Cara in NZ

DD is doing Level 3 starting in Feb. She doesn't want to continue vocational exams so this is something exciting to complement Grade 7 and open work. Our dance school was supposed to pilot it but then our director left NZ to be RAD Artistic Director. Our loss but everyone else's gain!

DD's lovely teacher is offering the adult open class I'm going to. She is RAD and Cecchetti trained, and also a Pilates instructor. So I feel reassured that she is going to incorporate strengthening/ body conditioning and not just run a traditional 'barre + centre' class. I have been doing Pilates ever since I stopped ballet and my core is much stronger than when I danced, plus it fixed my backache and sciatica, so I'm hoping I won't be a complete invalid after my first class

I just put them in a delicates bag with light-coloured things and wash at 40 degrees. They are still pink, but look greyer next to a new pair. We just keep a few new pairs in reserve for competitions, exams, performances. I figure the idea is for them to be 'leg-coloured' and the colour when they are new is very pink compared to most legs

I find it ironic that every year our dance school has a week of 'Grade School' in the school holidays before grade exams, where kids go every day Monday to Friday for an hour or two of practice (according to age/level). Yet for the vocational exams there are just one or two practices with the pianist. I suppose it's because they do three classes a week of the vocational work rather than one for the grades, but Grade School was always a really good 'last push' to polish their work for the exam.

Just wanted to encourage you to give ballet a bit of time before you make up your mind about it. In my/DD's experience, ballet is a tough taskmaster and you can't do it halfheartedly. You may find it too demanding compared to all the other styles, but it is an excellent foundation for all styles of dance. Things like turnout can be much harder for adult beginners as all the bones and joints are pretty set in place, and if you have never worked on flexibility, that may be another struggle. But do focus on what you CAN do, and what you enjoy. And let us know how you get on! (BTW I've got out my leotard and ballet shoes after stopping when I was pregnant with DD 15 years ago, planning to start doing an adult open class this year. I'm nearly 55 so I know all about bodily limitations – you'll find it much easier than me, but your post is one of the contributing things that got me thinking about going back!)

I think of it as meaning "If you want a ballet career or to teach, you need to be on the vocational pathway. If not, you can still do it but there are other options."

DD is 14 and has been en pointe for 3 years, wearing Bloch full shank shoes. Last year her new teacher said she'd like her to try Freeds, and that she was strong enough en pointe to experiment a bit. We got 3/4 shank Freed Studio Pros and they make her feet look better. She's never had bendy feet and one is much stronger than the other, so she has to work on one shoe more than the other when breaking them in. So I don't think it's necessarily about strong or weak feet – just what makes a dancer's feet look better while giving them whatever support they need.

In RAD vocational exams, they can wear a short lycra skirt for the 'modern/neo' variation and practice tutu for the classical variation. In Grades 6 to 8 they wear a long chiffon skirt and also a character skirt. With a silk scarf for free movement and character shoes as well, there was quite a lot of gear to haul in to the Grade 6 exam!

Must admit, DD sat RAD Intermediate in 2016, and I was delighted to find the fee to enter Grade 6 in 2017 was half the vocational fee (I know they have a pianist and are held at approved centres, but DD always said the pianists were part of the problem – eg one played the plié exercises too fast for her Intermediate exam and she said there is no way you can do pliés well at speed!). Like many dancers, DD is a perfectionist and wouldn't want to sit an RAD exam if she didn't think she could get Distinction, so I think this is part of her decision as the vocational exams get so much harder with each level. She's managing the Adv Foundation syllabus well except for the pointework, and as the dances are en pointe there is no escape. I don't mind her being realistic, and we had some discussion about her goals for ballet. Whether to keep working on pointework is one of the things that probably contribute to girls staying on the vocational track? DD has a competition pointe solo as well as a couple of variations, so needs to keep up some pointework this year. I've checked that her open and repertoire classes will include pointe so she can drop Adv F if there isn't enough demand.

I agree about 'vocational' exams, winelake. DD doesn't want a ballet career, and is not going to sit any more vocational exams. She's learned the Adv Foundation syllabus but is adamant she doesn't want to sit the exam. So this year her weekly classes are: one Adv F, one Grade 7, one Int/Adv Open, and one RAD Repertoire (Level 3), plus a private for competition work. Sounds like a nice variety to me, and as she is now 14,I just want her to enjoy her last 2-3 years of ballet. But teachers, parents, and other senior students seem shocked that she isn't sitting vocational exams. It is a strange world!

Hi Moondust, just wanted to say that my mother wouldn't let me dance as a child (She didn't want to be a 'ballet mum', haha), and I started ballet at 19. I learned with a Russian lady for 4 years and even made it en pointe after 3 years. She offered exams, and I did Pre-Elementary and Elementary at age 22 and 23. Then I moved to London and did classes at Pineapple (no syllabus identified), then over the years I've done classes at various schools, wherever I could find adult classes. Although others will have more recent and relevant advice, I just want to say that ballet is ballet, wherever you go, and the differences are really more about terminology and perhaps emphasis. My DD's current teacher trained in Cecchetti and RAD, and although the school is RAD-focused, she uses lots of Cecchetti exercises. to round out the RAD approach From my viewpoint, they all have something to offer (my Russian teacher was trained in Legat, although she always just called her training 'Russian Classical Ballet'). I don't think you should worry too much about the syllabus or exams. It's much more important to find a class/school that you like, with qualified teachers and the option of exams if and when they advise. Just jump in and make a start!

Just wanted to add, Jade, that I think part of what you may be feeling is a normal slightly rebellious teenage thing about being expected to conform. But presumably if you wanted to go into a job/profession that required a uniform, that would be part of the deal? My DD has a strict school uniform at a Catholic school, with blazer, tartan skirt, tie in winter, sensible lace-up shoes etc. She likes not having to choose what to wear each day, and I regularly say to her that she will have many years to 'express herself' through her clothes! I do agree with other comments that it would be a pity to avoid ballet just because of a leotard. It actually creates a very egalitarian atmosphere when everyone in the class is wearing leotard and tights – yes, I know body image comes into it, just as it does at the pool or the beach, but I hope people still go swimming in spite of how they feel about their body! I do have an idea of how this feels, as when my son was a year old, I enquired about adult ballet in my area (suburban London), as I had danced up to Intermediate/Elementary level while at university. The closest dance school didn't have adult classes, but said I could join their most senior ballet class – which turned out to be 11-year-olds doing Grade V, all skinny and pre-pubescent, in black leotards and pink tights. I felt that I should fit in with them, so squeezed my post-baby body into a black leotard and got on with it. I wanted to dance more than I wanted to look good

DD sat Grade 6 after 8 months of 1 hour a week (also doing Advanced Foundation classes though). The teacher said she wouldn't teach the character dance, but then decided to teach it to two of the girls 2 weeks before the exam. It worked for us, but was more of a struggle for the girls who were only at Int Foundation level. DD's now looking forward to Grade 7, also scheduled for 1 hour a week although I hope they will add a second class closer to the October exam.

Hi Jade, I just wanted to add that ballet may seem more 'disciplined' than what you are used to, but my daughter is also 14 and likes knowing what she is required to wear. We think of it as ballet being about creating beautiful 'lines' or pictures with your body, which can't be seen with lots of layers flapping about. In the teenage classes, uniform is often less strict (depending on the teacher), but usually there are ground rules about whether you can wear skirts or shorts or leggings. At our school, the teens usually wear plain-coloured leotards, pink tights, pink shoes, with perhaps a fitted top with sleeves in cold weather. As has been said, the pink tights and shoes are to elongate the lines created by the legs, and the bun is to keep the hair from interfering with the lines also. Ponytails flying around are ok in Jazz but seem quite distracting in ballet. So part of the 'deal' with ballet for us is that the body is the instrument and you try to keep distractions to the minimum because the dancing is more important than the outfit

Absolutely! One competition we went to this year, DD had a couple of wisps showing in front of her ears in her pointe solo (classical bun) and the first comment was "Make sure your hair is really slicked back". We'd done her hair carefully at home and sprayed it down, but there was a pretty fierce storm raging so the wisps escaped between the car and the theatre. Is that really worth a comment?? (Here is the offending hair, horrific I know. What were we thinking?)

We have stayed with the same school for 9 years but this year several classmates moved school after our best-known teacher left the country. I just want to say that I think every teacher understands (even if they don't like it) that kids will move for various reasons, including moving away from the area, following friends, finding a school where the schedule suits them better etc etc. I don't think loyalty or affection for a teacher is enough of a reason to stay if your heart is set on a ballet career and your needs aren't being met. You will have to be ruthless at times, and single-minded about choosing what is best for you and your training. Good luck though, I know it's not easy!

It sounds ambitious, but I've really enjoyed the national dances where the DC clearly have a connection to that culture, eg a Burmese dance with sticks. I'm sure adjudicators are more used to the RAD style of national character, but I like your creative approach. (One note of caution – your DD will need to not be easily flustered by possible costume malfunctions. After 3 years mine can now cope with music glitches, but I've seen some difficult moments for DC trying to adjust costumes that weren't cooperating!)

My DD has a Russian National Character, choreographed by a very experienced teacher. But I asked the name of the music and it's actually by an Armenian composer, which threw me a bit! Here in New Zealand the competition adjudicators do assess the authenticity of the costume (such as colour palette), but there is plenty of overlap between the Russian, Hungarian and Polish steps, from what I've seen. For props, there is usually no more than a small cushion, or a tambourine, or something similar. Re lyrics, I think it's fine to dance to folk-song types of music. What you are calling 'Character' is I think what we call 'Demi-Character', ie a dance that tells a story? I've seen vast ranges of props, including a Three Little Pigs one where the dancer was the wolf and the mother ran around in the wings pulling strings to make cardboard house fronts fall down as her DC blew on each one... Have also seen Carabosse solos where the poor mother was lugging a full-size old-fashioned cradle on a stand with draped fabric... Another friend's DD had a Mr Tumnus solo, featuring a lamp-post with 'snow' and a real lantern, plus table and chairs with tea-set, and three brown-paper wrapped parcels! We asked for minimal props as we were travelling a distance to some competitions and needed to be able to take props on a plane. Ours is based on Anastasia, and DD just has a wool shawl and a music box, plus character boots and a sailor dress – very simple but it's supposed to be more about acting than props. Not sure if that's any help? I've never seen a Canadian dance, but have seen some interesting ones from places like Burma/Myanmar, which make a nice change from the Eastern European, Italian and Spanish ones we usually see!

I remember worrying when I watched First Position that she might have chronic injury/overuse problems from training so intensively from a young age. Sometimes it's your body rather than your mindset that changes your direction?

That sounds sensible, and yes it's a big step up from Intermediate to Adv F. DD's teacher actually delayed their Adv F exam until next year as she said they weren't strong enough en pointe for the variations (which are all en pointe). And they only do single pirouettes en pointe for Adv F, thank goodness as DD is only just starting to do reliable doubles on flat! DD now says she may not bother with continuing the vocational exams as the grades are much more fun. But as she's just learnt a pointe solo and a variation for competitions, she'll need to keep up her pointework somehow!

@Viv I do think that is a bit ambitious, and asking a lot of you! Even at Adv Foundation DD's class aren't dancing en pointe in our end-of-year show. Usually only the Advanced 1 & 2s do (much to DD's relief). DD only started competition solos en pointe this year, and finds that traumatic enough!

@Viv DD had Gr 6 exam yesterday and says it went well. But of her group of 4, one stood on her scarf in the free movement, one kept whispering questions about the next exercise, and another forgot a bit in the waltz enchainement and DD saw her on the other side of the studio with a tear running down her face but couldn't think of anything she could do to help! (It was her exam partner, who she's very fond of). So it was all a bit gruelling. DD said she just missed making the sound with two heel clicks in her character dance and otherwise it all went well. It actually felt much lower-key than vocational exams, where they have to go to the national School of Dance — this was at their own dance school so felt more 'at home'.

Six of the girls in DD's Gr 6 class are doing the free movement one. Two are doing classical and two doing character. I thought the character dance was quite long! DD's teacher says she will get more marks for that than for the classical, so after some grumbling she has accepted it. I think it's a lovely syllabus, and DD very much likes being able to get away with single pirouettes. @Viv - I'm so glad that IF went better. I still think it's a bit much to do them on consecutive days though!

Girls change their minds about this stuff as their bodies change, so I guess you just go with what she likes for now. But I have to say that 'being comfortable' is not often achievable with performance wear! (DD tells me she likes wearing nude leos under her class leos because of 'the side view' — I asked if she meant nipples and she left the room )

@Viv Which dance did you do for Gr 6? DD was perfectly happy with the classical one, then 2 weeks ago her teacher decided to teach her the character dance... so now it seems she is doing that! She isn't as confident with it, but it's helped her Rusisan character solo heaps. The teacher just said DD always does the classical dance in exams and it's time for a change... She did classical in IF too – which one are you doing? Good luck and don't be put off by previous experiences!