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Kate_N

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  1. And given that there are fewer roles for women overall in the theatrical repertoire (it's not so bad in ballet) this whole "sex-swapping to be new" leaves a bit of a sour taste ... In The Dream, it might work better if one of the male lovers were replaced by a woman, but somehow (maybe residual lesbophobia), one doesn't see that sort of substitution quite so often. I also think the decline of the practice of the pantomime "Principal Boy" played by a young woman is an unfortunate practice. And again. it takes a whole lot of really fun roles for wonderful female performers out of their repertoire, thus diminishing their opportunities for good roles (and employment!).
  2. Any 'system' is useful principally if it offers a structured and progressive learning journey. RAD does this, as do other curricula (eg Cecchetti, Vaganova). All these syllabi offer the foundations and the building blocks in an age appropriate way. However, the focus on what grade a dance pupil is at, or what the exam results were etc etc can become a sort of tail wagging the dog situation. A lot of serious ballet schools elsewhere in the world (outside of the Anglo-Australasian ballet teaching world) really don't use set syllabi and external exams. RAD is not the only way to learn, nor do exam results mean as much in the industry as people might think. And I notice in adult classes where young adult dancers largely taught in suburban ballet schools (the church hall type) where the teachers don't have professional experience, tend to have a lack of flexibility in doing things differently in an open class, because they've learnt on syllabus as the "correct" way. I think it's important that dancers are exposed to different teaching methods and different types of classes in an age appropriate way.
  3. Thank you so much for all you do, and for taking the actual and potential heat. It is a huge thing (I have a bit of experience in modding a different ballet board) and I know how difficult it can be. I hope we will all behave ourselves. Your advice to posters to take specific grievances and experiences to the people currently investigating is excellent - it's action which has far more chance of making change than posting on a messageboard!
  4. I'm just looking now, and - as usual - CrossCountry have very few discounts. Why are they such an expensive operating company (and why do their trains always seem overcrowded, dirty & contain more than the usual quota of rude passengers?) I really dislike the monopoly they have - bring back British Rail, I say (well, at least from the West Country to the Midlands ...)
  5. A good (I mean, really excellent) Pilates tutor who knows something about dance might help. If it's an excessive anterior tilt ie a deep curve in the lower back, it may be that her core muscles are not strong enough, and her glutes are not 'switched on' enough for what she's now asking her body to do. It can be a relatively easy 'fix' but takes focus and concentration to replace old body habits and relearn productive ones. And when I say weak core, I don't mean that se needs to do hundreds of sit ups! It might be just learning how to 'turn on' the needed muscle groups, and also to visualise the skeleton. Edited to add: but I would have thought that this is something her ballet and PBT teachers can help her with? Sometimes it's a matter of finding the right imagery to help you (I find Eric Franklin's work a-may-zing for this).
  6. These two comments, from different posters, show a tiny snippet of how difficult the job is: and then Nowadays, the role of AD of these kinds of companies is hugely complex, and underpaid for the skills and experience and talents required.
  7. Gosh @PeterS what a lovely experience (the train, not the bus). I do treasure those journeys - I've had a few on the Avanti West Coast line going north from Birmingham. But too often, there've been delays, or - increasingly - REALLY unpleasant other passengers.
  8. A real 'intensive' would be quite unsuitable for a 6 year old. They're still at the stage of enjoying creative movement and music. Plenty of time later for an older child to train more. Let a 6 year old just enjoy moving to music!
  9. Wonderful @Ondine thank you for this. I have a colleague who researches puppetry I shall pass this on to.
  10. This is probably best discussed with your teachers and your parents. Generally, ballet schools require a video and/or photographs in the first instance, and then if they think you might be a good fit and up to the standard they require, they may invite you for an audition class in person. Most ballet schools will have a clear outline of what applicants need to do. Here is the information for the Australian Ballet School: https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/auditions
  11. Of course they can! But it is harder because they have more body to move through more space in the same time as a shorter/smaller dancer. Sometimes the orchestra can adjust tempi to suit a particular dancer, but only for solos. I remember once learning a Kitri solo using pre-recorded music - the music for the solo had been recorded for a performance of Lucette Aldous (Australian Ballet star). The music was fast. My teacher explained that this was because she is tiny but could jump fast & high. One of my class mates was tall & long-legged and she found it hard to keep up. Of course, we were not professionals who are trained to do amazing things. But still, it gave me an insight into how music tempi, choreography, and body types all interact. And also, I used to do classes with Julie Felix at DanceXchange (as was) in Birmingham. These were summer classes, so included a number of young teen dancers, some at Elmhurst, ENBS, or RBS. It took a bi of courage as a middle-aged woman turning up in leotard and tights amongst those beautiful long-limbed girls! But Ms Felix once said something really helpful during pirouettes across the floor. Some of the tall, and slim long-legged girls was having trouble with their stability in that old standard chassée, pas de bourree, pirouette en dehors from 4th. Ms Felix commented that sometimes older women with broader hips could better manage the required torque in shoulders, torso, and hips than the long thin body type with no hips. Our wider hips gave us stability and turning force. I thought it was very kind of her to say that to us older women, but also a very interesting observation about the physics of turning.
  12. It's up to you! But for men (and I hope male dance students chime in here as the experts) getting the proper underwear - the dance belt - is key. Both for you, and for others in the class.
  13. @Sebastian I'm so pleased you have enjoyed Iain's book. It's the annual publication of the Society for Theatre Research (STR, an organisation of which Iain is a long-standing member). You can buy the book via our website here, and if you join the STR, the book comes free as part of your membership. https://www.str.org.uk/publications/annual-publications/ We have regular lectures in central London (& streamed for those of us who live elsewhere) - for example, I've chatted with Monica Mason, after the wonderful Jane Pritchard and she were "In Conversation" at one of the lectures. The STR works with other organisations such as the Theatre Collection at the V&A, and the Theatres Trust, to promote the study of British theatre - including dance, of course! Full disclosure: I'm on the general Executive Committee of the STR and chair our research grants scheme.
  14. We can’t answer this for certain. You need to contact Student Finance. Usually, undergrads have access to up to 4 years of student loans to meet fees, and contribute towards living expenses. But you need to ask the actual experts, not anonymous randoms on a ballet message board!
  15. But height does make a difference, especially for men in ballet. It’s really difficult - for both men and women - to do the fast petit allegro, and the big jumps if you are tall with long legs! It’s no coincidence that Wayne Sleep, for example, could do amazingly fast petit allegro.
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