NJH

'Nessun Dorma effect' ? opera signers often get their greater public fame from performing established works , Dancers however get fame from new and challenging works or being 'newsworthy' whether that is a rapid rise through the ranks, standing up to ADs ( think Guillem's 'mademoiselle Non' reputation) or by being difficult ( polunin ) or a First e.g. Chase Johnsey at ENB or to a lesser extent our very Own @sophie_rebecca and here RAD Inter Foundation merit

as do Grishko ,

depending where you are a trip to see Sheila in Wisbech or the lovely Leanne in Essex might be in order . i've not been fitted by Shiela but i know plenty of people who have and Leanne has a massive selection of the full Grishko range including some 'special editions' (Stock shoes Leaane gets that are a custom spec based on common things that keep popping up in custom orders for particular shoes )

for a 1:1 an hour would be very intense at that age even with 20 minutes of conditioning stuff i ( as an adult ) get through as much ballet in an hour's private as i'd get through in an hour's group class just dancing

the graduate scheme thing seems to be a bit of a curates egg short term contracts is , unfortunately going to be a reality without massive increases in funding for small to medium companies and even more fundign for the big companies to keep their 'extended companies' on when there isn't the work ( e.g. the Albert Hall seasons etc) - but if you speak to some of the elders - this was the pattern in the past a lot more and teaching / 'commercial' dance work and the like were fairly typical activities between lassicla contracts there is the whole aspect of the differing attitudes to employment contracts in the Uk even outwith the EU vs the US

the piece appears to be US centric the waters are muddied by the relatively small amateur adult performance scene in the UK and as Jan rightly points out some of the 'graduate programmes' offered by major companies which appear to be pay to play or only offering peorformance fees and not a salary / wage

the Forstater appeal against t the findings of Tayler EJ is *NOT* a landmark judgement https://www.gov.uk/employment-appeal-tribunal-decisions/maya-forstater-v-cgd-europe-and-others-ukeat-slash-0105-slash-20-slash-joj this is now straying far from the topic and i would encourage the Mods to close the thread now

this the nature of the hate groups groups who are promoting the patriarchy and spreading misinfomarion while misrepresenting the vast majority of the LGB parts of the LGBT+ community. Ann Sinnott - a cisgender heterosexual woman and one of the founders and (until defeat in the courts of the 'Authentic Equality Alliance' a trustee ) of the LGB Alliance was told that her attempts to get the EHRC guidance on Gender reassignment rescinded was 'absurd' , 'wrong in law' and that there was no evidence of harm or detriment to women of any age or young people ( or any sex or sexuality) of the current law with regard to Equality act Protected Characteristic of Gender Reassignment

when the term 'gender ideology' is used - it is almost unversially used by those who want to attack the LGBTQ+ community as a whole the current attempt to wedge this issue is the concerted and baseless attacks against trans people by attempting to use the same tactics that spawned S 28 in the 1980s i see the Bell vs tavistock case has bene menioned, all ready partly overturned , currently awaiting the judgement on the full appeal - but notable that the bell's lawyers is a is anti abortion activistis associated with the US 'christian' extermist right wing grouops that attack the bodily autonomy of all women and attack all LGBTQ+ people

It certainly is not the defintive advice is that given by the EHRC

Well done Chookas ! to her there are some absolutely fabulous humans involved with the comapny and the Academy

it's all down to the exact split of things - why should the AD have the ultimate say on things that are not aobut the activities of the company as performers - a top 5 company is much more than the company ( this is neither the time or place for me to go one of my diatribes about the way the big companies can, at times. act counter to the winder interests of ballet as an activity )

there are successful teachers and Studios who don't necessarily have stellar Performing histories and/or big name vocational training... but there are also a hell of a lot of teachers who Being a professional performer doesn't mean you are a good teacher ( and i've met a few divas along the way - lovely people to spend time with but not good teachers unless they have hot and cold running pianists and PAs ) , but good teachers who had had professional level experience do seem to have 'luckier' students ...

I'm surprised there isn't a thread here all ready but Northern have officially started their search of David Nixon's replacement https://aeminternational.co.uk/artistic-director-northern-ballet/

the Leeds Central Travelodge is not too far either as you rightly say , and iirc most rooms have baths , vicar lane travelodge is all showers IIRC so if the epsom salts bath or cold / hot baths are part of the recovery plan ... never stayed at the Ibis Budget in leeds but have stayed in them elsewhere and I'm not a fan as they often aren't much cheaper than travelodge / premier inn

watch the Conspiracy Theorists go into overdrive ...

perhaps once settled in she may do what Dr Merritt Moore does and guest with various companies

I would agree with you - as despite his boyish good looks iirc David Nixon is in his mid 60s

I think a lot of people have assumed that Kenny's appointment was to keep him (and Hannah Bateman) 'close to home' I wouldn't want to get into in the veracity of that ( and leave it for Kenny and/or David Nixon to make any further comment on that topic as suits them those positing Javier Torres as a future AD may very well have merit but equally there are other Senior Dancers who have got experience in arts leadership and administration as well e.g. Hannah B ... Hannah is a savvy person with a fabulous temprament and ability to deliver on the promises she makes. ( I am a complete Hannah Fangirl girl) one also might wonder about future AoNB leaderhip if Yoko Ichino is also stepping down but the appointment of Both Vicky Goldsmith (Sibson) and Pippa Moore to the Academy staff on their retirement as performers bodes well in that direction for home grown leadership ...

have yet to find the any pretending there ... a lot of teachers realise that if you hook adult recreational dancers - you have someone who is going to be ac ontributing part of the community for decades ... there is a massive amount of "you are a Dancer, regardless of whether you have had a pro contract or not " - several of the pros/ teachers of my acquaintance say all they change is the complexity and pace of classes - and the expectations are the same - come, pay attention , give it your fullest effort and attention ...

Much as I disagree with some things Kate says at times and some of her p/Political positioning on certain topics, this is absolutely spot on. The UK is extremely lucky to have some fabulous teachers across the whole country who really enjoy teaching adults at every level from absolute beginners to advanced / 'pro' classes ( and also pro dancers who accept the amateurs as peers in those general /adanved / pro classes ) Hannah Frost has been mentioned for those who are acessible to London - she is a fabulous teacher and gives brilliant corrections and is probably a really good recommendation - David Kierce is also very good but some people don;t like his style ( feeling he's a little bit too snarky in his absolute beginners and Improvers - he can be as snarky as he wants in improver + and his general/ Pro classes becasue peopel who attend there generally know him and his style ) as has been said by both Kate and Colman the first 3/4/ 6 weeks will be total shell shock if it's completely new or the last classes you took were as a little one.

I agree the only competition should be yourself , whether that's last week, last month or last year ... the two very best compliments i've had in my ballet journey have been along those lines one , from Terence Etheridge , was ' you are a completely different dancer to the person I saw 6months ago ' and the other, was from Hannah Bateman- who is one of the few people i allow to use the term 'inspirational ' about me ( much as @sophie_rebecca dislikes it's use about dancers like she and I ) in descirbing my ballet journey as being inspirational based on our interactions via The Ballet Retreat ...

norm in the UK seems to be one hour or 90 minutes but often one hour classes are 'needed' to deliver the full range of classes the teacher / school wants to offer and/or make the income needed to pay for space ... do love a 90 minute class, even better when it;s the last / only class of the session in the studio and the teacher is a bad time keeper ( memories of the infamous Jim lurking at the door way trying to attract Nina T-M attention as her 90 minute class at Central nights was approaching 110 mins )

Hey Laura welcome to the forum there are a number of posters on here who started taking class at rather older ages than 29 ( waves at @sophie_rebecca among others) ( or came back after minimal experience as a little one) what is a ballet body ? if you you have a body ( preferably your own ) and do ballet you have a ballet body 😉 flexibility , grace and lines will come with time - it;s interestign to look at the 'timelines' of various adult dancers and how their bodies change with time taking class so often people start taking class as adults because they want to get fit(ter) - then they fall down the rabbit hole ! and suddenly they are then looking at getting fitter to dance better! as for what to wear to class it really does depend on both you and on the class in question , i've been in adult beginner / improver classes where all the women are in pink tights / leotard / wrap skirt and all the guys are in tights/ leggings and tight top if not full on male dander lycra , but equally i;ve been in classes where hardly anyone wears 'proper' ballet kit and it;s leggings / shorts and t-shirts all round ... it also helps to understand why 'standard' class attire can help your learning even the accursed back seamed tights! pale / flesh tone / bare legs allows the teacher to see if you are engaging the correct muscles in your legs form fitting tops allow the teacher to see if you are engaging the muscles in you upper body and back properly and look at your alignment overall will this make much of a difference at beginner level ? some would argue not but it 's about sound buidling blocks if you want to progress beyond improvers classes into beign able ot take 'Intermediate' classes ( or even the exam ! ) or 'general' classes in the London meaning of the term there's a number of posts on the topic on agirlreconstructed.com some of which also link back to stuff Sophie has posted https://www.agirlreconstructed.com/2019/10/an-aesthetic.html talks aobut it and links back to previous posts leotard / tights / skirt is rarely 'too much' for adult class unless it s really is a 'mum's class' ...

This is such exciting News, Gavin is a fabulous Human and if you look at the names who have choreographed the other Norther Ballet ' little ballets for little people' ...