EverHopeful

So I started learning ballet for the first time in my mid 20s and have absolutely fallen in love with it. My dream is to study the RAD CBTS with a view to becoming a teacher myself. My question is, am I being unrealistic? I’ve so far achieved two very good merits at Grades 4 and 5. But my latest merit (72% at grade 5) has thrown me a bit (actually a lot). If I can’t even get Distinction myself then how can I expect to be accepted to teach others? I absolutely have the drive and determination to fight to become the best teacher I possibly can. But sometimes I wonder if I’m kidding myself, if I just started too late. The entry requirements on the website say “hold an Intermediate certificate”, which I’m currently working on. Do you think not getting Distinctions in the previous grades will hinder me when I apply for the course? Confused! And determined xx

My teacher is extremely proud of me and gave me a big hug telling me it’s a great achievement, especially considering I’m an adult and have only been dancing a few years. The only person disappointed in me is me. I’m like that with everything though, constantly beating myself up about every little mistake in life. But I’m feeling much better about it today, it is an improvement on last time and a grade higher as well. I’ll be doing Grade 6 and Intermediate next. (We don’t do IF at my school.) I’ve already been attending the intermediate class for a while just for extra training but I won’t be ready for that exam any time soon. I’ll be starting grade 6 from scratch next month which I’m excited about.

Aww brilliant, well done. And grade 6 is a high level as well! Thats the good thing about these exams - we can take our results and use them to help us focus on certain areas to improve on next time 😊

Results are in! Sadly I missed out on the Distinction, but I was only 3 marks away so a very strong Merit. Feeling pretty disappointed to be honest. I know it’s a good result especially considering I’ve only been dancing a few years. I just really wanted that score of 75. Maybe next time.

@Balletlife4me excellent, glad to hear it 😊 thank you 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

How did you do? Hope the results were happy ones 😊

Massive well done @cavycapers 😍 such brilliant news xx

Of course it’s also important! Fingers crossed for you too 🤞🏻😊

Massive congratulations to your DD! Which region are you in? Do you know when the results came in relation to your area target date?

Ooh are the results due on the 7th not out yet? ☹️ Mine are due the 9th and was hoping they’d be a couple of days early like my last ones. 🤞🏻

I do understand that, and I’ve definitely improved an awful lot regardless of what the results say. I just feel like I need to prove something to myself. I want to know that my efforts are paying off. I want to know I’m doing well. That must sound really silly I guess.

I wish I had started when I was young. I did my first ever ballet class when I was 26! Now I’m 30 and have got a good merit at grade 4, been on pointe for 2 years and just sat my grade 5. Very determined to do well! Very proud of myself for what I’ve achieved so far, but I’m not finished yet - I have my heart set on doing as many exams as possible and maybe even becoming a teacher one day. Ballet has become my whole life and, while I can’t particularly make up for the missed time, I just want to achieve as much as I can. Ballet makes me so happy ❤️

Welcome to the forum! Which exam did you sit? Finger crossed for us all!

Fingers crossed! It’s happened before, by a day or two 🤞🏻 Losing my mind now. I’ve replayed the exam a hundred times in my head. Sometimes I think I’ve done really well, other times I think I’ve messed it up. I just want to know if my efforts have paid off or not 😭😍

Here is the link to the page with the results date. You just need to choose RAV (at an RAD venue), AEC (your own studio) or headquarters https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/exams/timings-sets-and-dates/

I used to love the old style 1st position split sole canvas but I can’t for the life of me find them anymore. I think they may have stopped making them ☹️

Oh no @sophie_rebecca! Typical for it to only happen in front of the examiner 🤭 very well done on your results xx

Ooh what did you get for them? I’m hoping to learn that syllabus too at some point. Did you do the variation on pointe? Xx

Sorry to hear this. It’s horrible not being able to dance properly due to injury. Can she still attend classes to watch so that she can still learn and not feel like she’s missing out completely? Hope she has a speedy recovery xx

The RAD website says you need to have passed Intermediate to get onto the Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies course. It doesn’t mention having to have done the grades as well so I don’t think it’s an essential requirement but perhaps helpful anyway. I would say to follow both pathways - the more training the better. And I guess it would be good to have first hand experience of learning each of the grades for when the time comes to teach them to others.

I’ve now been over it all in my head many (many!!) times and keep remembering little things that could have been a bit better. I’ve made a results prediction for myself for each of the sections - it’ll be really interesting to see how close the real ones are to it. And if my perceived relative strengths/weaknesses are the same as assessed by the examiner.

Oh no, sorry to hear this. My advice would be to make the most of the situation - can you mix and match? Spend some time in the lower class perfecting technique but also spend some time in the higher one to push yourself and take something new away from it? Hope you manage to enjoy your time xx

I’ve been told they will be emailed when they arrive and the certificates will be given out next term in class. I will be obsessively refreshing my emails for days just in case they come early! 🤞🏻

I believe they are emailed when they arrive and then certificates are given out in class in the next term. I will be obsessively staring at my emails no doubt. 😬 Wow Adv1 - fingers crossed your DD gets the results she wants as well 🤞🏻 Xx

Hello, has anyone else just sat an exam and impatiently awaiting the results?! I’m an adult student and I’ve just done my RAD Grade 5. Having achieved a high Merit in my grade 4, I’ve been pulling out all the stops to try scrape into the Distinction category this time! I do think it went very well - I was much more prepared this time and I didn’t mess anything up majorly or get overly nervous either. I think I might *just* have done it, but you never know how your performance was perceived by the examiner on the day. Aaaargh I can’t wait to find out my results. I’ve worked so hard, I’ll be so disappointed if I haven’t achieved the mark I want.