Ruby Foo

If you can download some ‘ music for ballet class’ from i tunes, it will usually tell you if a piece is 2/4, 4/4 12/8. etc. By listening to the music over and over, you will get to familiarise yourself with the  different time signatures and the phrasing and style. You could also check out some classes on ‘ you tube ‘ such as Royal Ballet on World Ballet Day and notice how the teacher counts through the exercises.

Usually, dancers count in threes for time signatures with multiples of 3’s - 3/4, 6/8,12/8. So, 1&a  2&a 3&a... up to 8&a, It makes a nice continuous feeling like little circles if you do them with your finger. The heavy beat is usually the 1st beat of the bar( but that can sometimes change depending)

For 2/4, 4/4  - dancers would count 1&2&3&4... up to 8. It is a more decisive beat and can best be described by moving your finger straight up and down in a straight line.

Apologies for the very basic explanation but it’s a very complex question!! The counting usually becomes intrinsic to the dancer, but is more conscious for the teacher/ choreographer. You may not be interested in ballet, but it’s a good place to start as all styles follow a similar pattern.

I don’t know how old you are, Aixsta, but just thinking in terms of sad and happy ( smile or no smile) is fairly bland  and won’t necessarily bring maturity to the piece. Sadness and happiness are made up of many emotions, so by researching what these actually are and what they mean to you personally, and through the words and music, will bring a  greater depth and emotion.

Goid Luck.

My Dd got a place at Summer School from wait list. Email came at the end of May.

I was going to repeat my earlier post that providing your shoes are clean and neat ( not new!) then it’s really the dancing that takes priority, and it’s common sense to wear the ones that show you off at your best. However, I also think that Newbiemum makes a really good point regarding the fitting in element, especially at Royal, where I remember Mr Powney making a point of looking for students who would fit in easily to the year group they are auditioning for.

Obviously,  the technical/ artistic ability of the student would take priority... but every detail helps. Knowing a student is working comfortably in soft blocks might be an added bonus.

Most people wear flats as far as I’m aware. The mid- associates auditioning for White Lodge would certainly be wearing flats. Don’t think it would matter one jot though as long as they’re very clean and neat.Just wear the ones she’s most comfortable in and make her feet look nice.

Well done for making finals! I’ve followed your posts for a while and you sound a very dedicated young dancer so I’m really pleased for you. Your height may be an issue for some schools and not a problem for others- they all look and see things differently,  so try not to fixate on it. 

All  you need is one offer of a chance at full time training. It may not be your 1st choice of school or even your 3rd or 4th but it will open your world to new teachers and new opportunities. From there, if you think intelligently, you can begin to work towards something  different if you wish.

Very best of luck.

My Dd is the same age and did ENBS last year.

The classical tuition is extremely good  with lots of corrections given. My only criticism would be the class sizes which were very large indeed. I counted 44 girls in the class at the end of the week which we were invited to watch. This was the result of joining 2 groups together which didn’t happen every day,  but did on several occasions. On that particular day there was hardly enough room for them all at the barre despite the lovely spacious studio. 

Think they are having a huge reorganisation this year so hopefully smaller sets. My Dd would still choose to go anyway as the teaching was top notch.

On 06/12/2018 at 13:15, FlexyNexy said:

It looks like I am the only one whose daughter does not want/ like "ballet themed" gifts 🙂 and asked for Lego instead 🙂

I used to do ballet hamper basket for her where i put all sorts, DVD's, cosmetics, T-shirt, tickets but her face expression just said it all.

We too, are having a ballet free Christmas!

Going to enjoy every minute!

Lots of MA’s were never JA’s ( mine included) so don’t worry about that. It can be a little daunting at the audition seeing all the JA’s in their leotards but important to keep focused and warm up sensibly without looking around at others. 

Be confident and enjoy!

I’m glad you’ve found a school that’s a better fit.

In my opinion Gr1 is the most important grade and it seems odd that a school would skip it!

Just can’t stress enough how important it is to get the basics right from the very beginning. As others have mentioned already, it is very difficult to go back and put things right once the work has become more challenging. A good teacher, who is prepared to go very slowly,  despite the parental pressures of exams, shows etc is the best decision any parent can make. Focusing on   perfect posture and learning how the legs rotate correctly from the hips, correct use of the feet, together with nuturing musicality, drama and fun, will stand your Dd in good stead, even if she only ever does it for fun.

4 hours ago, worsethanclueless said:

Thanks Farawaydancer and Kate_N. 

 

I do agree that ballet training gives you a lot of broader skills/qualities around hard work, dedication and resilience and these are really the key positives for me and the reason why I feel drawn to encouraging her to pursue things further. If I was an optimist I would just dive in and not worry but I'm more cautious. However, as with most things, I guess we'll just have to take it a step at a time and discover for ourselves! Thanks for advice and experiences. If anyone had experience of ways onwards from the ballet world, at any stage of training/career I'd be keen to hear those too.

A dancer friend of mine, who sadly had to quit the ballet world due to injury, retrained as a sports/ dance physio and ended up working with the Olympic team. Many re- train as teachers( wide spectrum from vocational schools to  private coaching to community projects)  or teaching dance at gcse/ A level. Some go into theatre or television work both as performers or behind the scenes. Another dancer friend ended up in the production team at BBC. Some go down the sports psychology route or go to university to re- train completely - expensive but  otherwise relatively easy these days. 

It’s a great starting point for you and your Dd that you have been to ballets and appreciate the sublimeness ( not a proper word, but who cares😂) and exquisiteness of ballet. However, as you don’t have a technical background and from where you are standing right now, at the very beginning,  you probably can’t begin to imagine the hours and hours and years and years  of complete slog and dedication that lie ahead  in trying to achieve the impossible, crazy perfection that one must achieve to become a professional. It is truly admirable that anyone makes it at all!  At the end of the day,  although I can’t speak for everyone,  most dancers ( but certainly not all) feel amazingly privileged to have been part of that unique art even if it did come at a price. I know I certainly do!

Fabulous news, well done!!

Good idea to go wth something that your Dd likes, is comfortable, is flattering  colour wise and flattering on the leg line and shoulders. The JA leotard can look gorgeous on some people but it’s not the best colour and cut for everyone! 

On 08/11/2018 at 06:14, Mouseys mum said:

Ballet Mummy28.... in London or Hong Kong?

how many dancers are in a class for those that have previously attended? Do you get a timetable closer to the time?

Not sure about Hong Kong but the classes at White Lodge Spring and Summer are quite large, around 28 girls. Boys taught separately. There is usually a half day settling in and the timetable is pinned to the noticeboards.

If you are able to visit the UK, you could combine some sessions with a dance physio with a thorough pointe shoe fitting. Beth at Freed is very good, but they obviously only sell Freed make, which your Dd may not like. Dancia is also excellent and stock all types. Try to go when it is not busy so you can take your time to get them exactly right.

Maybe check with her teacher/ physio that she is landing from jumps correctly. Her pelvis is straight and not tilted on landing in plie and she is distributing her weight correctly through the center of the foot and not rolling ( again in demi plie on landing) and thirdly, going through her foot properly to soften and cushion the landing.

Maybe worthwhile researching diet to boost collagen which will strengthen tendons and add support to bones. Cashew nuts, pineapple, flax seed, sesame seeds and plenty vitamin c such as red pepper.

The first part of the RBS audition revolves around physical suitability, so the fact your Dd hasn’t had a huge amount of experience will not matter. We are talking about physical suitability to RBS which does not necessarily mean physical suitability to other schools or associates as they all look for slightly different qualities. There will follow a basic ballet class( nothing tricky) followed by some musicality / self expression.

There are a huge range of standards of participants so it would be important for your Dd to be confident and show her love of dance

throughout. My Dd was gr2 when she successfully auditioned for mid associates and did 1 class a week. Perhaps you could ask her teacher to try out some steps from the grade above in her  ‘one to one’ just to give her an extra boost. At the end of the day, most of the participants seem to really enjoy the audition experience which is great. Some very famous ballerinas started much, much later (12 or 13?)

I’m thinking Misty Copeland but there are plenty others.

1 hour ago, Derin's Mom said:

As far as I know, they don't.

But POB summer school is a possibility, my DD has done it twice there.

Thanks.

Can you tell me if they run a Summer School please?

Just wanted to add,  that If you see any photos of the famous  professionals as young kids, they all seem to have that gangly, bambi look going on especially in the legs area. As though they might topple over any minute!

Although it’s frustrating to see other children performing with strength and clarity right now, its important to see the bigger picture, and to peak at the important time ( 15- 18yrs) takes time and patience especially with the type of physique you have described.

I think you are worrying unnecessarily ( don’t we all! )

At 8 she should just be enjoying her dancing and concentrating on the basics, like good posture. Later, at 11 and 12 she will gradually build strength through the exercises she is doing and by slowly increasing her hours of training. To try too hard to build strength now, might overdevelop her muscles which would be hard to undo later. 

On 30/09/2018 at 21:05, ArucariaBallerina said:

Hi, I have 2 questions sorry! 

 

1) Could anyone recommend a really really good pair of ballet flats (preferably canvas split soles) to me? I love the shape of the so danca sd16, but I don't feel they support my feet enough - they can sometimes ache? I do really like the basic Bloch canvas flats, but they do tend to look a bit baggy. I would like a shoe that is comfortable, arch hugging, and good for turns 😃 I have medium-high arches, fairly strong feet and a very narrow ankle, widening to medium-narrow at the ball of the foot. 

 

2) What forms do Central usually require? I.e Will they want a dance or academic reference, a doctors note or a personal statement?

 

Thank you so much in advance everybody! X

So Danca are nice and slim fitting and a pleasant colour too!

Try to think about the line you are making from the top of your leg right down to the tips of your toes.

if you’re feet are not stretched ( pointed) then you will create a ‘ broken line’ which is not aesthetically pleasing. Much of ballet is about creating beautiful lines and making the limbs look as long as stretchy as possible. Perhaps you could look on the internet and find photos where the feet arch and extend the line. All the exercises given above will help to engage your feet but when you think of the bigger picture you are creating,  you are halfway there!

It is very usual for teachers to want to see what the feet are doing without shoes as shoes can hide a multiple faults.

15 hours ago, Wigglybunny said:

 

I’m our experience, summer school has been great from a young age. I would say there is real benefit if your child is looking to go to lower school and hasn’t been away from home before. My son went aged 10 the year before he auditioned for voc school to see if he could cope being away from home but mainly to see if he liked it. He went to two very different summer schools that year and ended up only auditioning for one because one was right for him and the other (which he thought he would prefer) really wasn’t. He learned lots and from a male perspective, he really benefitted from being in a class of all boys, almost all of whom were older. It was a huge inspiration for him and not something he could have got in many places elsewhere. 

Couldn’t agree more. Also being surrounded by competent dancers from both UK and Overseas, especially the South Koreans and Japanese students,  really inspired my Dd and pushed her to work harder. She would never have been exposed to such excellence if she’d stayed at home! She came from a small school in the Styx where most kids went dancing once a week.