HappyGirl

Thanks Sarahw. I'm definitely not obsessing! There are far more important things to worry or obsess about than a merit rather than a distinction in a G2 ballet exam! As you say - just sharing experience and getting insight from others!

There is no way I would ask to see dd's friend's mark sheet!! There's absolutely no reason for us to do that. As I said before, her friend getting a higher mark is just part of the context for her disappointment in her own mark - that's the only reason I bought it up. I wish I hadn't now! There's absolutely no need to analyse dd's result in relation to her friend - that wouldn't be constructive at all.

Thank you moomin. You've hit the nail on the head! I wouldn't discuss the issues in this way with dd! We're just encouraging her and trying to help her feel proud of herself and not overly compare herself to others. This forum has always been a helpful place to share experiences in the past which is why I posted here again. Comparing to others is a natural human trait - and learning to deal with that is part of growing up. It might not be helpful, but it's life!

But I was just reporting back honestly on the outcome. We're not focussing on the mark achieved by dd's friend - that's just part of the context for her disappointment in her mark. Dd is prone to judging herself against others so obviously her friend getting a higher mark when she's disappointed in her own mark is going to grate a bit. It's not helpful or constructive I know, but it's just the way it is and we're trying to help her and to teach her to focus on her own achevievements and not to compare herself to others. Surely it's natural for young dancers to compare themselves? And surely this is all part of developing resilience? I certainly don't mean to infuriate anyone. I'm just sharing experiences and looking for friendly advice.

Thanks for comments and I'm pleased to hear I don't come across as obsessive to all. I'm genuinely just a caring parent who wants a happy daughter!

With respect, I'm not obsessing about it! I just thought it would be interesting to post the outcome as so many people had responded helpfully to my initial post about dd's exam experience. I totally agree that resilience is important and that is totally the approach dh and I are taking with dd - that and praising her for her good merit mark. I'm sorry if I came across as obsessive.

What wise words dance is life! Thank you! Yes, dd did do the new G2 syllabus and it was a challenge for them all - but, she did work so hard, practised loads and invested so much of herself in it. I think that's why it's such a disappointment to not get the distinction she was aiming for, but you're absolutely right that the process of getting there is all important. She does get very nervous and I think this probably effects her performance. Her best friend who got the distinction is super confident (in everything, not just ballet!) and can imagine this shone through in her exam wheras I expect dd was more jittery. Learning to control or channel nerves is all part of it too though isn't it!? It's just such a shame that her achevievement is overshadowed by 'only' getting a merit.

Thanks for replies. We haven't seen breakdown of marks yet, but that will be helpful when we do I'm sure. She got a distinction (82) last time (G1) so she says she feels like she's got worse not better I've reassured her that syllabus was much harder this time and far fewer of them got distinctions (just the one) but ultimately she's really disappointed in herself and that will take a bit of time to pick herself up from I think. It's tough. But then I guess it's a tough business.

Hi. Thought I'd report back. Dd's results are back and whilst good, they're not as good as she'd hoped. She got a merit (69) and was desperately hoping for a distinction. We've had lots of tears and she's really disappointed in herself - such a shame when she's essentially done really well. The situation isn't helped by the fact that her best friend got a distinction (the only one in their class). Teacher said she was a bit surprised by result - but not too sure what she meant by that. I'm sure dd will bounce back and it's an important lesson to learn etc. but I do feel for her disappointment right now and just hope it doesn't dampen her enjoyment or knock her confidence too much.

It's really wonderful to read all your stories and experiences - and so nice to hear the happy endings despite the mishaps too! Thanks for sharing. I loved reading them all! Dd seems much more chipper about the whole thing now. Having heard her describe what happened again I do actually wonder whether it was the pianist who made a bit of a blip rather than her. I guess we'll never know and hopefully it's not going to have a significant impact on her overall mark - so, one to chalk up to experience.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences - really reassuring and entertaining (!?) to read! I did say to dd that when she's a successful ballerina (her dream at the moment!) she can tell the story about when she went a bit wrong in her grade 2 exam - but her tale is really rather tame compared to others on here!

Lots of lovely reassuring stories! Thank you!

Thanks Youngatheart - I've just read the marking system and it's reassuring to see timing is only part of the overall mark. At least it gives a chance for her to have picked up marks on other elements. And dint worry JulieW - I know exactly what it's like!!

Thanks everyone! Really reassuring and helpful comments!! Dd seems a bit more philosophical about it this morning. It has been mentioned but she's talking about the bits she thinks she did well now too! Phew! I have taken your advice and emphasised how well she did to carry on and not to stop or just carry on out of time. Your dd's experience is interesting Cara in NZ - very reassuring that you dd managed to get such a high mark despite not having been able to practice the grand allegro - and well done DD got a destinction in her G1 (81) and has been so focused on getting the same if not better this time - hence the disappointment. She's definitely a perfectionist but I think that can only be a good thing in ballet - you have to want to practise and get better and better!? We shall just have to wait and see now! Thank you all so much for your thoughts! Very much appreciated by a novice ballet mum!

Thanks - hadn't thought about emphasising how well she'd done to carry on. That's such a positive thing to emphasise. Thanks for pointing it out. I can't open guide but will track it down and have a read. I have said that many ballerinas will have made mistakes and that it's all part of becoming a better performer. I don't want to make a big thing of it and won't bring it up again if dd has moved on after sleeping on it, but wanted to be armed with informed reassurance if needed! She so keen and so passionate about her ballet - and has worked so hard for this exam, I'd hate for this to knock her back. Thanks again!

Hi - hoping for a bit of advice. Dd took her G2 RAD ballet exam today and came out really upset because things went a bit wrong in her character dance - not sure what but she said she somehow got out of time and had to wait a few beats to pick it up again. She was so upset about it and is being really hard on herself. Her teacher reassured her straight away and I've tried to tell her that it probably wasn't as bad as she thinks it was but I'm just wondering if anyone can offer any words of wisdom. Is this error likely to impact massively on her overall mark if she performed everything else well? Can I realistically tell her that it won't make too much difference to her result? Any thoughts gratefully received! Many thanks.

Thanks for the really interesting insights. The thoughts about the 'roller coaster' exactly reflect my concerns about dd going to her first JA audition - and they're still very much on my mind when considering whether to encourage her to try a second time. I'm still not sure if it would be a good thing to get caught up in it all and I'm very realistic about it. Dd just loves her ballet and her teacher is so encouraging - I can't not explore it further. Thoughts on a second try are really useful too. Interesting that you are in exactly the same situation southern dancer - nice to know I'm not the only one pondering these things! Sounds like your dd will be doing quite a few auditions. We've not considered any other schemes at this stage just because dd's teacher recommended the RBS one and that was a complete surprise and opened up a whole new world as it was!

Thanks so much for sharing your insights. It's so interesting to hear your experiences and good to hear that dancers are successful on second (or more!) attempts. I just always thought RBS were ultimately looking for that magic "something" and the chances are that would be spotted straight away and so trying again would be fruitless. Obviously not given stories so far. Interesting what you say about the majority of places being allocated in yr 5 too. I had heard that very few yr 4 places are offered but then read on another thread that actually very few yr 5 places are available as they fill up in yr 4 and so only spaces available in yr 5 are from those that drop out or are auditioned out. Maybe it varies between different associate schemes? Confusing whatever! Dd's teacher is very encouraging. She has told her that she should try again next year and emphasised to her how few places there are so not to be too disheartened. She said to me that she thinks it's likely to be her performance/musicality which would've let her down rather than technique/physique and that's easier to work on. She's RBS trained herself and was principal dancer with RB so I do trust her judgement.

Hi. I know there are hundreds of threads on this forum about RBS JAs - I've read lots of them! However, I'm just after some honest thoughts from you lovely knowledgeable people. My dd (8) auditioned for JAs this year (for year 4) but was unsuccessful. She was very disappointed but coped pretty well with the knock back and is already talking about trying again next year. Her teacher has also already said that she should try again. Now, I have no problem at all with her trying again - she loved the experience and it was all very positive (apart from the 'no' of course). My query is whether it's honestly likely to pay off i.e. Do students really succeed in the auditions on second or even third attempt? The 'rejection' email was very encouraging and stated that dancers develop at different rates and that they would never discourage anyone from auditioning again, which I get. However, if they are looking for that certain 'something' which they spot in the few they do offer places to, I can't help but think they'd have seen that in dd straight away at her first audition. I'm a complete novice to the ballet world so I might have this completely wrong. I just want to try and get as full a picture of how it all works as possible so that I can help dd and manage her expectations. Thanks for taking the time to read!

Well done to your dd scoobydoo. You must be so, so proud of her - and she's so young too! So pleased your ds made it through after swl last year too Neil. Sorry to hear it's a no for your dd balletsister and I don't think your post sounds like sour grapes at all. I completely understand where you're coming from. This is just a small taster of how tough this path is. I've broken the news to dd. she had a little cry and is still a bit glum but I think she'll be ok. I'm hoping her ballet teacher will give her lots of encouragement on Saturday which will help!

Congrats to Neil and scoobydoo for the yes's. How exciting for you! Can I ask if this was your first time trying? And fingers crossed the waiting list pays off for you balletmum. At least there's still hope! I have yet to tell dd it's a no. I'm just hoping it doesn't knock her too much .

It's a no for us. Feeling really deflated and not looking forward to breaking the news to dd later. We went into this with very realistic expectations but admit to getting rather carried away by it all - the audition was such a positive experience and reading other people's excited posts following all the 'yes' emails had got me really hoping it all ended up leading us somewhere.

The ladies on the stall were so friendly when we were there on the Thursday Theodore. My dd spent all her pocket money! Fingers crossed we hear tomorrow. The waiting is so much harder than I thought it would be! Gulp!

I couldn't agree more balletsistsr. I've been on tenterhooks all day thinking today might be the day, but nothing. Maybe tomorrow?

Congratulations HappyMum! What lovely news! You must be over the moon and bet you can't wait to tell your ds! My tummy is well and truly doing somersaults at the thought of potentially getting news about dd's London audition before too long - maybe even tomorrow?!