DD Driver

and I hope the woman doing the stretching in this recovers and learns how to warm-up properly instead!

I enjoyed this article: 10 Reasons Dance is Undeniably a Sport (and so much more of course!) https://www.dance-teacher.com/10-reasons-dance-is-undeniably-a-sport-2602916282.html

I guess I can not begrudge the RBS taking the opportunity to make some cash and take greater control of their entry processes/auditions. It is just buyer beware. Until your child is at an age where they are ready to audition for RBS or similar then the summer schools or intensives are not necessarily the best use of your money. Same could be said of attending the big competitions. Thoughts? Some parents explain that they are sending young students to elite school summer schools/intensives - when they are not looking to make a move yet - in order for the school to get to know the child and vice versa. Exposure. In a large class and with teachers that may not be part of the year-round faculty, I'm not sure if this is realistic (?) Also I have heard that sometimes the number of hours each day are short and the skill level is not advanced. This is fine if the price is right but from where we sit it involves expensive fees and flights and accommodation when attending outside your own city/state/country. I'd be very happy for someone to enlighten me as to the value in sending your child at a younger age i.e. under 14/15 years!

hmmm The RBS Hong Kong Spring Intensive - for one week, non-residential is £875 So I guess one reason for RBS NOT to attend YAGP is that they can earn good money from encouraging students to attend the Intensives and Summer Schools instead. Maybe offer more locations as well in the next few years.

Is this a similar to the USA where there are regional names but they are top national companies: San Francisco, Houston, NYCB....

My DD and I need to book our tickets for the Sydney run asap! Kevin Jackson is so bulked up for this role. He will make a very different Prince in The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker - Dec at ROH.

Treat yourself! Sydney Dance Company would be a good place to start for adult ballet. There is an Open Class Timetable and Short Courses. https://www.sydneydancecompany.com/

There are as you guessed a lot of options for Australian summer schools - in January. For example: Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, Queensland Ballet Academy in Brisbane, International Summer School (ISS) in Sydney, Bolshoi Ballet in Sydney & Melbourne, International Ballet Workshops (IBW), Claudia Dean Coaching Intensives, NZ Ballet School in Wellington....and the top full-time (private) ballet schools hold summer intensives. Usually non-residential but have discounts or recommendations for hotels. Sydney Dance Company (and similar in other cities) have many 2 day workshops covering non-ballet styles of dance For other holidays the bigger private ballet schools still do non-residential intensives. These are worth looking at as top teachers and more intimate. You get a real flavour of what it is like during term-time. 2 examples are Annette Roselli Dance Academy, Brisbane, and Tanya Pearson Academy, Sydney. https://www.instagram.com/tanya_pearson_academy/ https://www.instagram.com/annetterosellidanceacademy/ https://www.facebook.com/TanyaPearsonClassicalCoaching/ https://www.facebook.com/ARDAcademy/

The posts on Ballet Alert! are very busy with discussion around the details of the Complaint now that it has been made public. Starts on about page 9 of the thread. https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/44066-finlay-resigns-catazaro-and-ramasar-suspended/ I have no words!

And similar coverage here: https://www.dancemagazine.com/chase-finlay-2602286032.htm

So anyway lots to work out but so many great options to explore. When I see the sunny pics from London lately it looks fabulous

Wow, you have a chance to come out of this with your personal fortune in tact! Most children who start off in baby ballet at 3 etc seem to move into jazz or the like over time. That is my experience. At 9 my dd wanted to quit ballet. The head of her dance school said ok it is up to you but a dancer of any genre should have a ballet foundation. At that point she had only done assessments - not ballet exams. They asked her to do an exam that year. Only 4 months away. This meant that she doubled her ballet time and did the extra class with a much smaller group of girls - the serious ones. Miraculously she caught the bug and became one of the serious ballet girls!

People's livelihoods and reputation are at stake here. I expect that, after consultation with lawyers and PR experts, a dancer will want to get out there with their own message. To be on the front foot. This might range from: I can't comment right now. I have lawyers looking into this but can I say, the overwhelming outpouring of support has meant the world to me... all the way through to: Please forgive me. I'm now seeking help/going to rehab.

It is so encouraging to see the NYCB taking what appears to be swift and decisive action when it has clear evidence of inappropriate behaviour. It would have really hurt to take this action when the result impacts the whole company so significantly. It reminds me of a story about the changes that the NZ All Blacks rugby team took to change their team culture. (The Australian Wallabies tell this story) The All Black dressing room creed became a: no d-head policy! Members of the team, for example, take turns to sweep the dressing-room floor, thereby proving that they're not a d-head.. This helps to keep big stars humble and the team take ownership to keep all players in check. The player leadership group rather than coaches set and enforce stds. When one top player missed his flight to a game he was answerable to his team-mates rather than the coaches. “As an All Black, you understand the team powers above the individual and you are part of a wider legacy, which has been passed down to you from the ages. In this particular period, it is your time and it is your moment. We want people to cherish and understand that and nourish it for the next generation, leaving it in a better place than what it was.” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/newzealand/11208617/How-New-Zealand-assistant-coach-Gilbert-Enoka-turned-All-Blacks-around-with-a-strict-no-dheads-policy.html

I don't know what would have worked better for Miko or if it would have made any difference but it raises an interesting point. Tamara Rojo spoke at the Prix de Lausanne back in 2013. She said that she joined the Scottish Ballet after the Prix despite offers from bigger companies. She opted to be "the head of the mouse rather than the tail of a lion". You might say a big fish in a small pond. There she learned the repertoire and danced big roles early on. She was individually coached and rose through the ranks quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcLtKTrdXIs Similarly, I met a young lady last week who told me that she had many offers from famous schools after a comp win. She did not choose the most famous one. After her visits to audition she had felt the best vibe at another school and went there. It did work out well for her. Given that she was going to live abroad away from family, the sense of support and the personal attention that the school appeared to offer (and did in fact provide) was a critical factor in her decision. So both ladies researched their options fully and then made - what turned out to be - the smart choice for them rather than the most obvious or glamorous.

Yes those hours are getting up there and that is why I think some young students opt for full time programs. They are looking to be more efficient with their time e.g knock off travelling time to and from school, to and from ballet, all of the breaks in between and extras that occur. Distance Education at ballet schools offering full-time programs usually involves small tutorial groups and one-on-one tutoring. A child needs to be highly motivated and - as with all types of education - it helps if the parents are highly engaged in the process. Personally, I think it is right to encourage 'more balance' - there is some crazy behaviour that goes on - but at the same time children and adults who strive to excel are unlikley to be living an idealised version of the 'balanced life'. Aspiring Olympic swimmers are getting up at 4am while I snooze away. Young musicians who wish to get into a high school with a strong music program, then a conservatory and then an orchestra, spend many grueling hours in practice.

I'm glad she clarified here that she is talking about the number of hours a child does rather than simply fulltime vs. part time or one studio vs. three. Really once your dc is doing significant hours of dance it is time to have an ongoing relationship with a dance physio. They can review the hours being done. It is so important once they are en pointe to have a specialist giving individual exercises. EXPENSIVE of course but cheaper than the cost of an injury.

You are on the money there, Cara. My dd trains in Sydney and a few of her fellow students have done a one-off private lesson or holiday workshop with Claudia in Brisbane or Sydney. That has not been an issue. If she was based in Sydney however then it would not be ok! I imagine some secret sessions go on that will never appear on facebook or instagram. I know a couple of top Queensland studios (you know, the kind that would have a version of full time training for youngsters) are ok with it but she would want to keep on their good side! There are a some elite level coaches out there that make themselves available to students through the student's home studios - so she is in a competitive space.

So now I am a bit more educated! but no offense intended Xandra - I think your point was that ballet schools might be offended by such blanket criticisms from someone who is - kind of - an outsider. I feel that there is a valid concern around young students doing excessive hours and this can be happening whether a 'full-timer' or a part-timer. I find that most teachers at ballet schools (usually RAD or Cechetti around here) do try to look after their students and are quick to recommend physios or taking time off if someone appears to be taking too much on. I think it would have been great if Claudia had acknowledged this in the video and averted a potential us and them situation, that's all.

So I asked my 14 year old to explain what a JCB is! She says don't operate heavy equipment. Figure she will use that one on me again😁

It is interesting to note that some of Claudia Dean's coaching students are amongst those young ones doing a version of full time. She will have put a few backs up amongst these schools and the parents of her own students...I was surprised that she did not soften her words a bit to acknowledge that the ballet schools involved could and do make an effort to customise programs for younger students. The faculty at these schools, in my experience, are very realistic about employment in the ballet world and explaining that so much of this is out of your own control. In contrast, Claudia Dean is more of a motivator, 'you can do this', type of person. Also how you choose to educate your child, within the law, is a personal decision. Ken Robinson's TED talks definitely resonated at this end of the world! https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-557236 https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms

Yes I agree. Bravo to Claudia for talking about this. Maybe this is more of a US/Aust/NZ phenomenon. Less vocational schools on offer and also easier access to & cultural acceptance of Distant Ed. or homeschooling. As Cara points out, many young dancers are doing big hours after school and in the weekends - which would equal or exceed that of a full time ballet student. It is especially true of those doing modern dance. Ballet studios tend to more actively keep an eye on the hours compared to other types of dance studios. There is a lot of compulsory rehearsal time required for group comps. I understand that dance is the 2nd most popular 'sport' in many Australian girls' high schools after netball. Kids can be dancing for both their school and their studio. In local classical ballet schools - offering fulltime programs - I know that they do try to monitor the students' load and pace them e.g. every day will start with 1 hour of warm-up/pilates/pbt etc. and they prohibit any other dancing outside of their own studio timetable. Also, as these schools are private, it is easier for a student to be part of the program but tailor their attendance to their own needs (fees would be fixed though). This puts the onus on the parents to take ownership!

If you devote yourself to something at a young age , experience success and disapointments and then quit it in your 20's I don't call that a failure. I call that the Olympics! Company life is not for Miko and so she has moved on. Some will suck it up for years. Others leave. The only lesson for me is - don't mortgage your house paying for this! I expect Miko and Claudia Dean are very ambitious, driven people. They make a decision about what they want in their lives and show that they can work for many years trying to achieve it. I don't see it as a lack of 'mental rigour' when they choose not to do years in the Corp. It will probably be harder and harder for the kind of dancer who can get into a ballet company to then enjoy being one of the corps of swans standing quite still for many minutes in Swan Lake. As discussed ten years ago in the article: Often a Swan, Rarely a Queen https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/arts/dance/16sulc.html

There seems to be a few issues at play when looking at full-time training for younger dancers i.e. the physical load, education and maintaining other hobbies and interests.. In terms of the physical load ... students still at mainstream academic schools can be doing as many dance hours as a full-timer at a dance school. My dd (not full time) and I are having ongoing discussions about how she can reduce her hours. There have been tears! We are also seeing a physio about more strength work, using the right muscles and understanding warning signs of problems. Education is another question - maybe for another day. Mainstream schools have there own issues and these fill the newspapers. Tutoring after schools is becoming more common and at an earlier age. Children are hunched over electronics for both education and social purposes ... You know how it goes.