AllAboutTheJourney

This is getting hard work now isn’t it?! Hopefully it will be over soon for both of us 🤞🏻

Incidentally my DD was the second last number in the last group of the last day of London auditions. So when I (eventually...) get an email then you can rest assured someone’s turning on their out of office and running out the door thinking thank goodness that’s all done for another year 😂

Still waiting for London day 4...

London 4 group 4!

Well done to the yesses and commiserations to the not yets - are these ones today all London 1 so far? Do people think they will make it to London 4 or is that just unrealistic? Am hopefull they will want it all off their desks before the weekend...!

Good luck!

No kind of the opposite - it’s like @Loueeze described. Most of us had never seen or heard of it before either 😂

Ok this is me into slightly obsessive territory here but please forgive me, it's a long wait for London Day 4 Group 4...! 😂 In the reverse frog thing - when the lie on their tummies with knees together and let their feet hang out to the sides - how far ideally should their legs be coming down - does anyone know?! DD can lie on her back with her legs falling out to the side and her knees are pretty much on the floor, she can also lie on her tummy with her legs splayed out like a frog and keep her body all flat and on the floor, but i just don't quite get the reverse frog thing. Should their feet be hanging down at a certain angle? Sorry - I premise I really am quite normal and chilled out in real life...

We are waiting for the last London group... patiently patiently... 😉 In terms of the number of sessions @ExBallerina I think it's largely down to personal preference, if DD is lucky enough to get a place we will be travelling v far and we wouldn't want to do it every week. She also would be missing a whole day of normal Saturday classes at her own dance school so we definitely wouldn't want to do that (so have requested 24 sessions only). I have however read on here before that someone had asked for 24 sessions and was offered 32 as their DS had started late and RBS felt he needed to do more to catch up and get his strength up I believe.

Nice idea @Spamcat 🙂 Son or Daughter? Daughter Birthday? August Year applied for? 4 Auditioned in? London (Group 4, 31 May) For a place in? London Second choice? Newcastle Applied before? No Any other centres? Only tried for RBS - Elmhurst locations are too hard to get to for us. Any other info? We’d be travelling v far to get to JA’s so to be honest it will be a mixed blessing if she gets in. We’re in Scotland so if it’s No this year then DD will maybe try for Dundee next year when she is old enough (the age limits are slightly different for Dundee)

Genuinely don’t know how you guys who’ve been waiting for 5/6 weeks are coping - it’s only been a week and a half for us... I know - I really do - that it’s not that big a deal, that it’s very likely to be a no, that RBS isn’t everything etc etc - but I just want to know either way so we can move on! Doesn’t help that out of all the many things DD has tried out for over the last few years - panto, comp teams etc - this is the first time she’s ever been asking me day to day when I think we’ll hear, if we think she’ll get in... she just seems to have really loved it and is really keen for it to work out... Anyway this week we are also expecting ballet exam results, internal competition team results, internal associate scheme results and various other bits of news so I’m trying to keep my mind off JA’s with all of that! Really hope you guys who are waiting for Newcastle hear soon! Nice to have some company anyway while we wait...

I think it's automatic @Bunny (and that you shouldn't assume it means it's a No for the course he originally applied for).

Yes when you click on the Apply Now link on this page it takes you straight into Openapply so maybe it's just that they have added the link now that applications for that course are open? https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/train/dancer-training/associate-programme/associate-short-course-belfast/ We are also not near Belfast so I don't think location is relevant...

I can see that same link on DD's openapply page too. How odd.

Apparently Dundee was very busy, several full audition groups over the day (at least 3 i think though if anyone was there please correct me). We know of someone who was there in the first group I think. I've also seen quite a few people mention it on social media. I'm not surprised as I think pretty much anyone in Scotland who's keen at all would have given it a go. Will be interesting to see how many kids they take into the class. There's always a few children who travel to Newcastle etc from Scotland but I imagine the travel puts quite a few off. Dundee is a pretty good location for most of Scotland to get to. DD will probably try for there next year if she isn't successful this year.

It comes out in the order of the auditions so even if Newcastle comes out soon it will be weeks yet till London - I’m just assuming end of June like they said so as not to start thinking about it too early!

DD's summary of the audition: Everyone had to line up in lines of 6, there were only 5 in her line as she was in the back. When they did things in lines they did it a line at a time then moved to the side once they'd finished. It started with standing (in bare feet) to the front, straight legs and in plie in first, then to the side and with bent knees (legs parallel) Sitting down with legs straight ahead, showing pointed feet and flexed feet Sitting down in pike fold Box splits (no side splits) Frog on their backs Lying on tummy with legs out to the side (the move discussed above) Shoes back on and then they did improv - they had to pretend to be seaweed and could do it sitting crossed legs or on their knees. DD chose to do it on her knees so she could move more. They were told the music would be 'sunny and soft then stormy and sharp' They then went to the barre and did an exercise which involved tendus to the front and side and plies in first and second Then from the corner they had to so something that DD described as pony trots Then gallops to each side with their arms moving too (they were shown what to do) Then something from the corner which was 'gallops, spring points, skips, turns and finish in any pose you wanted' Some more gallops (?) then sautes in first position. With the things from the corner they did it in groups of three, although DD only had 2 in her group due to the numbers. Finally they all came back to the centre to curtsey and that was it!

Hi all - well it was a great experience as hoped and DD loved it :-) Absolutely desperate to get in now but I think she'll be fine if she doesn't, she's very aware of how tough it is and that hit home seeing all of the (many) girls there at the audition I think. A very positive experience though, she loved just getting to go in to the RBS and seeing all the beautiful photos and statues etc. I say girls consciously as the audition DD was at was girls only though I know some are mixed. We were taken in at 2.15 on the dot (no point arriving any earlier than your specified time) and shown to an studio where the girls all got ready. Everyone was given a number to pin on their own child's front and back. We had around 20 mins or so to get ready and then Liz (whose second name escapes me but she sent us the audition emails) came in to tell everyone housekeeping things like toilets and fire alarms. She also said no pictures please when the girls line up. Mark Annear then came in with the panel to introduce them all. It was him, Sylvia Hubbard and one of the JA London teachers and there was also a second teacher who was going to be leading the class. Nice chat about how they would love to take them all but they only had a very few places and if not successful this year then to keep trying as they are all very young and lots can change etc etc. He also said to expect results at the end of June. The panel then went out and the teacher leading the class asked the girls to line up in number order. There were around 25 of them and DD was second last - it looked like it might be age order as others have said as DD is not 8 till August so very possibly one of the youngest applying. They were then led off all smiles, being encouraged by the teacher to wave to their parent. It was lovely and to be honest i was just blown away by the confidence of them all to just line up and walk into an audition at the RBS like that, 7 years old, most of them not knowing anyone at all. Was very proud of DD. I know most of the auditions are past now but in case it's of any help to anyone reading this thread in the future my DD gave us a pretty thorough run through of what they did at the London audition on Friday (youngest group). Will post it below. After an hour they all ran out and it looked like smiles all round. DD said she was happy as she had tried her very best and that loved it so that's all that matters of course.

We’re in London now ready for DD’s audition this afternoon - came down last night and had a fun meal out and night in a travelodge so it’s been brilliant already and fab to spend some time just the two of us. She’s totally chilled out at the moment, reading me funny bits out of her David Walliams book, and whatever happens this has been a lovely little night away 🙂

Good luck to everyone who still has an audition! DD is so excited now that it's 'this week' 🙂 We will maybe see you there @SereiaAES as my DD is in the young group on Friday afternoon as well.

Hi @InOverOurHeads - this forum is so helpful and I don’t think many of us knew anything really before finding it so please don’t worry! We are new to all of this too and pretty much everything I know about JA and associate schemes in general has been from reading threads on here 🙂 My DD is a young 7 year old (8 in August) and she doesn’t audition till Friday next week but it does sound like it’s been a positive experience for most of the kids who’ve done it already so am just hoping she has fun!

I believe there is Totnes tomorrow then four days of London auditions next week, followed by the new Dundee centre auditions the week after... We break up for summer holidays at the end of June so I'm just hoping we do hear by then so we can switch off and relax one way or the other!

I remember reading the thread linked below previously, where about half way down the first page someone had worked out the stats for a previous year. Suffice to say it's a very slim chance and varies greatly between the different centres and also girls/boys. It will change year to year but bascially, it's more likely to be a no (not yet...) than a yes! (edited - sorry not sure why it's showing those old dates - the post I'm talking about is on the first page of the thread) Nice little trip to London though for me and DD so we're treating it as a lovely night away with a ballet class at the RBS which is pretty cool in itself 🙂

Hi @Catlynn - if you look back near the start of the thread, Astrid's DD gave a very helpful and detailed account of one of the early auditions. Hope it helps! We are in also in Londond next week, on the Friday. Good luck to your DD!

Hi - I know exactly what you mean about the acro moves in improv (!) and I've said to my DD it's not that kind of improv! My understanding is that it's just about musicality and responding to the music, nothing major, and they should just listen and move in the way it makes them want to (on knees/seated/however they are told to on the day). I don't think it needs to be specific ballet steps per se, just movement (?) Good luck to your DD and everyone in Bath. We are inching closer to DD's audition in London at the end of next week, feels like it's taking ages to come round but at least its less of a wait till the results I guess!