Lusodancer

1 hour ago, Angela said:

I guess we can say as a general rule that if it has a "2" or "II" in the name, it seems to be legitimate.

That's probably a good guide.  

But it is a minefield, isn't it? 

However, after all this discussion, it is good news about BRB2, and we wish them well.

1 hour ago, Angela said:

Could you name some of these companies, Lusodancer?

 

Well, ocasionally I dip into the audition sites and follow through to see audition proceedure, crtieria and curriculum,  fees, etc just to be more informed ( in case my DD comes asking for a loan). Some are quite upfront and others say more details on request, which is where I stop. But on the continent, a years course may be somewhere like 2000-3000€ , similar to the course fees for universities or Masters programmes (some countries charge nothing of course for official courses) but I spotted a 12 month  free- standing junior company advertised today in South London  for £12,000 a year. So this is why I am interested and watch carefully for the trends, trying to keep track of who's where of my DD's friends and colleagues and how's it going. I think the pre-profesional course of Ballet Cymru for example is also £3,000ish for the year, which is competitive to the European ones. Elephant in the Black Box, Madrid or Pau, would probably represent similar value for money and experience, and has certainly benefitted those that I know have gone. Rosella Hightower has a scheme too I believe, which would also be an excellent experience. I have no idea how much that was , but one parent thought it expensive but it served her son well.  

Other that I have seen but don't know fees: Arles, DiA( Holland), The Hague Conservatoire, Nacho Duato(a new one in Madrid), Area Jeune Ballet, Europaballet, Junior Ballet Antwerp, Nevada Ballet II, and that's just a quick trawl of auditions now.  

As regards, the criteria for entry to companies, judging by the listings on audition sites the world over, junior companies are normally listed as 17-22 years, and professional as frequently listed as a minimum of so many years practice or over 22. Some outstanding youngsters obviously can catch the eye earlier if exposed at major competitions, but as is so frequently discussed in Doing Dance, so few of the British pupils go anywhere near YAGP or PdL and direct entry from Royal, Elmhurst, or any other classical pathway is not guaranteed.  Even a knowledgeable Australian, commented in a feed of Doing Dance, that similar issues occur there too with the transition from academy to leading Australian companies, or lack of...

I am not necessarily saying that second companies are not useful. In fact, they could be very good for many companies as a vehicle for developing new works with a more minimalist investment for maximum output. A way to use small more intimate spaces to reach different  audiences. It depends how directors view such a project, as a training ground only or an extension of the main company for alternative programmes.  So if they create wealth and turnover for the company through tours like this, should they have to pay for the privilege, or should they receive an appearance fee? Are they assisted with material, like pointe shoes as company dancers would be? These are all valid points for the dancer to consider when weighing up the value of one against the other before enrolling. And there is sometimes little information about the rewards of the programme on which to base a judgement of choice of where to apply.  

And before you then point out how much it costs to hire and mount a show for companies, I am more conversant than I care to be with  the prices of theatre spaces and conference hall across Europe (some would make your hair curl), touring vinyl, costumes, the licenses for live or recorded music, the difference between the cost of public domain music and newer works, and the costs of musician and choreographers.  At least the amatuer orchestra I play in managed to get municipal sponsorship for a concert space, advertising, licenses so that we were able to contribute to the Rotary effort to buy a piece of equipment for the surgical block of our local hospital. Otherwise it would have been a very expensive concert to mount in the space we were given.  

It is good to ask the questions and have a debate. Someone somewhere is always more knowledgeable or more experienced and can help with answers. So let's wait to see what others think or have discovered. I love the wealth of knowledge and diversity on this forum. However I think we would generally all like to see more dance, more funding, and more success stories, however it arises. 

There are many second companies attached to European companies these days. Some, though, are vehicles for charging for the 'education' of a two year program that then supports other parts of the main company activities, and many other two year free standing professional training programs are designed on a similar scheme, with occasional appearance fees for shows. I would be interested to know how this particular venture is funded, ie. is BRB supporting the dancers, or are the dancers supporting themselves?  Many of my DD's friends are scattered across Europe and have chosen this route after finishing vocational study because it seems to be the only way to acheive that magical ingedient of getting the ' 2 years minumum professional experience' by '22 years old' that seems to open the door into a company these days. Luckily some of the old eastern block companies still take younger and less experienced dancers from vocational schools that don't do the competition route to fame and fortune but have a solid technique to cut the mustard at audition. It's not easy for these dancers, but then was it ever? 

On the  Subject of the Nutcracker

On 04/01/2023 at 15:12, Lizbie1 said:

1. Nutcracker is intended, marketed and celebrated as a great way in to ballet for young children. 2. Young children sometimes act up, even with vigilant parents. 3. There aren't enough row ends to accommodate everyone who might need or prefer one.

 

When I book for Nutcracker matinées I assume that crying children or similar disturbances are likely - caveat emptor. Once I'm in that frame of mind it bothers me less when it happens (and not at all if the interruption is minor).

My eldest daughter now 34, was taken to experience the Nutcracker at about 4.5-5 years old, having just started ballet herself. It was the Mayflower of Southampton, with its stalls, cirlce and the  'Gods' of the balcony. I duly booked the last row of the balcony with another mother and her daughter, ready for a discreet exit if necessary. Well my daughter was entranced, but recognized all the music having been entertained for years by the video of the original Disney Fantasia . So for the entire show she amused all the people round us, by her pirouettes between the rows of seats and her exclaims to each melody, 'This is from Fantasia!' 'And this is in Fantasia too!' No -one minded a bit because they were jusr so amazed that someone so tiny had been exposed to all that Tchaikovsky and knew their way round an arabesque, sautés and pirouettes in 5th.

42nd Street didn't have the same effect though Grandad insisted we went. 

Well, for all those who have musicians and dancers in the family, my news is that my bassoonist daughter(22) has combined a final degree project at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire into her first production with her dancing sister as artistic director(19) and created their first professional production, the Knight's Move, which you will find listed on another link under Ballet/ Dance news. The principle choreographer is Jamie Carter of the Capital Ballet, London. He has designed a piece especially for the suite of music chosen by my musician for her wind quintet, and then suggested another suite, which has had to be adapted by her from the original arrangement, and using all her musical skills to analyse , decompose and then transpose accordingly. The dancers will then have fun to show off some of their favourite solos without the constraints of assessments or curriculum, just dancing for the sheer love of the art. Does it get any better than that for dancers and musicians? 

So there is hope for you all out there wondering how far vocational studies will take your offspring. And some reward for the patience of us parents. This performance will be the first time our two have shared a stage for 10 years, since the ballerina went to vocational training in another city and the musician stayed behind until she too moved away for her studies. Too often we have not had chance to see them perform, but this we won't miss.

At present, every one of those tutus that served my daughter for YAGP and other competitions, and a few new ones, some made professionally and some borrowed, are being brought into service and redressed, by my daughter and I, to suit the roles, for use by the small company of professional(LSC alumni) and final year students from London Studio Centre that make up the Kinetic Ballet Ensemble. It has been rewarding for all concerned to collaborate outside of college on a stand-alone event and gives another experience for the curriculum vitae for all.

If any of you are in or around Birmingham on the 14th February, we would love to see you at the Crescent Theatre , Birmingham at 19.00. Tickets are on sale via the theatre website or box office. But please feel free to follow events via the social media links. If we can offer some encouragement to others it will make us happy.

For those talking about the cost of instruments, they don't get much more expensive than a bassoon. My daughter has spent years working for months every summer trying to pay hers off. I won't tell you what it costs, because it would make your hair curl. Although a bassoonist is always a popular player, for the shortage of them, there are still not so many places in orchestras as violins for example. As parents, we had to encourage the girls to pursue their talents as far as they could go with them, because you may not get the chance later, whereas other careers can come later if necessary. In fact my daughter dedicates her event, the Knight's Move to her grandfather, who gave up his scholarship to study violin at the Northern School of Music, 70 years ago after a lack of support by his father, swapped pathway, and  spent his life in the NHS dental service for 40 years . There are many patients who were very grateful he never became leader of the LSO or such, but it was him who encouraged her to try the bassoon. He never acheived the artistic heights he had been destined to reach, and had to content himself to amateur orchestras. I didn't appreciate his sacrifice till many years later. Unfortunately he died before my daughter had even taken Grade 1, and he never saw the ballerina dance on stage.  So this is special for us, particularly the bassoonist.

The Knight’s Move is an evening of classical ballet to live music, curated by a final year music student from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The dancers of the Kinetic Ballet Ensemble are professional dancers and final years students of the London Studio Centre, who have united for this performance to present some new choreographies composed for this project by Jamie Carter, director of Capital Ballet of London, and other notable classical solos and duets. 

The music of some familiar works , arranged where necessary, is played by the Hedwig quintet, a wind quintet of senior students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and a  pianist.  The musical leader of the project has joined with her ballerina sister to create a unique event of a mixed program, that is the culmination of years of dedication to their crafts and possibly the beginnings of future artistic collaborations.  

'As Schlovsky put it in 1923 “There are many reasons for the strangeness of the knight’s move, the main one being the conventionally of art, […] The second reason lies in the fact that the knight is not free… it moves in an L-shaped manner because it is forbidden to take the straight road.”

Life rarely follows a linear path, and art may have its conventions and traditions that encourage compliance, but these also need challenging. Obstacles need to sidestepped, or we can be led off a continuous path by luck, choice, or things beyond our control, or even defiance of the expected rules. The L-shaped Knight’s move, whether forwards, backward or sideways, as a metaphor for the unexpected and illogical connections can represent life’s compromises or those occasions where we need to tarry a while on a square with a different perspective in order to plan the next advance. In the context of this project, it signifies the serendipity of chance meetings and positive opportunities that have culminated in the creation of the show with this team, and the countless alterations of the programme list since conception.'

(notes from the program)

Although the project stems from a degree assignment, this is very much a public performance to be enjoyed by all. Tickets are available online or in person through the Crescent Theatre box office in Birmingham. The performance starts at 19.00 hours.  

The program consists of: 

Brian Boru’s March

Baroque Suite, Purcell and Marcello

Cupid from Don Quixote, Minkus

String Quartet No. 2, Nocturne, Borodin

Paquita, Minkus

Aurora, Tchaikovsky

Jazz Medley, Gershwin

Bluebird from Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky

Morceaux de fantaisie, Elégie, Rachmaninov

Spanish variation from Coppélia, Delibes

Corridinho Algarvio

Interval

 Concerto de Aranjuez, Rodrigo

Salle de Danse, Françaix

Libertango, Piazzolla

New York, New York, Lukas Foss

Jewels from Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky

                                                                                                                                 Sheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov

  Walpurgisnacht, Gounod

 Marco Spada, Auber

Oceans and Pearls from The Little Humpbacked Horse, Shchedrin

  Tico-Tico no Fúba, de Abreu

Details can be found on the theatre page at:
https://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk

Plus, under the name, The Knight’s Move, on the usual social media sites, and the website is https://theknightsmove.godaddysites.com

Well done DD of Balletbean. Good news indeed

On 16/08/2021 at 04:47, Mrsmac said:

Thank you. I think 2 would be all she would choose if she was at a ballet school 

To add my twopenneth to this debate, my DD started two A levels staggered over the three years of a ballet diploma and successfully pulled off good grades over all disciplines in and out of the studio. She has now been accepted onto a part-time degree at an academic university in a highy academic subject with 2 A levels and her Level 6 dance diploma. This will allow her to compliment a dance career with a transition later into other areas. Part -time study has prepared her for multi-tasking and time management as well as feeding her intellectual needs. Infact it  changed her direction and helped her discover other depths,which was precisely what she expressed in her personal statement to the university and they had no hesitation in accepting her, having a proven track record in success on a non-conventional route. So best to go for quality not quantity, in my opinion.

She spent the first year with face to face study with her tutor on a Sunday morning and the last two years working remotely because of Covid and a physical move away from the area. Despite that lessons were never interrupted.

If you need recomendation for a tutoring service, I would really recommend her very keen, highly organised teacher, with clear lesson plans and goals and a good pass rate. Always supportive, fun and encouraging, despite having a young family to look after and finishing her own doctorate.  

Hope this helps. You have time to find solutions.

Portugal and we have Ensino Articulado which is a Ministry of Education funded route for combined artistic studies with academic education in certain institutions. But virtually every major city has one public school and conservatory  combining to give music or dance or both  . So its a baccalaureate- style academic selection of general studies with general music or art missing for  music and Physical education and music replaced for dance, though the artisitc students end up doing more hours overall than the average school week. 

There are specific rules over which sorts of dance institution can apply, because it is tax payers. money. That is the course structure, the hours dedicated in strict units for Ballet, Creative dance, leading to Contemporary when old enough, Historiuc dances, character dances, and other supplementary physical preparation, these are all laid down in law. The curriculums of instructors are a factor and the school facilities, ie number of studios equipped appropriately, classrooms for theory, teachers common room , students common room, girls and boys changing rooms. So its not a free for all but its certainly enlightened compared to modern UK. I remember my youth in Hertfordshire with similar projects in music for which my brother, I and countless others were the grateful recipients.

However the local school did not have this , but it did have two teachers who qualified in the Vaganova  Academy and the Moscow Theatre Arts University. who applied the same Russian rules  and discipline as they had experienced to some lapsidaisical portuguese kids and their families, with the result that the determination of these kids and supporters ramped up and notch or two. They learned how to fundraise Uk-style from yours truly and others to send their kids round Europe in competitions, that paid off dividends in school results.  

It wasn't just ballet they learned. It was a discipline for life and a gratefulness for the generosity of others that put them on international stages periodically.

As another contributor has stated, schools can sometimes measure progress by exams, others by artistic performance in shows, others by particiaption in competitions and festivals. I would suggest a balance. Competitions showed my DD what could be achieved by hard work and dedication in an artisitc direction, she then followed to strict vocational school with few artistic outlets,more the concentration on technique and no competitions just internal evaluations, then later she had to relearn how to let go artistically and develop a personna on stage. Now she is old enough to appreciate that the laying down of a strong technique is designed to free the artist  in order to feel secure on stage to assume the role. But from that golden start to a straight-jacket class, she passed through a period of doubt ,then blossomed later. 

So at 7.5  your DD  is just starting out ,as are you to support her, and you will find a wealth of honest and heartfelt opinions and experiences on this forum to help you, as you have had on this feed. I wish I had found it ten years ago. I am still learning now, and my DD is more able to express more about those early days and what she felt then and with hindsight considers important now.  Listen to your teachers and experiment short courses in holidays to hear other opinions- Keep training light but productive. What we have not had here are associate programmes until now, though I have contacts who are due to start that concept here, but this seems to me a rather high pressured experience for precious family weekend hours, what with auditions and the have they, haven't they. So maybe at 7 try to stay local and save your and her energy for later.   

So what is important, IMHO , is not to take on more than the family can cope with as a social unit or financially( we lived luckily 10-12 mins drive from ballet school and music academy ), what the school work  and timetable allows(ours was simple) , choose the best instruction and results over hours, measured by  quality of presentation, diversity and general sense of artistry/ inventiveness at shows, exams and frequency, or particiaption in festivals and comps. We had one town school that did shows where parents paid for each costume whcih could limit participation of their DC, and exams (expensive with external examiners ), and the other did internal assessments but  national and international competitions and shows , with limited parental financial contribution but massive fundraising that united the school body into the effort. The two major schools still attract  different social groups, interestingly.  Overall at 7 , it should be fun, instructive and develop a sense of discipline,selfworth and positive social interaction. If they end up continuing it ten years later then so be it.  

How come I always write too much? Someone tell me to be quiet!

4 minutes ago, Elz said:

4.5 hours of music lessons as in instrumental lessons? That's a lot, specially with music practice between lessons.

She was on a set special artisitic course, that had one hour instrumental 2x , piano for her, one hour theory, and 1.5 choir. Her sister did the same and is now a MusicD in bassoon on a B Music Performance in a conservatoire.  School here is compressed and finishes early with timetable allowance made for special artisitic FREE courses from aged 10 to those with interest and talent.

Yes when we had ballet shows and  music recitals it got really testing. But I am pleased to say they never missed one, so they always got picked for all the civic events because we never let down any of the teachers. Indeed when they moved away to other schools in the capital, the local mayor commented on their absence from the line up.

The fun thing was scheduling, music normally came first , then dance, so they left  for school at 08.10 and started music at 15.30/ 1600 and then went to dance at 1800 and arrived home at 2030/ 2100, with home work done over a soup or bifana in a cafe. If you had them going in opposite directions and doing their buns in the car and changing it got fun.I suppose when I read of parent  here on this forum doing these weekend associate programs, it reminds me of those days.

We got through a tank of fuel a week. Now we use one a month. Ballet parents do not save the planet, but shush don't tell Greta. 

At 7 , my DD was training 1.5 hours in ballet 2x per week and 1 hour 3x week in Character dance (and 4.5 hours music lessons)if not more , resulting in a gold medal win in a world competition 8 months later in national dance group dance  that set her and one other on the road to vocational  studies in the long run plus launched three medical students and three architects students, one into pschychology and another into medical sciences. The value of that world class win that was repeated with other excellent presentations in other years and allowed small town kids from the end of the world to think bigger than working in the local tourist restaurants and changing hotel beds, and with these Covid times, thank goodness.  

If  your DD has  the desire and stamina get ready for the ride because it sets them up for anything later. 

29 minutes ago, meadowblythe said:

Speaking as a librarian, rather than not enjoying cheerleading, could she not read a book?  Best thing you can do for your mental health and really great habit to get into at a young age.  A lot of performing is sitting around waiting - and learning to use that time productively is as important as any dance training.

What a good idea! Gets 10/10 from me. 

Hello Jan,

I cannot talk about Budapest, but I have some knowledge of Jean Philippe Dury's Elephant in the Black Box. One of my DD'S old class mates had completed her level 3 diploma in Contemporary Dance in Portugal last year and has now spent a highly successful year with the new Junior company in Pau, France. Her talent was quickly spotted and appreciated.

Jean Philippe Dury is a delightful mentor,who though classically trained in Paris,values the potential in a dancer more than a  classic physical type, curriculum vitae or specific college course/ballet background, so he will look for different things at audition  than other AD's and offer opportunitiy or scholarships to some very surprised students from non-conventional places. Indeed my DD won a scholarship with a ballet repertoire competition piece for the summer school but was unable to attend, but another young man we know was also offered for a contemporary piece in a world dance competition where he was adjudicating, and the young man had moved sideways from Ballroom into Contemporary not from ballet. JP will often allow shortened tasters to interested parties . He is well respected by a wide range of industry professionals and the recent expansion from  the main and original base Madrid to the setting up of the second unit in France, clearly shows he and his colleagues have a winning and popular formula. Did you note that the new RB choreographer has also worked with him? Dolly Henry has taught jazz for several seasons there too. So dance training is broad and there are frequent guest choreographers. If someone is interested, they should log into the accessible classes online through Instagram for a true feel.  I know that I would be very happy for my ballet/ neo-classical loving DD to spend some time there at some stage, whether junior or senior company.  It is one of the pre-professional course I would definitely pay for if that was required, because I know that the experience would represent value for money and give a lot of happy, productive learning. Furthermore, both Madrid and Pau, though different, are super places to live.   

Another good summer school is the Ballet Cymru in Newport. They have a variety of age groups. They announced a live summer school last week and today was the last day for entries, but its probably still worth enquiring if there are places left or a waiting list.  

Seniors, 17 plus, get to dance at professional level with their pre-professional and company dancers.  

My DD really enjoyed this course and even the online one last year. 

As someone living on the other, EU , side, we have to fill out a customs form to send anything bigger than a letter or 'small packet', and list the items and value if we are sending to Britain, just as we would to send or receive from China or the U.S.A. So I will not be sending any Christmas , birthday presents and will probably be usisng an online greeting card service and Interflora type transactions.

Everyone here that buys on Amazon( and personally I have no intention of making Mr. Bezos any richer) has had to swap to the German or Spanish branches not UK. 

So leotard -wise and shoes, my DD will buy UK stuff in the Uk , and European in Europe. Brexit, the gift that just keeps giving.

1 hour ago, Canary said:

Lusodancer don’t worry about age they defer starting contract until the dancer is 18. 

Yes thank you, but some state that you have to be over 18 to even apply for audition, so it would seem a little pushy to apply especially with the stiff competition. She is patient and finds plenty of avenues to develop her skillset further in and out of the studio. She can just apply for a company class later and might do better that way. 

I do hope that the colleges make some effort. I am glad you have a flight booked BalletBean. That's more than I have. Enjoy the moment in whatever way it comes. I will have to send a UK-based substitute.

My DD  is just graduating on a diploma course, as she is also wrapping up her A levels and is still under 18 till the very end of August. She looked at all the auditions going across Europe principally, and the age required, usually set at 18,and realised that there was no point in putting together a show reel because it would be a waste of effort. The restrictions on access to studios and colleagues with the technology and know-how in other bubbles  didn't help. However she would be blanked automatically by companies as under age. Gone are the days of apprenticeships at 16 plus. Employment laws, insurance, safeguarding and health and safety have put paid to that. However her appetite for academic study has increased and so DD is  thinking of continuing in this direction for a while, whilst continuing with classes and delaying the applications by at least one year. She has time on her side. She may get some freelance work to put on the CV after she is 18. Who knows?

She did have the opportunity to do a three day showcase with the ballet company of her college , which she adored and some material may be available from this for showreels in the future. Usually the college tours but they restricted that this year. I do not know if any company AD's attended. Tutor feedback was positive. Her old YAGP films and others, though of an excellent standard and good enough to audition a year ago, will not represent the dancer she is now after yet more intensive instruction. Improvement is constant,the quality of technique and interpretation , maturity of expression and indeed figure and face. The difference between looking like a 'student ' and a company dancer can be great.  

The college did give classes on employability and audition technique, but bubbles and limitations on studios prevented students having chance to do showreels easily. Not sure how many have been successful at audition, because I am out of the loop. Choreography ventures were suggested for online transmission  through the year, which were highly inventive in terms of techniques, storytelling , locations and  a great use of technology, and I should think that some  students involved then used this material for their reels.

There will be some form of live graduation ceremony but bubbled. 

On 18/06/2021 at 23:53, Angela said:

Ideally, I would look to someone in the position of a director of a ballet company to speak for the medium

I think this is what Carlos Acosta is trying to do. He seems to have a more accessible position to the media, than some other directors, it appears, as barely a month goes by and he is quoted somewhere. In response to Angela, critics I would say have the power to make or break a production with a well chosen adjective, and should not be the best to represent the genre to the ticket-buying public. I am afraid to say, as a mother of a professional dance student, that it was the traditional folk-tale ballets that enticed her into the studio and still maintains her interest, long before she knew what modern ballet, neo-classical or contemporary ballet looked like, and I suspect that she is not alone.

When we see how much literature has been transformed into modern 'classics', Eugene Onegin, Anna Karenina, Anastasia and the list goes on, there is still much material to be interpreted in a classical style, and that's before we get to modern ballet and contemporary re-imaginings. As another thread here discusses, Ashton's work needs to be revised and presented to new audiences. There is a wealth of traditional material that will always pay the bills of the company by putting bums on seats, whilst new works are in production with emerging choreographers. It is all a question of balance, artistic and economic, I would say.

I can understand directors wanting to be less 'elitist' in style and wanting to present a broader palette of genres and mixed styles of dance and music. I would suggest though that it is the still the same audience that buys tickets, regardless of whether Vadim M , Stephen Mc, Sarah L  from ROH or  the company of BRB are suddenly girating,moonwalking and body-popping to Eminem or MC Whoever . Grannie still wants to buy a ticket for the grandkids for the Nutcracker, and then they will want Giselle, Swan Lake etc and later more contemporary works.   

On 04/06/2021 at 10:50, glowlight said:

what a wonderful Minister for Culture and Arts your dd will be, because she will know the issues from the inside.

Yes , when the present government announced that' Fatima is retraining', they had no idea of the poltical monster they were creating.

Wishing strength. resilience and patience to all our artist children, their teachers and company directors ( oh, and us).

My DD , a vocational student since aged 10, has completed A levels in her own time, a teaching qualification, Benesh Notation modules , a pilates instructor course, alongside full time dance studies resulting in a level 6 diploma and all before reaching 18 years old, and now has to choose between converting Level 6 diploma to Level 6 BA( with reduced years), or joining a pro-professional program or company or having had a political awakening given the current Brexit/ Covid/ underfunding of education/ underfunding of culture and arts that she is wanting to sign up to a BA in Politics ,or address these issues in a BA Dance dissertation.

Whatever, she chooses, discipline learned in the studio, concentration, dedication and time keeping will carry her through. She has her heart set on being Minister for Culture and Arts in 20+ years, ready to defend our corner.

Believe you me, dance students are fit for anything and everything.

Hello Laura,

Just to give you more encouragement, I started at 45 ish and I am still going on at 60. Up to about Intermediate Foundation level and probably static now, but won't ever get on pointe. Too many broken bones so far in my life, that I won't risk it now. Just love the discipline in my life and the challenge of remembering combinations and cleaning them up, until the teacher changes them again. 

Pilates is brilliant for strenthening the core and flexibility, so you go girl! Will be watching out for your progress reports.

Yes, I felt very sorry for her being presented with such a dilemma, and frequently do feel sorry for these sports people coming in after a  very public 'bad day' to face the press and explain themselves. If I had to go through the triumphs or challenges of my day, every day, it would begin to make me uncomfortable. At least if your other half says' had a good day?' you can choose how you reply and they are none the wiser!

I hope that the issue is out in the public domain with these championships and some discussion occurs in boardrooms of associations.

Hello Beezie,

Depending upon where you are in Europe, there may be auditions for certain schools that have programs linked to official courses and therefore a quota. I know that where I live, certain schools have government paid places for vocational students, that are linked to the education program and school day, and grades count towards school reports. For a place , commitment is required for a fixed term and there is no dropping out if enthusiasm wanes.These would generally in my country be post aged 10.

Sometimes  others announce 'auditions' just to assess level to age in order to fit the child in the right group for age, physical or knowledge characteristics. Other schools will just admit for age or grade without tests. Some have capacity always and others are sought after for the limited places. But , it looks good on your publicity if you offer 'auditions'. 

Sometimes your DC  has to 'try a few classes' to see if it feels comfortable as much as they might be choosing your DC too.  And after that, its the logistics as a parent-taxi driver that count....oh, and cost!

 For a long while, it has been evident that whilst Europe produces high quality dancers in contemporary and ballet, the London colleges train excellent all-rounders for the more commercial areas of dance and stage. A group of interested parties have united to create a new course that will follow the London professional diploma in a fabulous location, so I would like to introduce the following press release to the readers of this forum:

Lisbon Performing Arts College intends to bring London-style dance and musical theatre professional training to Europe with the objective of producing industry-ready creative artists with a wide palette of performance skills for stage, television and film.  The diplomas will be accredited by the highly acclaimed Urdang Academy of London.

Urdang Academy was founded in a time of great social upheaval in 1970, and based on the principles of breaking the mould of traditional elitism in the theatre dance arts. Its vision has always included diversity as an aim, in pupils, faculty and teaching repertoire, and thus produces a high caliber multi-faceted employable graduate class of singer-actors that dance, and dancers that can sing, equipped for starring roles in West End and touring shows, cruise ships, television and films.

The Lisbon Performing Arts College is founded on the premise that there are many talented young artists who desire to become professional all-round performers but have no access to such courses in the UK and where better than to be based in Lisbon. Lisbon is a great city for inspiring artists and is internationally recognized as a wonderful place to live, full of a rich global history and natural beauty. The institution wishes to share this experience with both national and international students and faculty, and to participate in the cultural exchange of the city.

The teaching will be in English by an international faculty and guests, with the view to producing confident skilled performers, able to work internationally in all areas of the industry at the end of the three year diploma. There will also be a one year foundation year for those who wish to get a flavour of the course, with access to continuation into the second year and beyond. The theatre craft repertoire, for example, will be based on past and current West End hits and will be led by a Portuguese star of the West End, Ricardo Afonso. The college is grateful for the support and encouragement of Jazzy Studios, whose network of high quality studio facilities will be greatly appreciated, and is proud to announce its first patrons are Kerry Ellis, actress, singer and musical theatre star, and Claudimar Neto, dancer and graduate of Urdang.

The first in-person auditions will be held in Lisbon on 29th May Jazzy Dance Studios Santos and 6^th June in Porto at Jazzy Porto. Other in-person dates will follow at the beginning of July.

A first wave of online auditions for international students can be made by 15^th June, and a second for 30^th June.  

Registration for audition is via: info@lisbonperformingartscollege.com. Please  search the site www.lisbonperformingartscollege.com  for more details, or contact me via messages and I will explain more.

You realise folks if we all pooled our audition fund and our pre-professional fund money together , we could probably form our own  junior company! Hire a few guest choreographers for a short contract  to build a repertoire, studios,  line up a few theatre dates ,etc . Anybody game?