as non nhs work each gp can set own fees  and opt in or out of 'private forms'  like this  ...... yes some may do it for free but rare these days xxx

2 hours ago, DancingShoes said:

My dd is at Ballet Cymru if you have any questions x

congratulations for you DD ! is the 2nd company a junior - training like company  for 18+ or younger ? how is  she enjoying it? x

hi 

looking at post training programs at 17-18  and gathering any info/tips for my DD

any feedback on ......

elmhurst year 14 company year 

northern ballet professional graduate year 

ballet cymru 

scottish conservatoire degree program 

any other programs  that are going on / starting up ?

auditioning straight for company posts  may be an option in junior companies/2nd type companies  also 

i have asked about ENBS  already but just starting to spread the wings and info gathering 

thankyou xxx

Hi

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/knowledge wrt how this course is going/received by students  ? 

ENBS Prof trainee programme with the 2x 6mblocks for post vocational training .... thanks x

22 hours ago, Viv said:

 

If you have any luck finding russian pointe shoes in the UK that can then be shipped to Aus let me know, finding a pair of energetiks in the right size is like hen's teeth here at the moment!

we have finally found the right shoes after years of searching and a huge pile of useless pointe shoes and then unable to source now ..... if i win the lottery i will fly to the factory and personally bring back a container full 😁

many thanks- i will sit up late tonite and call from Oz  above places . Problem being her feet are huge so even here in oz her size is tricky ......... I need to find someone who lives in Russia next to the factory or where ever they are made and get them to supply us all via private post 😁 xxxxxxxx

Hi

Can anyone point me in direction of a shop/shops  stocking the best  range for Russian pointe/R-class/energetiks  in UK . Discovered all now the  same 'shoe' and now finally got name in all brands- sapfir / JW-S / stella .......... never thought finding pointe shoes would become so hard  - thankyou x

11 hours ago, Legseleven said:

Hi leotardmum. DD found that vamp elastic (2 criss-crossed pieces) on the green bag with the longest vamp possible GMs worked for her. The vamp elastic was a total game-changer for her even with the hardest-shanked and longest-vamped GMs. It may perhaps also work for your DD?

ohhh might suggest that too her -thanks xx

On 24/03/2022 at 20:29, Kanangra said:

Did she try the Gaynor MInden extra strong shank? (comes in a green bag) They have so many different component combinations with different box shapes etc I am surprised she couldn't find anything.

yes green bag- the vamp wasnt long enough so spilled out over and overarched shank pretty much straight away . Its a shame tho that the fittings are done by drawings/measurements and until shoe comes u dont know if they will work - i would prefer to try  them first but most shops dont have her size and combo here. i need to live next to a pointe shoe factory x

my child has big feet with very wide MTJ region and high arches - nitemare to find right shoe still and we have to order in advance  for size pretty much all the time now , she  trashes serenade strong  in a few weeks, grishko nova hard  last a bit longer , energetiks Russian pointe in europe-uk )  lumina/lucile last longest but no more than 2-4 weeks  and i think look the nicest .

However due to world shortages now of grishko and energetiks/RP we are struggling now and costing a fortune in blochs !.  I have been adv to perhaps try sancha ? when we come to london ........  gaynor mindons are not strong enough or long enough in vamp  sadly and she felt unsupported in them ...... we are getting close to custom shoes i suspect 😂

follow your dreams , ultimate dance showcase , british ballet grand prix, scottish youth ballet grand prix are ones i have found along with above ones

the below FB group seems to advertise  comps aswell .....

coming from an oz perspective dance comps here are massive and go from commercial to strict ballet board RAD/ceccheti  ones  plus we get YAGP comps coming here now  . You can do a dance comp every weekend if you wanted to here ! 

A lot of schools will do groups  ( by age ) at several local comps    and then maybe a few kids from each year will do solos or duets in various genres  . We started in groups  then moved into solos aswell and now just left groups as not enough hours in the day . We love comps  but they must be taken  with a pinch of salt at times  wrt results and not take over from solid claswork we have noted over the years   . What they do do is give stage time-confidence/organisation /resiliance  i have found for my child in  the solo world   ...however they empty your wallet aswell wrt extra lessons/privates /choreo -costumes-days off work -travel etc etc .😂

Our school does groups with weekly rehearsals and holiday blocks that must be commited to  for at least 4 months of year . We had great times in groups as a lot of fun for kids x

Dance Festivals and Competitions in the UK

the book 'little girls in pretty  boxes' is a powerful  but sad read  about abuse in gymnastics and the  ice skating world  wrt weight/diet/physical and sexual abuse .......sadly dance is not immune to this abuse either x

could look at YAGP scholarship/partner list  list to see the schools that offer short term scholarships/summer schools etc - plenty in europe   altho not all start at 11/year 7   and /or Prix de lausanne partner schools list is interesting and can gve an idea as to what schools offer what - just as a starting point  to wet your appetite  but a pretty big list of schools out there  other than RBS or POB or Dutch national  etc etc  X

here in oz its common for almost all elite girls/boys  to be home schooled from year 7-aged 11/2 or from year 9 at latest   , competitions locally and overseas are taken seriously with YAGP / asian grand prix  prob biggest i think at moment looking at who is attending what  . Plenty of other  comps to go to in asia i note.   The training is  very tailored aiming to place these kids in overseas schools . We also  have no problem here taking kids out of school to go to competitions or overseas ballet summer schools in UK or europe   or exams which makes it much easier aswell- schools are supportive i have found . What is quality to one child/parent tho may not be to another and quantity obv depends on kids body/endurance/capabilities- what 1 child gets out of a lesson can be very different to another child . Elmhurst was at YAGP in Oz  this year i noted along with lots  from europe  and RBS did  asian grand prix this year again  . Plus a youth ballet in every city pretty much aswell .......it all costs money tho of course ...... x

so true quality over quantity x

18 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

You get a better picture if you look at the list which gives Candidate's name, nationality, school and country they are applying from. There are two boys from UK accepted. One who is Italian is from Elmhurst School and one boy from USA is entered by ENBS.

aha thats good to notice-will have a look at the schools closer ! x

ps iam a brit dance mum  living in oz at present  so follow both countries dance worlds ... x

wow  the list is out...interesting reading 

australia puts forward 62 candidates and they take 12 ( one from our dance school !  ) 

USA puts 60 forward and they take 9

Japan had 78 and they have taken 13

only 7 from UK put in an application  and none selected ....... 

is this down to different training system in UK where most high level dancers already tucked away  at royal/elmhurst so dont often compete at these big comps do you think ? .... which schools  have the 7 UK candidates come from?...... 

377 applications and took 76 in total .... love watching this every year whilst sat at work ( with my door closed of course lol) 

16 hours ago, Kate_N said:

 

Oh yes, this times a thousand. No "face acting" pleeeeeeeease!

 

But a lot of teachers work on this in class - even in my regular adult ballet class my teacher comments on the blank or staring or scared/tense faces. She encourages us to keep our faces and upper bodies soft and fluid and open - this lack of tension is the basis for expressiveness. 

totally agree.... learning to use the body  and move to the music is another area that  always needs work on - sometimes the stiff exam classes dont help here thus we do solos and group work to try and loosen up . nothing worse than a face on a child that doesnt match music or body or OTT lol- a fine balance  i feel x

ps hope i dont sound like a nutter 😆

just we have had to work on my girls face and presentation a lot and still a work in progress so always on look out for tips  to try and bring it out x

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

 

Thank you very much for your response and clarification, Leotardmum. If you have one more free moment, could you please define 'game face. '  This one confuses me a little from the definitions on the internet. Thanks, again.

hahaha i sound mad but i heard this term  once given to girls side stage lol

i think it meant when curtain goes up/u step on stage regardless how u feel or what u really want to do with your face / whatever mood you are in u must put on your acting/star quality face  as you are performing at end of day ...... i suppose an actor in the wings is just joe bloggs but when he steps out on stage he must become another persona....  a phrase i  quite like in a way a bit like  fake it till u make it' ...maybe a bit crass  and OTT but i sort of get this as a dance mum and trying to get my own child to step out of being herself  ie become or try and become a perfomer  this sometimes helps her if struggling .... even in an exam we all say smile for the examiner ..... its hard tho if child not a natural but i do think kids can learn and practice  and as a mum it can generate a few little giggles to myself esp if goes OTT ..... a fine balance  iam sure and one that takes years of practice iam sure .....x

23 hours ago, Buddy said:

 

Sounds like some good ideas, leotardmum, although I'm not familiar with details here. I'm glad that your daughter's confidence has grown. Would you recommend one in particular? If you have a moment, what's a Comp? And as you say, it's probably best not to overdo it and everything should be as enjoyable as possible, even the "serious" stuff. And as you imply it's probably good to monitor new activity as much as possible to make sure that it's pleasant and doing good. Straight acting lessons also still seem like a good idea to me. They give a chance to step away from dance completely and get a different but hopefully very helpful perspective.

 

In case some folks like myself weren’t sure what Demi Character is here’s a quick definition. “Demi Character ballet is found in all famous ballets....This is because Demi Character is telling a story through dance, usually ballet.”

r the moment. My daughter and son-in-law encourage them as much as possible.

sorry by comp i met competition/festival/eisteddfod  

open classes are good aswell to gain confidence we have found  esp if in other studios  etc 

aha yes demi character  is a lovely change from straight ballet solo and my daughter has really enjoyed trying to tell a story and connect more with audience/onlookers - she also loves the dressing up and props! x

if you have access to other classes at your dance school we found musical theatre helped  our DD a lot  plus we told her that class was purely for fun unlike her 'serious' ballet and contemporary classes

we also started a demi character solo for comps that meant she HAD to act  and i have to say we have noted a big change  inher face - she still can retreat to deadpan face  - but i set small goals at each comp or open class to just smile/use eyes/show sadness or  happiness in your demi etc - confidence has grown .....

if you have access to any comps or open classes they can be great for learning 'game face '  altho pressure of comps not always good for some kids  so we try and just achieve one thing at a comp regardless of placings ie face/smile/eye line etc 

can be danger of overacting tho which can just be as bad ..... x

our school offers lyrical for 2 years  with grade 1 and grade 2 before they start contemporary alongside rad grade 3 at approx 9-10  =  1x class a week 

they cant do contemporary unless they continue  ballet classes either  x

princess grace school in monaco , bolshoi summer intensives in europe, danish ballet school-european ballet school-dutch national all offer summer schools ... i think a lot of them want video submission  ...x