Ruby Foo

Another suggestion would be to call Dancing Boutique in Tunbridge Wells or Just Ballet for ideas. Both very helpful. 

Have you tried John Lewis? They have a good selection of bras for bridal dresses which are designed not to show but also offer more support than a dance bra. A thick cotton leotard with bra support would be more suitable than thin Lycra. Would you be able to sew something into her leotard?

8 hours ago, SarahBallet said:

Hi, sorry I am a novice here.

 

I am trying to work out which vocational schools have the best success rates at getting the girls into RB Upper school, Princess Grace, ENB etc. 

 

Do the RB take from Elmhurst? 

 

Thank you so much for your help. 

Think those would be tricky statistics to find out unless you could get the info over a  long period of time, say last 20 yrs. Obviously it varies from year to year and yes, I think all the main 4/5 vocational schools would be represented somewhere in ENBS and RB upper school but have no actual statistical facts. Not sure I would be so certain about Princess Grace though, which has an unbelievably high standard and it is notoriously difficult to get a place. Not sure where you would get that information from, unless you asked the schools themselves to volunteer it.

My Dd loved it when she did it a couple of years ago. She wasn’t residential but out of all the summer schools she’s done, it was probably the friendliest and most organised and the teaching was excellent . She still keeps in touch with girls from all over the world.

Conservatoire Glasgow? They have a lovely summer school. It is non residential though. Focus is ballet, with contemporary and jazz.

Not up north but the RAD summer school is good too and runs for 3-4 weeks.

Yes. You’ve described your problem really well, thks. You probably need to go back to basics though and do a really simple exercise ( which I will attempt to describe) just perfecting your head, before you are ready to do pirouette!

Keep your feet in parallel and shuffle ( or releve)a quarter turn to face R side, keeping your nose to the front. Ideally, your head should be completely straight and not tilted ( inclined). Mirror handy!  Stay in parallel keeping your nose to the audience. Now, leaving your head there as long as you can, shuffle the feet round the rest of the turn, bringing your nose round v. quickly to the front - almost quicker and ahead of your shoulders to create that flick. Feet and shoulders  take time to catch up the head. Start v. slow and finish each turn with hips and shoulders and feet front before starting the next turn. Remember to do equal L and right. Or maybe more to left as most people seem to struggle with it. It takes lots of practice. Try to keep your head straight when you leave it behind, and as it flicks round, as tilted heads pull you off balance. You can then add a little low releve for the 3/4 turn staying parallel and not worrying about the legs at all, and finishing front demi plié parallel. You need to imagine your head like the ‘Churchill nodding dog’  completely free from tension but maybe not so much nodding and more whipping!

Just to add, you might want to get your Dd assessed by an independent dance physio. You seem to have been given conflicting and confusing information which is not going to help your Dd’s confidence.

Have you heard of ‘ functional footprints’?

They are a deadly serious and deadly expensive way to improve your turnout strength and are used by dancers, teachers and Dance physios. They come with instructions  and the exercises need to be done slowly and carefully,  stressing the correct posture with the pelvis in the correct alignment. The best thing about them is that, providing your posture is correct, you really can’t cheat. When I looked last, they were only available from the States. There might be something similar now in UK. Using these everyday would be effective.

Thanks for explaining. Yes, sounds like you’re hearing the tendons in your neck, moving with the motion. Mine do too, whether I’m totally relaxed or not, although I suspect I’m a lot older than you and more creaky! It is a weird noise but I think you need to get used to it by just turning your head your head from side to side (don’t overdo it) If you can get your brain used to the fact it’s normal and ok then some tension may release and your head will then be free.

Do you mind saying how your spotting, or lack of it, is affecting your turns? Is it better in turns en diagonale? Or Pirouettes? Have your teachers told you there is an issue? Do you just need to improve your turns? Or are you falling out of them? Just trying to work out what might help.

Can you possibly explain further the ‘creaky’ feeling in your ears? I’ve never heard anyone describe this before when doing turns,  so am intrigued. For sure, if something like that is bothering you then the tension will set in and freedom of the head/ neck/ area will be constrained. Spotting will be impossible. 

16 hours ago, Shellbell12 said:

Did anyone get through to the scholarship stage that auditioned on February 18th? I know it was the final audition date, and an extra one they added. Trying to convince myself that by then they'd already decided the scholarship audtionees rather than the fact my DD failed....bless her, she was fine about it. I was more upset. 

 

Well done to everyone who got in or on the waiting list!! X

You’re Dd definitely didn’t fail!! Through everything she does she’s learning and watching and gaining vital experience. Sometimes it just takes more work ( in the right areas of course ) and can take several attempts to get to where she wants to be.

I would be experimenting with loosening all the different elements of the hamstrings especially on your weaker leg. They are pretty complex and  people tend to keep doing the same old stretches which tend to target  only one particular area. One session with a physio would be able to help you. It doesn’t have to be a dance physio if you are clear at describing what you want to achieve, but cost is always an issue. Hamstrings would be in relation to the other suggestions other posters have put forward as it’s rarely just one fix.

Its one of the most challenging positions to achieve and if it’s any consolation a friend told me she was on the barre behind a very famous ENB principal whose devant was anything but perfect as far as the hips were concerned!

1 hour ago, Lisa O`Brien said:

Didn't I read on this forum a while back  that nearly all FT Vocational students also take additional Associates/Private lessons on the quiet as well as their main schooling ,even though they are technically not allowed to, and the school where pupils did this the most was students at White Lodge?

Private lessons/ workshops are one thing, but for most associates, you need the permission and signature of your teacher/ dance director.

15 minutes ago, Dancermum2003 said:

They do. I know of two girls who did Royal SA’s.

It is not current school policy to allow any extra lessons/ private/ associates. The pupils concerned were exceptions to the rule and had special permission which was hard fought.

Tring do not allow any associate classes. Not unless their policy changes with the new administration. 

35 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

Remember also some DC’s may just want a change of scene/location/peers/teachers etc. Spending Years 7-11 in one school - especially if boarding - can seem a long 5 years & even though the US may well offer what they want, they may still seek to change! Variety is the spice of life & just as many non dancing young people change schools for Sixth Form with so many more options opening up, it should be expected that the dance world will be the same with more defined courses/qualifications/company associations/performance opportunities/costs etc meaning many more choices in the small world of dance & even smaller world of ballet!

Couldn’t agree more peanut68. Being in the same establishment for too long can lead to a sort of apathy for both students and teachers.

Nothing like a change of scene to re- energise oneself. The downside of this is the funding issue, I guess.

4 hours ago, FredF said:

As I said my figures are unconfirmed (some years are close to that number),  and I agree on your points. It was more of a point of if there was anyway in comparison between schools. If one school had a retention percentage much higher and still produced good dancers than another would this be a better school? WL does have a advantage as a "Brand Name" but its a shame there is not a independent process to check that the standard is deserved. A proper independent league table of dance schools may make interesting reading! A OFSTEAD of the dance schools would help a lot of people and probably schools who don't have huge financial backing but do have great teachers and passion.

 

I totally get your point and yes, it’s very easy to use the ‘ brand name’ without it being thoroughly deserved. However trying to ‘measure’ the standard is fairly impossible to do. Exams sometimes give us some idea of a certain standard being reached but we all know they are not conclusive evidence. Darcy Bussell is the example of this having achieved a pass plus for her first Professional exam ( the marks used to be pass, passplus, commended, highly commended, honours) Would hate to think of ballet taking the route of some academic schools where being top of the league tables is the main goal. Destroys the meaning, enjoyment, artistry of learning anything! How can you possibly measure that certain ‘something’ that makes a dancer a dancer and not a sports person. Most vocational schools, have their fair share of good and less good teachers and are a mixed bag of desirable and less desirable. Just because one will be more likely to take you through both  lower and upper school does not necessarily mean you are of a better standard or more likely to find employment at the end. Many of the students I trained with had, at some point, been assessed out of another school. After the initial shock, most went on to have successful dance careers in classical work. And is finding employment the absolute measure of good standard? As many people have mentioned there is the journey to consider. Then there is the element of taste. What one artistic director loves another hates and so on, not to mention how the different personalities of the students will do well at one school and not the other and vice versa.

Sorry to hear you’ve had such a rough time. We have always used Desitin for healing and dry skin. It’s an American nappy cream but is much more effective than the British stuff. It’s not amazing for massage as it’s quite thick but works wonders. You can get it online. 

57 minutes ago, FredF said:

So based on (unconfirmed and maths not my greatest subject) is this a fair comment?

 

In the girls if there are approx 18 students and from that about 4-5 have made it to Upper School that's about a 27% chance of making the cut. From these 4-5 I think only 2 have been there since Y7 which makes only 11% chance of your DC making the cut.

 

I wonder how this compares to the other schools which have Upper Schools?

If you are a new parent entering y7 with this information would you still send you DC to this school knowing the limited progression rate or would you opt for a school that you know your DC would have a better chance of going through the school years? 

Firstly, there are way less than 18 female students in the class.

Secondly, as posters have already described, nothing is straightforward in the dance world, from yr7 ( or before) and through that uncertainty and upheaval  comes strength, persistence, creativity and experience, all of which you will need in bucketloads if you are to eventually be part of a company. Not being accepted to upper school as a natural progression may be a confidence crusher to begin with, but over the long term it can be a blessing and give you the extra experience you need. Finding new schools/ teachers who motivate you more and see different qualities and potential in you and enable you to push yourself onwards and upwards, can lead to a more creative and mature dancer.

Has she tried Freeds c pro ‘ special’? It’s a lovely shoe with loads of support and a fairly high vamp to hold in a large instep. A lot of professionals wear them, I believe. Beth at Freed is good for fitting if you happen to be near London. Downside of Freeds... they never last long enough!

3 minutes ago, mart said:

Why was my post removed it was a legitimate question, 

Personally, I felt it was highly inappropriate to single out an individual pupil in this way and highly irrelevant too!

13 minutes ago, KeepDancing!! said:

ENBS results have been sent. I know students with offers.

 

Have the Royal upper results been sent for non wl students?

 

I have heard anywhere between 5 and 9 boys from WL got offers at upper school, and 5 girls.Happy to be corrected if this is wrong!

I think it is 5 girls and 10 boys. Happy to be corrected.

On 13/03/2019 at 22:37, balletcoach said:

 

25 minutes ago, sarahw said:

I also wonder are Y11 students and their parents adequately counselled about their chances and encouraged/supported adequately to apply elsewhere? I ask this because of the surprise there seems to be each year about low continuation rates?

I think the students get support with their applications/ photos / videos and solos to apply to other schools. They are supported in the time off they need to attend auditions. Lower down the school, help is given for summer schools if photos/video is needed or a solo, which is more than can be said of some other vocational schools.

However, the summer school needs to be one approved by rbs.

Can’t comment on counselling.

16 hours ago, Dance*is*life said:

How sad to read all this. I had three years in the RBS US in the 60s and it was so different then. The White Lodgers automatically got into the Senior School and had their own truncated training all together of just two years - 3A and the Graduates normally.  The rest of us who were talented but not WL usually had to have three years of training.  We were very much in awe of those from WL!   You were only accepted into the company if you were British. I remember one talent was finally accepted because she found a long lost British relative!  The "foreigners" had their own separate classes and the standard was lower.  Topsy turvy world eh?

Maybe, during the period that ballet was trying to re- energise itself, looking more towards contemporary influences and post Balanchine, and with dancers now appearing from Russia, that foreign dancers appeared more exotic and appealing? 

Also, just to add to the above, it might be useful for you,  for your Dd’s teacher ( not associate teacher) to ask for feedback from Mr  Annear. They are happy to give a small amount of feedback from a final although you may need to be patient.