Kate_N

Good luck with talking this through with your DD. You might also talk about the very wide range of dance-related training (often to degree level), which leads to careers in dance that are not the "straight arrow" of RBS to RB to principal.

That career is the very very very small minority. There are many many more careers in dance to be pursued in this country:in contemporary dance (look at the work of Akram Khan or Russell Maliphant - I think anyone would want to dance that work), Or the important work of dance therapists, or dancers in the community, or as contemporary dancers/teachers/choreographers. And many many more (only had one cup of coffee so far so can't think of them!)

I don't know the age of your DD, and OF COURSE you don't have to say (protect anonymity etc). But from my experience teaching undergrads in the creative arts, they come to us from school with very limited ideas about what the discipline I teach involves. And very narrow ideas of their future working involvement in the profession. THey've generally had a limited exposure to the art form, ad mostly in its most commercial/conservative forms.

We spend most of the first year breaking down these barriers, to help them to see the wide wide world of possibilities they've entered by studying with us at degree level. And by graduation time, they are astounding in the breadth of ideas, innovation, entrepreneurship, making their own opportunities - very much changed from the b=narrow notions of the profession they had at 18.

And the great thing is, they don't feel that these are second best to the dreams they had of being the equivalent of principal artist (in my field) at the RB.

It's a big wide world of art, and maybe exposure to some powerful dance that is not the RB would be a really helpful addition to her education if she's not already seeing a range of different dance styles. THere are many small-ish companies who tour regionally, doing workshops etc along the way.

Toi, toi, toi.

And breathe ...

How did your DS develop the Plantar fasciitis? That might be significant in long term treatment.

I've had Plantar fasciitis in both feet - at different times, thank goodness! It's painful. Both times it came from activity in ballet class, rather than just the depradations of middle-age and a bit of weight gain.

The first time, I went to my GP, as it happened in ballet class - we were going across the floor with turns, as I landed from a double pirouette, I heard a loud crack and the person I was dancing with did too! I was worried I'd broken something, but my GP confirmed it as PF, and recommended supportive, and not completely flat shoes, and rolling with a frozen bottle of water.

I then went to a PT, who gave me more exercises, massage etc. It tends to relate to tight calf muscles etc, so most of the therapy and ongoing self-care for me to do with stretching out the lower calf, and where the various muscles & tendons insert around the heel.

If your DS is only 10, it may indicate some sort of imbalance or muscle/skeketal difficulty, so I'd really recommend o couple of sessions with a good sports or dance PT. If it's hard to find a dance specialist physio, I find it's quite easy to find a sports physio practice & they can be excellent for dance as well.

I do about 20 heel drops everyday just to keep the calf muscles & Achilles stretched out.  It feels good.

I found using ac foot massager that I bought from (I think) the Body Shop worked well. For acute inflammation, fill a 250 ml water bottle with water, freeze, and use as a foot massager, by rolling your instep over it. It hurts, but this helps. Also, look at stretching out the Achilles really slowly & thoroughly - this should be taught & supervised by a physiotherapist.

The other way to look at it is to analyse the overall trend for the corps de ballet physicality in any company you're interested in. That will tell you about the importance of a particular body type.

I'm going to add it to my gym routine on the treadmill - run fast for a minute, walk for a minute.

Yes, Fiz, why is it that with just the lightest touch on the barre - not gripping it at all, I feel quite strong - but the same exercise in the centre can show just how not-strong and not-centred I can be! It's good to do class in the centre every now & again, because it gives you a good sense of where your weaknesses are to work on at the barre.

Wow, that's great DrDance - that sounds really simple and effective. (My PhD was not half so useful ...)

And also to say that every professional company I know (including the ones members of my family worked in) uses a barre in daily class!

This is a really good summary (from a reputable source) of the benefits of cross-training, and why dancers need to do it:

https://trinitylaban.wordpress.com/2015/11/28/the-benefits-of-supplementary-training-for-dancers/

Sometimes if our class is crowded, there's not quite enough room on the fixed barres (they accommodate about 14 people comfortably) so I volunteer to use the wall - I can rest my hand against it for a bit of support, but not grip it like a barre. It really really helps my core strength, and reminds me to keep my weight forward. But I find that to enable me to really work and maintain my turnout while just having the wall to help, I need to lower my leg height for some exercises.

8 is still very young - serious study really only starts between 8 & 10. So there's plenty of time still! She'd probably start in the lower grades 1 or 2. The differences between US and UK training are that here, training for children tends to follow various external curricula, such as RAD (not to be confused with the Royal Ballet), or Cechetti, or ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance), or the BBO (British Ballet Organisation).  But the main thing is getting regular slow but steady training.

I'm a great advocate of our publicly funded regional Dance Agencies (not commercial agents for dance employment!). The Edinburgh one is DanceBase, so you might contact them for recommendations.

Wow, Michelle! They should set up a railway carriage with a barre specially for you, for all that travelling. Your dedication is amazing.

The other thing to know is that all Student Unions or Student Guilds (either term may be used) have websites, and there's usually a section for Clubs & Societies. You can have a look at activities now, via societies' websites. They usually also have FaceBook sites. Here's the Royal Holloway Clubs & Societies webpage, with their Performing Arts section chosen:

http://www.su.rhul.ac.uk/activities/societies/#

I work in a university, in a field not unrelated to dance. From what I've seen of the kind of thing that University dance societies do, they can be very variable. They rarely concentrate on ballet - they cover a lot of dance forms, with what looks like a focus on contemporary commercial/street stuff, and competition dancing. Some get qualified experienced teachers in to give classes, but a lot teach each other (which makes me shudder a bit).

The standard is not very high, to be honest, but that might not be the point - the clubs are as much social as anything.

Try to think about your breathing as part of the choreography. When in the combinations do you breathe in? And when do you breathe out?

The more long term thing is to ensure you are aerobically fit through cross-training. This is increasingly recommended for dancers: running, cross-trainer machines, cycling, swimming, weight lifting.

Nottingham has a fantastic professional dance culture in contemporary & post-modern dance: Nottdance

http://dance4.co.uk/about/project/nottdance-festival-2015

So I'd say there is a good dance culture to tap into there. And Leeds (close to York) has some great opportunities for adults, that Terpsichore, a member of this board can tell you about! She writes really wonderfullyabout her classes & teachers, so may have some ideas.

It's scary finding a new studio, but I've got used to it now! I posted on the finding a school in North London about what we look for in a new studio or school. It's a good way to work out what we all seek from Doing Dance!

As a general guide, what is it you look for when choosing a new dance school? We've had the discussion of syllabus types, and if that's out of the picture, what sorts of things guide us? as an adult, I look for appropriate length of classes - oh for a standard 90 minute class at any level above Beginners!

Looking for a child, I'd look for appropriate number of classes at appropriate levels, and see what progression is offered. If you've been told your child has "potential" it's quite scary isn't it? the sense of responsibility ... So I'd be looking for professional teacher training in the teachers & also the type & range of their own professional performance experience - I think that this is really important as a student advances from the age of 14 or so, but not so important at younger ages, when you just need a slow, steady nurturing environment. How many students have gone on to full-time vocational training at 11+, 16+ or university/college? Personally, competitions and exam results don't interest me as much as overall rates of progression - I know exams give you some idea, but sometimes it's an artificial one in terms of professional/vocational training.

Good luck in the search!

Lin, sorry I wasn't clear: I wasn't criticising posters giving reports of classes here - they're interesting to read! It's just that specific requests like Harwel's can get lost in this long thread.

I'm reviving this thread to answer Harwel's request for good recommendations for Adult ballet classes in Newcastle.

Does anyone know of any dance studios in Newcastle that offer adult ballet lessons? My friends daughter passed RAD intermediate, and is missing ballet terribly since going to university but feels a bit scared of going to a class she's not familiar with. I'll do a bit of a Google search but just wondered if anyone here has any firsthand knowledge. Many thanks in advance.

I haven't danced there, but I always hear good things about DanceCity, the dance agency for the North East

https://www.dancecity.co.uk/

As a general tip, the regional dance agencies do great work in promoting dance and generally offer really good community classes. (Not to be confused with commercial agents, though!) DanceXchange in Birmingham is one I know well, and Ludus in Lancaster. They're rather different in a number of ways from commercial or private studios - They're publicly funded & so required to be very open, accessible & friendly. So that cuts down a bit on the scary "going to a new studio" experience (we've all been there!)

I would have thought that with RAD Intermediate, she'd be at home in any open class, or any advanced class (not syllabus Advanced) for adults.

If your friend's daughter is at the main university, I think their Dance Society might be worth a look:

http://ncldancesoc.com/timetable/

Although at my place the student dance society doesn't do very good ballet - they are more of a cheerleading/competition style group ...

Se may have to try a few studios to find the right fit - it's the perennial problem of wanting to keep dancing once one leaves school! But I find - having moved for work 3 times in the last 15 years - that once I find one studio wit a good fit for at least one class, I generally pick up hints & tips from the teachers & other students about other teachers and/or studios. I also try to be philosophical about not always being able to keep up with ballet to a standard I'd like (although my time in Birmingham was fab for really advancing) and try to learn other dance forms.

Harwel, I'm going to answer your question on the other thread about adult ballet, as requests here tend to get lost in people's blogging of their own classes.

I lived in Australia for quite a long time, and not all the "good" schools are RAD, just as here! The major school in Sydney for quite a while was Cechetti, and the very elite place set up by Kelvin Coe & Kim Traynor followed the Vaganova syllabus. RAD is more widespread, but that doesn't mean it's "best." As everyone else says, the syllabus is not the issue: it's the quality of teaching & training.

Edited to add: neither the Australian Ballet School, nor the Royal Ballet School follows a named syllabus. THat should reassure you that the name of the syllabus doesn't matter.

Highgate ballet looks good but it is cecchetti and she is currently doing RAD.

 

Although you say your DD's current teacher is down" on Cechetti, it is a beautiful syllabus, and the training is pretty much the same as RAD. If you look up the history of the various schools, you'll see that Maestro Cechetti was actually quite influential in the history of ballet training in the UK!

Good teaching & training are good teaching & training. Seriously - if she's going to go on to aim for vocational schools, they really won't care. They'll want to see good clean technique, and a body that will take the training. And most vocational schools don't adhere to an outside syllabus (although I think the Hammond School is Cechetti-based).

Speaking generally, I think you'd be foolish to dismiss an otherwise well-recommended school because of the exam syllabus it follows.