Neverdancedjustamum

4 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

I think quite often they are graduates of upper  schools so older ? 

The ones I have seen are lower school age, definitely no older than Year 11. 

1 minute ago, Kerfuffle said:

That’s good although that is the limit that they can spend there so not very useful if you are still at school ! 

Definitely. I always did wonder who can actually take up these places if you’re from the U.K. and in full time education. Perhaps it is easier for home schooled students.

9 minutes ago, OnTheMove said:

Thank you. I like the idea of European school of ballet especially. Wonder what experiences people have of that. 

I’ve heard really good things. My DD wasn’t able to go the year she was offered but I’ve seen on social media British students getting offered 3-month internships off the back of their summer intensives.

27 minutes ago, Evangeline said:

Hi, does anyone know how many dancers from year 9 get to year 10? Or can you point me in the direction where this is discussed? Thank you

I think the threads where this was discussed have all been locked. 

For those who have done Masterclasses in Prague - I would be grateful for accommodation recommendations. Preferably within walking distance to the studios please. We received a list of suggested hotels but would love to hear personal recommendations. It will be our first time in Prague.

7 minutes ago, Pointeperfect said:

Those with a yes- when’s the deadline to accept?

Payment deadline is 28 March. I’m not sure if that’s the same deadline to accept.

6 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

I must admit that I was startled to see an entire thread locked and hidden.   Has someone complained about the whole discussion?  

It may have appeared to be sharply critical of the RBS, but perhaps those criticisms are justified?  In any case, I am assuming that the majority of people posting here are British, and therefore the discussion is going to focus on the leading schools in the UK.  I would be fascinated to hear about the leading schools in France, the US, etc, if anyone has experiences of them.  

Agreed. I remember there were some stats quoted and links to articles that could have been of interest to those auditioning this year. I thought for the most part it was a very thoughtful discussion and one that clearly caught the attention of a lot of members. I am sure a lot of posters were disappointed to find the entire thread locked, with no posts at all visible. Based on previously locked threads, I very much doubt it will be re-opened. I did have a feeling it would be locked at some point as it was mainly about the RBS (which was the focus of the OP’s original post).

11 hours ago, BattementBatty said:

I was going to post this on the other thread but as it’s closed. 
 

This morning I came across a social media post (via someone I know commenting) from a international student about getting WL finals and was shocked to see that RBS had commented.  Is that how you know you are in with a chance these days?

I did wonder why that previous discussion thread was locked in its entirety with none of the comments visible, when only a few comments could be considered contentious. Surely the specific posts could have been hidden. I do recall a similar thread a few months ago which was also locked and I don’t think it was ever re-opened. That older post was locked as tempers appeared to be flaring and so to get some posters to cool down. I think this is often what happens when the RBS is discussed. It’s clearly very much a dividing topic…I hope this one doesn’t go that way too. 

Oslo KHIO and TAZ (Zurich) has/had British trained students although I can’t be certain if they are studying there under a different nationality/passport. I know that friends with children who have dual citizenship, one of which is EU, have lots more choices in terms of schools they want to go to full time.

8 hours ago, Kerfuffle said:

Can anyone tell me how big the year groups are at Hamburg and if many 16 year olds join? 

I once saw a class photo of around that age/year group at Hamburg and I counted approximately 22 girls (slightly less boys, maybe 16). I personally know someone (not British) who joined when she was 14. I also think there’s a British girl there (if still there) who joined after Year 11 from Elmhurst. I am guessing entry at 16 will be the most popular out of all age groups. 

14 minutes ago, Bex said:

I haven't watched all the male dancers yet but I loved Ana Luisa, the Brazilian girl, and Sangwon Park's Giselle was gorgeous. So glad they were both recognised. Looking forwards to watching the boys now!

I too loved Ana Luisa’s performances. Her contemporary was simply stunning. 

37 minutes ago, sunrise81 said:

Current Year 9s have just done their appraisals. They will get told in the next couple of weeks whether or not they have a place for yr 10. They were told over Feb half term last year. 

 

I would have thought assessments would be a separate process to auditions or applying for a Year 10 place. I’d expect both processes to have separate outcomes, that is, someone can pass an assessment but not get a place. I don’t know how it works though but know that’s how it works in some academic schools (they pass all subjects but don’t get into the school’s sixth form, for example). Unless they use the same criteria I guess in which case they can use the assessments as a 2-in-1.

23 minutes ago, Surreycitric said:

 

Not a single one. Not a Brit from abroad or anything close.. 

If the numbers of girls UK girls getting finals are an indication then it doesn't look unlikely that it will be the same again this year. Not a single UK student a Prix de Lausanne either .

Probably a bit related to this but I was wondering, now that RBS has clearly said there are distinctly different stages to their training programme which their own students would need to apply/audition to, would it be the case that after the first three years their WL students would perhaps be included with all other applicants for Year 10 for the finals for example? And maybe the same for their Year 11s auditioning for upper school? Or is it all still done in-house? I would have thought it would be to their benefit to see how their own students fare against others from other schools/overseas/non-vocational. This would seem a more transparent way of auditioning.

13 minutes ago, Angela said:

 

Or maybe the students already have a job at the Royal Ballet and don't need the stress to do a competition.

I am not sure of the numbers in the last few years but I wouldn’t think it would suggest this. There are actually whole discussions on this forum I believe on how it’s otherwise. I did spot a few finalists and scholarship recipients who look very much like the ‘type’ RBS would offer places to (based on previous years) but often these are the same ones who other schools offer places to as well so it would be interesting to see where these young dancers choose to go. 

2 hours ago, expatballetmom said:

Thank you for the insight! I suppose it's similar to any major pre-prof ballet school! Just curious are the numbers similar in the associates schemes? Do they also get assessed out along the way? 

I can only speak for one centre, but yes, they do ‘assess’ out at MA level. For years the word on the street is that they don’t, but they definitely do. The important thing to keep in mind is that it really is not the end of the world if they aren’t offered another year of training. We have known young dancers who left of their own accord or ‘assessed out’ but are doing amazingly well and I truly believe some of these dancers will fare better (in some way or another) in the long run. Some might actually think that if you’re aiming at auditioning for a later year (not Year 7), there are pros to not being ‘in the system’ beforehand. 

42 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Many thanks Neverdancedjustamum!! 
It’s great that they have the photos as well ….as before have only just seen the candidates names next to the numbers. 
 

Yes, I thought that as well. Really enjoying watching the PdL this year. What an amazing group of young dancers.

19 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Is there anywhere which lists the candidates names and their numbers now it has started? 

7 hours ago, DD Driver said:

It begins...

Saw an Australian ballet school posting about a student just receiving an invitation to the RBS Upper School Finals in early March.

I have seen quite a few already - also from Australia, for White Lodge. There have also been quite a few YAGP finalists who did their short term scholarships (one can only assume this is some sort of audition too) at RBS then were off to Cranko the week after…

2 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

There are so many influences across the world between companies & schools that it is impossible to rigidly categorise them. Directors of the POB school are always former dancers with the company. However, the company has had many choreographers and directors from elsewhere. Alicia Alonso mounted Giselle and Sleeping Beauty in the 1970s and of course Nureyev was Director from 1983 to 1989, both from Vaganova training. 

That’s true, especially at company level but also perhaps the last 1-2 years of training. However, I always found younger students of the Vaganova and POBS quite distinctive in their style and overall look. Perhaps this is because, particularly for the first 5 or so years, students of those schools are predominately from that country (hence probably trained in the same particular way even before they started at the school) and their entry requirements seem more rigid and exacting (less variation in heights, for example).

42 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I had a teacher who emphasised that dancing starts at the barre and is right at the beginning of any training. His idea seemed to be that you don’t just plod away for years and then expect the “Dance” to suddenly appear miraculously later on! So you danced the barre as well as used for that extra support when acquiring sound technique. He was a bit Russian, a bit French and a bit Cecchetti somehow. 


 

I find that in YAGP and PdL masterclasses I’ve seen, those who make barre work look like a performance stood out and were immediately noticeable. It truly is lovely to watch barre work that flows, rather than ‘stop/start’, if that makes sense.  I have seen some teachers and coaches who have a knack for putting together the most exquisite barre work combinations, such a refreshing change from the more tedious repetitive barre exercises I have seen in class. I know there is a lot of repetition involved in class but from the point of view of someone who’s never danced, I can immediately see which teachers’ classes I love watching as an outside observer with no dance background whatsoever. PdL classes are always a joy to watch, in particular Elisabeth Platel’s.

43 minutes ago, DD Driver said:

Sorry - I'm saying they are Classical in the POB style.  Not better or worse, just different.

Sounds like it is negligible in your experience.  In terms of training, my DD has done summer schools with Vaganova (& Bolshoi) teachers as well as RBS.  She found them different.  

 

Interesting question, though.  How training, for example, from John Cranko v. POB v. RBS differ(?)

I was speaking (separately) to a couple of dancers who between them have experience of both vocational school training and company work in top schools and companies in France, Russia, North America and the U.K. (including RBS) and both have mentioned to me and my DD, several times in the context of training and technique, that there are marked difference in the emphasis and focus of the training across countries and styles. Particular schools would tell you to “whack your leg up as high as possible” and some schools would be almost obsessively into the details (precise placement of even the eye line and every finger), some schools make even barre work look like a performance, some would focus on strength and dynamics. The feeling I get from both is that personally, they preferred and enjoyed the French style the most but these are personal preferences from two dancers fortunate enough to experience such vast array of techniques, schools and companies.

15 minutes ago, NotadanceMa said:

I have always struggled with this sentiment. From the off a ‘no’ has always been a ‘no’ for my child. Of course they can try again and it might be a ‘yes.’ It’s tough out there for our children.

 

‘Not yet’ is emotionally confusing to me and it does not allow for closure to that particular path choice at that time.

I get that it softens the rejection and reframes it as something else, and even helps the parent bear the brutality of the process, but it’s not for me.

 

I agree with you. I’ve never told and never will tell my DCs that a no could be a ‘not yet’. A ‘no’ is a no for a reason and they will get a lot of ‘nos’ in their lifetime but that’s how it is and it’s their own risk to take should they wish to pursue something repeatedly.  I would never want them to overthink things (I do that for them in secret - haha!). What I do tell them is that a ‘no’ is not necessarily a bad thing and could, in fact, be the best thing that could happen.  I understand that a ‘no’ can be a hard pill to swallow for a child, or adult for that matter, but I always remind them that some of the most wonderful experiences they’ve had, hobbies and activities they’ve discovered, places they’ve been, have all stemmed from a ‘no’. It helps them not dwell on things, not be fixated on things and overall results in more chilled and relaxed kids. This is of course very much a personal opinion from personal  experience and knowledge of my own DCs personalities- but it is an alternative point of view to the use of  ‘not yet’.

6 hours ago, GBC said:

I would be interested in hearing people's opinions on London Children's Ballet - specifically their policy on allowing some children to participate more than once.  As I understand it, the current policy is that the same children can be selected to take part (obviously if they fit the casting criteria and have the talent), in up to 3 of their annual productions. 

 

I personally feel that this should be mentioned on their website, as it is not transparent - it is misleading as one assumes that they are recruiting an entirely new company every year.   

 

As LCB was created to give as many children as possible the wonderful opportunity of participating in an annual theatre performance, I personally feel that to allow some children to participate more than once, means that there is less opportunity for other children to be successful in gaining a place in their productions. 

 

It is a shame that the charity have not considered changing their policy to only allow children to participate in one annual performance, thereby recruiting a brand new company afresh each year, and giving the maximum number of children the chance to take part. 

 

I would be interested in others thoughts on this.  

Whilst I cannot comment from recent experience, I did see a recent list and noticed a vast majority have been in at least one (usually more) previous production. I don’t think it’s just you who noticed this too. Sadly, when I clocked this a few years ago, it didn’t really persuade me to take my DD to audition so it’s probably our loss but it’s hard not to see that it’s usually a lot of the same young dancers (who are brilliant btw so fair play to them). 

35 minutes ago, glowlight said:

Not really wanting to open another can of worms, but does this mean that RBS have a lot of unused MDS awards knocking around (presumably overseas students aren't eligible, at least for the first two years of their training?)

I wondered about this too because I remember one year I knew quite a lot of those who started were already from private schools and able to afford a lot of training prior to auditioning. Without knowing how it all works, I would assume families like that won’t be eligible for much (if any) MDS funding? In which case there must be some year groups for which not much MDS funding needed. 

5 minutes ago, Tiaramum said:

Very shocking stats. It was awful been part of it. If you read the figures quoted in their annual reports you can see clearly how the british students numbers have dropped significantly whereas the international numbers have increased.  However despite the horrendous last 6 months with them WL was an amazing experience and one my daughter holds onto proudly. She (and I) have made friends for life and she is determined to audition for upper school. 

 

I would say to anyone - Go for it, enjoy that experience, treasure every minute but have that back up plan ready. Really think about the options for year 10/11 as many of the other schools won't have boarding places available leaving many dancers stuck. Don't go into it thinking it wont happen to me or that you will get warned if your child isn't likely to get a place. There will be no warnings.  

It’s just a shame because if we are to think of RBS and where it is, and when I think of other similarly top ranked vocational schools overseas, for the latter’s case international students seem to normally only join in the final 1-2 years of the training. Not all, but most I have in mind with the exception of Princess Grace whose student body is extremely international but then Monaco is such a small place. This means that their graduating classes are often still predominantly nationals of the country where the school is located.