Soltova

Thank you Pas de Quatre and Valentina. This is all very helpful and asking for a time table is a good idea. It turns out that just as I had gone ahead with the application and paid the fee they contacted me and said that there were no places in the boarding for the Spring. So now we are even less sure about what to do...🙄

I am wondering if there are any families whose children are training classical ballet at Tring in the sixth form? Due to quite special circumstances, Tring Park is inviting my daughter to audition into the sixth form of dance for January admission (she is 16, so would be starting halfway through the first year). We are moving from the US to Europe and my daughter really wants to have a classical ballet career. I know that many talented dancers leave Tring to other programs in upper school (such as ENB or Royal), so I am anxious to find out if Tring's classical ballet program (assuming she is selected into it) would still be a good place for someone who is serious about wanting to be a professional ballerina. I would appreciate any inside knowledge I can get either here or in a PM!

Also, I apologize if my terminology about the UK school system is a bit rudimentary!

Thanks Valentina. That’s definitely also helpful.

32 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Tring Park would generally be considered as stronger than Moorland.  One of Tring's pupils just won the Bronze Medal at the 2019 RAD Genée compeition.

Yes she was in my daughter's SI class at White Lodge. Amazing girl!  Tring would be perfect since my sister actually lives close by so that is our first choice. However, she also needs to be accepted so I have to have a few backups. She doesn't do DVD auditions very well so I am trying to see if we could fly her over to do auditions in person. She is definitely better in person. Thanks Pas de Quatre!

3 minutes ago, capybara said:

Masters of Ballet Academy also benefits from the wonderful teaching and presence of Elena Glurjidze, former Lead Prncipal of English National Ballet and also Vaganova trained.

Yes, I've heard good things about that school but I am not sure we would get any of the tuition or costs covered. I am also not able to get much information about their pre-professional/vocational program from their website and there is not academics attached so we would have to pay it all out of my own pocket. However, it looks like it's a program you could join any time, so if she is in between schools she could perhaps train there.

Does anyone know how Moorland and Tring compare in terms of classical ballet outcomes?

7 hours ago, valentina said:

If your fees are being met then I would definitely look at Moorland as being a great starting point. From what I’ve heard from other parents, who have left top end vocational schools because they felt the training was lacking, Moorland provides excellent training and is more tailored to the individual. Parents have also commented on the nurturing environment. We do not have experience ourselves so relaying only what I have heard. I think many more people would keen if funding was available.

Thanks Valentina, I will definitely look into it. The fact that it has a rigorous academic program would probably make it eligible for us.

Thank you Picturesinthefirelight,

I guess the line may be a bit more fuzzy than I thought then and it's possible that my employer would approve some of the other ones as well.

Hammond and Moorland are new to me and thanks for the reminder of Kings - how do they compare to the others in classical ballet and with respect to training them to be ready for the professional dance scene?

This is so hard! I obviously would like her to audition to the best schools in both UK and the continent but it also needs to be the schools where she has a chance to get in giving that we won't have time to do all!

On 11/09/2019 at 15:22, Lusodancer said:

ReadyforCoffee - I am new on this board and found your thread because I am looking for a place for my daughter to train come January, or next fall. She is 16 and now in a pre-professional conservatory program and also doing highschool online (just switched over). I am curious what you ended up choosing.

Hi Soltova,

 

Are you specifically looking at London ? If your daughter is in home education under the High School system of the US, then you would have other independent  institutions outside of London offering vocational training courses with a variety of different methodologies, goals and qualifications  for considerably less than London prices . My daughter is currently in one in the Midlands and it costs me much less than is quoted above. She does full time vocational training , principally aiming at ballet as a career and does home tutoring in academic subjects. I pay lodgings with a local family as she is 16 now (but started at 15), but some of her colleagues are already living independently sharing accommodation.MY DD has been in a specialist vocational school since age 11 and has swapped a baccalaureate style European education with dance included at Junior High level for the High School, British A levels, but she is bilingual so has coped with the transition.  

 

What are the long term aims/goals/ strengths of your DC? Ballet; contemporary;  jazz/ showdance/ musical theatre? Because different institutions have mixed teaching but different outputs into  the professional arena. So it is important to analyse the the potential to meet the aim  before exploring the professional courses available. 

Thank you Lusodancer! My plans have progressed and we are actually moving.

I am not necessarily looking for London only but rather, a school that offers a high school "degree" - which I take to be an "upper school diploma" or Sixth form (please correct me if I am wrong!).  My employer will actually pay her tuition if I can get her into one of those - yes the WHOLE boarding and tuition. She is a pretty strong classically trained dancer who has either attended or got accepted into some of the "big" US summer intensives (incl. ABT NYC, PNB, Boston, Houston, Ellison) but having said that, she is not one of the rail thin ones who was selected to do the Royal Ballet Upper school after doing the White Lodge program last summer. Her goal is to dance professionally and because we have both EU and US citizenship, she is eager to try Europe.

I have a list of schools that I think go into this category:

ENBS

Tring

Elmhurst

Central

Russian?

If anyone knows of any more of them, please let me know! Also, if you know of any "full academic schools" across the pond in EU let me know. The Danish and Swedish I think would qualify but other than that I am not sure.

On 09/09/2019 at 11:35, Jan McNulty said:

Hello Soltova and welcome to the Forum!

Thanks! I only now realised that I got so many fantastic responses - I am now going to take a look at them in turn!

ReadyforCoffee - I am new on this board and found your thread because I am looking for a place for my daughter to train come January, or next fall. She is 16 and now in a pre-professional conservatory program and also doing highschool online (just switched over). I am curious what you ended up choosing.