Meetmeatthebarre

22 minutes ago, FLOSS said:

Perhaps I  am alone in this but I generally find that I remember more about his work's designs and lighting schemes than the individuality of the movements he has selected for each piece.  In fact I tend to find that as soon as I have left the auditorium I have forgotten everything about his choreography.

 

 

Interesting - perhaps this is why Winter's Tale, though much lauded, left me cold and whilst I loved finding the little homages to other choreographers in Alice, have not been in a rush to see again after a couple of viewings. I do enjoy much of Wheeldon's work though; I'd welcome a DGV revival for one!

I've just had a think about the works I do and don't enjoy, and it's almost directly correlated! I can picture tens of moments in many of the one-act and story ballets I love, but if it weren't for having actually danced a (much pared down) version of the Sugar Plum Fairy, I would remember literally nothing about the Nutcracker...

16 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said:

The 1960 date is true of the London company who only danced it in 1959 and 1960.  The Touring Company, for which it was created, had it in rep from 1951 to 1979.  Source: Appendices to "The Royal Ballet - the first 50 years"   .................... and my wife!  All of which might suggest why it is still mainly danced by BRB, lineal successor to the Touring Company.

I truly appreciate the wealth of knowledge on this forum! Thank you!

On 17/07/2021 at 21:45, Jan McNulty said:

It’s BRB who perform Pineapple Poll.  It was a mainstay of their mid scale tours and saw the final performance of Robert Parker (at The Lowry).

I think you are right! Come to think of it, I've only ever seen full length Northern Ballet works - I got confused as I tend to see both them and the BRB at Sadlers. 

The ROH performance database suggests that it hasn't been performed since 1960!

On 16/07/2021 at 18:49, Jan McNulty said:

I loved Christopher Gable/Michael Pink's reimagined Swan Lake for Northern.  I absolutely adore David Nixon's re-imagined Swan Lake for Northern.

 

I love Akram Khan's Giselle.

 

I've been very lucky to see a number of Northern Ballet performances danced to commissioned scores - Philip Feeney's Dracula, his 2 versions of Cinderella and his utterly fabulous score for Streetcar to name but 3.  The late Paul Reade's scores for Hobson's choice and Far from the Madding Crowd are absolutely spot on.  Carl Davies' score for Cyrano is utterly magnificent.

I think the Northern are exceptional at story-ballets and really deserve to be more widely appreciated than they are. I'd rather take a bet on a NB "newer" production than Royal or ENB!

(Also I have a soft spot for Pineapple Poll, and the NB have been the only company staging it in recent memory...)

8 minutes ago, MaddieRose said:

And as for electronic music, particularly a full-length ballet, that petrifies me. I think I'd get a headache. 

 

 I've only ever fallen asleep in one ballet - a McGregor - and that was despite the thumping electronic music!

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but having recently felt amazing for discovering the Smart Pointe as my "Cinderella shoe", I'm somewhat deflated that my first pair have lasted about 5 hours(!). Mainly, the shank has completely lost its support at the demi-pointe (I break in the 3/4 anyway), though the box is also a little softer than I'd like. 

As far as I was aware, the Smartpointe has the same shank as the other traditional Grishko models, perhaps with just a slightly more supple outer sole. I'm wondering whether I just got a bad pair, and if not, what to go for next? The SP last was better for my foot, though the 2007 still fits ok. I'm thinking either a harder shank or to go for the polymer of the Dreampointe/Allure? 

Any thoughts welcome!

3 hours ago, Sharon said:

?

She famously likes her pointe shoes very, very dead. 

I wish I hadn't clicked through to the Daily Mail comments on this advert. So much hate.

Dear forum, 

With several of my open studio classes now cancelled with the new lockdown, I have been looking for a "silver lining" in being able to take more syllabus classes from around the country online. If any of you are aware of RAD Intermediate classes, if adult-only even better, I'd love to know!

Mods, apologies if this belongs in an existing thread; I thought it was specific enough to warrant a new one but please do merge. 

Thank you, 

MM@tB

6 hours ago, Kate_N said:

 

Pre-lockdown, there was a regular RAD syllabus class for adult learners at Central School of Ballet on Sundays. However, I've heard from both teachers I've been doing class with via Zoom, who teach in the "Central Nights" programme, that Central School won't be re-starting that programme in the near future, as they need the evenings now for their extended full-time programme (it's happening everywhere - I'm scheduled to teach until 7pm at my university). But worth looking out for maybe in 2021.

 

If London-based is easiest for your friend, the other thing to look for would be the termly enrolment classes at City Lit and Morley College, and the RAD headquarters themselves. These offer regular progressive teaching, because students pay for a term's worth and so meet regularly and can work through a progression in learning. Which is all that the specific RAD, ISTD, BBO, or Cecchetti syllabi are!

Thank you so much Kate! I take those syllabus classes at Central and heard the same feedback around opening; I think several of the teachers are trying to find new studios but many are now much further afield... however, Clare doesn't teach IF to adults, and apart from RAD HQ and the LAB I originally posted, it seems that the London schools who offer the vocational syllabus to adults all skip straight to intermediate!

That's a great idea about the termly classes and not something I had thought about. Do you have any knowledge of the teaching style there? As mentioned, she'd love to have shorter and/or set combos and corrections thereon to really get things right. I suppose she can call and ask, but there's nothing like experience!

6 hours ago, glowlight said:

Have you/she looked at classes at RAD headquarters.  Looking at their website they offer a range of different adult classes including Intermediate Foundation and Intermediate.  They ask for 2 years training for IF - but maybe if she started with their non-syllabus she could move across to syllabus when they think she is ready.

 

https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/classes/our-dance-school-in-london/adult-dance-classes/

That would have been ideal, although another dance friend spoke to them before lockdown, and apparently the wait list was over a year! I don't know if that will have changed. (If of help to anyone digging up this thread in the future, they did say that they could be flexible on the 2 year requirement, depending on the number of classes and level of classes taken since starting.)

14 hours ago, NJH said:

The only syllabus class i'd be looking at with a year's experience is Discovering Repetoire level 2 .   

It's taken me nearly 4 years of regular classes  ( multiple classes a week after the first year until lockdown hit) to be  in a position to think about  starting to properly train for a vocational exam  - although it's likely i'm going to be jumping straight to Inter   rather than IF 

If Discovering Repertoire were more widely offered I would completely agree with this! Or even the graded syllabi - perhaps it's worth her reaching out to RAD HQ to see if there is some hidden offering nearby. I think her focus is definitely on being able to be more expressive, which open classes rarely teach, and rarely give one time to focus upon. I perhaps should have clarified that my thoughts on IF were because I couldn't find any other adult syllabus classes out there. I don't think she has any particular desire to actually take exams, more the structure and having the time to think about performance. 

Have fun with Inter - I skipped too, and the Variation I and Port de Bras especially are dreamy to dance. 

Thank you all for the responses, a lot to think about.   

Hello forum, 

I was doing some research for a dance friend who was exploring taking a syllabus class as an adult (in her late 50s, started a year ago without training as a child, but very active and I think can manage Intermediate Foundation with time). The motivations are a feeling of progress whilst acknowledging physical limitations, and which aren't being satisfied by open classes, with changing variations and limited time to focus on technique. 

I came across London Adult Ballet (https://www.londonadultballet.com/copy-of-courses), which appears to have been founded last year, and specialises in adult vocational exam training. However, I'm struggling to find any information other than their own site, which doesn't list teachers (in the public area of the site at least), or any reviews. 

I'm wondering if anyone has come across or taken any of their classes? In particular, this friend seems quite dejected after lockdown, and I think will respond far better to a positive, encouraging environment. 

Any experiences, or thoughts, much appreciated

19 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

Lovely good news story & wise words within it for all! 

 

I do hope though that any similarity talented stand out female dancer would also gain an opportunity like this! 

Your hopes have been answered! The Leap of Dance academy has an instagram page that chronicles their dancers extensively. The principal's first student, Olawale Olamide, got a place on the Elmhurst summer program this year and many of his juniors are attracting a lot of attention as well!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhdcSwA7M0/

Six years ago, I found myself dancing an extremely diluted version of the Rose Adagio with a supposed former BRB Principal in a London bar after a few cocktails. It's a wonderful memory, but I left without ever finding out his name, have been unable to figure it out after, and often found myself wondering. 

I had tried a Swing dancing night in central London, and quickly found that Lindy Hop was not for me. Looking rather bored by the bar, I was approached by a man who said I looked more like a ballet dancer, invited me to dance with him, and asked what I knew. Thinking this was a joke, I replied, "only the Rose Adagio", to which he said that he was a former Birmingham Royal Ballet principal - and he was very familiar with the rep! What followed was me, a hobbyist at best, and a very secure pair of hands laughing our way through an extremely fun couple of minutes of wobbly pirouettes, attitudes and fish lifts as we were both humming the theme to overpower the background 20s music. 

He had gray hair, pulled back into a short, low ponytail. I would guess at least in his fifties, and no taller than 5'4, maybe even less. It is entirely possible that "principal" was used generically and that he was a lower ranked dancer who had performed some principal roles, but I have no reason to doubt the rest from his competence. 

I'd love if anyone on the forum had any ideas!

(Mods, I have no idea where this belongs, so please do move to the appropriate sub-forum!)

On 11/05/2020 at 22:11, Dance*is*life said:

As you can see now from the CD cover you missed out loads of exercises! 

Thank you! I have the video and already recognised the music from the exercises I left out

@magnolia9 @drdance thank you both so very much indeed for taking the time! This is perfect

Dear forum, 

would anyone have the track listing to help me identify some of music for the RAD Intermediate exercises? I recognise about half, but am struggling with the remaining. I already have the RAD videos, but this is more about learning the background for interpretation, etc

1. Plies

2. Battements Fondus

3. Battements Frappes

4. Adage

5. Grands Battements

6. Pirouettes en Dehors

7. Rises (pointe)
8. Releves passes devant

9. Pose & coupe fouette Raccourci

10. Releves & Echappes releves

Thank you so much!

4 hours ago, SJBallet said:

Another note. You can also play it in slow motion for those tricky bits you need to master!

*cough* coupe fouette raccourci *ahem*

4 hours ago, Fonty said:

@Lizbie1 I've not read about the shortage of capacity to package in in 1.5kg bags.  I am assuming it is the lack of people to do it,?  Rather than a lack of the bags themselves....

 

It will be interesting to see how much flour gets thrown away when restrictions are lifted.  Perhaps it should have been rationed?  It is all very well people saying, "I will stay at home and make my own bread, therefore I will stock up."  That leaves a lot of people who have no choice but to go out to buy something that is a basic food stuff.  Possibly older people, who are more vulnerable to start with.  

It will be everything - machines to print and produce the bags, machines to fill, people trained in their operation... everything except the flour itself! The UK's milling industry is based on every household buying a 1.5kg bag of flour less than once every 3 months, and the rest going to restaurants or manufacturers. Just a handful of consumers changing their behaviours makes a big difference!

That would explain why it is so cheap! I did notice it as an outlier

Hi LottyLou, 

It's possible to download the videos from the RAD app, which is what I have been doing the past few weeks. It's tied to a single account, but will work on multiple screens tied to that account.

Perhaps that helps?

On 28/03/2020 at 10:21, Pas de Quatre said:

A sheet of hardboard can work, you put the rough side facing down and use the smooth side.

I tried this recently (actually, the unused back to an Ikea chest of drawers!). The surface grip is nice. Just a warning if you use over carpet: it works really well for anything on the flat or demi, but will start to crack from pointe work. Over flat flooring should be fine.

Argh why didn't I think of this? I've been struggling with carpet, and told by the marley floor vendor that it was definitely not recommended to lay vinyl over pile, no matter how short and dense :(

16 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

Is this available to buy to non members or just members (or discount for members?)

Do you pay per grade or a large access all fee? Thx

I can't answer for members (I am not). It's about £20 per grade (though the higher non-vocationals aren't on there). You can download the app for free to see what is on there, but need to pay to access the videos. 

It's not cheap - but helping me remember the exercises probably saves me a few classes.

PS it works for me on Android

21 minutes ago, LinMM said:

The confusion is illustrated here:

Bristol University is closing because ONE student has tested positive

Oxford University has SIX positive students and is not closing ‘unless instructed to do so’ 

How anyone works out how to respond in this scenario I don’t know basically it seems like every school/college has to make their own decision as to what to do. 

The media coverage, even from reputable sources, has alas been woeful. I truly wish that from the start, it had been presented as a *public* health issue rather than *personal* health issue, and focused on splashing the raw numbers from China - which were/are higher than one would expect in the west simply because (a) there are huge cities with dense populations; and (b) transmission has been mostly through family units and sustained contact - unfortunately coinciding with the New Year period which has much more widespread human migration patterns and larger gatherings than a Christmas. 

Instead, we saw a split between survivalists panicking and taking self-preserving measures, and those taking a flagrant disregard - see the NFL player who decided to rub every reporter's microphone during a press conference, and has now been diagnosed. The message about flattening the curve is an improvement, but perhaps too late after the panic had set in. A week ago, people were scoffing at the "wash your hands" advice, until scientists, initially through social media, explained just why its surfactant properties helped to break down virus proteins. Now it's been absorbed.

The reason you should be careful but not panic about the *individual* health aspect is that, unless you are elderly or otherwise compromised, the death rate is low. And luckily, evidence suggests that there is limited transmission in the incubation period - that is, people are the most infectious when they've already started to cough and will take the sign to self-isolate - unlike the regular flu, which is infectious before people show symptoms. Children especially seem to be almost unaffected by this virus, but the concern is that they may act as carriers, and especially where they mix in groups different from everyday.

BUT, the reason you should take the handwashing advice etc. seriously, is that very small differences in infection rates add up to much higher aggregate numbers, and one we pass a threshold, health services are overwhelmed, death rates go up because we can't cope (see Iran), we are more likely to lose frontline staff to illness, and it keeps spiralling. 

Yet we need to be able to pay for all of this and that can't happen with a complete shutdown. If schools close, do we limit the ability of workers on the frontline to detect and care for the seriously ill? If we encourage the elderly to isolate, do we lose more people to loneliness (which increases deaths by 25-30%) compared to those who are socially active? What about the correlation between unemployment and poor health if businesses shut down? If we lock down now but the virus is still out there, do the same vulnerable people we are trying to protect today, end up suffering next flu season? Has the government modelling already taken into account the likelihood of many events to self-cancel, and not want to cause further panic? It's easy to focus on immediate casualties and say that one is too many, but in the longer run it's much more complex. 

I think the best message is still, "don't panic, don't shut down, but every little helps". I only wish that had been the message from the start. 

5 hours ago, FionaE said:

The supporting leg in arabesque ‘should’ be turned out whether on flat foot or en pointe.  In a performance a dancer is obviously moving from one position to another and so a photograph might catch an arabesque where the supporting leg appears not as turned out as it should be.  In reality it is very difficult to hold an arabesque en pointe with both legs turned out.

Thank you so much - I should have said that it's also in performances when I've noticed that, but in short - it's an "acceptable" cheat for extension when just holding lines?