Whiteduvet

RBS is all about potential and physique. Which are things you either have or don’t, really, and practising the exercises over and over won’t make any difference if your body proportions are all wrong, for example. This may be slightly different for eg Elmhurst who I think ask for more technical knowledge at this age, but if you don’t have the right RBS attributes there’s little you can do unfortunately. I would have thought they’d also look negatively at videos where the child clearly knows what’s coming next: Ballet is all about following instructions! 

From memory it was on their knees but DD and I disagree about whether she got to hear it first or not! 

Oh one bit I missed was that they had to do a short improvisation. It didn’t have to be classical steps, just a chance to show their musicality and love of dance. 

No problem-good luck! 

Year 6 audition was around 35 mins long. A nice teacher leading the class and the children followed, with you filming them. Only meant to go through it once so no practice allowed. 

Simple exercises and combinations plus quite a few points where they were asked to stand in a certain position (nothing complicated: just to see their proportions) or hold a particular stretch. They took their socks off too at one point. 

All very straightforward and nothing really you can do to prepare. The most complicated part is uploading the video...! 

My DD is the same. She really didn’t like the live zoom aspect, couldn’t hear the teacher or the music properly at times (especially when she (the teacher) took off her microphone), and found it quite off putting that there were different age groups in the same class. I could see her getting increasingly wound up and couldn’t do anything about it!! 

Plus we’re all left to guess at which schools are good and which aren’t which doesn’t help anyone. 

Is this desire for athletes being fed through to companies? Because that’s where the demand comes from so those attitudes also need to change. 
 

and FWIW I see no need to weigh anyone. Numbers on a scale are often meaningless and just cause concern and obsession. Losing weight to a worrying extent is obvious visually and those with other issues (eg bulimia) won’t necessarily lose weight.  

JA audition had a piece of music to improvise to. Can’t honestly remember if it was played once to just listen to and then again to dance to. Just upper body though: they had to kneel during it. 
 

I think the link could be used more than once. I also wondered about this: how many people would cheat. I reckon though they’d be able to tell: little ones probably aren’t good enough actors to pretend to respond to instructions as though it was the first time they’d heard them. Not worth it anyway: you need to be successful by playing by the rules or it doesn’t count in my book. 

Hi

Does anyone know anything about the Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater in Munich? Specifically in relation to the future destinations of graduates and the standard of training? 

Thanks

And with regard to weight, the Paris Opera Ballet School has accepted heights and weights for auditionees on its website. Presumably these limits remain throughout the school. There are lower limits which offers some reassurance but I strongly feel adolescent girls should never be tracking their weight: it can lead to hugely disordered thinking. Things like energy levels and other markers of health (hair, eyes, healthy menstrual cycle etc) should be used instead. 

14 hours ago, Tango Dancer said:

 

Teach her that she has the right to control her own body and her own autonomy and show her that she has a right to say no to things that make her uncomfortable and a voice that should be heard.  Surround her with strong women to show her what she can become and give her a good example to learn from and give her male role models who can show her how decent men behave. 

 

Check the schools she's going to and ensure they have good policies for raising issues of concern, and good safeguarding,  anti bullying and anti discrimination policies which are enforced. Watch how the teachers interact with the students and how the students behave.  Establish a rapport with other parents of students so you can check in with each other about things that concern you.  Check in with her and ensure she's still comfortable raising her concerns with you and give her a good sounding board as she grows.  

 

I don't think you can do anything to stop people behaving inappropriately but all you can do is give her the tools to deal with it and ensure the school is aware that you're a concerned, engaged parent.   

 

 

Thank you. This is very helpful and reassuring. 

As a parent of a DD who is dreaming of vocational school from year 7, how can we be sure our children are safe? Reading this and some previous threads on this Forum have made genuinely quite concerned about allowing her to even audition.  

Oh I was so hoping you’d have the magic answer...!

DD says she’d love to go go WL and be a dancer but she has no real idea of the reality of a dancer’s life, including the many, many rejections and sacrifices it entails. And I want to support her but also ensure she knows the truth. Such a difficult balance. 

On 14/07/2020 at 07:01, glowlight said:

@Rocco - I think the key question is, does your son want to be a ballet dancer?  And is he happy to go away to boarding school next year to achieve that dream?  

 

If so I would say it is worth giving auditions a try - if you don't you will never know.  Getting the level of training that you need to become a ballet dancer is much harder if they stay at home than if they go to vocational school, but vocational school isn't for everyone.

 

Go into it with open eyes and an open mind.  Having got SWL for JA's he obviously has something.  But there is lots of completion  for places and for funding so you both have to be prepared for the fact it might not work out, so as other posters have said - treat the auditions as a fun day out rather than a big deal.  Keep your ambition high but expectations realistic.

 

 

 

Just wondering - how do you know if a ten year old really wants to be a dancer? My DD is keen for WL but I’m not sure she wants the end goal!

Have sent you a PM X

I saw that. Great news but does make it hard in terms of accepting other (non vocational offers); the deadlines for some acceptances for senior schools where I am is before eg WL finals even take place. What a lovely position it would be to have the possibility of both, but very tricky! 

Yes the balance of power there is very one sided and parents must be hugely conflicted. 
 

Well done for standing up for health and the right approach. My 9 year old is already commenting on how she’ll need a ‘ballet body’ if she’s to succeed, and it’s so hard: all I can do is keep stressing the need to be healthy and able to enjoy dancing as a result (dancing when malnourished and underweight can’t be pleasurable). 

Surely the change has to come from the top. Dance schools exist to train dancers who will be employable: if companies demand a certain size and shape, dance schools will follow suit. Not that this is necessarily the right thing to do, but they’re a business at the end of the day.. 

On the plus side I was so heartened at my last visit to watch the BRB: there was a much wider range of body shapes than I’d noticed before. All stunningly beautiful!

Thanks. Mustn’t forget to do that or I’ll be in lots of trouble!! 

Hello all. Newbie mum here for a year 6 JA come September. 
 

A question-do we still have to apply for WL like non-JA’s or is it assumed that all JA’s will want to apply and so preliminary assessments are done in class? 

Oh no! That’s the same as BB. Do they run Friday classes still also? 

DD has had a yes for JA’s year 6! She’s also got a ballet boost place so it’s going to be a busy year for us!! 
 

Sorry to hear all the no’s. DD got a no from RBS in year 4 (we didn’t try year 5) so things can and do change!! 

Does anyone know what time the year 6 JA classes are in Manchester? DD has just been offered a place in both RBS and BB and I’m praying we can make it work!! 

7 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

I imagine that as with normal live auditions the definite decisions, yes or no, will be quick, and they need to see less of the video, or perhaps fast forward to check certain things. It is the middle group of possibles that will need more scrutiny. So I doubt if knowing how much of the video has been watched will tell you anything.

I agree. At this age it’s hugely about the ‘right’ body shape for their training and they’ll be able to tell that within minutes with most, if not seconds.