Kitschqueen_1

I went to see this production twice.....at The Lowry with my youngest daughter and then because I enjoyed it so much I took my eldest daughter who usually hates dance & lives in London to see it at Sadlers Wells. I am not a dance connoisseur nor an experienced dance attendee as many of you are on here, I cannot give any meaningful critical analysis, I can only go with my emotional response to what I see. I was enthralled.....the lighting, the costumes, the staging, the eroticism blew me away. I saw Guiliano dance the role both times and loved his partnering work. The pas de deux with Henrieta made me tearful both times. Interestingly, when I was in London I was sat in a restaurant near Sadlers Wells and had brought my programme from Salford for my daughter to read before we went to see the show. A lady on the next table asked if we had been to the matinee as she had & I explained that I had seen it in Salford the previous week and was about to see it again. She said she had absolutely loved the production & had booked to see it again. She said she was a regular attendee at Sadlers Wells but this was the best thing she had ever seen!! I felt very proud to be Northern! Leaving the theatre that night we bumped into Guiliano and he graciously signed my programme and posed for photos. (My eldest daughter loved it btw! :-D)

Just booked tickets to see this on 5th September :-)

Mmmmm but would I rather be challenged with what I watch than see "safe" classical repertoire?

Which contemporary dance school in Manchester was it Stardancer? Was it The Lowry CAT?

I think as people have said in this thread and others, versatile dancers are necessary for the current dance workforce.

However the training pathways for a classical dancer and contemporary dancers are very different (Rambert excepted of course which offers equal training in both and can be accessed from 16 until early 20's).

Not sure how old your dd is but if ballet is her passion then let her pursue this, contemporary is best pursued in early teens once they have been through puberty and technique and core strength are sound.

Nice to hear such positive feedback though..

CAT's are fab!!! Watch her fly :-) so pleased for her

A few years ago my dd auditioned for a number of associate schemes and also for a CAT place.  She was offered a place at York scholars that she initially accepted and I paid the deposit for.  However when she was also successful for the CAT scheme it was impossible for her to do both so she then had to regretfully decline the place at York scholars.  I seem to remember that the final payment wasn't due until mid July so it was only the deposit I lost.

 

You never know there may be some movement on the reserve list before September.

 

Good luck everyone

Thanks every-one for posting these fabulous clips of truly amazing children and young people.

 

Really fuels the nature/nurture debate.

Just wanted to add another clip of this young lady. I am in awe of her ability to dance the way she does, the poise control and fluidity of music. Imagine this girl turning up at one of the dance festivals she would certainly have the adjudicators tongues wagging lol.

And good luck to anyone who will be auditioning alongside her in 2016!!

 

Amazing!

None of like weight comments being passed on to sensitive teenage girls - as a mother of 5 I have never had scales in the house, not necessary ! However I am sure some fanatical gym coaches are equally prone to make comments about weight - I've never seen an overweight gymnast at Olympic level, in fact some of the Russians look very gaunt to me .

Totally agree, my dd did gymnastics when younger and at an international comp the Russian gymnasts were weighed at the end of the competition and told whether or not they were allowed to eat at the party!!

On the subject of it "all coming down to how the candidate performs on the day," what do people think about auditions that take place over a longer period of time? Some European and North American schools select candidates that way and I also went through that process to enter vocational school.

 

I have to say that I absolutely dreaded the assessment period (which was 1 month long in my case) and found it extremely stressful while I loved one-day auditions but it does give the school a much better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of a student. They get to see the good days and the bad days and how the student responds to their training.

 

Practically though, you wouldn't be able to apply to too many schools which employed this process of selection.

This is the selection process that the school my dd is interested in uses. They hold 31 pre selection auditions (across Europe and beyond) that involve a day of classes in ballet, contemporary and creative. Then if successful the auditionees travel to Belgium for 6 days and are observed doing daily classes in ballet, contemporary, improv, theatre techniques and rep, interviews and a written exam! Exhausting yes but at least then they have the opportunity to observe those students on good days, bad days and everything in between! Also demonstrates how the potential students will manage the rigours of full time training.

 

Edited to add that this is for students over the age of 18.

My dd's situation is slightly different as it is contemporary dance she wants to pursue and she will be 18 when she goes to study full time.

 

She certainly does have the technique and talent to get into a Consevatoire in the UK but she absolutely loves the French language so she will also be auditioning for P.A.R.T.S in Belgium. She is studying French at A level but my understanding is that most of the classes are conducted in English anyway as they take students from all over the world.

What better way to learn a foreign language than by living in the country and being immersed in that culture.

 

The costs of training are a lot less than the UK, €12,000 for the three years training as opposed to the £27,000 she would have to borrow with a student loan. They have small bursaries but I understand that the financial burden will primarily be mine and her father's.

Having put an older child through university I know that even with loans, I paid for her accommodation and gave her a monthly allowance for the three years she was there. There is no cheap way of accessing further education for our children whatever it is!

 

Sorry mods for hijacking the post somewhat but I think every young person is different, every family situation is different and if someone wants to explore different opportunities then they have the right to do so.

 

I did not become a member of this forum to judge and criticise others nor do I expect to be judged and criticised. Most people have so much more experience than I do and it is their opinions that I seek and value.

Swanprincess, time to get back to your GCSE revision! I have a son doing GCSEs this year and it's like trying to nail a jelly to the wall!

This made me smile so much.

 

Just like my dd and her AS revision!! :-D

Unreported World Channel 4 (7.30 pm) this evening is reporting on the only school in Iraq dedicated to ballet and music that is increasingly being threatened by religious extremism and sectarian tension. It also follows the progress of a 17 year old ballet student whose parents won't tell their neighbours what their dd is studying as ballet is seen as immoral!

 

Looks a very interesting programme.

There is an interview with Lauren Cuthbertson about this in The Sunday Times today.

Think your DS is in for a treat Billyelliot.

 

We went to see Lord of the Flies at The Lowry last night. it was visually spectacular as always with Bourne's work and Danny Reubens danced and acted the role of Jack to perfection.

 

The 24 boys involved looked like they were having the time of their lives ( who wouldn't want to act like a savage!:-D )They all had their photos in the programme and had written a small biog about themselves.

That's ok feet & inches make much more sense to me!! :-) thank-you.

I watched Swan Lake on Sky Arts 2 last night and agree that Yanowsky was stunning. Does anyone know how tall she is as she towered over Kish en pointe and looked taller than most of the corps?. Maybe it was just her incredible stage presence creating that illusion.

My DD was one of the ones called out for the scholarship - she didn't get one but she was soooo close - I was bursting!!  She did Swan Lake 2 years ago in Nottingham and is thrilled to be doing The Nutcracker this year....it'll be odd doing a Christmas ballet in July though

 

For those who are doing it for the first time, your children will love it and all of them are sad when it's over (and so are the parents too!)

 

I know what you mean....this reminded me when my DD did The Nutcracker with EYB several years ago on one of the hottest weekends West Yorkshire had ever known!! I was chaperoning all the snowflakes and the irony was not lost on me as I dripped in sweat getting them up and down the stairs from our dressing room to stage!!! :-D.  Hope you all enjoy yourselves.

Yep, coming to The Lowry in November and tickets go on sale at the end of this month. 

 

Having read your comments on the Swan Lake thread Nottsballetlover I shall definitely be buying some for this production when we go to see Lord of the Flies in April :-)

.

I wasn't stressing too badly until yesterday at Move-it when everyone I spoke to (from colleges) told me I was doing "the wrong thing" I should keep her at home until 18, make her do A levels or a BTEC then do it all again at 18 (because it will be better for her/that college is not as good as ours/you simply can't do a foundation or pre-voc/& anyway it will be much nicer if she leaves home at 18):

YOU are the expert on your child not the people you spoke to at Move It. They are businesses and will be dismissive of other courses/institutions. You have also done your research about what the alternatives are (or aren't) in your local area.

 

You appear to have raised a confident, assertive, and talented dd who knows what she wants and seems more than capable of leaving home at 16 to pursue her dreams.

 

Nothing is guaranteed in the future (in any course of study) but if your dd is doing what she loves and is happy then you have made the right decision.

 

Best wishes to you both :-)

How old is your dd Lilac?

Excuse me Katymac, I am having a senior moment!! :-D

I am unclear about what your dilemma is now.

My understanding is that your dd has received some good offers from her auditions to be able to pursue her dance training in September. Is it funding (or lack of it) that is now driving your ongoing worry and stress about the decisions to be made?

I'm sorry if I have missed this but it has been a long and stressful day!

I share everyone's concerns about post year 11 education for those young people who are not academic that has been exacerbated by the government insisting on education continuing until 18 now.

Well sadly no Jon Ollivier for me in Bradford last night but Glenn Graham was a revelation as the lead swan/stranger.

I have seen him dance many times with Phoenix Dance Theatre, his movement and characterisation were superb and for me demonstrated what a versatile dancer he is.

Liam Mower was the Prince....wow, Billy Elliot has grown up!!

Goes without saying that the Swans continue to be amazing.

Another full house, another standing ovation!

I don't think any of Matthew Bourne's work could be accurately described as "ballet" . He reworks the classics in his own creative style and is quoted in the programme for Swan Lake as saying " it's sometimes called a ballet, which worries me, as there is not a pointe shoe in sight (apart from in the little spoof 'ballet' in Act One). I would say it is more aptly described as contemporary dance/theatre".

 

I for one am beyond excited to be seeing this again in Bradford on Saturday and am praying to the gods of dance that Jon Ollivier will be dancing lead swan/stranger! :-D

Hasn't this been discussed in another thread? :-)