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The_Red_Shoes

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  1. The_Red_Shoes
    Well done Angela. You should be really chuffed with your progress. Don't fret about a few mistakes like the head or the behind the music, as the marks will balance out across the exam as a whole and if you mostly had correct coordination or timing then you can still get a good mark for that component. You are very brave doing an exam that late in the day. And after doing a run through? I like to take exams late morning or early afternoon while I've got myself going properly but still have some energy left. As Carlos Acosta says in the Observer today about being a mature age dancer: dance in a way that you can still walk off and not need an ambulance! Fingers crossed now. At least with the RAD's new speedy marking you shouldn't be kept on tenterhooks for long. Onwards to Grade 6 (which is a very nice exam).
  2. The_Red_Shoes
    I'm kind of kicking myself for not taking the DR level 2 exam last term when I could, but I was feeling that I had a lot of family stuff that I should be doing so I backed out and now I regret it! And now no exams are on the horizon for me as I shall probably be moving house in the next few months and then will have to start again in a new school. When I eventually do get settled I'll do DR and possibly return to Grade 7 which I missed out during COVID. Very occasionally I have thoughts of IF which I have never done as I went straight to Inter and I did learn it at home during lockdown. Re sweating: baby powder on body, lots and lots of loose powder on face.
  3. The_Red_Shoes
    I was in my 60s while taking Inter and Higher Grades, up to last December when I passed Grade 8. I'm 70 now and not actively preparing for anything although Discovering Repertoire will probably be the next thing. I do really like the structure and pressure of exam preparation. Like others, I've found teens pleasant and supportive and those parents who were aware of me were admiring if anything. Teachers have always been very supportive and said that adults are very motivated and seem to be better at applying correction than the teens. I'm aware that I will never get the marks I dream of but I have got a few marks higher with each exam I've taken. I have done the larger part of exam prep in private or semi-private lessons which gave me more individual attention. I'm fully aware that technical improvement is slow and painful (literally - I take quite a lot of ibuprofen) but it is still happening - I know that hard work is paying off. Jumps are decidedly unspectacular, I don't get on well with forward bends or kneeling down and extensions very, very low but it's generally agreed that I have very good posture, beautiful arms, good musicality and expression. I have some arthritis, often painful feet and when I've had injuries they have been slow and stubborn to recover from. I've found stamina pretty hard to regain after the COVID hiatus. Grade 8 took a heck of a lot of puff! My teacher requested longer than usual rests as a reasonable adjustment.
  4. The_Red_Shoes
    I started age 6 or 7, up to Intermediate (old style) as a teenager, stopped for a few years and started again in my late 20s after babies. I danced in open classes/adult classes more or less consistently and at times quite obsessively till I was around 40, stopped ballet then and switched to Kathak for about 5 years then stopped completely for the next 20 odd years. I returned to ballet 6 years ago and have passed Inter (for the second time but obviously with nothing like the same result!), Grade 6, missed Grade 7 because of COVID and then Grade 8 just last year.
  5. The_Red_Shoes
    I was going to take Discovering Repertoire this term but I decided against it as there are some very important non-ballet things that I really should be doing and I know that if I'm preparing for an exam they will be put on the back burner (again). But I do miss the excitement and focus of exam prep and I've found as well that I've been a bit lax about class. I think I've missed more classes this term so far than in the whole of the previous year.
  6. The_Red_Shoes
    I don't think it's ever advisable to jump on a cement floor, no matter how you cover it. However it's possible to mark the footwork while practising the speed, timing, arms and directions so that you get all of that thoroughly in your body. I think with Allegro it's often that sense of half panic over not being 100% sure of what comes next that you have to overcome.
  7. The_Red_Shoes
    Happy New Year everyone, and wishing super good luck to all who are taking exams this year. Not content to take a break from exam pressure, I am entering for one or two units of DR Level 2 in the March exam session! I shall be 70 in March so that's a good way to celebrate, I think.
  8. The_Red_Shoes
    I'm so glad to hear that you have a good result, despite the injury. Huge congratulations.
  9. The_Red_Shoes
    Well the RAD has certainly improved as regards speeding up exam results. My teacher just phoned to say that I have passed, with a Merit. As I predicted, my performance marks were better than my technique marks and my best dance was the Danse Russe.
  10. The_Red_Shoes
    At the RAD itself adult students can begin to take IF classes after, I think, two years of adult classes. Until they started offering Discovering Repertoire the vocational grades were their only adult exam classes as far as I'm aware. They don't offer even the higher grades which is a bit odd as many keen adult dancers take the higher grade pathway and don't want to do pointe work, and in fact lots of adults seem to begin with Grade 6.
  11. The_Red_Shoes
    Inter Foundation is a Level 2 exam, so in that sense equivalent to Grades 4 and 5 whereas Grade 6 is Level 3. I know that at my last school students started IF work in parallel with Grade 4 but because it takes longer to prepare for than a Graded exam they continued in parallel with Grade 5 and often did both exams in the same year. However at my present school some students were taking Grade 6 and IF in the same session this month.
  12. The_Red_Shoes
    My exam went generally ok, I think. I didn't dance as well as I have in class, but then that's exam conditions and exam nerves. Technique was a bit shaky in places but I think I performed well. I think I danced the Danse Russe well and survived the Valse Printemps still breathing and smiling. The examiners were really lovely and a responsive audience. They applauded us in the end and chatted for a while about our dance journeys and what we plan to do next. And the lead examiner said that she couldn' t do Grade 8 now and she looked to be a good decade younger than us! So hurrah for adult dancers of advanced years.
  13. The_Red_Shoes
    Well, it's exam day tomorrow, at 1215! I think I feel ok about it. Being a control freak I have everything organised: to do list (0730 up and shower, 0800 sensible breakfast, 0830 make up, 0900 dress then down to my daughter's for her to do my hair, etc....) I leave nothing to chance! I have spare shoes, spare tights, sewing kit, medications.... The final run through last Friday went well, possibly too well. All the dances, my teacher said I performed the best she had seen me do. Fortunately I messed up the Finale Polonaise, otherwise she would have been worried. Anyway, whatever happens in the exam I know that I have grown and improved immensely over the last year, especially in quality and performance, and that is really what counts. I had rather an unsettling experience last Wednesday when immediately after class I had a sudden loss of energy, was pale and cold and felt weak and shaky. I was ok after a banana and an energy drink so I am now careful to have suitable drink and snack to hand. Fortunately in Grade 8 it's possible to nibble something between each dance. So now (after sorting out several pairs of perfect tights, cleaning my shoes and steaming my skirts) I am mainly sitting quietly and knitting socks as an activity that is quiet and de-stressing but keeps the mind fully occupied.
  14. The_Red_Shoes
    Strange, I'm having trouble posting. My comment keeps disappearing. I hope this post doesn't eventually appear half a dozen times! I was just trying to say: Angela, that sounds like a character cabriole (holubetz?) It appears frequently in higher grades. I usually just kick myself painfully and don't manage the required neat audible click.
  15. The_Red_Shoes
    I will take up Silver Swans probably at some point in the future but for now I'm continuing with regular classes. I don't do plie in 4th, avoid anything that involves kneeling (but had to manage somehow in various exams) and, alas, favourite grand Allegro jumps like grand jete en tournant, fouette and saut de Basque are no longer in my repertoire. Yes, it's landing on one leg that just feels too risky when combined with a turn. I'm still fine with pirouettes but it's slow adage type things I struggle with as my balance is absolute rubbish. I like nice dancey enchainments with plenty of pas de valse! My mock exam went pretty well with comment on my musicality and expression, which is just as well as that's where I'm hoping to pick up the marks.
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