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balletgremlin

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  1. balletgremlin
    Thanks The_Red_Shoes, you explained it all very well. If it was right at the start of pointe work I can now understand why it was so limited. The Danes might be masters of mime but the second they started doing allegro I was like "yes, this is more my cup of tea - you are fantastic dancers after all". It was also very strange hearing the music and matching it to the exercises. As for character, I'm pretending it doesn't exist at the moment. Both the cabrioles and retires exercises are so quick that I rush through them and don't think about any technique/epaulement/performance and just try to get to the end without dying. I struggled with character for grade 6 too and shortly before the exam it clicked and I ended up getting a 7 so I'm hoping the same thing happens this time round. How are you finding the rest of the syllabus? I love the centre work and thank to private lessons I've recently started my teacher's really been able to pick me apart and make it look so much better - it's amazing the difference relaxing my shoulders and changing my eye-line achieves (she tells me off for both regularly). Have you picked a dance? I'm ether doing the classical dance which I do okay but has a lot of running which I'm bad at (I like to hunch my shoulders) and is knackering or the free movement one which I've only just started doing again (it's the one I chose when I danced as a teenager) and has moments where I look great and then moments I look god-awful but I love doing it so I'll see if I can iron out the rough spots.
  2. balletgremlin
    I have my grade 7 exam in a few weeks so my teacher's got me to watch Le Sylphide (Royal Danish Ballet version) for the style, arm and posture etc. I'll hold my hand up and admit complete ignorance in regards to ballet style and history but I thought it was awful. It felt like it was at least 80% mime and the corps did hardly any ballet at all. Is that just of its time/Bournoville choreography/I've spoilt myself with flashier clips from other ballets on youtube? I watch ballets for the pretty dancing and not the plot but why did James accept the scarf from Madge and why was Effie so keen to marry Gurn 30 seconds after she thought she'd been left?
  3. balletgremlin
    I wear bifocals and can't say they've ever caused me any issues dancing (albeit not professionally). I've been wearing them so long I don't even notice switching between the prescriptions when looking up/down, it happens automatically. I do struggle to spot but I don't think I can blame my glasses for that.
  4. balletgremlin
    Here's a youtube playlist with some of the music
  5. balletgremlin
    The Ballet Retreat's corps de ballet day is all booked up which is a shame.
  6. balletgremlin
    How quickly do you usually get a reply from the Ballet Retreat? I filled in their online form and haven't heard anything since.
  7. balletgremlin
    Thanks for compiling this list Sophie. The Ballet Retreat does sound rather appealing. I'm always happy to hear of places outside London that cater to adult dancers. Ballet For You in at WAC Arts in London have a couple of intensives - http://www.balletforyou.co.uk/holidayintensives (I went 2016) WEEK 1: Monday 29th July - Friday 2nd August 2019WEEK 2: Monday 5th - 9th August 2019 Dar Danse (a little bit further away in Morocco) has a couple of ballet retreats later in the year - https://www.bubbleonthebeach.com/ballet-retreats (I went 2018) Beginners/Improvers: Sunday 22nd -Saturday 28th September Intermediate (3+ years of regular ballet classes): Sunday 6th - Saturday 12th October
  8. balletgremlin
    Thank you everyone for your comments. I went back to the dance shop (fortunately it's only round the corner) and saw their senior fitter. She's made me go down a width and shoved some lambs wool under the other toes which was a bit more comfortable. But then I tried the European Balance down a width and with the lambs wool and that was a major improvement I returned the Stretch and have gone with the Balance instead. She also said that with large big toes, narrow heels and different size feet I'm always going to struggle to find a shoe that's pain-free and suited to my foot shape. She also thought I wasn't 100% over the box in the Stretch so my weight was going through my toe at an angle and that could have been causing me pain. I've definitely got to work more on my strength and technique but when I'm in a painful shoe I don't want to practise so fingers crossed lambs wool's going to help.
  9. balletgremlin
    I've got toe pads and yes my big toe is way bigger than my other toes. I was worried I was slipping down. It doesn't feel like my foot's slipping but that's the problem I had in my old shoes (European Balance).
  10. balletgremlin
    I've bought some new pointe shoes (Bloch Eurostretch). On flat, they feel like slippers and they look lovely en pointe. However, I have the wimpiest feet in the universe and the slight discomfort in my big toe I felt during the fitting has turned into actual pain when I've tried them on again at home. So my question is - how can I tell if the pain is due to the shoes being hard due to not being broken in yet or if they're the wrong shoe & I'm putting too much weight on my toe? I don't want to start squashing the box if it turns out I'm going to need to return them.
  11. balletgremlin
    I did my intermediate foundation with a girl who did the male syllabus (and she got a good merit). She wanted to do the male variation so the RAD made her do the entire male syllabus - she had to do the male allegros rather than the girls pointe work. She still wore pink tights and soft blocks and just wore a different colour leotard to distinguish her from the other girls. She took her grade 4 in the same exam session and did the female syllabus for that. The examiner was definitely confused as though she'd never seen it happen before. When enquiring my teacher was told that girls can enter as boys (or rather can enter to do the male syllabus) and vice versa. This tends to happen in the higher vocational grades when their pointework isn't up to scratch (i.e. when you have to get 4/10 in each section). I have considered this option on days I want to chuck my pointe shoes out the window. I intend to do the male grade 8 examination while wearing my rep skirt - the boy's waltz is so much more me than the female one but I also love my floaty skirt.
  12. balletgremlin
    I've worn the Bloch Adagio leotard for an exam before - it's a tank leotard with gathered front but sits high enough I can wear a sports bra underneath. (I wear a Large due to my height rather than weight - and black runs smaller than the other colours). Does it have to be a specific colour? Does your school need you to wear a leotard with an RAD logo on it? (RAD exam rules don't require it) I've never found any of the official Freed leotards to be cut right for my body shape.
  13. balletgremlin
    The tights are burgundy.
  14. balletgremlin
    Postage is £3, second class. Can offer discounts if you buy more than one leotard. I'm having a good old clear-out. If you would like pictures, let me know. Cotton leotards Bloch plain tank leotard ("Ballerina") - size L - navy - £12 Bloch plain tank leotard ("Ballerina") - size L - purple - £12 Bloch rouched front tank leotard ("Adagio") - size XL (fits like an L in other colours) - black - £12 Bloch rouched front tank leotard ("Adagio") - size L - burgundy - £12 Bloch rouched front tank leotard ("Adagio") - size L - royal blue - £10 (rouching has come unstitched) Bloch cap sleeve leotard ("Cavalier") - size L - burgundy - £12 Katz cap sleeve leotard - size 5 - black - £8 Nylon leotards Bloch cap sleeve leotard ("Betri") - size L - forest green - £12 Mirella camisole stripe lace bust leotard - size L - blue - £12 Mirella camisole lace side panel leotard - size L - blue - £12 Shoes Freed Canvas Split Sole Ballet shoes - size 4 1/2 C - £10 (never worn) Grishko Nova Pointe Shoes - size 5 XXXX M - £10 (worn once, ribbons removed, some scuffing on satin) Black leather Split Sole Ballet shoes 4 1/2 - £3 Other Gaynor Miden sweater tights (worn once) - £9 Grishko Silcone mini toe caps - £2 Bright pink leg warmers - free with anything else I also have a lot of handmade chiffon shirts I've sewn myself but not sure if here's the right place to offer them for sale. They're wrap skirts and made to fit up to a 28" waist.
  15. balletgremlin
    Thank you everyone - I was warned by my teacher they mark more harshly so wasn't expecting to do as well though I do think I danced better and with more confidence than in my grade 6. Marks wise - I got 8's for music and performance, 7s for barre, free enchainment and dance performance and 6's for everything else, even pointe! I'm especially happy with my pointe mark because I know how much effort I put in to get it. There was even talk between me and my teacher about entering for the male syllabus in future exams due to a dreadful lesson where my feet were so painful I couldn't even releve 5th. I was determined I wasn't going to make a fool out of myself in front of the examiner so made sure I worked really hard to make my pointe acceptable. It's still my weakness but I am seeing my strength and confidence slowly improve.
  16. balletgremlin
    My intermediate foundation results are in - I got a Merit (67). So pleased with myself - exactly the same mark I got for Grade 6 last spring. I haven't had my marks breakdown yet so it'll be interesting to see where I got my marks. I felt like I performed my arse off and think pointe was probably my weakest section (though it went better in the exam than it ever had done in class).
  17. balletgremlin
    Starlight Dance in Kettering is a good dance school for boys. Though they do loads of different styles of dancing and the focus is on commercial dance/show teams, the principal is male and runs a weekly ballet class for boys and a yearly ballet productions where all the boys get at least a feature role. The female RAD teacher loves boys dances and everyone in the classes learn both the boys and girls syllabus. There are several boys in the pointe class and last month I did my Intermediate Foundation exam with a girl who chose to do the male syllabus as she wanted to do the boys variation (she also wanted to do pointe rather than the boy's allegro but the RAD couldn't wrap their head around that one).
  18. balletgremlin
    Completely agree - I have the narrowest feet in existence and I swear all the dance shops within a 50 mile radius of my house only stock Bloch ones (and still have to special order in the narrower sizes). I ended up with Freed 0X with extra elastic to keep them on my heels and they still gape and make me look like I'm not pointing my feet.
  19. balletgremlin
    Thanks everyone, it went well. I warmed up enough before hand and I think the cold & numb toes actually helped with the pointe work. Free enchainment was lovely and easy: Right foot in front, arms to 2nd on intro. Sissonne over, sissonne devant, sissonne over, sissonne devant, pas de bourre under, stretch bend, with arms in 3rd on the sissonnes and the back out to second on the pas de bourre.
  20. balletgremlin
    I've got my Intermediate Foundation exam this afternoon. I'm more worried about how cold the studio is going to be than anything else.
  21. balletgremlin
    I'm hopeless at spotting but have always been told to spot front for en dedans - and I've only ever done RAD.
  22. balletgremlin
    So happy grade 7 went well for you @Viv. Grade 8 is a lovely dancey/performance based grade so even if you don't take the exam, it's lovely to learn. I'm never going to get a distinction but I agree, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to take the exams and my teacher definitely gives me more corrections and pushes me further than if I were just taking the classes for fun. Saying that, I wouldn't like to take multiple exams in one go - I think the nerves alone would knacker me out.
  23. balletgremlin
    I can suggest several schools in Northamptonshire that are very adult ballet friendly though I'm not sure there's a lot else I'd recommend about the area.
  24. balletgremlin
    I know of one in Kettering, but that's not much help to you.
  25. balletgremlin
    I use to really enjoy the RAD tips youtube channel as their annotations on their videos were useful things to think about for exams and gave you an idea for what the examiners were looking for - such as the mood of the dance, the need for epaulement, suggested imagery etc.. However, as they've gone into the higher levels the tips have turned into "we did x, y and z wrong, do this arm/timing instead". I love watching other people dancing syllabus work that I've done and find it really interesting to see how they're taught/interpreted differently by everyone.
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