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balletgremlin

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  1. balletgremlin
    The variations are different for boys and girls, but from the specification they are: Level 2: Coppélia (Spanish Act 2/Franz Act 1), Giselle (Peasant Pas de Deux Act 1) Level 3: The Sleeping Beauty (Princess Florine/Prince Desire), Paquita (Pas de Trois) Level 4: Swan Lake (Odette Act 2/Prince Siegfried Act 3), The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy/Nutcracker Prince)
  2. balletgremlin
    @youngatheart - the class in question is an open advanced ballet class (class is in flat shoes, pointe is separate) so exams aren't necessarily the end goal (I do plenty of other RAD classes with teenagers where it is) but this new repertoire syllabus seems to fit us perfectly - we're more than capable of dancing tricky choreography and like being challenged by Advanced 1 at the moment but we would also love to dance without having to do pointe. I have done exercises from as low as grade 4 since starting dancing again as an adult in lower level classes and enjoyed them but I'd say everyone in this class was grade 5 standard at least 15 years ago (when we were in our early teens) so level 2 probably wouldn't be the best fit for us. My teacher will trial it with us and then start with the teenagers who, again, want the challenge without worrying about pointe (though I'm sure there'll be plenty more who will be more than happy to do it on pointe). Then she'll probably do the lower levels which will open up more classes to everyone who wants to do more ballet. Edited to add: haven't had a repertoire class yet so we'll see how difficult it actually is as I realised I sounded a bit cocky when I said I thought level 2 would be too easy. As I'm one of the weaker dancers in the advanced class and also do as much ballet as I can possibly fit into my life, I'm sure there'll be a point in the future where I'll have learnt dances from each of the levels in the various classes I attend but I think the stronger members of the class would be put off by the drop in difficulty and it just wouldn't be right for the class my teacher is trying to teach it to.
  3. balletgremlin
    As far as I'm aware level 2 is supposed to be Grade 5/IF, level 3 is intermediate/AF/grades 6-8 and level 4 is Advanced 1 & 2 level. My teacher's taken a look at level 4 and is considering starting us with level 3 instead as it's trickier than she thought.
  4. balletgremlin
    Thanks @Nicola H - I vaguely remember my teacher saying I could enter 'as a boy' but we were unaware of the mix & match option Sophie mentioned. Could I do the boy's waltz and then the girl's free movement in grade 8? Or the pointe work and then a male variation in advanced foundation? I think the more options open to everyone can only benefit us and hopefully encourage more people to continue dancing when they'd otherwise give up because they're told they have to do something when maybe they quite fancy something else.
  5. balletgremlin
    @sophie_rebecca That flexibility sounds absolutely amazing - do you have a link to the policy? For grade 8, I much prefer the boys' waltz and at my dance school there are multiple other grades with girls who want to do boys dances. My teacher was talking about petitioning/asking nicely/just putting us in for the dance we want to do but if it's already possible, that'd be great. (I know we've had male students do female exercises purely because the teacher didn't realise they were different until too close to the exam). I wonder if you did a vocational grade not on pointe whether you'd be allowed to take the following level on pointe? I have a love/hate relationship with pointe - it makes me feel like a ballerina but it hurts and it's so difficult it sometimes feels like I'm learning to walk again & basic things become tricky. Getting back on topic, while I think it might be fun to attempt some of the exercises in this new syllabus on pointe just to see if I can, I'm definitely looking forward to being pushed by harder choreography than what the graded exams can offer but not be held back by my weak pointe.
  6. balletgremlin
    I did country and line dancing as a kid. Have tried jazz and modern but it's just not my thing. Only dancing I do now outside of ballet is contemporary.
  7. balletgremlin
    @Viv - according to the specification Level 3 variations are Princess Florine (girls) and Prince Desire (boys) from The Sleeping Beauty and the pas de trois from Paquita.
  8. balletgremlin
    I'll be starting level 4 in March. My teacher's got all the materials, just wants to get exams out the way first.
  9. balletgremlin
    Absolutely agree with this. While I enjoy everything I've ever been to at the RAD and love dancing in the large studios, I normally dance 5 days a week, pay up to £11 for 2 hours and never travel more than 20 miles. This is with a teacher who knows my strengths and weaknesses and we can work on more complicated dances and routines over multiple sessions. It makes more sense to me to go to these and over the past year or so I've been telling myself just because I can go to an event doesn't mean I need to. Saying that, I do plan to do one of the repertoire sessions.
  10. balletgremlin
    I've done several of the rep workshops before and loved them. They obviously completely change the choreography to make it more accessible to everyone regardless of ballet experience and it's a lovely accomplishment when we all dance together at the end of the class. For associates classes, I agree with Michelle in some ways. I miss the Improvers 2 level but there weren't many of us in the class last time I went so can't imagine it makes sense financially for them to run it. I didn't bother for the last lot of classes as It's a long way to go for me to just take Improvers 1, especially when it's easier than my normal classes. It tends to be hit or miss with the teacher as to what we do. Some like to focus on basics and really work on our technique and others just let us get on with it and rarely offer corrections.
  11. balletgremlin
    The specification for just Discovering Repertoire (35 pages vs 178) - https://www.rad.org.uk/documents/exam-docs/RAD_DR_Specification_04_Dec_2017_ex.pdf Really looking forward to it. I know my teacher's all ready to start (I think I made a post before Christmas about it). Looking at the exercise names, there's going to be a nice mix of steps to work on.
  12. balletgremlin
    I don't think it means anything. Long sleeves/dark tights could mean I haven't shaved or am cold. Leggings might mean I'm a bit bloated and tights are too tight to be comfortable. Shorts generally mean I didn't think about what knickers I put on under my leotard and they're sticking out the leg holes.
  13. balletgremlin
    Michelle, I agree. I think part of the problem is dancing somewhere different. We always rehearse in dance studios so we generally only have the dress rehearsal (and possibly a tech rehearsal) to practice on the stage. I'd like to blame the floor for my dreadful turns but I think I'm too busy enjoying the moment and letting myself dance on auto pilot (or counting down the time until I never have to listen to the particular song we're dancing to again) that I forget to think about my surroundings and what my body is doing. The show definitely went better than the dress rehearsal. I think it's compulsory someone ends up dancing into the wings or the curtain and then to avoid that for the real thing the spacing gets messed up or I'm so busy concentrating on not going off stage and that I'm not overcompensating so that I'm then dancing in someone else's space.
  14. balletgremlin
    I've got plenty on my plate too Viv - grade 6 & intermediate exams and rehearsals for two shows, along with 7,8, AF and Advanced 1 classes, pointe classes, adult classes & contemporary when I can make it. There just isn't the time or money to do all the dancing I'd like to. I have enjoyed several of the RAD repertoire workshops they've put on at Elmhurst in the past but it'll be nice to be able to work on something for more than a morning.
  15. balletgremlin
    What is it about performing on stage that makes all your technique and ability to turn go out the window? I love the audience, love dancing with my friends and being able to show off what we've been working on but I've yet to do a dance without thinking I'm so much better in rehearsals. On the plus side, dancing in matching costumes makes us look all professional even when we're not.
  16. balletgremlin
    To quote the press release:: My teacher is looking forward to teaching it to our advanced adult ballet class and also as an additional class for her students who've finished grade 8 and want more than just their vocational lesson every week. I'm just looking forward to doing more dancing and learning a new syllabus and new dances.
  17. balletgremlin
    Anyone else looking forward to the new RAD syllabus coming in the new year? I've found a video showing clips from the DVD - https://www.radenterprises.co.uk/discovering-repertoire More info here
  18. balletgremlin
    Another month on pointe and I can see myself making incremental progress. It's very slow going but focusing on what I can do rather than everything I can't is helping. The new batch of 13 year olds who have just started the class and are bored out their mind rising and releve-ing in flat shoes is not. They're so chatty and my teacher has to spend half the class telling them to shut up and concentrate. Other good news - I'm taking my grade 6 exam next time my dance school holds an exam session (should be early next year) and I'm taking a grade 8 class and am learning dances I didn't do last time round (including the boy's waltz). So much fun and so much "dancier" than the vocational syllabus.
  19. balletgremlin
    Got to love ballet sizing. I'm a size 10 and still a L because I'm tall though I have seen skirts for a 28 inch waist that are labelled XL. Bloch tend to be good for length/boob room.
  20. balletgremlin
    I like Bloch leotards because they seem to be slightly longer and have more boob room than other brands. I'm tall and a size 10/12 and always go for the large size to avoid wedgies. This is my favourite exam appropriate leotard they do - http://uk.blochworld.com/product/L5415 - the neckline is more flattering on me than a scoop neck and I can wear a sports bra underneath it.
  21. balletgremlin
    No love for the grade 6 free movement dance? I'm the only one in my class who prefers it to the classical one. Never learnt the character dance but anyone know why it's so much longer than the other choices?
  22. balletgremlin
    Good luck Viv! I absolutely love Grade 6, though I suppose having amazing teachers helped. I really miss character and free movement in the vocational syllabus.
  23. balletgremlin
    Thank you everyone for your comments - I need to be more patient and continue with my strengthening exercises. I've been doing ballet as an adult for 2 years now (and did 14 as a child) and do classes ranging from Grade 4 to Advanced 1 - I'm so used to being able to do the simpler stuff effortlessly/being one of the better ones in class it throws me when I can't do something immediately. It's definitely doing me good to take the advanced classes with people who have more experience/technique and it's pushing me.
  24. balletgremlin
    @Viv I've been on pointe about a month now, I just cannot get my left foot to do as it's told and get over on the box, especially in echappes. I only did a few weeks of pre-pointe classes but do lots of other ballet classes during the week so my teacher said I already had the leg strength and could start on pointe. There were several other adult dancers who started at the same time who just seem to have a knack for pointe and just get on with it and I can see their improvement. I don't know whether to blame my strength, flexibility, shoes or a combination of all the above. It could just be it's an entirely new feeling and one day it'll click and I'll be fine (like with brises - originally I couldn't even work out what I had to ask my brain to tell my feet to do) but it's so frustrating not being able to do something. I know I'm new and I shouldn't expect to be any good but it doesn't stop me wanting to be. On a more positive note, my teacher filmed me doing the intermediate foundation port de bras with an ex-ballerina and I still think I looked great. Almost makes me wish I were workig towards my IF rather than intermediate exam.
  25. balletgremlin
    Are there any of you who started pointe as adults? Please let me know it gets easier because at the moment it's practically impossible. My teacher has given me ankle/foot strengthening exercises I've been doing religiously and my progress is still negligible.
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