BalletBoysDad

18 minutes ago, Ottobotto said:

I thought your DS had other finals auditions 😞?!

No, we applied to WL, Paris Opera Ballet, YDA and Tring.  No more auditions for my DS, so time for a much needed rest.  A YDA 'yes' which we are very happy about.

12 hours ago, Ottobotto said:

Yes we were taken aback by that too! Could some just be auditioning for MAs maybe? Thank goodness that’s one  over 😴....

Thank goodness that one’s over indeed 😂 Time for my ds to hang up his audition shoes. Now the agonising wait…. I think if you ticked ‘MAs’ only, you wouldn’t have gone to finals. Though I’d assume a number of boys who don’t get WL places will be amongst those being considered for and offered MA places. Good luck to everyone 🤞

I take back the number of boys at WL finals, assuming it was 26.  After today's 2nd day, my DS seems to think there were 38 in total, and they got split into 2 groups of 18 (2 not present for individual reasons).  So certainly a lot more than was anticipated.

26 minutes ago, PurplePirouette said:

Thanks so much. I hope your ds is having a brilliant couple of days!

Thank you, he seems to be.  It sounds like there is a lovely friendly vibe amongst the boys, making it a much more pleasurable experience for all I hope.

15 hours ago, PurplePirouette said:

I hope everything has gone well for the boys at WL today. Rest up tonight (parents and dc!) to prepare for tomorrow. Does anyone know how many boys were at the finals and if all managed to attend today? 

I believe there are 26 boys at finals for Y7 places 

36 minutes ago, Ottobotto said:

Oh wow, how do you know this? That’s not many which I’m not sure is better or worse to be honest! Do you know how many boys at finals? 

Last year I believe there were 24 boys at finals 

24 minutes ago, NYC said:

Does anyone know if the youngest age group for the SI tends to weight mostly UK students? My DS10 applied for week 3 but at that age I wonder if they prefer local candidates versus international. 

Last summer was obviously almost all domestic (for the younger ones) given the challenges of travel during covid. But I’ve seen young people post Easter ‘yeses’ from all over the world including Australia and New Zealand. So it appears RBS are very global in their outlook, especially as travel restrictions start to ease.

Application for summer intensive closed 15th February, and it says the following online, so I was personally expecting results around 11th or 14th March 

 We aim to send the results by email four weeks after the application deadline. We can receive a high volume of applications close to the deadline and results may be sent just after four weeks, we thank you for your patience.

36 minutes ago, Waverley said:

Thanks so much for posting this - we’ll be coming down on the train and then using the tube so this is really useful to know. At the moment we should be arriving in Richmond on Wednesday and leaving on Friday so hopefully we won’t be too affected but now that I know I’ll keep an eye on it. Thank you!

I think buses still run, and National Rail trains, but these tend to be rammed and journeys can take a lot longer. Maybe just keep an eye on it here, as it might also get called off. At least you’re super close in Richmond. 

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-strike

For anyone visiting London on Thursday 3rd March for WL finals, at this moment in time there is a full strike planned on London Underground on Tuesday and Thursday next week. Most people will probably go by car but might need to keep that in mind if travelling on public transport during their time in London. 

2 hours ago, junedancer said:

 

Reading this line back on its own perhaps I agree but, and maybe I didn’t elaborate what was in my own head enough, I wasn’t ruling out the support of teachers and the use of a photographer.  I do worry that the cost of getting photographs is possibly putting families off applying as I know it would have for us when we started out.  You only need to look at social media and the number of photoshoots some dancers have.  Audition shots are often highly posed with the body placed in the correct way but not in the way the dancer would otherwise be in naturally themselves as a dancer.  Yes it will show them at their best and possibly get a place over someone else.  Panels hopefully look past the “professional” part of the shot and at the dancer.  From what I have seen this year schools are saying professional shots are not needed and I hope this is not just to tick an inclusivity box.

 

Apologies if what I wrote earlier and what I have said above offends anyone as that is definitely not my intention.

I have always taken the photo's with my DS for Y4, Y5, Y6 associate and intensive applications, and now current vocational applications on my own phone, with the help of a dance teacher.  I did curiously ask the price of 'professional photos' and was shocked to find it costing several hundred pounds.  If you consider that a private lesson may cost at least £35-50 depending where you live, that's 1/10th or 1/8th of the cost of a professional shoot. So I've always done the photos in a private lesson.  Not only is my DS gently taking the time to achieve the required positions, he's also learning what his body is doing (weight placement, turnout, expression etc).  He’s very involved in the process, making it enjoyable, and he can now look at a photo a see for himself what he likes and doesn’t like.

When I first took photos from Y4 associate applications, I was entirely reliant of the teachers guidance.  For Y5, I was taking the photos during lockdown, so as much as the teacher was guiding us, I was also asking exactly 'WHAT' each photo needed to show.  I immediately came the personal assumption that what is in the photo is infinitely more important that the aesthetic quality of the photo itself.  I used those photos to apply for WL Summer Intensive and casually apologised for them being taken in the kitchen, on a dull rainy day, and with lockdown rules that was the absolute best we could do, that close to the deadline.  I was pleasantly surprised to receive a very friendly and sincere email from RBS to say that when they say they don't need professional photos, they genuinely mean that, validating that what is in the photo is more important. 

Likewise, for vocational applications, they are taken in the studio with his dance teacher.  I have friends who have had 'professional shots' taken and are delighted with the results.  I also have friends who were disappointed, as the photographer wasn't fully aware of the child's facility, and the final photos didn't show that child off to their best.  

There will be both good and bad experiences any way a photo is taken, and my personal thought is that it's far more important that the photo (and whoever helps instruct the child) shows them to the best of their ability and facility.   The actual 'professionalism' of the photo is far less important than the content in my experience so far.

8 minutes ago, SJBallet said:

Thank you. She will be. She’s just very sad at the moment and it has knocked her confidence. X

Hopefully it’s short lived and there are plenty more exciting opportunities ahead x

My DS said he found the jazz/contemporary section, in his words ‘strange’ as it was all about feet turning inwards rather that turning out, and (his take on it) was that it challenged how you usually move in classical ballet. He doesn’t do any contemporary or jazz so it was very much a new experience, though still enjoyable. 

1 hour ago, MissEmily said:

Does anyone know if Tring funding auditions are only offered to those who ticked "funding required", or anyone of a suitable standard? Fully expecting a straight "no" from Tring anyway as the class seemed much more complex than WL and Elmhurst, and my poor pupil had never done jazz before in her life!

I believe that the funding audition is for those who reach their standard/highest attainment level, and it will be offered regardless of financial circumstances.  Tring CBA hardly touch upon jazz and modern, and is in some ways a feeder scheme to the school.  So classical ballet is the core requirement for the Tring dance pathway. So I imagine the jazz will be viewed as 'potential' rather than current level.

Re: funding audition, the Tring website says those able to pay fees wont be precluded from consideration for funding, so it appears merit based in some way:

Following the entrance audition you will be advised whether or not your son/daughter has been successful for a place at the school and, if suitable, they will be invited back to the final audition for a School Scholarship, a Music and Dance Scheme Award or a Dance and Drama Award (DaDA). If a parent indicates on the Application Form that they are able to pay the fees, this does not preclude their son/daughter from being considered for funding.

Tring advised that audition results can come around 3 weeks from audition date, offering fee paying places or places with the opportunity to attend the funding audition in March.

24 minutes ago, Ottobotto said:

Thank you! I used the one on RBS which even with extra children came out as more! I guess I'll just hope that 1) an offer is there ; 2) a funding offer is there ; and 3) we could somehow afford it if so!!

 

Thank you again. It's certainly very stressful knowing there has to be funding as well as an offer. But what will be will be I'm sure 🙂 

I believe that funding is available for all who qualify at Royal and Elmhurst, and there are limited amounts of funding for Tring and Hammond. 

1 hour ago, PurplePirouette said:

I think there must have been more than one group yesterday as my daughter auditioned in a mixed group of 12 children, roughly half boys and half girls. When we were waiting for our talk from the principal and directors, we did see a group of boys who weren’t in the Tring uniform so I presumed they were also auditioning. I know that Monday & Tuesday next week are audition days, so hopefully they will start sorting results out after that. 

Yes, there were definitely 2 groups. My DS was in a group of around 13 boys, and spotted some male friends in a different room, so presuming that was the mixed group with your DD. I have no idea if this is true or not, but although children auditioning for Royal, Elmhurst etc won’t get results until mid to late March, a current parent at Tring told me their results come much much sooner. 

2 minutes ago, balletboy8 said:

Thanks BalletBoysDad, apart from the 'couple of weeks', that is also my understanding. Due to a potential clash with something else, I had to ask when the funding auditions take place. They would not be specific but told me it was mid-March. 🙂

Yes, I was of the understanding funding auditions are mid March as they dates are very similar to Elmhurst and WL finals/results.  A current Tring parent told me the results came very quickly for non-funded places, though of course applicants will be looking to see other results before making a decision, and some will naturally be reliant on funding too. 

1 hour ago, balletboy8 said:

DS says that they were called in 1 at a time and the others waited around outside the studio. 

 

Does anyone know when we hear the results?

I’m not 100% sure where I came to this understanding, but I feel I’ve been told results might be just a couple of weeks, as today’s was only boys. That’s when they presumably offer fee paying places. I understand they then decide who to invite back for a funding audition, as unlike Royal and Elmhurst, there isn’t funding available for every accepted student. That funding audition is around March I believe. I could have this totally wrong. 

My DS is at Tring today too. Does anyone know if yesterday was a boys or girls audition day? 

Tring replied to say that there is no need to buy jazz shoes exclusively for the audition.

2 hours ago, MissEmily said:

@AstridI asked if socks were acceptable as that’s what my pupil normally wore (before JAs asked for tights) and they said either is fine. I have sent another email asking if socks or ballet shoes would be acceptable instead of jazz shoes as she doesn’t have any and it seems a bit bonkers buying a pair for a one hour class. I’ll let you know the answer.

I asked Tring the same re: jazz shoes. My DS doesn’t have any, but they usually wear ballet shoes at CBA if they do any contemporary workshops. Otherwise I’ll be buying a pair of jazz shoes for a single audition. 

1 hour ago, SJBallet said:

Singing Happy Birthday is the advice for the Hammond audition if children aren’t used to singing. 
 

Re lateral flows are we saying it’s the ones that (pre omicron) you could get from chemists or schools? 

I’m quite sure it’s the ‘regular old’ LFTs that you get given for free in chemists, schools, shopping malls etc. We’ve had to submit a few of those in the last few weeks, as long as they’re registered on the gov.uk website, where you receive an email or text confirming what result you entered. 
 

3 minutes ago, Julsgalaxy said:

Ok thank you , I’m glad I checked as I was thinking it may just be a regular lateral flow that you do at home without needing to send it off to nhs …I had better order those then xx

I’m sure it’s the free NHS ones you upload the result here: 

https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

They’ve been accepting these daily for their children participating in ENB Nutcracker 

31 minutes ago, Julsgalaxy said:

For the Tring audition, it says to do a lft 24 hours beforehand…I’m wondering if this is just a regular lft or an official one like the WL one was ? 

I am sure that this is just the regular NHS ones that you register online and get a text or email confirming the result. Not one of the ‘paid for’ services. My DS recently had covid and they confirmed they would also accept receipt proof of a positive test, such as the NHS Test and Trace email confirmation.