Thecatsmother

Slightly off topic but shoes of dancer in advert for London Studio Centre featured in this month's Dancing Times. Photo editing issue, arch enhancers or something else?

It's all minor differences in terminology. I would call that petit battement battu where there is no change in position of the beat.

A few areas you might want to consider in terms of developing resilience would also be managing the transition from vocational school to professional life, body image, injury, the competitive nature of a dance career, surviving in a world which at times can feel so controlled by what others think of you, having a life outside dance and coping with feedback which is not always given in a way which is beneficial for the dancer. PM me if you would like and I can point you in the direction of some research which might add food for thought.

A little sonething to inspire. So simple in choreography yet so beautifully executed.

Don't forget the value of pointe shoe hardener dripped down the sides of the sole and dried on a radiator. I could not have managed without.

Grade 6 is most difficult to learn. Stick at it and you will sail through the rest.

Not sure if you have access to a foam roller. There is an exercise where you lie down on floor with knees bent like you were going to do a regular sit up but you place the foam roller horizontally under your back approx just below shoulder blades. Experiment with where is the best place to position this according to spinal mobility but you place hands at base of skull to support your neck and then lie back over the foam roller. You should feel a gradual stretch out of the upper back. The aim if you can is to rest your head on the floor while bending back over the foam roller. You can rest there to stretch and then you perform a regular sit up. You can repeat a few times and if you are tight in thoracic spine should notice a gradual improvement in mobility and strength. You may have to start with foam roller lower down your back if thoracic spine is tight but personally I have found it a brilliant exercise.

I know this is a bit out of date but gives you idea re more recent new prices. These are less decorated though. http://balletnews.co.uk/the-story-of-a-swan-lake-tutu-you-can-win-swan-lake-tickets-plus-an-afternoon-with-english-national-ballet’s-dancers/

If you can get to London Shirley Hancock is also excellent.

This might be of use. http://www.theballetblog.com/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-foot-stretchers/

I saw the performance last night and came away feeling very underwhelmed which was a shame as I am a Manon lover. Technically Osipova is on top form but the pairing with Acosta did not seem to work as no chemistry. Whilst Carlos's partnering skills are still strong it does not seem to be enough to carry him through the performance without the technique he once had. Thiago also had some extremely wobbly technical moments in Act 1 so all in all I was disappointed although it was clear some were more impressed than I was by the time of the curtain call.

If Surrey is an option, Julie Sianne does give a very good all round training plus the students are v well cared for as young people. Excellent guest teachers as well.

Having seen the intro and loving dance moms USA, I doubt I shall be watching.

I would add that grade 6 is harder to learn than grade 7 IMHO.

If you have little experience of dance then the first step would be to attend and even watch as many classes as you can to build technical and artistic skills. If you look on RAD, ISTD, BBO etc websites they should give you info re the training pathways. Once you build a solid understanding around technique it might be useful to see if you can help out in a local dance school to build experience prior to auditioning for a teaching program. This sounds like it might take a while to reach the stage of auditioning for a teaching course.

That sounds really tough. I would also urge caution with cortisone injections as one year on I am still suffering from a bad reaction to these. My thoughts are perhaps upon seeking advice to get the injury sorted properly even if this requires surgery. Better to have one period off to recover than start and have to stop mid training. She could audition a year later once the injury more under control but having said that you know the context best. Cortisone is by no means a cure so tackling the route cause seems the best course of action.

It's not that rare but you do not see it danced that often out of the ballet. Summer fairy from Cinderella. Suits a more lyrical style dancer. http://youtu.be/chHR3ejql5c

Another good one is to lie on your side on the floor making sure you are in a engaging your core and turnout plus in a straight line from head to toe. Put legs in fifth with upper leg in front whilst continuing to hold turnout and core. Do one retire closing at the back and and one back to fifth front. If you do this slowly you should really feel it work core and turnout muscles, Then start a developpe but do in three parts. Up to retire then lift knee as high as possible after retire and extend to developpe a la second slowly whilst keeping core engaged and not compromising turn out in either leg. I should add you leave one arm on floor for your head to rest on and the other goes on floor in front of you to prevent you falling forward. Then slowly lower developpe leg with control back to fifth front.

It would depend if you want to teach a syllabus or set up your own non syllabus classes. Providing you have insurance and a DBS check if you are teaching children there is not really any reason why you cannot teach. There are a number of ex professional dancers teaching with no formal teaching qualifications. Having said that your options might be more limited as a lot of parents want there children to do exams. There is no reason why you could not teach v young children or adults who are not doing syllabus or even run your own workshops in the UK but it might be harder without an examining board or contacts in companies/vocational schools within UK. Many academic schools also have dance classes some which do not follow a national curriculum but this seems to be more in private schools than state schools.

I do so agree that finding the right environment to nurture your daughter must be your primary concern. There is a fine balance between working with a teacher who has authority but in addition treats pupils with respect and integrity. As a parent, you know your child best in terms of her wishes and dreams but also the environment in which she grows and flourishes. Change is never easy for anyone so it may be worth completing the classes for which you have paid. What I will say is that for many years and to some extent I still live with the impact an abusive dance teacher at a young age. Yes, you may not be an expert in dance but you are an expert in knowing your child so use this to inform your choices. There will always be another teacher and summer intensives to augment training as she progresses but the key thing right now is to put her in an environment that fosters her learning in every sense of the word. It's very early days so put the welfare of your child at the centre of any decision.

http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/Products/Ballet/GALA/ This one is nice. Not cheap but a bright red and lined at top front and back.

Hello Don't know if anyone can answer this but am trying to find out what the audition photograph requirements are for ENBS for students auditioning to start in 2015. I can't seem to find the information anywhere online. Does anyone know? Many thanks in advance.

Really pleased you found a friendly class Fiz. It's so important to find somewhere where you feel comfortable????

Do you mind me asking which cruise line as I think I know someone who did the cruise you are describing.

I guess the paths you refer to into teaching are just different Dr Dance. Both routes have things to offer due to the diverse range of dance students taking classes and their aspirations. To add to the mix, I personally think there are some aspects of being a good teacher that are innate and cannot be taught or learnt. I don't think this purely applies to dance though.