Ruby Foo

Uniforms are usually linked to a particular exam board. Teachers adopt the uniform of the exam board to save parents money in paying for the regulation uniform at exam time. It also gives the classes a nice disciplined feel which is extremely important in dance. If students are turning up in their own choice of uniform then there should still be emphasis on tidy hair, shoes, and rules on when leg warmers, leggings, sweat tops are allowed. Basically, the discipline of dance training is mirrored in everything.

Just to add and, as others have said, no one has it all. An RBS associate teacher once described it as a Rubik's cube, you just hope to cover as much of each side as possible and have as much fun as possible!

In my experience, RBS take a wide range of physiques both for JAs and vocational. The rule for long legs and short torso, longish neck and good feet probably stands true but its interesting to see the many variants of this. There is so much more to take into account. The way you move, how you interpret the music, your natural musical phrasing, your natural sense of line, sense of performance, how you tell a story, flexibility (for ease of movement), turn out (for technique), your ability to pick up sequences of steps, focus and concentration, natural sense of turning, balance, natural ballon, etc Its all about ' natural' gifts that can't be taught from a physio or a teacher although they will certainly be able to help in some areas. It sounds complicated but an experienced teacher can tell these things from steps as simple as skipping, gallops, jumping.

Well said! Too many well meaning parents are totally sucked in by exams in the UK.

With regards to the level of training, gr1 and 2 sound perfect!

Good feet would generally mean feet that are flexible and strong so they will give a nice atheistic look to the lines and will also be suitable for pointe work. In general terms, feet that have a nice arch and instep and are reasonably flexible. People often refer to ' banana feet ' in ballet. Certainly lots of ballet dancers do have very flexible and bendy feet but it's not as straightforward as it sounds because truly beautiful, bendy feet are very, very difficult to work with and need lots of work to strengthen. As do the legs and pelvis in order that everything is supporting. Lots of dancers don't have those very bendy feet, but have reasonable arches and insteps and then work on strength and flexibility. What is more tricky is very flat feet with little arch or instep and little flexiblity. This is because it will very tricky in the future to get right over the block en pointe. All types of feet can be worked on with specific exercises given by a qualified teacher or dance physio. I have experience of Junior Associates taking all 3 types of feet but for fully vocational, reasonably good feet would be required.

Banana on whole grain toast with a drizzle of honey.... if she has time and if she likes bananas, which many people don't.

I think this is one of the most difficult tasks for a parent who has no experience in dance. When I was looking for a really good local school for my Dd, it was really easy because I was an ex dancer/ teacher. The school we chose would have been a surprise to many people I guess. There were plenty large and prolific schools who won competitions and boasted exam results but the one we chose was tiny and out in the styx. We were new to the area so we were coming in blind. The teacher was a well qualified RAD teacher but she had very few classes and nothing other than ballet. She did exams but no competitions or anything else. The advert was the first thing to catch my attention because the pictures showed dancers who were technically correct in placement and nothing showy or 'wowing' in nature. There was a quiet attention to detail from the start. From my own training, I could look through the window, and be happy that this teacher knows her stuff. The care with which she demonstrated the exercises and spent time correcting the students was healthy. The students paid attention, were disciplined but having fun. All this proved to be correct allowing my child to pursue dance more seriously later down the line. But if you don't have that inside knowledge? Firstly look at the teachers qualifications and research. Does the teacher have other past experience that might widen his/ hers experience in teaching or dance? What does the teacher do to keep in contact with other teachers/ new ideas/ courses? How many children in a class? Can the teacher really get round to give every child corrections? And are these corrections followed up diligently week after week after week followed by praise when achieved? Usually your child can tell you if they've been asked to work on something they need to improve. Does the teacher let you watch one class from time to time and if so, is the class well organised? Positive? Disciplined in that the teacher grabs the students attention and makes the most of the studio time by working through the syllabus or free work, stopping to make corrections and having some joyful moments too? Attention to the uniform and hair and shoes tidy? Does the teacher give a little feedback to parents from time to time? Does the teacher help with extra strength or conditioning exercises where needed and is she/ he keen to stress the safety of doing exercises at home? Do a few pupils from the school go on to do associate classes? Usually the school will post these successes on social media.There are quite a few associates about now but reading this forum should clue you up. When it's exam time, does the teacher take great care to make sure the students are well prepared? Pay attention to every little detail...the steps, presentation, confidence, music, shoes, leotards, hair, smiles? These are just a few ideas / guidelines that might help but that's all they can do. I'm sure other people have other ideas. For example, I have had the most incredible ballet teachers ( for older students) that sat on a chair for the whole class and never demonstrated a thing! Applying for a good associate class will tell you if your child has potential and some correct technical ability (younger students will be potential only) and the classes themselves will tell you if they are mirroring their own classes at home and are on track.

Even though your Dd doesn't know what lies ahead and what choices she will make, Ballet underpins most forms of dance ( excluding tap). So focusing on VERY HIGH QUALITY ballet lessons at this stage would be an investment for the future, whatever style may attract her down the line. As others have said, it's definitely quality over quantity plus her enjoyment and joy of dance. Don't stop the jazz ( for example) if this is the genre she loves! Maybe try out for some good associates lessons if you can. You can get financial assistance with most of these. Try always to keep the balance between upping the ballet classes with 'real life stuff' like friends outside of ballet, parties, other hobbies, walking the dog. Easy to say but not so easy to do! Ballet can become an obsession and a solitary focus and, at the end of the day, while it's nice to have a goal and a dream, very, very few people will get to the top of that perilous pyramid. So it's more important to be a well rounded, healthy individual.

Personally, I think that it’s so important that people in positions of power, when dealing with young people ( especially adolescents) need very clear/ sensitive communication. The choice of words are SO important. It may not be the news you want to hear but if you ‘understand’ the motives and it’s delivered sensitively, then you can learn and move on. The idea of making students curious and reflective about why they didn’t win this time round would be preferable to crushing all self esteem. Resilience is not about grinning and bearing it, but continuing to learn knowing that ultimately your self worth can only be measured by you and not by others.

Happy days! Very well done to your daughter!

Some nice bamboo leggings would be nice and free and soft. There’s loads of nice ribbed stretch leggings too in all the fashion shops in pretty balletic colours. Seems to be the trend. I feel the same when I wear proper sports leggings to go for a run, simply no go. Too restrictive. I’ve taken to wearing my daughter’s black warm up pants which are nice and free. Agree with Peanut68 that you can’t go wrong with opaque black footless tights, in a large size so plenty stretch.

It’s definitely possible but it really depends on the level of training you can find locally. Will your current teacher be able to provide enough QUALITY hours of training in the future. By yr 10 in the top ballet schools the training becomes very intense and almost semi professional. Will your daughter be training with other students who are like minded and of a similar standard or will she be able to access a few summer intensives and or associates to gauge how she’s getting along? If your current teacher has other pupils who have achieved gaining places in vocational schools then that will give you confidence. Will you have the finances and the time to support all the extra training, some one to one lessons, plus some lessons in different genres? Contemporary? Jazz? Character? These will generally be part of the course in full time training plus body conditioning/ Pilates and specific help with any weaknesses from a physio, from yr 10. The challenge is to combine all the hours of academics and extra homework towards gcse plus the travelling and training without your daughter feeling under tremendous pressure. That’s not to say full time vocational students don’t feel stress and pressure, because they do! One of the advantages of staying at home is being able to de stress, with a bath and good food, pets/tv and your own bed! There are at least 3 British students ( British trained) at RBS upper school who were not at lower vocational, and others on this forum who have done it, so it’s possible, but not easy. An amazing teacher, plus the financial means to access some other high quality training, plus a family environment that allows for all this would be key. But that mix will be very different and individual for everyone.

Even if you ticked the no box, but your child was the perfect fit, they would probably offer a place anyhow. So I can’t see that it matters. I’m guessing it’s more on the photos and experience ( for older students) They like to see as many new ‘potentials’ as possible, as in dancers they haven’t seen before, which is maybe why there is such a large international cohort. The internationals don’t do associates etc. It’s always worth keep applying if you get waitlist. It just depends who is applying that year and you never know. Of course, it’s costly. Sometimes something comes up as late as May and we know it’s possible to get something 2nd or even third time applying.

It’s great you have a passion and a dream. A vision is a wonderful thing. However, as others before me have pointed out, to start ballet so late, you would need to have exceptional talent and exceptional physical ability. Very few people have the attributes to even contemplate a career in Ballet as it is, but you would be extremely disadvantaged starting so late. Before you contemplate the stress of winning over your parents and possible auditions, which you may, or may not be prepared for, why don’t you ask a professional, qualified independent teacher for their opinion? Normally, it would be your own teacher who would suggest to you that you have the talent, physical ability and experience to audition for a career in Classical Ballet. In your case, this doesn’t seem to have happened. However, you could go to someone independently, who would tell you if it’s at all possible or not. This would save you a lot of bother and money! If they say yes, go for it, then your parents won’t feel it’s such a gamble. If they say no, no chance at all, then you may have to think of a different type of dance career or a dance related career or not dance at all. If you pm me, I can give you a name of someone who will tell you honestly where you stand. As regards being a day girl, from personal experience, it gets very tricky, if not almost impossible, the older you get. When you are young, the benefits are incredible. But at upper levels the training is so intense and time so limited (especially with academics) getting your head down on a pillow ASAP is the main priority!

Personally, I would go for socks. I think it’s age appropriate and, as you say, it shows off muscle definition. With regards to the photo’s, it’s technique, correct placement, line etc every time over posh photography. So always check with reliable teacher before submitting. However there’s a reason for art galleries showing their pictures the way they do. The subject needs to have a setting that shows them in their best light. So if you have the choice and the money to hire a patient and amazing photographer then that’s great. More appropriate for upper and company than lower school. We had our cat poised beautifully on the sofa in most of ours! Good photos take patience and many, many tries to get them right so bear that in mind too!

Do you mind telling us how old your Dd is? Or what year group?

Can only speak for SAB. Fast paced, lots and lots of pointe. Pointe shoes are hardly ever off.

You’re right that there are lots of internationals at upper school but also lots of British students too. Perhaps more than ever before.

Im afraid I couldn’t tell you nowadays. Back in the day when I was teaching, it was around 4/5 hours of practical work weekly in a studio over a year to gain an associate qualification ( basic teaching qualification) Nowadays, I believe there is a lot more written work and different choices of how you want to study.

I would recommend the ISTD ( Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance) as a very reputable teaching body for Modern/ Jazz and tap ( if you were interested in that too). Most full time vocational schools do ISTD in the UK and some do both RAD and ISTD ballet. They are a little different and compliment each other. Maybe ring their headquarters and ask what types of study may be possible internationally.

Amazing post Viv. The whole point of ballet exams is to prepare you for something bigger, which is sharing your passion, technique and self expression with an audience. Exams are not a means to an end, they are a helpful way ( but not a necessary way) towards the development of the ‘dancer’. This is why, in the exam marking system, so many points are awarded for expression, line, musicality etc. Whether you do it for fun or more seriously, you can’t separate the technique from the expression or sacrifice one for the other. The two weave integrally from the start to make ‘a dancer’.

Know plenty boys who can outdo the girls en pointe. In fact some look so incredibly good I have wondered the same thing Pas de Quatre!

In order to create change, you need to part of it. All great changes have a wider momentum. We are seeing a great deal of focus on mental health, racial issues, diversity etc at the moment which is a great inspiration for our intelligent, mature, young dancers who DO understand the difference between good teaching, served with kindness and care and the opposite. Some teachers are a confusing mixture of the two, but the students are very clued up as to what is good, helpful, nurturing teaching and what is not. I am amazed at how young dancers today can very clearly see what are their issues and how their teacher is confusing them with their own problems/ frustrations/ bitterness. I understand the importance of self protection for both physical and mental welfare and am celebrating those who would not stand for any further abuse. But I believe some will be aware of how they, the next generation can be the vehicle for great changes in this wonderful industry and bring about a more healthy and compassionate art to the following generation.

Growth spurts from 13-15 yrs can cause real issues. Building strength with the supplementary exercises is important but so too, is working properly in class. It’s no use building up the correct muscles if it’s not transposed into working correctly in class. This usually means stripping everything back to the basics for a while to allow full focus on particular muscles. Not sure what the situation is re teaching? Are the teachers aware of the issues and willing to support? London based Luke Abnett www.dancephysio. com. is an ex classical dancer/physio who can guide on what specifically needs to be corrected in class. He runs all sorts of workshops + online and works from Danceworks and Pinneapple. I would also recommend some sports massage to keep on top of any tightness and stress in those areas which will be exacerbating the problems. None of this is cheap but once you get to the bottom of the issues, you can self treat.