rowan

On a sideline, does anyone know why and when the name changed from summer “school” to “intensive”? It seems to have happened around about 2018. Are they longer? And when were the spring or winter ones introduced? They are also new - to my mind. And there seem to be some abroad too. Are they franchises? It must be a money-spinner for them, so I can see why they do it.

I didn’t mean to indicate practising unsupervised was dangerous, but that she might be doing the exercises wrongly, and that’s hard to undo. As they say, the plié is the first thing to learn and the last thing to master. If it helps, my DD was 9.5 before working on grade 2. I wouldn’t worry.

To be honest, I’d be wary of “practising” at home, unless you’re a dance teacher and know what you’re doing. You could be doing more harm than good. Seven is still very young. A bit of music and movement is fine, though.

Some random thoughts... The problem with junior companies and unpaid apprenticeships and further “diplomas” is - where will it end? Yes, getting experience is helpful- to some - but, still, most will never get jobs. Should we keep on encouraging and nurturing this belief that with a bit more experience or training, that will be enough? What is the point? Who are the audiences going to be for these second company jobs? Ballet struggles to attract an audience as it is. It’s a bit like a pyramid scheme. There’s money in teaching dance, not so much in doing it. Some smaller British companies with paying jobs have already closed. I think Vienna Festival Ballet has closed, for example - please correct me if I’m wrong, anyone. Unless we want all dancers to work for free, to be honing their craft forever, unpaid, we have to be realistic. Young people need to be able to support themselves, and as they get older, that need is more and more important. There’s no question that obtaining a paid ballet job is difficult, but there’s no way mine could have worked for free, or continued training for ever, or take a contract as an unpaid trainee or in a junior company. She had to get a company job (paying) or move into more commercial dance (paying) or go off to university to do something else (mine has A levels). DD has had different types of contracts with her ballet jobs but all have been paid, and paid enough to live on. Eg, one paid well - about 24k pro rata - but was relatively short term. Another (national company) the pay looked terrible on paper, but the job also included accommodation, all bills, WiFi etc, and most food - imagine a sort of university halls set-up. Where she is now, she earns enough to completely support herself again - she rents a flat by herself in the centre of a capital city and pays all her own bills. I can’t say it’s a lot, but it’s enough. Salaries are also boosted by performance fees, where you are paid a set fee per show on top of your salary. A run of 30 Nutcrackers therefore adds up to quite a sum on top. She’s also had one-off ballet-type jobs that have paid well: a body double in a film; a dancing stint in fashion week; an advert, etc. However, still I worry about the long-term future. It’s a precarious job. You live from contract to contract. You wonder if the contract you have will be renewed next season. In some ways, I wonder if it would be better if she hadn’t “made it”. She would have been forced to take a different, more secure path. But perhaps that is just the anxious parent in me speaking.

It’s just as bad abroad, I suspect. Where my DD is - European national company - there are complaints over the number of foreign dancers in the company, and over the fact that fewer and fewer young people from the national ballet school get into the company. They accept about one every two years in recent years.

I’m sorry. It is very, very difficult right now. Mine has had her contract in Europe renewed, but she was there already. Others in the company did not. Because so many touring companies are not operating now, there are more unemployed dancers than before all competing for the same few jobs. The bigger, more established companies will perhaps be more likely to be accommodating towards U.K. applicants, but of course these are much sought after. Have you looked outside of Europe? Asia? Africa? Anywhere where Covid has had less of an impact? You could try looking at all countries and then the major towns in a country, seeing if there’s a company there and just approaching them. There’s nothing to lose.

Well, famously, Margot Fonteyn! Feet like “blocks of butter”, apparently.

Isn’t seven a bit too young for all this?I’m quite surprised. I suppose if they say from seven, that’s the market they are aiming for and they should make the guidance clearer.

I would look hard at graduate destinations. How many starters actually finish the course? There can be a tendency for students to leave, voluntarily or not, and these students of course don’t count in any stats regarding graduate destinations. Find out how much help the school gives to help you find a job. Schools may publish impressive-sounding lists of companies that students go to, often in decreasing order of prestige. But when were these contracts obtained? One male student ten years ago? Companies graduates go to - most who get jobs will at least start in small companies you may not have heard of. Look them up. Is a contract with X company actually only a two-week stint or a two-month touring production? What happens afterwards? Look hard if students then go on to a junior company/second company/apprenticeship/further diploma etc. There are an increasing number of these now, often unpaid, or which you as a parent may have to fund, and which still may not get you closer to a job. If you like the idea of obtaining a degree, check that a degree in dance will be acceptable for any other plan B career. Some employers will be happy to accept it, others maybe not. Think hard about “just” classical ballet. There are few jobs, now more than ever. It’s very tough for girls in particular. Would a wider range of dance styles make you more employable? Have a plan B. Have your child’s welfare first and foremost. Ballet, despite its many joys, can be physically and psychologically difficult - destructive even at times. Make it clear that they can walk away if they want to or need to. If your 16-year-old has not lived away from home before, make sure they can cook and live on a budget.

No underwear has been a concept for many years. It’s the norm, I thought. But with the advance of new seamles stretch fabrics and virtually invisible underwear, I suspect it won’t be the norm in future.

Thank you for that link @Chamomile I’ve had a skim read and this comment stood out to me: “I was young and in love with an art form that would never give me back even a portion of what I gave it.”

But helping only some children to be made to feel more comfortable or confident than other applicants would be an advantage. Kindness won’t come into it much.

I don’t see why children from the same JA centre should be together to deliberately give them the advantage of familiarity over other children who are not JAs. I would be very surprised if that was a policy.

They do, as someone said. But that should not mean they get places ahead of the many other young dancers who just didn’t happen to start dance lessons before the age of ten, or who had never heard of JAs, or were unable to audition previously, or indeed take up places they were actually offered. The JA/MA/SA programme is meant to be an outreach scheme, not a closed shop for those already in the know.

I think people should consider now what school their child might move to if they get assessed out, especially if you live in an area with complex admissions systems or you are giving up a place at a good state school that you might not be able to get back into with ease. If you can afford an independent school, you might have more options. I know one boy whose family turned down their place at WL for this reason. I’ve also known two pupils assessed out from WL. One went on to an independent academic school. Another went on to Tring. If Elmhurst is saying they now guarantee a full five years, I assume that might mean fewer places there in higher years.

For those struggling with this, I empathise. My DD took on a new ballet contract last year, and to even enter the country she had to have proof of a negative covid test -but...that test could not be from the U.K. or Ireland. Oh, the fun we had trying to get that sorted - not.

Lara, could you borrow an address? My local council in London is offering lateral flow tests and you don’t need proof of address. It does say it’s for those who live or work in the area, but they don’t seem to check. All it says you need to bring is: confirmation of your booking - the confirmation email on your mobile device or printed out a mobile device to scan a QR or bar code on the test. There will be devices available if you don’t have your own

Thanks for this link. I’ve had a listen to one or two at random. Very interesting, though they could be edited slightly.

I’ve said this before, but I think it’s best to regard the dance vocational schools not as vocational schools but as normal schools with a specialism in dance, just like many other schools might have a specialism or focus on a particular area.

Sorry, I meant the cost of the flights to audition, not the cost of a visa. The cost of flights to the US was too much for us.

My DD isn’t a graduate, but she did get ballet job offers during the pandemic and changed jobs. However, she’s experienced and not a newbie. I am glad she got into her present company before Brexit, but she has no idea yet of what will happen when it is time to renew her contract. I know of other dancers who did not get their visa renewed (outside of Europe), so although the company wanted them, the visa authorities said no. I echo a lot of what Cotes says about the situation. The standard of many international dancers can be exceptionally high. Japan and Brazil seem to turn out lots of great dancers, not to mention the Russians. These are outside of Europe, so visas are definitely obtained for them, even straight from school. The British are in the same situation now. German companies are highly sought after, not a second- or third-best option. And graduate dancers are up against experienced dancers who already may be soloists in another company. Mine did A levels alongside ballet training. I really think they are essential (or at least a proper alternative plan). I know young graduate dancers who have now applied for university instead.

When mine was first auditioning, she had offers of auditions in the US. We turned them all down on cost grounds. We were also concerned about the difficulty of getting a visa.

Just to emphasise some points above - ballet is a long game. What happens with an 11-year-old may have little relevance to the outcome at 19. Most British dancers I know did not go to vocational school at 11, and, of those that did, most left partway through their time there. My DD got noes for JAs, MAs and summer school. She never went to vocational school at all. Yet she is a successful professional ballet dancer. If you’re looking at yesses and noes, the only ones that really matter are the ones for jobs. I have seen many, many talented young dancers (much more talented than mine at a young age) fall by the wayside. Most have to/ want to take up other paths. Do not think that just because you get into school x at 11, that it means you’ll end up on pathway x.

Lin, I think you are referring to Julian Mackay. He was at the Mikhailovsky, and joined San Francisco ballet last year.

Also, there may be many valid reasons to take dance exams, but you don’t need any to be a professional dancer - if that is your aim. As others have said, it is the slow and steady matter of improving your technique and artistry that matters. The marks you get on any one exam don’t matter.