Kitschqueen_1

Lukas Mcfarlane was spectacular 2nite. May not have any ballet left on GTD but he showed contemporary at its best! Go Lukas :-)

I was at this performance on Thursday too and agree fully with SheilaC. It is 12 months since I last watched Phoenix and there have been some changes. Sharon is building a strong company of talented dancers and I thought there were some exceptional performances. Josh Wille is always a pleasure to watch and without a shirt, well.......what is there to say?! :-))))

At my dd's CAT scheme in Leeds they did take someone aged 17 into the final year, so there may be some flexibility. :-)

After all the debate don't think Daniel Jones did!

I agree with this. My dd attends a contemporary CAT and foot thongs are not on the equipment list, everything is done in bare feet (and she has the bruises to prove it!!) :-)

You're right, I remember now them constantly alluding to a dancers "raw talent" as if he had just walked in off the street and received no training whatsover. In fact he was a full time student or just graduated (can't remember which) from Urdang!

I've always been put off GTD because of the amount of street/hip hop/ break dancing that is shown. However I have to say I am really enjoying this years series because of the diversity of acts that are being televised. Anything that brings ballet to a larger mainstream audience has got to be a good thing. However, if I was your average non-ballet enthusiast and did not know who Daniel Jones was would I have realised he was a top soloist in one of the UK's leading companies? No I don't think I would, not on that audition. If he goes through to the live semi-finals lets hope he pulls something spectacular out of the bag to truly show case his talent. I for one wish that the BBC would commission another series of SYTYCD. I used to love watching up and coming talent dancing different genres each week. (However there's no comparison between Nigel Lythgoe and Ashley Banjo!!! :-D )

Tooooo cute! She sings beautifully, thanks for sharing. :-)

Lots of luck every-one....with the auditions and the weather!

I thought he looked familiar!! Guess the £250,000 prize is a huge incentive.

Do we know this? I personally will be boycotting this until the full facts are known.

Not sure how closely linked the Bolshoi Company and the Bolshoi School are but would be interested to hear Primrose's views as her lovely dd is a student at the school.

I can see why they might want to keep it confidential before hand to stop media attention etc but can't see why it would matter after the event.

I saw this on Friday and agree with Ian that it is a long movie, my partner kept repeatedly looking at his watch!! In fact the cinema was full of women sobbing into their tissues accompanied by their (?longsuffering) partners . Not to be sexist but it was true and I was one of them! The quality of the singing is mixed and i guess everyone will have their own preferences/dislikes. Who knew Eddie Redmayne could sing so beautifully?! Whatever anyone thinks of Anne Hathaway you can't detract from the emotion of her performance especially when you know they really are hacking her hair off. In fact the performances from everyone were superb. I did enjoy it as it is a real spectacle and most of the cinema-goers burst into applause at the end. My partner......? Well his response was "It's Mamma Mia the revolution". Guess you can't please everyone.

If you are successful in your audition then you pay EYB a substantial amount of money to participate. Of course they need maximum attendance to ensure the performances are the best they can be but if you have an academic exam then that is your priority. Missing one rehearsal should not be a problem especially if you tell them when and why. You only need to read the news letters to realise that poor attendance is an ongoing issue for them. Good luck for your audition :-)

Hope every-one has a healthy, happy and successful new year. Looking forward to another 12 months of reading about, and being a part of every-ones triumphs and tribulations. Here's to a fabulous 2013 every-body! :-)

Belated Happy Birthday from me too. A huge thanks to everyone who works hard to keep this fabulous forum going. A healthy and Happy New Year to all!

What a pity these are when my dd has returned to school. Unless it is specifically aimed at adults. Would be interested in hearing feedback from anyone who does attend any of these workshops :-)

Commiserations Chasse Sounds like there are a great many factors they have to take into consideration aside from talent!

Hi Klaris thanks for sharing your dd's experiences. Many congrats to her on getting through to the finals. At her "experience workshop" did everyone do the creative session? We've just received an e-mail from NYDC with details of the Salford one that my dd is booked on, and they are saying that after the technical class only selected dancers will be involved in the creative session. They are reducing numbers after the initial class.

I want to echo everything that has been said. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to everyone!

Thank you Chasse Fingers and everything else crossed for you! Did they give any indication as to how many dancers they are looking for in total?

Wishing your dd a speedy recovery and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas.

Hi Chasse and welcome to the forum. :-) Thank you for sharing your experiences of the workshop. Interesting to hear how your CAT selected students to audition. I initially heard about NYDC on another forum and did wonder if it would be possible as like you my dd's CAT intensives clash with NYDCs residencies. Then, my DDs CAT sent out a leaflet about NYDC with her end of term appraisal. I'm taking this to mean that they are not averse to their students auditioning. The selection process appears quite rigorous so I will worry about clashes if she is successful. Lots of luck to you! :-)

Lil, did your dd enjoy working with Jasmin Vardimon? My understanding is that this is linked to Sadlers Wells not Tring. In the literature it talks about learning different dance styles but I woud imagine the emphasis will be on contemporary with Jasmin being the guest artistic director for 2013. The NYDC Experience workshops comprise of a technique class and a creative workshop. Swanprincess I would imagine you need to be 16 before you attend the initial workshop though it does say "age range is flexible in certain circumstances". You're right, that initial workshop does count as a first audition with dancers then being invited down to London in February for the final selection.