Ruby Foo

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!

2 hours ago, invisiblecircus said:

No school is for everyone, maybe they received other offers that they preferred.
I personally have not heard of lots of people turning down places but I don't know anyone who has applied for this year (not sure if you were referring only to applications for this year.)
 

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.

2 hours ago, Dancing_Mae said:

My daughter has her audition in May but is really nervous due to getting a no from Northern Ballet and her confidence being knocked. She got a recall after first set of auditions but wasn’t chosen ultimately and whilst she is usually a very resilient child, it has hit her a bit harder than expected. (I think because a close friend of hers got in and they got excited at the prospect of going together) Does the fact that the Northern ballet said no pretty much guarantee the RBS will too? I know there is no way of definitely knowing but I know RBS is the hardest to get into.  

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 😊

1 hour ago, Chira said:

Hello

 

Am new to the forum. Have a boy Y10 vocational training. Needs help over the summer break with putting together his video for US auditions.

 

can anyone signpost us to a reasonably priced classical ballet teacher (with a studio) who could help him put this together. He doesn’t want me to film it and we do not have access to a studio. He does not want to ask a teacher at his school. 
 

cost is an issue, so is location. So 100 mile radius from Hampshire. 

Can be a man or woman, but really solid experience in teaching and ballet is key. 
many thanks

 
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.
 

21 minutes ago, Tiaramum said:

We got the same - very confusing! We won't be taking up our place though. We have loved our royal journey for the most part - the way the new programme structure was announced still causes a great deal of anger in me and my views are on the forum elsewhere. However it’s still RBS and my dd was lucky enough to achieve part of her dream. She moves to Europe in September for upper school training.   

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

2 minutes ago, Mamaderuby said:

My children have many Spanish friends who would love to work in the UK, non-dancers, educated young people. Post-Brexit, they have the same difficulty as British citizens who want to work/live in Spain.

 
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.

13 hours ago, Birdy said:

As an American, I would love to know more about what you are talking about. My DD is in Europe on a student residency permit, which is available to anyone in the world. My non-dancing daughter would love to spend more than 90 days in the EU but we have never found any special way to do so. 

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.

1 hour ago, Lifeafterballet said:

My son’s EU country was very welcoming and the process very straightforward. I don’t believe any of the other international dancers have had any problems obtaining a residency permit. All they needed was a contract and an address. His was for 5 years, pre Brexit, and those who joined after get a year. But they all renew successfully.

Maybe it just some particular countries. 

 
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.

43 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

Contemporary works are an important part of company repertoire these days which I think this is a good thing for dancers, giving them a chance to have a bit more individuality than only pure classical. In this country the upper schools associated with our top ballet companies have an  international intake so it’s not very surprising that the companies do too. Top London art schools and conservatoires are also full of students from overseas (as are universities such as Imperial) .
Brexit makes it difficult for non EU  to attend European Ballet School, although I have met Americans who don’t mind the 3 months on 3 months off visa situation - part of the difficulty is how our education structure clashes with this. It looks like our relationship with the EU is improving and with a change of government fingers crossed some of these barriers will be removed or improved on. The shadow culture secretary trained at the Royal  College  of Music  and is looking into improving the deal with Europe for touring musicians which  should help dancers with work visas too. That’s my hope anyway! 

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.

1 hour ago, Birdy said:

Paris Opera Ballet may be the most insular of the major western European companies, but they do accept dancers from outside the EU and dancers who did not attend their school. I would say the most insular company in the US is probably New York City Ballet because they mainly accept students from SAB, but that is not closed to non-Americans. I’ve seen zero evidence to suggest that UK dancers are at some greater disadvantage than dancers from any other country.

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.

35 minutes ago, Kate_N said:

 

Very true. And there are more schools producing more artists (of all media & genres). Many populations don't like paying taxes to subsidise the arts, and ballet companies are expensive to run. 

 

But it's always been like this. There never was a time when all graduates from ballet schools went straight into companies. Never. I could point you to historical documents going back almost 200 years of aspiring actors complaining about the profession being closed to them.

 

I don't know why people are surprised about this!

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

2 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

Good points Emeralds - esp. the comparison with music & dance students. Yes, generally all students quite likely learn in a group a few variations/solos but there is too often the ‘chosen one’ (or a very few) who then get extra individual coaching & chosen by a school for comps. Otherwise it’s individuals having to source & pay for the extra one to one coaching they need & deserve to compete. 
All worthy to suggest costumes can be cheaply sourced… true…. But I’m the most part seeing things on YouTube etc all looks pretty dazzle dazzle & £££ to me…& I can quite likely see dancers feeling less confident if they find they are not so professionally attired as the majority…. This similar comparison happens over photos/showreels with some clearly able to afford more of this than others. Sure, you perhaps only need those few hood shots but again, when it’s a quick look over, you need to look your best & that’s likely going to be achieved by high cost pro shots. And also applications often state photos/video must be less than 6 months old so this required regular updating. The more money you can sling at this the ‘easier’ that element is. And whilst these things do not necessarily make fir a better dancer, I’d hazard a guess it certainly aids confidence for sending out those applications. 
This is where I do think a pure open call is in some ways preferable but then only if there truly are jobs to be offered at the end of the process….

I suspect - just as in the rest of employment world - all jobs must be seen to be advertised & active recruitment put in place even when there is already an in house candidate could be promoted or a desired candidate that can be headhunted. This is pretty much employment law isn’t it? 
But I do think that the process should stop at written applications/photos/videos/

online interviews if no actual dance jobs will ever be offered. Sure, dancers may do anything to get a chance just to be seen & have that chance to show what they can do to maybe be remembered for a future job….but it has to be transparent to make a cost ratio benefit analysis before spending money/time to attend! All IMHO

For the record, have no personal experience of any overseas comps myself or as a parent but know of experiences of others. Very mixed reports as to the cost v benefit of these….and it requires an awful lot of input/support from either teachers or parents or both. Not every dancer is fortunate to have this backing them sadly. 

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.

3 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

This is a hard one.  I am not speaking from any knowledge of the training system in the UK or anywhere else.

 

LCB will presumably have had a specific type of dancer the company wanted.  Would it be reasonable to expect them to populate the company with graduates?  As the company is privately funded would the funders have had an expectation that may not have been for graduates?

 

I have heard that graduates sometimes experience integration difficulties into companies because they are not used to performing in a company as compared to school.  A newly started company could not afford (in my opinion) the time for them to settle in.  Many years ago a company I follow was increasing in size and took in about 12 graduates.  From an audience point of view it just did not work and at the end of the year all but 2 or 3 of those graduates left the company.  LCB could not afford to find itself in that position being a company of 14 dancers.

 

Who knows what may happen over the next couple of years when the company is established.

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.

Sorry, forgot to mention that it would be perfectly acceptable to go to another school to learn a different style of dance- one that her own school doesn’t offer, say jazz. She could possibly do competitions that way.

I would definitely speak to her own school about your intentions beforehand though.

There’s a whole load of reasons why some dance schools do festivals and competitions and others don’t.

Usually a dance school becomes fairly well established before deciding to to do ‘extra stuff’ like festivals and comps. Some schools find it enough work to do exams once a year and maybe a show the following year. It all depends on how well established a school is, how many staff and pupils they have and hours they are able to rent studio space. It’s a whole lot of work to do exams in Ballet (sometimes 2 different styles and syllabus), Jazz, tap etc, plus shows and then competitions on top!  Competitions require time to rehearse, costumes, music etc. and although many dances are handed down through the ranks and through the years, it’s still a lot to organise. 

My own school changed completely once we started doing competitions.

It became increasingly complicated and produced a two tier divide between those who did comps ( a clique) and those who didn’t. Some schools just don’t want that type of ‘competition’ to stand in the way of children finding joy in their learning of dance where everyone is benefiting from the same tuition. Although some will argue, that for those competing, there is added joy and benefit. Although most schools and students are super friendly about the competition type stuff, there are some who aren’t.

On the positive side, competitions provide legitimate performance opportunities and build confidence in pupils. It’s also a great deal of fun. Some pupils really need that and yet others seem to progress well without. 

You can always go to your local Festival to watch which is a great learning experience in itself. There’s a lot to be learned from watching others. Why not approach your school and ask if there would be any possibility of entering in the future? Maybe they will offer their opinions of why they don’t do them.

22 hours ago, keivi said:

Thank you for the very useful information! She is not at vocational school, and her end of year exam will be equivalent to Intermediate. She would ideally like to do a course she will enjoy but also help her improve, so we'll think about it!

I think the reason the 2nd experience ( senior) seemed a little basic was due to a very large percentage of overseas students ( all from same school) seemingly having just started intermediate level. Therefore the classes seemed tamed down to accommodate.

I can’t imagine it would the same situation every year.

There are also good contemporary classes and a West End show ( optional)

12 hours ago, keivi said:

My daughter is considering the RAD Senior Summer School as we will travel to the UK in the beginning of August. She is 15 years old and I would love to know if anyone has experience of this course. Her interest is mainly ballet. It seems rather expensive, especially since it's not residential, but we could not find many options around the first week of August that have still open applications. Any comments or advice would be very helpful!

How advanced is your daughter and what is she looking to get out of it?

My daughter did this twice. First time she was 12 and not at vocational school. She loved it a found it very useful. It was well organised with excellent teachers and there was a mix of students, some going to vocational and then many from overseas who had not had so much training.

The second time she was at vocational and did it because she had an injury and knew it would be good but very basic classes that wouldn’t aggravate her injury. Again, it was well organised and friendly. Mainly the other students were beginner intermediate level and the classes were excellent, but basic. 

Based on our experience only, if your daughter is looking for a lovely, friendly summer school with very good teachers, then I’m sure she’ll enjoy it. The studios are lovely! However, If your daughter is advanced standard and looking for super advanced professional classes that push her then this is probably not the summer school for her. 

I would go for So Danca canvas. They seem very light and flexy.

Leather would be the worst, followed by satin.

Grishko do lovely canvas shoes but no idea if the full sole is flexible. 
You can always roll them up tightly (as in a full arch) and put an elastic band round over night.