DD Driver

I expect it will stay there as students and past students will want to replay. Dance schools in Australia were shut down today. Some will use Zoom and the like. In the state of Victoria they were due to go on holiday in a week anyway. In New South Wales there was 3 weeks left before the Easter break.

oh and another one has been added with younger (13ish) part time students

The Tanya Pearson Academy live streams are also on YouTube and saved for viewing anytime. First one started today. Taught by Ms Lucinda Dunn (ex-principal The Australian Ballet) and kicks off at 20:00 into the video (as just setting up action before that) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRVtLyQQz-L1ss2g9b8n8HQ

Yes! I was firstly a bit disappointed that an Australian woman was not selected. I can think of three worthy possibilities without much effort. However, one of those ( I was recently told) is very happy with her current success & impact (through her students), her work/life balance and being her own boss. So maybe that is another way to look at it.

Should that be said out loud Sophoife?

I also understood that Li Cunxin was not interested. He has done great things with Queensland Ballet using his ballet , financial and management expertise.

I think, as Peony says, different schools have their own ethos. At many of the top (private) ballet schools in Australia the hours are longer than many UK vocational schools. Distance Education and home-schooling allow more flexibility around the academic hours i.e. when you choose to get your work done. Also, you can get through some subjects or school years at a slightly slower or faster pace than in mainstream schools (within reason). As a parent, one has more control over your young dancer's training and wellbeing! For example, you have input into who works with your child for any solo or special event training. You can ask for a change in your child's schedule if they need to catch up on academics, a lesser load or time off for injuries or if they are going away for: a competition, an audition, an intensive or family time. So, you are paying for it (!) but as a parent there is a lot more levers to pull - than national and some vocational schools allow - in order to determine the path for your individual child.

Thank you for posting that Ingrid. The stories of Hannah Park and Denilson Almeida were an eye-opener!

Congrats to him!!! I had heard his name amongst the possibilities but thought they would choose.... I trust however that the Board went for the best candidate for the job and look forward to exciting times ahead. Also grateful for the work and passion of David McAllister, the outgoing AD.

I clicked the See More for the article. This is so true! Thanks for posting Ellie. I also see extremely talented young dancers quietly returning home. 'A child without their support network at hand is vulnerable' 'Little problems can turn into emotionally stressful burdens and little injuries can turn into significant issues, which require rest and no class' These experiences have been talked about on this forum as well - by UK parents with children boarding at vocational schools or training overseas.

Efftee has indicated that she does not want to deceive a school. Whether a condition is resolved to the point where a student is able to return to - as she says - a highly competitive and pressurised environment - is a discussion to be had face-to-face with her therapeutic team. For example, what on-going protection needs to be put in place in order to do this in a fully supported way. There is much to say about eating disorders in the world of ballet! I just recommend that it is done in a general thread - not attempting to address any specific person's situation.

I understand that Maria Kochetkova was in her final year at Moscow State Academy 2002 when she did the PdL. She had been told that she was short (1.52m or 5 foot) and had a short neck so maybe felt that she would not get the opportunities in Russian companies. Her win led her to The Royal Ballet and then ENB before happiness at San Francisco Ballet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmRpNwb0NZ0

I think it would be best to conclude further comments at this individual level. Efftee , these are important questions and discussions to be had with your DD's therapeutic team. That is what they are there for. xx

Many of us have children training in the dance world. They are exposed to many messages that they must be extremely lean. This is particularly so in classical ballet. I know that Efftee's experience could so easily happen in my family. I try to have conversations with my DD about this. It is difficult. When I have mentioned concerns about some students, she often says I am being mean or the person is naturally that way. I explain that there is a significant danger in their environment and it must be acknowledged openly. In one instance, I wrote to my DD"s ballet school director with my concerns about a student. The girl was used in the school's social media a lot! I was worried about her and also - at a personal level - the impact of this role model on my daughter and other students. I suggested that her family be made aware that people were becoming concerned and to check in with a GP (in the first instance). Importantly, the ballet school needs to be pro-actively keeping a watch. I am a health professional so it was probably easier for me to write that email, gently highlighting the school's duty of care! I received a thanks but no thanks response - as expected. Still I feel that I did my small bit to say: hey, parents are watching and we put our children's welfare over dance success!

I do not know how this works in the UK. Just wanted to say that my heart goes out to you and your family. Sounds like you are getting the help needed.

That is good to hear Sophoife! A couple of girls I know there did not feel free to enter competitions. Maybe they did not test this out by proactively asking. I expect some students think/hope that they are in with a good chance to get a contract with the company and so choose to focus on that alone.

I was happy to see a candidate from The Australian Ballet School (ABS) at the Prix this year! I'm not sure of the backstory to this but it was encouraging that the school allowed it. ABS has been quite reluctant to allow students to do comps. This school is a filter into The Australian Ballet (TAB) and students don't know if they will get a contract until graduation. So I welcome students being empowered to take whatever opportunities are available while they are in training. Different from UK vocational schools in that ABS is not government funded - parents are paying for their child to attend. UK schools may exert more power to say no to their students.

What do they want? Is this in terms of a certain aesthetic/physique/facility? So a lot of cuts happen before candidates get to really show their dancing chops? You know at the Med schools where I work, we used to only interview applicants with the very highest marks. Then, more than a decade ago, we realised that a large part of the job required exceptional people skills!! The cut-off mark required to get an interview was reduced (still very high) and we introduced competency-based interviewing to make selections based on demonstration of the skills needed on-the-job (problem-solving, stress-management, empathy, ethics...). Some people don't have the best ballet feet but they sure know what to do with them.

I am sorry for her! #317 I think

I enjoyed the short interview at 55:15 with Armando Braswell, the contemporary teacher. He noted the increasing flexibility seen in the boys and the need to also have control by building strength. As to how to develop this....at 59:00 he spoke about some girls focusing on being thin, at the cost of having strength. He'd like to see some quads! ME TOO! If only more ADs would look for strong, powerful young women then we might see more diversity and less eating disorders.

Lusodancer - I think you have summed it up perfectly! My DD has a few years to go before she starts auditioning seriously. Nevertheless, her full time school asks students to write up their Goals at the beginning of each year and then sits down with them one-on-one. The clearer the goals - the more useful the discussion. I help her with this - just as I do with my other children who are near the end of normal schooling. I look at longer term goals and then this informs the annual goals along the way. To be fair, I have seen many accounts of vocational schools doing a great deal to help their students prepare for the next step. This tends to be in their final year. This can be short term visits to companies, having AD's come into their own studios, preparing portfolios and much more I'm sure. There is however a conflict of interest you might say. For example, they will be a bit cautious about shopping their best talent around to other companies, they do expect students to stay til the end of the graduate year and their best selling point is always going to be whether they helped some students each year into their associated company. The difference at an independent ballet school is that their business depends more on the success of the group as a whole. In these schools, the AD's will usually attend international events and network - hard. They can get on the phone and talk to contacts. The more the student/parent ask for help - the more you get. Most importantly, I think a parent can do a lot if they stay involved and actively talk to teachers and other parents/students. I often embarrass my DD by talking to people at her studio and events. Then I explain to her - again - that I am funding this exercise and that you do things differently when you grow up (and have experience of sales & marketing).

Yes, Jane! That would be the smarter approach. I figure the students in this case paid on their account and then paid again to get new shots

Well said! And I would like a happy barista working towards their new dreams, please! Not a confused or bitter one. If my DD was offered funded training at a top vocational school, it would be extremely hard to resist or at least give it a chance. That is not the case right now. So I get to be very discerning about what is on offer. The power dynamic changes. Having an endless waiting list for funded places or being the only access point into a company impacts on how a vocational school operates in the world. Some are inspirational places and some ... well its all been recorded on this forum! Anecdotal story: I was talking to a top photographer who was travelling through my city. I showed him a series of graduate audition shots that I had seen (on social media) from a top vocational school. We agreed that the pictures were not good! Frankly, many students looked unattractive. Good hair & make-up and importantly the right angle, lighting and background could easily fix this. He said that the school would have paid for the graduate portfolios but had maybe gone with a cheaper quote or was just unaware of what the benchmark was out there.

Great question! This came up the other day in a conversation I had with a parent. Her DD had recently graduated from a UK vocational school affiliated with a company. The DD was still auditioning around Europe. As expected, the overarching goal of the school was to get students into the associated company. For those that did not get in... Yes, they had enjoyed the benefit of performance opportunities with that company e.g. students did Nutcracker etc. Help in the final year was provided to get auditions but naturally this ebbed away quickly when you left the building. The parent commented that full time schools that were not linked to a company - usually in Europe - were obviously extremely focused on getting every student the most opportunities via comps, auditions, preparing videos, networking etc Their reputation depends on this! Also, students leave early if an opportunity arises or stay longer if not. There is not such a structured format where people graduate in a given year and have to leave. I have noticed that vocational company schools are slowly getting better in this area. At the end of the day, you need to believe that your school is providing the very best training possible for your individual dancer and to be ready to stand up or pull them out if not. Also ready and able to get involved if their wellbeing is in jeopardy. Note: One's perspective in Australia is different from those in UK e.g. no govt. funding!

My DD regularly goes to a dance physio, who gives her exercises to suit her specific needs and goals. Yes, this is expensive but, I think it is essential when you are 'serious' about your ballet. Higher on our list than paying for summer intensives etc. You get to a point where just adding more dance class hours is not the answer.