DD Driver

Yes, Tango Dancer - this is key! If more parents ask these questions when their children are auditioning or offered a position, then the schools will see that the potential issues are well known and that they need clear policies and procedures. That is the moment when questions are expected and the school is not feeling on the back foot or defensive. Also,contact with other parents is a great resource and protection for students. I once heard an AD say that he values all sorts of body types but the audience has expectations! This means that we - as the audience (hopefully soon) - need to be vocal about what we want e.g. If you see an emaciated dancer then you should consider communicating your concerns to the organisation.

Thanks SissonneDoublee. The ballet school my DD attends is aligned but separate from her academic provider. They would usually have 2 dance assessment days each year. In these the class performs set exercises and solo variations over a number of hours. Parents can attend. A guest adjudicator is there alongside the faculty and each student wears a number. They receive a report based on that day plus general comments from their class teachers. That is good but the information could be improved upon. Anyway, the problem this year is that the Assessment Day could not take place. The students did Zoom lessons for 3 months. They have returned back to the studio but this is fairly recent. A report (written/verbal) would be very helpful now. This is a new situation for the school. Zoom classes make things harder but not impossible. This seems like the moment to influence the kind of information provided and to ask questions in away that elicits frank answers!

I am looking for suggestions on how to get a full and frank Assessment from a full time/vocational ballet school. - What are some specific questions that I can ask? - How do I get their honest opinion of my DD"s ability? We are all familiar with 1/2 yearly reports and parent/teacher interviews at academic schools. This all still happened for my non-dancing children despite the lock-downs. These subjects lend themselves to many objective measures. Nevertheless, teachers comment on students' perceived potential and teachers do assess artistic works/performance in subjects such as Art, Music and Dance. I am spending a bomb on my DD's ballet! I want to know where she is at and what she can do to improve. I sense that many ballet schools find the rigour of Assessment to be outside their experience. I also understand that they need many paying students not just stars, at private studios. I get the 'subjective' line and I understand that a top student at a ballet studio can be passed over by upper schools and Companies. I just want frank and honest feedback from our ballet school's perspective. I am happy to hear it rather than have it written down. I need to ask the teachers the right questions and frame it so that they respond! On the up-side: Once a year we get a RAD exam result that does attempt to assess a range of standardised elements. My DD also participates in some competitions and this provides a cross section of adjudicator reports.

In a study, a scientist will look at defining what pilates is and must control other variables (other training/practice) that could compromise the validity of the study. They want to test the impact of pilates alone. To not muddy the waters. So many professional dancers or vocational students may be doing a form of pilates that is not strictly/just pilates but rather a customised training regime. They will also do other activities that build strength and as an individual it is difficult to isolate what gains come from (their version of-) pilates from what is due to their other activities. Meanwhile, I find Sara Mearns at New York City Ballet fascinating. She does a very tough exercise regime e.g. squats with weights and training as seen in this video! https://www.instagram.com/saramearns/?hl=en

It seems to me that people agree that pilates can provide significant increases in strength and stability when you begin. This would take a number of months. At a certain point it is about maintaining this. For athletes and elite dancers greater strength is coming from many additional activities. These people are also doing pilates with professionals that continuously add new and more challenging sessions and exercises for their clients. It is amped-up pilates. Weights are used and they work through to fatique.

With strength training - doesn't the impact on the muscle (bulky v lean) depend on the type of exercise you engage in? I thought the idea was to go for repetition and not to add heavy weights?

Yes - I try to do little things anyway. On social media I make sure that I give a like to pictures and stories about dancers that are different from the norm. I don't give likes to the glorification of emaciated dancers. I draw my daughter's attention to these issues and ignore the eye rolls I get back. I even got up the courage once to email my DD's ballet school expressing concern about an underweight dancer they highlighted frequently on their media as a success story. I carefully and politely mentioned their duty of care (and mine as a fellow school parent) to that dancer and the younger ones. I was put back in my box but I'm glad I made an effort to speak up. Maybe the drip drip drip of polite questions/concern from a number of parents or ticket-holders can build awareness. I imagine that parents of children in vocational schools - with government funding - may feel on the back foot when advocating for their child (on weight or other situations). It must seem a very powerless position.

Yes, it was shocking. I remember seeing a documentary on Simone Biles a few years ago and thinking it was very odd that the Gymnastics USA training camp was happening at the head coach's own facility (the Karolyi Ranch). Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are lessons to be learnt here for the ballet world! How many parents have been told not to enter the studio or talk to teachers? Vocational schools in particular hold so much power. When parents do speak up, what happens? Is there fear that there will be consequences for their child? What recourse do parents have when they are not happy with these top schools - other than bowing out? One example: Expectations around maintaining a certain - very low - weight are just one issue that screams out for change. An under-weight body (malnutrition) is repulsive to humans for a reason. It tells us the person is unwell and in jeopardy. Look at the body types that the AD's from companies and schools, PdL and YAGP etc select! And, yes, this trend also limits the diversity of races.

So true! To progress in the dance world you need a lot of grit - the ability to persist in something you feel passionate about and persevere in the face of obstacles. Similarly - Resilience is built through graded exposure i.e. experiencing mild or moderately difficult situations and then progressing to harder ones. My DD has also been through some rejections and the embarrassment one feels because 'everyone' knows you tried and did not make it. It really tested her. I am so proud that she has learnt this early. It is necessary (for her) to work harder than many of the people around her. She has seen that hard work pays off!

There is chat on this topic on this thread and in dance mags https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/13455-risk-of-going-en-pointe-too-early/page/2/ https://www.dancemagazine.com/pointe-shoes-2622511309.html The RAD Int. Found exam had a min. age of 11 when my DD did it, I seem to recall. The concern at my DD's studio was around bone development and also foot/ankle strength. Our students had to go to a dance physio for a pre-pointe assessment to get the ok to progress to training.

Some good information here: https://www.dancemagazine.com/injury-prevention-for-dance-2639821288.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

A post on the US ballet forum Ballet Alert adds a bit of background info: "When Ballet Theatre (precursor to ABT) was founded, it was even planned to have a Latin American wing. Lincoln Kirstein had intended for Ballet Society, later NYCB, to have equal numbers of black and white dancers, but that idea fell by the wayside." https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/45559-sfb-2020-promotions-and-new-dancers/page/2/ (see last comment on that page)

My 2 cents worth...In my efforts previously I have also found that most of the scientific research on stretching has been done with gymnasts. They are good candidates for this as gymnastics has distinct competitive levels and researchers can find sufficient numbers (n) at similar skill levels that are already classified within the sport. Strength is also a critical element of course i.e. the ability to hold the stretch against the forces of gravity. Ballet dancers are however even more nervous about building bulk than gymnasts! They will therefore focus on using repetition over resistance exercises using weights. Sue Mayes, Head Physiotherapist at The Australian Ballet (TAB), has done quite a lot of scientific research in partnership with La Trobe University, Melbourne. A Dance Magazine article outlines the approach that TAB now recommends is here: https://dancemagazine.com.au/2019/09/why-the-australian-ballet-dancers-quit-stretching/ Note: Sue Mayes research often it involves a comparison between ballet dancers and a sporting population, highlighting differences found https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Susan_Mayes2 All the best!

I believe she is teaching at the Ballet West Summer Intensive. That is pretty common for professional dancers in their summer breaks. She still has 'Miami City Ballet soloist in her Instagram bio but in May posted that she was taking a break from/reducing her social media. I think it was huge for her to get a contract again after so long away. She can tick that box and move on. Her work around body issues is so important. She is a wonderful advocate for change in the ballet world.

I would not be surprised if she is on the move. When she was on the US Today Show she was quite candid about the difficulties of being the 'right' weight in the ballet world. This encompassed her time at NYCB but also Miami City Ballet. Then in her interview with Megan Fairchild (NYCB principal) she was again very open about some frustrations with casting i.e. that she was taken out of Firebird last year because she was 'not in shape enough'. (36:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89j2MnnkMb8 Her boyfriend, Christopher Sellars, recently retired from Ballet West and now teaches in their trainee program This meant a Florida - Salt Lake City relationship. She spoke about him (at around 39:00). He is very happy to have given up his performance career and was very ready to take on a new challenge. They are both passionate about educating the next generation. She has put up some online classes with him on her Youtube channel.

That strikes a chord with me! My DD has had lessons with a couple of male ballet teachers over the years. I appreciate how they both encouraged her to utilise her natural athleticism and to push herself further with jumps and turns. Of course female teachers can do this and do. I just felt (anecdotally) that her male teachers might have been reflecting the kind of teaching that they themselves had experienced and the expectations put on them in their successful dancing careers.

A bit of happy news - NZ just declared itself Covid-19 free and social distancing is over. RNZB are advertising an audition for dance contracts. (There is a 2 week quarantine imposed for those entering NZ so the people auditioning will be NZ residents)

'chookas'😀 On the original question.. i think flexibility - aligned with strength - is very important for dancers. It just needs to be built up carefully over time

I watched 'In conversation with Natalia Osipova" by Dancersdiary this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DPBv58890 At 12:35 she explains that after her first year at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy half of the girls were assessed out. This happened again at 13/14 years old when 18 students were reduced to 5! The process may have changed since then but you get idea. A lot on the topic of assessing out has been discussed on this forum. I think it is fortunate that we can read through other people's experiences and then decide what is best for our own child and family as choices arise. My DD had some rejections early on that felt very important at the time. Looking back I think it was a very lucky thing. She learnt that she will have to work very hard if this is her chosen path. She has also seen how one's body can change dramatically through puberty - your DNA destiny but and also the impact of hard work 😀

Yes, students who did not go to a vocational lower school school can get into the upper school. In fact, when you read through relevant threads on this forum, you can pick up on some of the frustration from parents who see so many lower school students assessed out in favour of international dancers who followed different training regimes. Maybe there are cost savings that come from not boarding at a vocational school this year? Here are some of the things international dancers (who may not have access to a UK-type vocational school) do: - As already suggested, I would recommend quality private lessons to focus on your DD's specific needs. - Similarly, I would meet with a dance physio to establish exercises and goals that will improve the areas you mentioned - flexibility, strength, posture and balance. - I would highly recommend that you take your DD to a doctor / sports dietician where you can learn about her calcium and Vitamin D requirements. Most stress fractures in young athletes/dancers are due to insufficient diet given their physical workload. Diet and supplements have an important part to play in building a high functioning and resilient dancer's body. As you take this kind of action, you are showing your DD what it takes to have a goal, do your research and to then go out and work for it. Priceless! All the best xx

also....I'm sure others have some resources to suggest but here are a couple of articles on warming up and dynamic stretching😀 https://www.dancemagazine.com/dance-warm-up-2530531861.html https://dancemagazine.com.au/2014/01/stretching-truths-2/

Yikes! Muscles shouldn't be passively stretched. https://dancemagazine.com.au/2019/09/why-the-australian-ballet-dancers-quit-stretching/

Clearly your family were prepared to go the extra mile this year, Whiteduvet. Another option to consider is to stay put and look into private lessons for your DD with a top coach. This is something that can start online and move to face--to-face when conditions permit. There are many in the profession who might not otherwise have been available to you but now have the time and would welcome the $$. Just a thought!

I don't understand your reasons for looking to move your family to Europe for your DD's ballet at this age. If the move is for other reasons then I would expect that you would select a country that works for your family's needs and then find a ballet school in that country. I think I am missing something here (?) Most students that I know who have moved to Europe for training do so at an older age and without their families. The difficulties you are already seeing in your research will explain why! The European School of Ballet , Amsterdam, take students from 13 years old. This is a great place for English speakers but naturally more expensive than Germany.

I think dancers competing at YAGP would view the awarding of places and scholarships as the key element in a school 'participating' in the competition! Remember this letter from RBS in 2018 on the dangers of competition culture? https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2018/11/07/ballet-competition-culture-are-we-putting-young-dancers-at-risk/ The RBS did not attend YAGP that year. YAGP has increased the age requirement/recommendation for when soloists dance en pointe. Maybe that allowed the relationship to rekindle.