Blue Box Ballet

they’ve just added a prospectus which has entry requirements etc https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ATAP-Prospectus.pdf

https://mail.royalballetschool.org.uk/76ZA-36QD-0C9966EB387733C815GTJCF29A31C12A2D449D/cr.aspx

https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/train/dancer-training/dance-teacher-training/affiliate-training-and-assessment-programme/#1642176776653-e43339e5-2447

Kimberley Berkin’s Tips on Ballet Technique are awesome. https://youtube.com/c/TipsOnBalletTechnique For terminology, this ballet dictionary is the gold standard. https://archive.org/details/GailGrantBalletDictionary scroll to the bottom and click PDF to save on device. I’d also check out at home classes such as these. https://www.city-academy.com/online/online-ballet-classes-improvers/

I agree, it should actually be viewed as a cautionary tale. The dangers of (perceived) family pressure to succeed. They literally sacrificed everything for him which is admirable but that in turn placed so much pressure on him to repay that ‘debt’. After such a focussed ‘childhood’ is it any surprise that he went so off the rails in his early adult years? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48433923 https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/15/sergei-polunin-dropped-paris-opera-ballet-swan-lake-homophobic-rant https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/07/sergei-polunin-sacked-putin-tattoo-interview

From a regulatory point of view, I believe they are. The graded examinations are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are placed at comparable levels. http://www.gradedexams.com/images/Sector-report-on-graded-examinations-2018.pdf https://cdmt.org.uk/validated-awarding-organisations/graded-exams-the-definitive-guide-website https://cdmt.org.uk/images/gradedexams/CDMT Flip Book Output/GradedExamGuide/ If you’re wondering about the actual content of assessed vocabulary then I’d say the best place to check would be in the specification documents. https://www.istd.org/documents/imperial-classical-ballet-syllabus-outline-revised-2019/1imperial-classical-ballet-syllabus-outline-revised-2019.pdf https://media.royalacademyofdance.org/media/2019/12/16143234/20191216-Specifications.pdf

I’m much more - glass half full - on this although I guess we’ll see. They do already have their online Enlighten seminars which I actually couldn’t get booked on at times because they limited numbers. ‘Our webinars remain capped at 20 participants to ensure integrity and quality of service.’ https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/train/dancer-training/dance-teacher-training/enlighten/ So I doubt it’s that kind of online model of CPD.

RBS hands down. The training, the teachers, the connections... Also as arguably one of the best best ballet schools in the world, it attracts the best students which in turn will push up the standard of each cohort.

Received this today. I guess watch this space. https://mail.royalballetschool.org.uk/76ZA-30ME-0C9966EB387733C815GTJCF29A31C12A2D449D/cr.aspx Are you a recreational ballet teacher with a minimum of 3 years’ experience, or a graduate of a Royal Ballet School teacher training programme? Do you value: Innovation Versatility and diversity The need for highly trained teachers, with pedagogical study implicit in training The need for a holistic dance training? Then we have some very exciting news for you... More to come end of January 2022 – stay tuned!

Pointe shoes at 8 and variations at 10!?!? 🤐 I’m now picturing my 8 - 10 year old students and their child bodies. This seems like absolute madness! I worry that interviews like this will continue the trend of out dated/ borderline abuse practices. Yes this particular student has progressed to a professional career but at what cost to her physical health? Let alone her career longevity.

When considering ‘fast tracking’ training - ie starting pointe work on the younger side of agreed recommendations, the subjects of early specialisation and burnout come to mind. https://www.dancemagazine.com/young-dancers-specialization/ https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2019/10/31/ballet-training-how-much-is-enough/ https://www.onedanceuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DUK-Info-Sheet-14-–-Burnout-in-Dance.pdf

https://www.rambertgrades.com

The ISTD have launched an initiative for Contemporary teachers that might be suitable if you meet the criteria. https://www.istd.org/join/about-membership/membership-types/contemporary-affiliate/ ‘Teachers wishing to teach our Contemporary syllabus will need to attend one of our CPD courses, specifically designed to provide teachers with the insight and tools they need to teach this work to their students. Please note that syllabus resources are only available to purchase for those who have attended a course and include a DVD, CD and syllabus notes.’ https://www.istd.org/dance/dance-genres/contemporary/

For clarity on the resource papers purpose. ‘IADMS Resource Papers highlight specific areas of research in the field of dance medicine & science. These papers are published with the purpose of disseminating scientifically sound information to the public and are suitable for dance educators, dance teachers, dancers, and parents of dancers. There are also research-focused resource papers available for those in medical and scientific research and academia that can be found here.’ Functional Criteria for Assessing Pointe Readiness. (Page 6&7) https://iadms.org/media/2945/iadms-bulletin-vol6n1.pdf

https://iadms.org/media/5779/iadms-resource-paper-guidelines-for-initiating-pointe-training.pdf

Slightly off topic, but have you considered the Rambert Grades? Its a relatively new initiative. https://www.rambertgrades.com

Having had a 20 year performing career I never heard a professional Choregrapher or Director refer to an RAD head or Chechetti arm. I have, however taught many a student who cannot adapt to a new style because they were only exposed to a very limited movement vocabulary - eg their exam syllabus, in their formative years.

Tring, https://www.tringpark.com/gcse-results-day-2021/ https://www.tringpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ACADEMIC-RESULTS.pdf

My question is why? What are you hoping to get out of it? Are they needed for an entry requirement? If it’s from a completist point of view then go ahead. If it’s for technical & artistic growth then as long as your teachers(s) are equipping you with the knowledge and guidance needed then of course you could do all. - The problem always lies in, is your teacher a ballet teacher or a syllabus teacher? If they are a ‘ballet’ teacher then they will be equipping you with all of the appropriate skills needed to be accessed/ examined whenever you are deemed to be ready and the actual learning of exercises should be minimal - especially with apps/ DVDs available for home learning. If they are a ‘syllabus’ teacher and all classes are simply building up to an exam then this is of course a huge problem as these classes will be (as mentioned above) at a significant extra cost. Exam syllabi are - at their core, a tool for assessment. However they are very often mistakenly used as a system of training. I am on a few teacher FB groups and was astounded to read a year or so ago that a teacher (after years of teaching) had ‘trialled’ building up the vocabulary instead of just teaching the set exercises and was pleasantly surprised that their students thrived. I always squirm when I read teachers saying I’m an RAD/ Imperial ballet teacher. Yes it’s a good benchmark for sequential build ups but teaching and learning is and should be so much more than passing exams.

If it truly is a weakness I would suggest a strength & conditioning program. You can’t do much better than this, 11+ Dance: https://www.strengthmotionmind.com/11-dance https://youtu.be/Y32Mt1Npwjk https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8FEJzlK-PcfnaO1w_GpKFUoN2gdbdxCo https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8FEJzlK-PccyTqrPPiyZguAVJeBZ5wLm Supplementary links: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14647893.2021.1874902?fbclid=IwAR2sxW2_Yuy-K1OzaTjyyMi3M06On6RdB9XKmaH6tMXo23_sy4Va4XX3WGs&journalCode=crid20#.YA22DOuVwtw.facebook https://iadms.org/resources/blog/posts/2020/june/interview-with-2019-dance-educator-awardee-nico-kolokythas/ https://elmhurstballetschool.org/en/our-performance-enhancement-coach-wins-prestigious-international-dance-educator-award-2019/ https://www.onedanceuk.org/seeing-the-benefits-of-strength-and-conditioning-for-young-dancers/ https://youtu.be/bwd24ps3a48

I think it’s best to avoid gifting alcohol for this very reason.

I’ve always been uncomfortable with dance teachers/ educators being gifted with alcohol. Would you really buy your child’s school teacher alcohol? Alcohol is after all a controlled substance, what message is that sending to your children? Something to consider.

Rebecca Howell/ Fraiz. https://rebeccafraizclassicalballet.co.uk/principal

Yeah there’s an audition on the 28th for Classical Ballet Academy ‘CBA’. Tomorrow is the Autumn Day of Dance which seems to include some sort of audition for ‘TPA’ - Tring Park Associates. Much confusion!

Perhaps email Janet Devenish ?