Ruby Foo

Don't worry yourself! It sounds like she had a fabulous time and danced beautifully. They are only little so they are not going to exclude your daughter for pulling her sock up! If you've got the potential they are looking for ( not every school looks for the same things!) you can turn up in a bin bag and be accepted. Professionals can spot potential a mile away no matter what you're wearing. Having said that it is preferable wearing something very plain in a colour that suits you if you can - don't want anyone thinking they should actually wear a bin bag haha.

I would say that most auditions will be around intermediate level and possibly inter/ advanced 1 for a couple of schools. They are looking for physical suitability and really good, solid technique, plus musicality and performance. They are not interested in candidates being super advanced. Sounds like she'll be at a perfect level to showcase those things.

Perhaps your daughter needs a little more time than others to suss people and situations out before she can fully be herself? Could the teachers help her to relax a bit? If teachers keep children behind to help tidy up or something, it gives them an opportunity to relax and get to know each other. I guess you could help by chatting to her teachers after her classes much as possible ( if they can and it's allowed) and including her in the conversation. She'll soon see they are an approachable and build the confidence to chat to them herself. It sounds like she was disappointed not getting the results she wanted but she's just very little and there's oceans of time for her to bring all the different elements together including confidence. When they do she'll be rewarded! My daughter was always a quiet one and didn't get enough confidence to be 'seen' until she was about 12.

Thanks for posting this. It's something I have quite strong opinions about. Young children have come through my door from other dancing establishments with very serious 'faults' that have been picked up from doing inappropriate steps way too young. The child has not been allowed to develop all the natural functions of movement and musicality naturally. Then the basics have been completely overlooked or not understood and I've spent too much time having to start all over, unpicking it all which is very boring for everyone. Some faults are so ingrained even at a young age.

Enjoy every moment with your little girl doing the activities kiddies do and making heaps of special memories. Just like toddler swimming teaches confidence in the water, how to float and kick your legs etc then Baby Ballet classes are useful for developing musicality, imagination and coordination. Skipping and jumping, swaying and galloping, balancing and turning and using their little limbs to be a jellyfish, a bird or butterfly. These are the important things for ballet development and if missed, can't be put back later. Basically that's all they should do for a very long time! Some famous teachers think that formal ballet technique ( barre and technical movement) should not start until age 8 when the brain is developed enough to understand what the body is doing. Find a lovely qualified teacher who will let you stay with her for a few sessions and let her enjoy moving to music and expressing herself. Slow, gentle and fun are the key words. Making friends and listening to her teacher are also benefits. As others have said, don't take anything too seriously. Once ballet takes on a more structured form ( with a barre and serious technique) many kids decide it's not for them any more and 99% will not have the physical aptitude to go on to train in a professional sense in any case. You've probably got more chance of landing on Mars than becoming a Classical dancer! What she will have learned as a toddler however will be useful all her life!

I have also heard of people using a sewing machine if that's something you have and feel comfortable with? Obviously you would go through to the satin but I don't think it matters if it's just for class.

4dance.co.uk do a pointe shoe sewing service but the downside is that you have to purchase your shoes through them. No idea how big the selection of shoes or what they can order. It's £3.00. I haven't used them personally but I sometimes wish I had, especially at times when she was busy revising for academics yet getting through 4 pairs a week!

I also can't comment on the past couple of years but I would find it unusual. Tring seems to have gone from strength to even stronger recently.

A couple of years ago there were 5 students at RBS upper school from Tring ( one had just graduated) That's probably more than from White Lodge! From personal experience, the Ballet training is exceptional and from experience also, exceeds other well known establishments. This is personal experience and opinion as we've experienced both. My dd always remembers the positive energy and vibe which really brought out the best in her. This is not the case with all schools.

Depressing.

It certainly doesn't mean that your daughter doesn't have a good chance of getting into RBS but a lot of this is down to confidence and physique. It all depends who's there on the day and can come down to minute details. If it's a no, then it doesn't mean much at all, just that somebody else had 1mm more in something. It's tricky for young students to understand that, I know. When a child is super confident then they tend to show themselves off and their work to their best. Let your daughter know that she doesn't need a school to tell her how lovely she is and to go in and show her self in her very best light. Have lots of fun, listen carefully to the teacher and music, lots of smiles and enthusiasm, stand tall, eyes up and have lots of fun being a jellyfish or whatever it is this year. Everyone seems to enjoy the audition a lot! Making sure your daughter knows she'll find joy in dancing whether she gets a place or not is key. Because that's the truth - JA's is not everyone's taste and it lasts just a few years. My daughter got a straight No from her first associate audition ( not RBS) she was very disappointed but later went on to become a RBS full time student. For better or worse . It's all swings and roundabouts. Good Luck 😊

I recommend Jose Martin Ex ENB He teaches from a studio in Beaconsfield, but has also used Arts Educational studios. He knows exactly what Directors are looking for in a video construct and is so patient and professional and pays attention to every detail. He did a wonderful job for my daughter. You will find his details under ‘Raw Talent’. He also danced in San Francisco and Canada so knows that scene very well.

Very exciting Tiaramum! Wishing your daughter lots of joy and success in her new school.

I’m sure this is true. I’m merely pointing out our own experience in a certain European country. I can see how difficult it all is for young people who are trying to push on with their lives and make the best of themselves and their training, whether you live in UK or Europe. Our experience was the feeling from some that it was hassle that they could do without.

I will PM you

You beat me to it Peanut! Are these stirrup ballet tights? with the toes and heels cut out? They shouldn’t fall off with stirrup tights. If not, can you replace with stirrup tights? If not, a lovely mixture of roisin and hairspray might work. You can buy a pack of roisin for violins online and crush to make a nice sticky goo. Or buy the one suggested above. Or sewing a piece of elastic at the back of the shoe ( same colour as tights so it doesn’t show!) This is what you do with pointe shoes. Find the seam at back of shoe and sew a goodthumbs width from the seam on either side. The elastic will sit high up near the ankle.

This was for a student visa and not a working/ residency permit. In some European countries, a school college must be accredited by their government in order for non EU students to apply for a student visa. For a school to be accredited by their government, they must prove they are taking a certain percentage of students from their own country. Some schools prefer not to do that.

Americans, Canadians, Australians all have varying ways within the law of obtaining a EU visa. Not particularly easy and a lot of form filling and cost, but possible. Many of my daughters friends from US and Australia had managed to do this. This option is not possible for UK residents/passport holders. Believe me, we fully researched with a lawyer. This is for a visa longer than 3 months allowed.

Not a company as such but I do know that some European schools are less and less enthusiastic to take on British students since Brexit. That was definitely mentioned to my daughter when she was in Europe. It’s not only the visa issues but also a rumbling grumble that UK chose to make things so tricky. It’s not just in the Ballet world but in employment in general. A friend’s daughter has had great difficulty in getting a visa to start work ( not dance) in Spain. They are giving out far less visa’s to the Brits than before.

I think this year, in particular, seems harsher than any previous. I have noticed that in 3 top schools in Europe and UK, who are producing gorgeous dancers, there are far less gaining contracts than in previous years. There’s the global economic crisis of course that’s having a huge impact but now we have the impact of social media too which is making the situation far worse than it ever was in my day. We have everyone from parents, teachers, students, ‘Big Business ‘ feeding into or feeding off the frenzy of social media and creating an environment which is not helpful. It creates a worldwide false impression that with this teacher, this school, this summer school, this leotard, this photographer, this amount of money -I will get a contract. This is the difference between then and now.

Sending lots of virtual love and hugs and strength to you Michelle. I’ve never read this thread before yesterday, but it sounds like you are having an extremely challenging time of it. Hoping you get through it all super quickly and successfully and get back to your beloved ballet asap. x

Are there any glaring issues with her pointework? Any problems that her teacher is working on with her? If everything is going smoothly and there’s nothing major then I would suggest you get in touch with Sarah Toner who could possibly arrange some weekly lesson online. I wouldn’t normally recommend doing pointework online but as you have no facilities near you and Sarah is very experienced and a wonderful teacher who can work equally well from a screen as she can in real life, then this seems a plausible option. It will give her the extra she needs and Sarah coaches / has coached many students through the vocational process so she knows the standards. TBH the pointework in vocational schools in the UK up to yr 9 is not what it should be in comparison to what students overseas are doing, so she’s probably hanging in there. Our experience in vocational was that pointework class was often the first thing to be cut if there were rehearsals/ performances ( even rehearsals for a carol service in one vocational school!). There is also nothing major in the audition- it’s very basic. Where she will see a difference is actually at vocational yr 10. This is where everything changes because the overseas students just arriving look like professionals in regards their standards of pointe. They are completely comfortable executing the most challenging combinations en pointe with strength, accuracy and consistency. It’s not the cheapest option I’m well aware but you’re in very safe hands with Sarah. sarah@sarahtoner.co.uk

Absolutely true, Peanut! The variations ( 2 learnt) were taught as a group. The time was then divided between them all to see them individually. They ‘ran’ them one after the other in a big rush to get through them all after class and there was absolutely no corrections or individual help whatsoever. After my daughter left vocational, she worked properly on the variations with a couple of teachers and the difference was insane.

Probably repeating a lot of the excellent points in the previous post. It depends on quite a few things - The quality of her classes at the moment. (We are presuming the associate class will be super beneficial but we can’t take that for granted). Whether she feels too comfortable in her current classes and with her teacher, and is not being challenged? Or challenged enough. What she is looking to do in the future? Is this just for interest and fun or Vocational school? If so which vocational school? Around year 10 in vocational schools, the standard changes/ is upped considerably (understatement ) especially in the top classical schools. This is the point in the UK where we see a large proportion of students appearing from overseas, Its always good at this age to have a different teacher and perspective and to dance with other dancers other than the ones you’re used to- no matter how good your own teacher is. A different teacher sees different strengths and weaknesses which can be helpful. And being out of your comfort zone just a little can be beneficial. What does your daughter really enjoy? Obviously Ballet is key, but the joy of dancing has to be a priority and if she prefers other styles to Ballet then why not indulge in those and become a more versatile dancer? Maybe she could drop one of her usual classes and do associate’s instead? There’s plenty students who haven’t done a single associate class who have achieved what they wanted to. I guess it’s about personal choice and time management. Making the most of yourself and your time.

If Graduates are finding it difficult to settle in a Company, so much so that the audience is affected, then surely the training, especially in the arena of performance experience must be lacking? If the Company cannot afford time for a certain percentage of Graduates to settle in then there must be a lack of vision in welcoming the forthcoming talent of the future. No wonder there is stalemate.