Chellen

Nothing yet over here... (Suspense!)

Hi @coniger! The Russian-American Foundation does bring real Bolshoi teachers to BBASI CT and NYC, and it is a real Russian intensive. The ballet classes are conducted in Russian, and Russian-language classes are offered to participants. My daughter has auditioned twice for BBASI CT, though competing offers have meant she has not attended the intensive thus far. She really enjoyed both audition classes (one in Toronto, and just last weekend in NYC,) and felt she learned a lot from even the auditions.. Her friends who have attended the program have reported good progress. The pacing does seem quicker than students might experience in Russia, as it is tailored for the American market, but it's the real work!

Hi @Lara Eschler! I think the email said the 4th is registration, which suggests it's not a dance day (?) I do hope they send a bit more information soon -- we are travelling from Canada, and I am eager to get things firmed up!

Hi Aixsta! It was definitely a lot of hard work, but it was also a relentless search for proper teaching, which can be tremendously difficult to find, depending on where you live! She gave herself many different experiences and learned what worked for her own body -- professionals need to be their own teachers ultimately, and she learned to do that really well along the way!

How did I forget this information may have appeared on the confirmation email?! I have been scouring the portal today trying to figure out what had made me think 'three weeks-ish' and that must be it! /smacks forehead Thank you (and good luck to your kid/s!)

Does anyone know how long it takes RBS to review video auditions? Do they wait for all the in-person preliminary auditions to run and then fill only from the video pool if they have space left over? I should probably have asked this months ago, but our deadline was January 8th, so my kid is beginning to get ants in her pants.

Oh no, Legseleven -- I'm so sorry to hear that! People honestly just stun me sometimes. As suspected, our times are being shifted around, but on the very bright side, my daughter has just been offered an extra session a week! Being between schools is really hard, but I'm so grateful to her new teacher.

No good deed goes unpunished. I recently helped another parent connect with a ballet coach for her daughter, and now it seems the only times that will work for them are the exact hours my daughter had been attending. How... mysterious! And how high-handed does a person have to be to assume we would (naturally!) make way for her?

This news is filling me with joy, and I wanted to share in case there are any late-starters (or parents of late-starters!) who could use a boost today. A family friend who started ballet at 12 years old and went to a recreational school for four years before realizing she needed serious training, just got a contract with a Russian ballet company at 20 (I won't name it to preserve her anonymity.) Courage, all!

Hello! We have limited styles in our city too, but my daughter loved, loved, loved her Grishkos until her feet changed. (Custom shoes are not an option!) I believe Grishko considers most of their styles a medium vamp but the fit really does vary between the styles so if you can get a professional fitting, you may find one that works really well -- sometimes a lower wing, U vs. V, or the different box shape can make a big difference. I double-checked on the website -- Elite might be the only one they specifically identify as having a lower vamp, but it looks like it's a special order every time (!) Good luck!

Update! The Facebook contact worked, and they are indeed a private ballet school. They have never had international students do a short stay before, but were very keen on my daughter visiting. We will go for two weeks in June! Thank you again, AdageKitty!

Thank you so much -- it didn't even occur to me to try in Russian! /bonks self on forehead 😂

Hello everyone! I'm not sure if this even makes sense to ask, but I've run up against a brick wall in my attempts to find out anything about a ballet school in Russia. The school is under the direction of Timofeyeva Maria Vladimirovna, and they have a YouTube channel and an Instagram but I cannot for the life of me find a website or even a VK site. Does anyone know if it's a state school, or private (I've been assuming it's a private one?) and/or if they have any International students (or anyone on short stays?) I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I only became aware of them when they 'liked' about 20 of my daughter's Instagram posts. I attempted to contact them through direct message, but thus far no one has replied. We're in the middle of audition season, so putting one more iron in the fire seems easy enough -- if we can figure out how to make contact! Thank you!

From over here in Canada, I am quite keen on this entire thread, and I am now morbidly curious about the programme itself! Well done, everyone -- you've made my morning.

Waiting list for my kid, too -- happy to be part of the club!

Well, that line just made my day. Thank you for the laugh!

Hello, all! DD Driver -- Thank you for the encouragement! The thought of opening a very small, very serious school here has crossed my mind more than once -- if only a couple of eager Russian pedagogues would fall out of the sky! Pas de Quatre -- We have considered both schools and ruled them out for different reasons (likely too specific to be of general interest!) but mainly, if the goal is to dance in Europe or Russia, it's best to train in Europe or Russia. Ballet struggles for support all over the world but in Europe, it remains a part of the cultural fabric -- and I think that counts for something. My daughter has some friends in St. Petersburg (Internet friends!) and it's normal for everyone to love ballet there. She wishes for that every single day of her life.

This may be a strange thread on which to finally de-lurk , but as a Canadian family with a highly-motivated ballet student -- we can absolutely see the work ethic of British and European students from quite a distance. No matter what may be said at home -- abroad, the reputations of your students are beyond reproach! In fact, that drive is one of the primary reasons my daughter is so desperate to leave home and pursue training with you! (Should I duck now or at the end of the next paragraph? Ha.) One would think that it would be easy to find truly excellent ballet training in Toronto (a city of 3 million people!), but it is not. The North American style is well-represented, but for children who admire the classical dancers of Europe and Russia and wish to keep up to their standard, there is precious little. However, should my daughter be lucky enough to be accepted to a school overseas, I would hope it is only because she is the best fit, rather than as part of a scheme to market an international reputation. After all of this effort, that would crush her!