time course at the school we don’t discuss, but not of their Associate Scheme. Contemporary is always worthwhile, and I hope your dd’s Rambert SS waiting list place comes good, because that was a superb summer course; one of my daughter’s favourites. Assuming Central still does Contemporary as part of its summer school, that’s also a great well-rounded course. Tring Park School’s CBA scheme went on to 18 when my daughter was there, but I’m guessing that might be quite a way from you if you’re looking at Leicestershire and Hull?
  10. Anna C
    My daughter was a Central Prep & Pre-Senior (every Saturday) as well as a Tring CBA student every other Sunday, so it absolutely can be done. If I had to choose between your two schemes, I would choose Ballet Boost. Also, do either of the Associates do Contemporary as well as Ballet? That is incredibly useful, as many ballet companies now have Contemporary in their repertoire, and some really good upper schools like Rambert and Central provide excellent Contemporary training alongside classical ballet. Lastly, all dance students need a Plan B, so don’t underestimate the value of a good set of GCSEs, including some facilitating subjects (especially a science) should your dd ever need to change pathways and do A Levels.
  11. Anna C
    To be fair, it’s every third season, isn’t it? We get Romeo & Juliet, Mayerling, and Manon in rotation. Manon’s one of my favourite ballets so I’m always happy to see it return.
  12. Anna C
    How sad, I am sorry to hear that. Len was an excellent Head Judge on Strictly, and for me, the show was at its best during his tenure - especially when Darcey joined. The two of them seemed to have a lovely friendship and working relationship. RIP Len.
  13. Anna C
    Hidden talents, Jan? ❤️ Hi Oksana, I can only echo glowlight’s excellent advice. The other girls may or may not be truly hypermobile, but if they are, it can definitely be a curse rather than a blessing - especially if the hypermobility is caused by a connective tissue disorder. Flexibility can absolutely be improved, but it needs to be done gradually, safely, and at a young age, under the supervision of a qualified teacher or physiotherapist. Stretches and other exercises should be “prescribed” and personalised for each child in order to avoid injury. So personally I would not let a 9 year old do stretches from Youtube, but as the others have said, chat to your dd’s ballet teacher first. 😊
  14. Anna C

    KS or NBS

    Anna C replied to Balletmum08's topic in Doing Dance

    I think this is an excellent and very wise move. Without wishing to be the voice of doom and gloom, the likelihood of making it through 3 years of training without injury/illness/being assessed out/burn-out AND getting a paid contract in a classical ballet company is still really small. If you haven’t used up the full course length + 1 year of Student Finance loans because you have a DaDa place then it makes keeping your options open afterwards SO much easier.
  15. Anna C

    KS or NBS

    Anna C replied to Balletmum08's topic in Doing Dance

    Hi Balletmum08 and welcome to the forum. Asking here is a great idea. As well as the feedback from other parents, it’s also worth trying to find out where graduates of each school get jobs, what qualification(s) do they leave with, what funding options there are, what the accommodation is like and where/how much is it, what happens if students get ill/injured, how much performance opportunity there is, what’s the pastoral care like and so on.
  16. Anna C
    Yes, if a camisole is ever a requirement, this is such a lovely leotard - it was the Central Preps/Pre-Senior uniform leotard so dd actually has it in 5 different colours, and black as she loved it so much. https://www.dancedirect.com/dancewear/leotards/black-leotards/dansd911-dans-ez-camisole-leotard?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInP7cn6fX9gIVTOvtCh16IgkUEAQYAiABEgI9b_D_BwE
  17. Anna C
    Bloch and Mirella were always a firm favourite with my daughter, and they have some beautiful cap sleeved leos this year: https://uk.blochworld.com/collections/adults-dancewear-leotards/short-sleeve?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlbzbv5DX9gIVzN_tCh2o1wfCEAAYASAAEgK9DfD_BwE
  18. Anna C
    Don’t forget that getting a paid contract as a ballet dancer is not the only option/measure of success for those students graduating from upper school level courses, especially at schools like Central where the training in other dance styles is of a high standard. Contemporary companies, musical theatre, cruise ship work, teaching and choreography are all good options for a versatile dancer. Ever since I joined the original Balletco Forum, there have been more places than there are jobs - yes, there are new schools now and even fewer permanent jobs as paid ballet dancers, but to be honest, we’ve known for many years now that the only graduates who are guaranteed a paid job in a ballet company are those who graduate from Royal Ballet Upper School. I can’t see that changing any time soon.
  19. Anna C

    Dog news

    Anna C replied to JulieW's topic in Not Dance

    He certainly put on a good show, didn’t he. I can’t take to the disproportionately huge bouffant hair though. 🤭 I think the commentator said the larger poodles originally had the strange haircuts in order to combine propulsion through water with protecting their joints, but imho the toy poodle just looked ridiculous. I wanted that beautiful Border Collie to be Reserve. Loved the flatcoat; what a happy dog.
  20. Anna C

    Fingers

    Anna C replied to Isabella's topic in Doing Dance

    She’s very young, Isabella; try not to worry too much at this stage - valentina’s excellent advice should help.
  21. Anna C
    It’s a good few years since dd was applying for upper schools, but the application forms all asked similar things, namely: How many years ballet training the applicant had, Do they take any other dance classes (tap, modern etc) Name and contact details for local/full-time dance teacher, Name and contact details for Associate/other dance teacher/school Last ballet exam passed with result (if applicable) Current level being studied. Then all asked for academic school and projected/actual GCSE results. So Associates/CAT scheme were definitely a useful thing to have for those applicants not already at lower school. I don’t know about feedback from SAs but hopefully someone with more recent application experience will know.
  22. Anna C
    “Poor dancers” as in I felt sorry for the number of dancers slipping and falling on that particular flooring - and the regularity with which it was happening.
  23. Anna C
    I would think the first thing Anna-Rose would do is some fouettés en pointe in class or rehearsal, just to “get back on the horse”, as it were. It must be horrible having a fall onstage, but it’s not the first and it certainly won’t be the last. Remember when there was an issue with the main stage floor some years back, and the poor dancers were slipping as a regular occurrence? There could have been any number of reasons why Anna-Rose fell; a pointe shoe problem, an ankle suddenly giving way, nerves, a problem with the floor, we’ll probably never know. I remember Matthew Ball running onstage at his debut as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty and going absolutely flying - but I choose to remember the rest of his wonderful performance (and the many more since).
  24. Anna C
    Agree, and antifungal powder/powder spray between the toes tends to keep the skin drier than cream. I agree that getting it checked to make sure it’s not a soft corn is sensible. Michelle, if you have more than one pointe class in one day, are your shoes having the time to dry out properly between sessions?
  25. Anna C
    If a student finishes second year with a Foundation Degree, it’s my understanding that they can get student finance for a third, “top up” year, so they can complete their BA. If they leave on medical grounds then - with sufficient proof from medical professionals, and in a certain timeframe (first year, maybe, but don’t quote me on that), SFE can re-finance the student under “exceptional circumstances” so they can start a different course. I still disagree with having to reaudition for 3rd Year/6.3, but unfortunately it seems to be a fairly common occurrence in UK schools.
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