Blue Box Ballet

I see my earlier reply has been removed so I apologise if I crossed the line on forum rules. I feel I should point out that I didn’t name anyone in particular. Some connected to Arts Ed and the musical theatre industry have long spoken in hush tones about related historical incidents. I am following this story with interest.

I guess this now explains this email from the ISTD earlier in the year. The Trustees of the Society and I wish to inform you that Chris Hocking, Chair of the Society, has taken a temporary leave of absence from his role at ISTD. In his absence, Vice Chairs Erin Sanchez and Frederick Way will serve as Acting Co-Chairs.

https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/artsed-principal-resigns-after-damning-report-into-schools-sexualised-environment?utm_content=bufferf2bfd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1MGoZkQtzX9Ze6OTemcznLl30HC63zWf_4Mh6NYIw9Q5BGYvV9KUXF7KY ArtsEd principal Chris Hocking has resigned following an external investigation into allegations of serious misconduct at the drama school, which the board has acknowledged were the result of “a misguided culture” made worse by a “failure in leadership”. The resulting report, a summary of which has been published by the school’s board, found there was an “overly sexualised environment” in the school of musical theatre at ArtsEd, and that some staff had inappropriate relationships with students, breaching the school’s policies. According to the board, the investigation – led independently by Rebecca Tuck QC – looked into allegations of serious historic misconduct against current and former staff members. Affected students were 18 or over and the incidents investigated mostly occurred during the period between 2012 and 2017 in the school of musical theatre. [...]

It looks like today is the closing date so perhaps you’ll hear soon after. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTwSs_FNLXC/?utm_medium=copy_link

more useful links https://humankinetics.me/2019/03/04/what-is-the-ramp-warm-up/ (uses the RAMP protocol): https://www.strengthmotionmind.com/11-dance YouTube overview: youtube links below are complete workout playlists. (Minus skipping with a skipping rope): https://iadms.org/media/3598/iadms-resource-paper-the-importance-of-a-good-warm-up.pdf

Another good article on hyper mobility https://www.healthydancercanada.org/uploads/4/7/1/3/47130231/hdc_understandinghypermobility_rp_2019.pdf

https://australianballet.com.au/behind-ballet/strength-beats-stretch https://dancemagazine.com.au/2019/09/why-the-australian-ballet-dancers-quit-stretching/ worth a read!

‘Non residential’ I think that explains it Covid cases in many UK schools are soaring namely because there are close to zero mitigation’s in place - many windows simply don’t open and mask wearing is not being encouraged. Also, even though vaccines are now bring offered, many parents are deciding it ‘isn’t safe’ for their children to get them. eg They’ve done their ‘own research’ (Facebook/ YouTube), sadly watching a few anti vax videos does not equate to decades of study of medical professionals - but hey I’m going off topic. White Lodge is a boarding school so it makes perfect sense for them to offer this type of non boarding intensive during a pandemic. It also puts them in a stronger position should restrictions change next year after everyone has booked.

Absolutely valid criticism. There have been more recent studies carried out by RBS/ RB company that I have been presented with but sadly I can’t find the links right now.

‘Epidemiological studies of hypermobile dancers indicate that although students are selected for hypermobility when auditioning for vocational schools, they are not represented in the higher ranks of professional companies. Fatigue and bone health experienced by hypermobile individuals in the general population provide an indication that hypermobile dancers may be more vulnerable to injury. The modest amount of research on injury rates in hypermobile dancers confirm that they have substantially more tendon injuries and longer healing times than normal dancers. In addition, the Beighton score used in most dance related studies may not be an appropriate measure of hypermobility in these populations. Further research is required into this vulnerable group of dancers in order to ensure that there is more understanding of the attrition rate from ballet schools to professional companies and health issues of the hypermobile dancer.’ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51240812_Hypermobility_and_Dance_A_Review Royal ballet company in particular - high percentage of hyper mobility in corps de ballet/ lower ranks and low percentage in principals/ higher ranks. This suggests that the current trend/ fascination with hyper extension amongst certain corners of the dance world is not actually valued as highly or as much of an attribute as some might think. Certainly food for thought.

I am very sorry to hear that some students have had such negative experiences of dance/ ballet training. As a dance educator myself I am hopeful that ‘the big schools’ are a lot more sensitive to the growing dancer these days, especially at such a vulnerable age. I have been pleased to hear the message of ‘child first, dancer second’ being promoted. Although a subtle shift, this can do a lot to ensure that teachers don’t simply train and instruct young students as if they were simply smaller adult dancers. I’m pleased to hear that accredited dance teacher training courses now take child development & psychology very seriously. Sadly this was a huge problem with previous versions of the RAD’s PDTC, where you would cram learning their syllabus into a 3 month intensive, do a bit of writing and call yourself a ‘teacher’. We have to acknowledge that there are A LOT of ex professional dancers out there who now ‘teach’ who are themselves the product of institutional bullying, neglect etc and are repeating the cycle. As a prospective parent of a large institution I would be asking what qualifications the faculty have. Are these accredited qualifications, have they actively engaged in broader educational pedagogy, what are the safeguarding procedures…? Although I am optimistic that the next generation of teachers are well equipped for the challenges ahead, there is likely to be a delay in in-studio practice until they break through and start being employed by the ‘big schools’. I am hopeful for the future but let’s not be afraid to proactively demand better right now.

My pleasure. I forgot to reference ‘physical literacy’ which is essentially the ability to learn and recall/ utilise many complex movement patterns. Also, can of worms alert! Firstly, current set exam syllabi across the big organisations are structured very well and can ‘build’ a dancer up in a safe considered manner by layering and adding complexity through the grades. However, if a child is only studying a set exam syllabus it may stifle their physical literacy if the teacher doesn’t test what they are studying in other contexts. For example - giving free classes where the vocabulary is arranged in different exercises (enchaînements). This gives the student the opportunity to test their knowledge and apply it in a different context. This is perhaps slightly off topic but still a worthwhile consideration when choosing a class/ teacher.

There are a number of good quality articles/ studies on this very question in both the dance and sporting realm. ‘So when do you know a child is doing enough? Some good indications are that they are happy, healthy and enjoying their dance lessons. Also that they are making steady progress in their dancing and want to continue their learning.’ https://royalballetschool.org.uk/2019/10/31/ballet-training-how-much-is-enough/ Early specialisation is an interesting topic and one that should be considered in pre-adolescents in particular. ‘There is a message there, especially given that children can now join club academies from as young as eight. It pays to keep sampling other sports and to focus on fun practice before specialising later.’ https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/may/27/sports-variety-better-early-than-sharp-focus-david-epstein-book ‘With appropriate strength and fitness conditioning, the risk of sports-related injury can be reduced given that equipment is child-sized and planned and monitored by a qualified coach/sports scientists [6]. When choosing an academy/club with prestige, investigating the focus on fundamental movement skills (FMS), defined as the building blocks of athleticism is key [13]. These should not only be a priority but a key addition to training in children between the ages of 6-12 in any sport [13].’ https://www.scienceforsport.com/early-sports-specialisation/ I would encourage your child to sample as many different dance genres and sports as possible at their age. This will build up their ability to learn many different movement patterns and also become a better learner if and when the time comes for them to specialise in a dance genre later. The ceiling in sport has long been accepted as no more hours per week than chronological age so as long as they are doing no more than 7 hours total structured training then they are fine. Free play such as being in a park etc is the exception and should be encouraged to let them learn to problem solve and become independent learners as early as possible. Karen Berry of the Royal Ballet School has written about this in her chapter of Ballet The Essential Guide to Technique and Creative Practice. (worth the purchase for any prospective student, teacher or involved parent) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ballet-Essential-Technique-Creative-Practice/dp/1785008307 and also in her February 2021 article of Dancing Times. https://www.dancing-times.co.uk/february-2021/ I wish your child the very best.

Hey all, can anyone tell me. are the London RBS associates continuing with Sundays or switching back to Saturdays in the new term?

Hi all, i find this discussion fascinating. Thankfully there are many different types of dance teachers and many different routes into teaching. There has been an emphasis in earlier posts about gaining intermediate in a the dance genre to access teaching courses. Although this is a viable option and the case for many syllabus focussed teaching courses, it is not a requirement for all dance teaching qualifications. One dance uk has some excellent updated guidance on routes into teaching. https://www.onedanceuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dance-Teaching-Pathways.pdf https://www.onedanceuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dance-Teaching-Pathways-Flowchart.pdf I wish your child the best on their journey.

RBS Upper School - I believe there’s a young man in 3rd year and a young lady in 2nd year. Ballet companies - I’m afraid I’m not clear on other recent graduate destinations. It’s worth remembering that Tring has a ‘dance’ course and not strictly a ballet course. Read into this as you may but I see it that they take their ballet seriously and that you ‘can’ progress classically upon graduation. Historically their graduate pathways have been as diverse as their training, also pre pandemic there were a large number of recent graduates dancing with Matthew Bournes productions.

Thank you. im having a great time looking round.

I can’t speak to their particular training system but recent graduates have gone on to train at RBS Upper School and join major ballet companies. A current 6th form student has just gained a contract with BRB. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQEJHABJJY/?utm_medium=copy_link

Hi there, One Dance Uk have excellent guidance on pathways into teaching. https://www.onedanceuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Guidance-on-dance-teaching-qualifications-and-training-routes.pdf