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LaCamargo

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Everything posted by LaCamargo

  1. @Colman The RAD is branching into other genres so it will not be ballet only and will be moving more towards its name 'Dance' not ballet. (Long-term teacher who is not particularly happy about this when so many other established dance organisations offer other genres.)
  2. Here's a conundrum. Earlier this week we received our latest set of results for a large entry of filmed exams. Our weaker dancers have been awarded Distinctions with marks 12-15 marks higher than our strongest students in two previous sessions who received High Merits when they would usually be in the Distinction+ region. The recent candidates most definitely presented work between the Merit and High Merit categories. It makes absolutely no sense but shows how inconsistent the marking of RAD exams can be. We are starting to look to move to a completely different exam board. @Peanut68 at one of our in person sessions the very experienced music operator reported that the examiner spent so much time looking at the iPad and not the dancers that they were surprised that marks could be awarded at all.
  3. Completely agree with all of the responses. We are finding that RAD exam results are increasingly random. Our stronger dancers were awarded lower overall results in the most recent session than our less strong dancers in the previous session, with some completely non-comprehensible differences in marks. We asked if they would like a results enquiry but everyone has decided that it is too convoluted, especially when many of the vocational level dancers are moving on to university, further classical vocational training etc. As @MissEmily mentions, filmed (remote) exams are even more puzzling. When taking exams at HQ, we have had two of our students awarded a mark at least 20 marks lower than any of their 'usual' marks. We started an enquiry but found that the RAD was really unhelpful. @Theatrefan the result for Grade 3 does not matter at all for auditions. Well done to your daughter for doing so well in her Grade 3 exam, especially as it was a videoed one.
  4. @balletmum20 What wonderful news! Many congratulations to your daughter.
  5. @DailyDancer - @hfbrew has summed it up well. The Grade 2 exercise order for the exam may be found on page 72 of the specifications (on the RAD website): https://media.royalacademyofdance.org/media/2023/02/10165309/Specifications-2023-100223.pdf As mentioned, it sounds as though the teacher should submit a reasonable adjustment form as it is different from special consideration. Information about this may be found on the RAD website too: https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/exams/reasonable-adjustments/
  6. Not sure if this helps at all or if it still works okay post Brexit but in the past colleagues have ordered from the Sansha Europe store in France. Here is a link to all of the Duval pointe shoes: https://eurostore.sansha.com/catalog/category/view/s/duval-pointe/id/546/
  7. @Beezie inappropriate touching quite often seen in relation to stretching and unsafe stretching. A colleague and I were recently discussing pictures of an individual where we were debating how to go about raising our concerns for these same reasons. We cannot find this individual linked to a specific organisation so it is difficult to know how to progress this matter. Very similar situation to that mentioned by OP. Side note - PNF stretching (if that's the type you mean about doing with a partner) is not considered safe for children or teens although may be carried out by therapists and those who have good knowledge about what they are doing. PNF Stretching: Technique and Guidelines (healthline.com)
  8. It is incredibly hard to see these images and also, from experience, incredibly hard to escalate it when there is a genuine concern, especially when the ballet/dance world is still populated by many of the 'it never did me any harm' type of teacher and the dance world is an unbelievably small place full of connections. Frightening, very frightening.
  9. Sadly, every day social media reveals some form of inappropriate stretching. Slightly off topic, but I find it worrying when dance organisations are doing so much to raise awareness of what is appropriate touch, safeguarding, safe stretching and then the same organisations share, for example, instagram posts from high profile registered schools and teachers doing the very things that they have said not to do. Then there are the images from non-UK schools. I saw an image a day or two ago of a child being forcibly pushed into box splits by the teacher. The move towards gymnastic style use of the body in classical work is creating a very tricky training landscape and that's before we touch on unregulated teachers. Hopefully dance science and medicine being incorporated into teacher training will eventually help to address some of these issues. Let's hope this is the case globally so that young bodies can be trained safely.
  10. Viv, many congratulations on a wonderful result!
  11. Well done to you daughter! That's a very good result after such a short time spent on the syllabus and very little time on pointe. Our students who take IF tend to be working at around the Grade 5 ballet level and do two or three IF classes a week as a comparison. That also has to be a record for the fastest RAD ballet exam result! Exams at Level 3 (RAD Higher Grades and Intermediate and Advanced Foundation) carry UCAS points. Details here: https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/exams/ucas-points/
  12. I feel very strongly that pointe readiness is a much-neglected area in teacher training. So much more knowledge is available now. Some very useful information may be found here: https://iadms.org/media/5779/iadms-resource-paper-guidelines-for-initiating-pointe-training.pdf and here: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Pre-Pointe_Assessment
  13. Forgot to add to previous post (half term and children interrupting) that they also clarified direction with right foot devant en croise for example.
  14. The experience of the free enchainement does seem to depend upon the examiner. Recent experience is that not all examiners use over and under, preferring dessus and dessous. This has particularly been the case with examiners from other countries at London HQ. Some also use their hands while setting the enchainement which delighted the candidates! However, they have all used the numbering system for direction.
  15. Your daughter will not be tested on the other vocabulary as those are studied during the course of learning the syllabus. It is important that she gets to know the focal and linking steps very well though.
  16. Daughter has very fine hair that breaks easily especially after several days of having to be in a bun/high pony tail for dance activities. We only use gel spray or hairspray for exams or shows. Since using Elvive Full Resist Reinforcing shampoo and conditioner she finds that her hair is less prone to breaking. It can usually be found on offer somewhere. She is also very careful about the type of brushes that she uses. Other daughter with frizzy hair prone to breakage uses oil conditioner when a sleek looking bun is needed but is careful not to use too much. She also likes the same Elvive shampoo.
  17. Prior to the meeting I would have liked to have thought that all dance teachers have a more holistic approach to teaching and do not just teach syllabus. It became clear from some of the questions that some must only do syllabus without enriching and broadening the dance education and experience of their pupils. I was most surprised when one of the questions was along the lines of what do you teach if there is not a syllabus and set exercises. An examination syllabus is an examination syllabus not necessarily a training syllabus. Was not bowled over by the presentation and agree with @drdanceabout buzz words. I am pretty sure the cost will put it beyond the reach of many of those interested in it as we already pay so much to be members of our dance bodies and spend a small fortune on CPD. NB Currently have students as JAs and MAs and former students at WL and RBS US.
  18. @MamtoballetgirlsDo you mean the soft double sided nylon ribbon? Some dance shops sell it and I have also purchased it online.
  19. Excellent news about your daughter @balletbean!
  20. Schools in neighbouring authorities here do not break up until 8th April and, since the disruption caused by the pandemic, many schools are being extra strict about attendance even for other educational activities.
  21. I used a camera on a tripod. Did some test filming beforehand and marked out areas of the studio that were out of shot. Due to the shape and layout of the studio, repositioned camera between barre and centre while keeping it running. Performance quality and expression are most definitely harder to capture on film due their nuances and subtlety at times. I write a 'script' for each exam to ensure that everything is included. The RAD guidance on how to conduct filmed exams is very thorough.
  22. It depends whether your daughter wishes to enter pupils for exams as in the UK there is, oddly, no legal requirement for a dance teacher working in a private studio situation to have any dance teaching qualifications at all. The route would be to complete a teacher training course with an awarding organisation such as the ISTD, bbodance, RAD, IDTA etc which all offer various teacher training qualifications. RBS has a teaching course but those I know who have done this are also qualified with other bodies. Some of these give credit for prior learning and they all have distance learning/locally based learning options. Do read the rubric very carefully as some clearly state that they are 'general' dance teaching and then the trainee teacher would have to spend more time learning and increasing knowledge of a particular syllabus/organisation's style and costs can mount up. Do look for teacher training that offers good current input on child/adolescent development, safeguarding and safe dance practice and which is headed up by dance practitioners who are in touch with what it is like to work in a studio situation. If your daughter has focused on training in a particular ballet method, she may feel drawn towards studying with that particular awarding body.
  23. Passing Intermediate in the genre is one of the units of the DDE. This can be undertaken while doing the course as people come from a range of dance backgrounds and experience.
  24. Full time substantial dance teacher training apart from the RAD (there may be others). Preston College https://www.preston.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PC-Dance-Prospectus-19-web.pdf (finance through student loan though extra cost for DDE) KS Dance http://ksd-online.co.uk/teachers-course/ (Cecchetti Ballet rather than Imperial) Chichester College with Uni of Chichester - Degree Dance Teaching in the Private Sector with ISTD DDEs (finance through student loan - DDE included) https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/6bc6ef19-5e48-4b32-afbb-5828024c6643?SearchText= Various other well-established part-time teaching courses in all parts of the country for DDE which can be studied alongside further training, work etc. University of Gloucester used to have DDE offered alongside its Dance degree but not sure if it still has that option.
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