invisiblecircus

Is your DD applying for year 7, Happymum?

Yes! I'm over 5'8" and had problems getting leotards to fit. Size Medium was the best fit for me but was always a bit too short on the body. Not loads but enough that they would ride up uncomfortably on certain movements and I always wanted to be pulling them down! I resorted to making my own in the end!

Merry Christmas, Channukah Sameach and all best wishes for 2015!

What kind of dance college is your DD hoping to go to? What are her professional aspirations?

I like that it seems as if the teacher would need to focus on general technique and musicality rather than learning the combinations from the syllabus which i feel that too many teachers do, and indeed I believe that the new RAD syllabus encourages that. However, the students DO need to learn set exercises specific to their grade at some point so I am wondering how this would be achieved in a mixed class. Completely different situation but when I was at vocational school we regularly had classes with the level above and the level below (2 levels in class, not 3) and I found it very beneficial. We did not have to learn a syllabus though and we did have daily classes solely for our own level.

Do the preliminary auditions consist of just a ballet class with other things such as medical check and interview just in finals? (I'm just curious!)

What reason is the teacher giving for not letting her do both exams in March? Do the dates clash or is your DD taking some other IDTA exams in that session? It seems that she would be ready for either exam if only she would decline the other one, so it seems pointless for her to stay in a grade for a whole further year when she could be progressing. Is it possible (according to the RAD) to take intermediate without taking IF? Does the IDTA have an IF grade in ballet? I know they have changed their syllabus recently and did not have an IF grade before. If they have no IF grade this would explain why she is in intermediate in one syllabus and IF in the other. What is the teacher recommending? I think I'd be asking more questions of her.

Yu can still watch complete coverage the finals here on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhSrmd_JAqk

Yes.

The Royal Ballet School does not allow its students to enter due to the demands of their timetable and not having the time to prepare students for the competition. Maybe this is the case at other UK schools too. However, as posted further up the thread, there are 2 UK participants, one who trains at Ballet West and CeliB's son who trains at the Kirov Academy in Washington DC

Don't be afraid to call the school if they don't reply to the email! I have a 2.5 year old daughter who loves to dance around the house but isn't taking ballet classes yet. I have been thinking of applying for the teacher's training course at accademia teatro alla scala but don't know if it would be useful if I eventually moved back to the UK or even here in Italy. Are you applying to any other schools for your DD? It's a shame there aren't more options here in Italy but I suppose the training provision reflects the number of jobs available.

If you can get an easyjet flight, you might still be able to get good prices one or two weeks ahead. I recently gave birth to a baby 2 weeks early and my mum immediately booked a flight from London to Milan for 6 days later and paid €30 each way. As others have said, you'd definitely need to be in London the day before and I'd recommend not taking a flight too late in the day to allow for any delays and so that your DD can get a good night's sleep the night before. I can't help with your question on how long the days lasts but I'll sure someone here will be able to advise or you could ask for more info from the school, they should be understanding of the fact you are coming from overseas and need to make plans. In bocca al lupo!

My understanding is that at RBS and Elmhurst, students have to re-apply for an upper school place. It is not the same as in lower school where only a small number are assessed out each year, thus opening up just ne or two places if that in a year group. The number of students accepted from lower school varies from year to year, but in addition to those who don't get a place, there are others who decide to go to different schools for upper school or to focus on musical theatre or drama instead of ballet. I don't know whether the total number of places available in Y12 is the same as in Y11, but regardless, it I definitely worth applying to those schools if those are the ones your daughter favours. In addition to Central and ENBS, you might look at Tring, Hammond, Northern ballet school, Ballet West, Rambert and the school of Ballet Theatre UK. If you are considering schools in other European countries you have even more options. I would encourage you to look at the graduate destinations of any school you are considering applying to to see whether they match up with your professional ambitions.

Don't quote me on this, but I think that in the past, some pupils at Tring have performed with NYB.

I quite like the first one on the Bloch page but not for ballet. I'd maybe wear it with black tights and shorts for contemporary.

Schools in the UK which have a lower school have their largest intake at age 11. At this age they are looking for potential and suitability for training. Many applicants have been dancing from a young age but this is not a requirement, nor is it necessary to have passed any particular exams. Entry for years 8, 9 and 10 is much more difficult because it first depends on a place becoming available at that school due to someone leaving or being assessed out, thus, much fewer places are available in those years. No dance exams are necessary for entry into those years either but candidates will be expected to be working at a similar level to their peers already at the school, so realistically, successful applicants will have been receiving quality training from elsewhere.

In a warehouse: "Could the person who took the ladder please return it before 10am tomorrow, otherwise further steps will be taken."

Street clothes/ shoes! I'd never heard the word "underchanged" before. If I heard it out of context I might have thought it was the same as shortchanged!

I would LOVE to teach in a vocational school, but realistically there are so few opportunities and I think that I wouldn't stand a chance against applicants coming from a background of prestigious professional careers. Most of my professional performance experience is in the field of contemporary dance, although ballet was always my strongest discipline. I forgot to mention that I now have a 2 year old and am expecting another baby any day, so would not be able to do a full time teacher's training course (don't know if the RAD still do it.) I am also less flexible with location now. I could do the course at la scala while still living here but don't know (or think) it would be useful if I ended up moving back to the UK. I don't even know how useful it would be here in Italy actually.

It's a long story, but basically I started training late and trained with an amazing American teacher in the UK who taught non-syllabus classes. I then went to vocational school abroad, have performed professionally and worked in the UK choreographing for various youth and professional companies (all contemporary) and have taught workshops in ballet and contemporary in relation to these but I'd really like to spend more time in ballet. At one point when I had a few freelance contracts on the go, I called the major exam boards asking for details of how I can obtain their associate teaching qualifications and they sent me info of teachers in my area through whom I could study for these. I called all the teachers, and NONE of them wanted to work with me! It seems that they only want to work with girls who have gone through the grades in their school and will ultimately teach for them. They don't want the possibility of someone setting up as a competitor! Since I was busy with work anyway and did have the chance to teach some ballet, I didn't pursue the issue. I currently live in Italy but would like to return to the UK in the future and am thinking about teaching again. There is a teaching course at accademia teatro alla scala which I have been considering applying for, but I'm not sure that would help me if I return to the UK would it? Is qualifying through one of the examining boards the only way to be taken seriously as a ballet teacher in the UK and how common is it for people with no experience of syllabus work to go down that route?

Is contemporary your daughter's ultimate goal? Do you know what the person meant when they said she is narrowing her options? Did they mean that if she wants to do contemporary, going to Rambert will limit her options or that aiming for contemporary in the first place is limiting her options? I would say that neither of those things are true. Rambert Is undoubtedly one of the very best schools for contemporary and as for wanting to do contemporary as opposed to ballet or MT, all three options have very different career paths but you need to aim for what you are more passionate about.

If you decide to persue that route, your best bet would be to write to any companies you are interested in working for and ask them how they recruit for the kind of jobs you'd like, what qualifications and experience they look for etc. I know a few people in the UK who work as admin for contemporary companies and they all did dance degrees which included an admin element. Only one of them was aiming for this kind of work at the start of her course, having previously been on a vocational course but sustained an injury.

I think most of the university (not vocational) courses hold auditions, even if candidates are not necessarily competing for entry as fiercely as they would be at vocational schools. Some universities even those with a high academic content, often waive entry requirements for a student who has a strong practical background. I agree that many students on such courses are misled into thinking that they will be prepared for a performing career in a professional company and that they should be given a clearer picture of what kind of graduate destinations are realistic.

Any? I was a "university dancer" in the UK having completed a degree in dance. I was also one of three vocational school graduates in my year (the other two did MT courses but were still strong in ballet) so while the standard was mixed, there were students of a pretty high standard.

I have also always used Capezio and they lasted YEARS!