Prima_ballerina

I wear the Bloch booties and love them! Great for warming up your feet/keeping them warm and they fit over pointe shoes. Good for performances to keep shoes clean and for moving from studio to studio. Very comfy but not good to wear outside. I would definitely get them!

Thank you! I will definitely check out the bag!

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knew a good dance/ballet bag?

I have been looking for a while now but have not found a suitable one- I need one that's not too big but can still fit lots in.

Thanks :-)

Dd hasn't got box splits either.

Have you tried any of the Lisa Howell flexibility excercises.

No, but thank you- I definitely will!

Just found out today that I may not be able to do boxsplits due to the formation of the bones in my hips- for some people it is just physically impossible :-( but I will try a bit more anyway!

Can't wait to do Opes! Has anyone done it before? What's the sort of layout of the week? X

I'm not an expert at all, but from what I've read, it depends on whether the popping hurts or not. You know how your knees can 'click' when you bend or climb steps? That can just be a tendon sliding over bone, but it doesn't actually hurt. I think if it's associated with pain, you shouldn't do it. But my DD is 11 and growing, so we are being careful as the bones grow faster than the ligaments so you can injure yourself more easily. If you have finished growing, it may be different. Please be careful though, as you don't want to damage your hip joints!

Thank you! I will continue to stretch but be very careful and stop as soon as it hurts.

My dd is also 13 & also doing the second week of OPES.

Well I'm sure I'll see her then!

I hope exams went well for everyone who took them!

I just wanted to add that my DD is doing Int Foundation and we bought the DVD to help her get an idea of what's involved, but the DVD doesn't mention the free enchainement section, which she didn't know about until about a month ago (exam is on 2 Sept). As she likes to be well-prepared for everything, this is something she was not expecting and it's hard to practise unless teachers give you different combinations frequently. (I completely understand why they include it, but it was a bit of a nasty surprise when she found out about it!)

Thank you! I will definitely get the DVD!

If you have a thereband I would bring one for body conditioning and also convertible tights for contemporary and jazz.

Thank you everyone for all your help!

Well the two most elite programmes I guess are Royal Ballet School & Yorkshire Ballet Summer School http://www.ybss.co.uk/ 

 

Others of a similar ilk would include Elmhurst School for Dance http://www.elmhurstdance.co.uk/summer-school-1.html 

English National Ballet School http://www.enbschool.org.uk/editorial.php?ref=summer-course

 

For all the above there is a selection process/minimum standard

 

Then there is Central School of Ballet http://www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk/ssccourseoutline.php(must be en pointe & studying IF or above)

OPES has been metioned already dd is going this year as she knows one of the teachers and the standard is reputed to be excellent though there is no selection procedure it is regurarly attended by vocational students www.opesballet.co.uk

 

Dd did Moorland Ballet Summer School last year - again non selective but attracts vocational students http://moorlandballet.co.uk/summer-course/

 

The above courses are all residential

 

There are lots of others  Northern Ballet, West Yorkshire Summer School, Harpenden, Tring Park, Hammond to name just a few.

Prina_ballerina have a look at OPES international summer school. DD is going this year (for the second year running).

Teaching faculty is second to none, have a look at their website www.opesballet.co.uk

Xx

I am actually doing the second week of OPES this summer!

MIDAS summer intensive is August 24th-28th and has an amazing faculty including current professional dancers (from Matthew Bourne's New Adventures) and ex-professional dancers who were soloists and principals with either BRB or ENB.

 

There are still plenty of spaces which means that those who are currently signed up will get FANTASTIC small group, focused tuition.

Thank you! I will definitely have a look at that!

A belated welcome to the forum, Prima_Ballerina. :-)

When you say you may be "taking" your Intermediate exam soon, do you mean actually taking the exam? Or beginning the syllabus. I only ask because the study required is often at least a year or even 18 months, which will give you plenty of time to understand the difficulty and level of pointework. As others have said, watching the dvd from the RAD is very useful and gives you a much better idea of what to expect.

Good luck! :-)

Hi! I mean I may be starting the syllabus soon, so I'm guessing the exam will be in at least another year!

Thank you for all your help!

I think I've over-thought it too much by now, I think it was alright-ish! not looking forward to the huge long wait to get the marks back

Well done! I hope it was okay!

What was the pointe work like in it?

Thank you! Yes, my hip also sometimes pops- does this mean I will not be able to do box splits?

Thank you trog and taxi4ballet :-)

Did you see Edward Watson in Wayne McGregors Woolf Works?

Thank you aballetlife :-)

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew any good streches for the box splits (side splits/middle splits)? I can do the normal front splits now on both legs, but have not been able to get my box splits. Thanks:-)

I'm assuming pointe is only for a bit of the exam?

Thank you picturesinthefirelight. I'm 13 years old and am able to do residential or non residential. It was for next year.

Hi, just wondering if anyone could recommend any good ballet Summer Intensives/summer courses in England. Thanks :-)

Thank you aballetlife.