Lucinda

Many of the students in full time pre professional training in Australia pass RAD Advanced 2 at 15 years and a few even take and pass solo seal at 16/17 years. Getting distinction is standard if the student is aiming for a professional career. Students will often take Int, Adv 1and Adv 2 exams on consecutive years (or even less). I'm not saying this is necessarily a good thing!

Looks fabulous!

I'm curious to read the full research article but I'll respond to your question. DD was a keen/competitive cross country runner throughout primary school, the only other sport outside of school sport she did was swimming at swim club once a week in the Summer. Prior to 14 years of age her dance training (predominately ballet) was not more than 10 hours per week. This was on the advice of a dance physiotherapist. After 14 her dance hours significantly increased to around 18-20 hours per week and she also had a private 1 hour pilates class. She didn't participate in any other sports but did occasionally go for a run and still competed in the school cross country competitions. At the age of 17 she commenced full time ballet training (35+ hours per week) and kept up her aerobic fitness by cycling regularly and running occasionally. She also took a pilates class at least once per week. Since going professional this year she has tried to maintain her fitness and overall health by continuing to cross train within the demands of the company schedule. When she isn't performing or on a break she runs, swims, cycles in addition to a series of flexibility exercises that she does everyday.

Very insightful by your son CeliB! There are so many factors necessary to reaching the goal of being a professional dancer, talent just being one of them. Tenacity, humility, financial support during training and a bit of luck are some others. It is wonderful when your DC achieves their goal against the odds and after many setbacks on the way though.

Thanks for this!

Don't know anything about the company but sounds like a bargain. I'd go just for the cultural experience. In the Eastern European Countries and Russia, ballet is more accessible and tickets are much cheaper so almost everyone can go. Please let us know what it was like!

Here is a link to the Grand Audition web page where you can read both the articles mentioned above: https://www.grandaudition.net/press

Graham Watts has written a detailed report "Making dreams come true" which is published in the most recent edition (April) of Dancing Times. It's very interesting as he interviewed both artistic directors and candidates and also analysed candidate characteristics and nationalities.

DD just writes a short covering e-mail: Dear (name of director), my name is ............... and I am a graduating student of ...........I am very interested in auditioning for your company. (You could give some specific reason here as to why this company). Please find attached my curriculum vitae, photos and a link to my audition video. Kind regards, ....(name) I think it's actually a good thing that there is some preselection before the physical audition. Previously, dancers could be cut just on initial appearance and before they even took class!

Well done! How are you going to celebrate? I struggle with keeping up with paperwork and even though I'm quite computer savvy I prefer a paper copy over a digital copy any day. Correction, I like to have both! I'm curious to know of the method you used that was mentioned in the book you read. As for the shredded paper, it's a great addition to the compost bin.

The "theatre class" which is the one overseas students usually audition for is fee free. Higher Education tuition is free in Germany for everyone, even foreigners!

Hi Viv, some of the pharmacies (particularly the larger discount stores) will stock them in the podiatry section. I think Scholls make one that looks a little like a knuckle bone and is made of silicone. I haven't bought any for quite a while but I think they were around $12 each. My DD keeps hers in a small plastic container with a small amount of foot powder. The small amount of powder on the spacers absorbs perspiration and prevents the silicone getting sticky. The spacers can be washed with a little soap and water and then air dried. They last quite a long time if well cared for. She finds they are essential to keep her long toes aligned in her shoes and to distribute her weight evenly in her pointe shoes.

The March edition of Dance Europe magazine has an article about the Grand Audition 2017 http://www.danceeurope.net/

I bought the DVD for my DD many years ago (I think it's the senior one). She runs through the exercises to keep in condition when she is on breaks from vocational school. She is a big fan of the programme. Just seen that there is an advanced DVD as well.

We purchased shellac flakes from our local antique shop, which stocks antique restoration supplies. Easy to dissolve them in methylated spirits to desired consistency and then paint the mixture on the inside of the box. A hardware store probably would also stock shellac.

Gowiththeflo, I bought "Classical Ballet Technique" by Gretchen Ward Warren for my DD a few years ago (I think she was 14 at the time) and she has found it invaluable. It's large (A4 size and 395 pages) but has sequential photographs of steps and also definitions of terminology as well as stylistic variations. Very detailed and clear. As a quick reference DD uses an app on her phone, I think it's called "Ballet lite", no idea what it costs.

Another advantage of a wobble cushion is that it is easily portable unlike the wobble board which in comparison is large and heavy.

Thanks for posting this

Bloch pointe shoes and slippers used to be made in Australia but they moved manufacturing to Thailand a few years ago now (? 6). It was very rare for me to pay under $100 Australian dollars for a pair of pointe shoes and that was without including ribbons and elastics, regardless of the make. We did however get a discount card with our local shop whereby once you bought 10 pairs of pointe shoes you received a pair for free.

Here is the link to the graduate destinations for the Dutch National Ballet Academy: http://www.ahk.nl/en/theaterschool/news-and-events/2016/06/21/over-thirty-contracts-in-the-netherlands-and-abroad/

DD knew some of the other students who attended but they were acquaintances rather than friends. Most of the SS students stay at the Zeeburg hostel so they get to know each other and socialise in the evenings.

Hello Hambleton, my DD went to the AISS last year and had a wonderful time. Is the hostel the Stayokay in Zeeburg? I think it's about 20 mins on a direct tram to the Theatreschool where the studios are. The tram stop is very close to the hostel and it's probably 5 mins walk at the other end. There are bicycles for hire at the hostel if you are keen to cycle to the studios. The hostel itself is spacious and secure, you need your pass to get through the main entrance and also to use the lifts and the corridors. It's also a lovely quiet safe area. The included breakfast was substantial and good quality but there are no cooking facilities in the hostel (I think that is standard for all Dutch Youth Hostels). My DD said the standard of the Summer school was high with a large number of different nationalities.

My DD has very thick slightly wavy hair which she has 'thinned' regularly at the hairdresser. She has most success with a ballet bun if she has just washed her hair and it is still damp. Otherwise she dampens her hair with a water spray. She also uses a very fine comb (sometimes a nit comb for the wispy bits around her hair line) and lots of gel. She can only use the longest strong hair pins which she ordered from her hairdresser. She bends one side of the pin halfway back on itself, sort of like the tail on a lower case u so that the pin doesn't fall out.

No it wasn't an associate programme. It was at an parent information session after a master class for students. The person was an Australian Ballet ex principal dancer. I discussed this with my DD's teacher at the time and she felt it was "old school" thinking. My DD (then 14 yrs) had been offered full time ballet places but she turned them down and completed a program that allowed her to finish her high school academics and dance (20 hours per week). She started full time ballet (40 hours) training at 17 years.

I think it is too simplistic to say that to have any chance of a career in classical ballet you must be in full time training at age 14. There are considerably more factors that come into play. The statement “you have to be in full time training by 14 or you are not going to make it as a classical ballet dancer” is a bit “old school”. We were told the same at a parent information session. The opposite school of thought is that students should keep their options open, study other subjects, not completely focus on a classical ballet path and aim to be a well balanced individual whose life does not completely revolve around dance. There are many paths that lead to Rome and numerous elements (including luck) come into play, although the primary consideration appears to be enough good quality training in the teenage years and this is possible even if a student is not at vocational school. Whether a student will realise their true potential, or not, also comes down to a multitude of factors and I think it is far too simplistic to say the primary factor is whether a student is in full time vocational training (from whatever age), or not. The only known definite considerations are: a dancers career is usually very short, the average length is seven years; the risk of injury is omnipresent, which is why it is so important that students keep up their academic education during their training (it doesn’t matter how brilliant a student is they can suffer a career ending injury at any time); and it is extremely difficult to gain a contract with a classical ballet company upon graduation. So it is imperative that when to start full time training comes down to a personal informed decision and what is best for each individual child and family. I also feel there is too much of a rush to “finish” training and start auditioning. Does it matter that a dancer is 20 rather 18 when they start auditioning for companies?