Hazel

The girls in our group ranged from tall and willowy to shorter and more muscular and everything in between!

Can’t help you on the national, it’s a closed book to me. Character is predominantly ballet based, not jazz or modern. If your daughter /son does ‘character’ as part of their normal grade lessons it’s got some of those steps mixed in. What you do get us more props, bigger facial expressions to help tell the story etc than you do in the classical ballet sections

I wonder how big the Dundee audition will be? Anyone here doing it?

Comes out in audition centre order but not necessarily with the same time gaps... so last year I think London results started to come out a week after Eastleigh (and the London results themselves took at least 2days from beginning to end!) although the auditions themselves are a good couple of weeks apart.

@Astrid yes London, yr5. It went well thank you, in as much as she enjoyed herself and said it was good. Can’t ask more than that really!

i reckon best case is a week on last years results dates to account for Dundee 😬 bit of waiting to go yet!

The JA group for yrs4/5 is mixed so if your dd is older in the year she may have been in with some younger yr5s.

I never think of festivals as something to win. The dancers should go out, do their best and if they get placed that’s great. Fully aware that like everything in this dance world the winners are chosen by one or two peoples view on the day and they all have different preferences on what they like. Nothing you can do about that. We do it for the stage experience, the teamwork in groups and it’s brilliant to build resilience and a great mental attitude as well. When my daughter doesn’t place she has a fabulous attitude - she knows if she tried her best and had fun performing that’s all that matters....not someone’s subjective view on what they thought was the best dance on the day. I love that she has no petulance about it, not sure I did as a child (athletics was my thing, hated losing!) We also love watching dance styles she doesn’t do and older groups so you can see how the skills progress. Think it’s a fantastic way of seeing new things and learning.

No, for the Junior associates no one has to audition again if already there. They have to audition again for a Mid (yr7 upwards) place though

I believe yr 4&5 are together so the 5s move up to make a new yr6 class plus new intake freeing up space in the combined yr4/5 class. I don’t think there’s a ‘set’ no of yr 4 and yr 5 places

Good luck Waverley! If you want an amazing ice cream treat (afterwards? I’m always terrified DD will spill stuff all over her leotard before a show/audition!) head to Amorino just on the corner of Long Acre and Hanover Place. Hope you have a lovely day and a great audition!

If you can get a train to Richmond, Rambert is a pleasant 1 mile walk up the high st and then along the river - if it is a rugby day though the trains on that line can be busy.

I don’t think you’ll see it as a feature- but it was on as I was driving to work this am so if you listen back to the morning show it would have started around 7.40am ish. Not sure if it’s a theme they’re carrying through the day

If you go to bbc radio 5 you can find the schedule and listen after the broadcast-think you can listen to it up to a month after broadcast. https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl7g/2019/05/28

Hi @InOverOurHeads I don’t think many of us on this thread know much -that’s why it’s always good when the more experienced members pop in from time to time to help us out! this is our second year of auditioning (I’m much more relaxed this year!) Try to just go with it and see it as an adventure, the audition is so lovely and not technically difficult so I don’t think the children feel any pressure in there, and they all have a great time. There’s so few spaces and nothing you can really do to prepare so best just to try and enjoy it 😁 (apart from the waiting for results - you’re allowed not to enjoy that!)

The last London audition is fri 31 May and Dundee we’d 5 June so only a couple of working days extra- sure won’t impact results timing in a huge way 🤞🏻

Hi- happened to stumble across this which thought might be useful https://www.dance-teacher.com/theory-practice-winging-and-sickling-it-2392290123.html

How do you do this every year with all the different students? (and parents?!) 😂

I think we have an understandable focus on RBS- after all, our children are auditioning- and for JA places we’re still very early in our experience of all this. It’s exciting and it’s...well....RBS. A quick glance through this site though shows just how many opportunities there are for our children to do what they love -and only a tiny proportion of that is through RBS. So yes, it will be amazing if they get a place but not getting a RBS place now at this early age really isn’t the end of their opportunities. That said....good luck everyone and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks of second guessing the ‘criteria’ and waiting for the results with you all ☺️

I suppose London is in half term so it’s possible that some audition at other centres if they have holidays or other commitments. We’re doing London this year but it was annoying having to block out 3 possible dates and not plan any holiday events until day/time was confirmed even though they give a ‘guide’ as to when the age groups are likely to be.

Ballet boost are fabulous. Why don’t you drop them an email- they usually respond very quickly @Emma northmore

Ah yes I misunderstood the original. Thanks 😁

My dd calls it ‘froggie’ 😁

If you are near London you could try Emma Northmore’s Academy of Balletic Arts @Emma northmore - I believe they’ve had a successful year and the model of how it’s run sounds great if you’re close enough to get to it!

@Bankerchauffeurstylistfan How old is your dd? Did she board? Did she like it? But nervous as mine wants to board but she won’t know anyone else who is going..,,