Angela Essex

6 hours ago, LinMM said:

This is a difficult one! 
That's because you said it was the only class in your area so looks like you haven’t much choice as it’s Intermediate or nothing!! 
At least you seem to be enjoying the class and the teacher sounds encouraging perhaps because she knows there’s nowhere else to go. 
However you said you were fed up being the worst in the class and to be honest this is going to be unavoidable because you are where you are ....a complete beginner! 
Of course you will find the Centre work difficult because this is where you put steps together where the Dance begins. 
In an ideal situation you wouldn’t be in this class as a beginner. 
Is it ballet you are really keen on or are you just wanting to do some movement linked to music? 
If you cannot find any other class nearish to  you to supplement this Intermediate one which is at a more basic level then finding one online may be the answer. 
I can recommend Franziska Rosenzweig’s online beginner and improver level ballet classes which would give you a good foundation. But there are many others. Don’t go for some famous ballet dancers class though as they will be too hard for a beginner unless it says clearly for beginners .... General ballet usually can mean anywhere from Grade 5 to Advanced!! 
Obviously continue with your current class while you are enjoying it but if the other people in this class are already quite a bit more advanced they are only going to go on getting more advanced as the year progresses and you might find this disheartening without some sort of easier back up class. 
Do you live near any largish City? 

I’m in South Essex, the nearest cities are Chelmsford (30 mins) London (30-60 mins by train) or Colchester (1hr). Someone on here reccomended beginners adult ballet class that the Chelmsford ballet run but sadly only the general class is still going, not the adult beginners. 

Yes I really like ballet in particular. I think it’s because I like the music and I find the movements quite meditative in a way. It’s hard to explain but because I’m concentrating so hard I leave the world behind. 
 

Thank you for the online class recommendation I’ll definitely check it out as I think you’re right - an online class in addition to the one I already do is the way forward. 

9 minutes ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

I am not a teacher and didn't start as an adult, but I am very familiar with RAD vocational grades, and have met friends with all sorts of different ballet journeys on my return.

 

In my opinion, RAD Intermediate is the very upper level you could place a beginner - it's not ideal, but if circumstances require it, most of it is manageable safely - though some adjustments might need to be made (I am thinking of the double pirouettes, brises and pointe), and expectations managed. And that is: passing the Intermediate exam at an acceptable standard is several hundred study hours - probably two years of 2+ times a week classes - for an adult who is *already at the level of the grade below* - which RAD HQ suggests is 3+ years of recent experience for adults. But I've also seen adults jump into vocational syllabuses very early on in their journey because they fell in love with ballet, were dedicated, and preferred a constant body of work to improve over several years, than progress up classes, and do really well in the end. 

 

Other than a handful of absolute beginner courses, most adult beginner classes I've seen are probably set around Grade 5, though to be clear: this is in terms of steps and vocabulary, not that the participants are dancing at that level. It's just that as adults, we have more experience in our own bodies. Now, kids taking Grade 5 may well also start working on the Intermediate Foundation or Intermediate syllabus if they are serious about dancing - but the advantage they have is that they'll already have several grades of dancing under their belt, so the challenge of vocational syllabuses is incremental, not completely new, as it is to you. 

 

Long story short: the dancers around you probably have years of experience on you, so don't be intimidated. However, if you're happy in the class and the teacher is happy to have you, I don't think there isn't any harm in you staying - so long as you're getting enough attention 

Thanks heaps for the reply. It’s reassuring to know how much study that level of class involves. The teacher seems happy enough for me to stay I think and regards attention she is certainly keeping an eye on me judging by the no of instructions coming my way 😂. At first it was lots of ‘well done, good work’ etc now it seems to be heaps of corrections and down to the nitty gritty of sorting me out to do the steps properly which is doing me good. 

2 minutes ago, glowlight said:

@Angela Essex - If you are in a Intermediate syllabus class that is way more than a beginners class, so if you are holding your own at all you are doing really well.  You aren't going to build up the necessary strength in a few months (teenagers doing RAD intermediate will probably have 10 years dance training under their belts already), so don't be too hard on yourself.  Use your 'stubbornness' and keep at it, and it will come eventually I'm sure.  It might be worth a chat with your teacher to tell her how you are feeling.

Hello Glowlight!

Aww thanks for your reply. Yes the teacher did mention the syllabus was at vocational level, but it’s the only local class there is where I am and it’s an excellent school. My class teacher is super lovely and I think it might hurt her feelings if I said I was feeling a bit out of place. She really tries hard to cater to all the levels in the class. It’s really nice of everyone on here to reply though - helps a lot 😊

46 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

Hi Angela

 

I'm an adult beginner.  I've been dancing about 3 years and still consider myself a beginner. I've never done ballet before but coming out of the difficult end of a relationship and the fact my doctor wanted me to stretch more, I decided to go to a ballet class. It's completely addictive and I love it. 

 

There are many parts of ballet I struggle with including and not limited to arabesques in releve, fondus in releve and anything where I have to pirouette and the teacher isn't shouting out which foot I'm meant to be on and which way I'm turning.   But I love it.  Centre is definitely hard though. I am often not that good at it.  I do a repertoire class online regularly and I'm aware I'm fairly terrible at it because I can't move my body fast enough to accomplish the steps in the time available.  I enjoy the class though so I keep going with it.       

 

I do wonder if you have the right level of class.  I don't know what level RAD intermediate is but if you've not done ballet before you might want to try a beginner class where they break things down more thoroughly as well.  I do a fairly basic class online one day per week,  a beginner class online another day and then a more challenging in person class (or I did until my teacher went off to perform).  Could you maybe do something easier as well just to drill the basics a bit more and feel more confident?  Maybe do one online sometime?

 

Some days I do feel like I'm the worst one in class but it's not a competition and nobody else notices you as much as you think.  I said to David (one of my ballet teachers (who is also my tango teacher) once that I wished I could move more like Marianela because she's perfect.  He said to me "you are not Marianela and you don't have her body and experience. You be the best you that you can and that is enough.  if you believe you can do it in your head, the body will catch up in time."  If your teacher is any good they'll be pleased with your improvement, especially if they see you taking on corrections. I know that none of my teachers would ever want me to feel I was wasting their time and they all celebrate as the students improve.  They know I'm doing the best I can to learn and that a plump 40 year old body like mine won't manage everything that an experienced dancer's body would.  

 

Ballet does take time to learn.  I learnt the basics of salsa fairly quickly but ballet is a lot slower.  The changes and improvements are incremental.  Over time my passe has improved and got higher and my port de bras now looks quite good.  I did a class on Thursday and the teacher said to lift the leg from underneath in the developpe.  She's said that before but this time I could actually feel the difference in my body when I did it and the results looked really good in my view.  Some things I will never get like e.g. perfect turnout because I didn't learn it as a child and I'm fine with that.  

Hello Tango!

Thank you for your reply. I can 💯 relate to progress being slow (in my case barely existent as yet 😂). Yes I agree with you -I do think a more basic class would be good to do in addition to the one I already attend. May I please ask what online classes you do? And do you think they would be basic enough for me? There are no other adult beginners classes I can get to in my area (South Essex) - I put a post up asking for adult beginners classes in the area and someone kindly reccomended Chelmsford ballet - I spoke to the artistic director who said she’s starting an adult beginners class soon but it’s not running at the moment yet.
 

PS I love Marianela too - she is awesome. Going to see her in Romeo & Juliet and Swan Lake can’t wait. 

Just now, Jan McNulty said:

Hello Angela,

 

There are many recreational adult dancers on this forum.  If you click on the adult ballet tag that I have added to the thread it will bring up a number of different threads.

Fab thank you Jan 🙏😊

Hi Everyone!

Are there any other adult beginners on here? I’ve been going to ballet class once a week since September having never danced before in my life and am really enjoying it. Just wondering how long it takes to get any good? I’ve got better at the barre work my teacher has been doing in class but I’m still embarrassingly bad, especially when it comes to centre practice. I’m much worse than all the other ladies in the class who have returned to ballet having danced as when they were younger and I’m getting fed up of being the worst one. We are doing rad intermediate syllabus. My teacher is trying her best god bless her, she’s really taking time to explain things but there’s so much to remember and I keep mucking it up. I practice with you tube videos a few times a week in between classes but progress seems so slow. Feeling like I need some moral support or maybe just a stern talking to telling me to stop being such a whiny baby and practice more 😂 Sometimes I actually feel bad for being in the class with all these better dancers, but I’m too stubborn to quit, besides I actually love going to the class despite how rubbish I am 😂. I am really trying to improve as I don’t want to let the rest of the ladies in the class and my teacher down but I’m still sooo bad 😂 Has anyone else on here felt similar as an adult absolute beginner? 

On 16/11/2021 at 09:03, bridiem said:

 

Excellent! Let us know your reactions after the performance - would be great to hear how things go for you.

So it was absolutely amazing. For £28 the seat C61 was really very good. Two really tall people (they must’ve been 6ft plus) sat in front of me but I had a clear view of the stage down the middle of them / in between them. Unfortunately their phones went off a few times during act I and they were talking so the usher said I could move to the first row of the balcony (A55) for act II. The view from there was fabulous. 
 

Now I’m by no means an expert in all things ballet but my word Caesar Corrales was unbelievable. My jaw was literally on the floor with all the jumps and turns 😮. Akane Tadaka was just beautiful too. When she found out Albrecht was betrothed to Bathilde and had betrayed her the devastation she conveyed almost had me in tears I was literally so gutted for her. Annette Buvoli was a very menacing Myrthe too. I haven’t been to roh in almost 35 years and it did not disappoint. I can’t wait to go back.

I scoped out the view from the standing spaces at the back of the balcony and the stalls circle and they both had a clear view of the stage too. Plenty of decent seats at really affordable prices at roh. Now I just need to plan my next visit. The cheaper balcony seats are fantastic. 

59 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

The advantage of the loose bar stool seats over fixed seats, Angela, is, as you'd expect, that you can move and angle the seats. This can help if the people in front of you are obstructing your view, although there are no guarantees; as always, it helps if the people in front are small and do not lean forward or move about too much. And, unlike similarly-priced seats in the amphitheatre, you don't have to worry that moving your seat will obstruct the view of people behind you.

Thanks for the heads up - I’ll just be so excited to be there - fingers crossed the people in front won’t be too tall 🤞🤞🤞

7 hours ago, Daveyw0506 said:

Hello one and all, 

I am new to the Royal Opera House and have just secured tickets to see Swan Lake in March and have managed to get seat numbers P18 and P19 level G in the orchestra stalls. 
Does anyone who is a regular opera goer know if I have got good quality seats, this is a surprise for my wife and I want it to be special. 
Many Thanks

Wow! What an amazing surprise. I’ve only been to roh twice as a child, but those seats sound amazing to me I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to bits. I’m sure you’ll earn a LOT of husband points 👍👍👍

I also booked amphi E 57 & 58 to see Marianela and Vadim in Swan Lake in March - can’t wait. I’ve never seen Swan Lake or Marianela dance before so am really looking forward to it.

4 hours ago, Fonty said:

This may seem like a strange question, but I will ask it anyway.  How do you know that the ticket is a standing one, rather than a seat?  Does it say "Standing"?  Or do you just know from the price and the position?  Needless to say, I have never bought one of these. 

When you click on the seat on the seat plan on the website it shows the seat no, price and a little description of the seat eg ‘standing, view obscured by ledge, loose seat’ or whatever other description pertains to that seat. For the one I chose C61 balcony it said ‘loose seat the height of a bar stool. View may be obscured by patrons in front’ so we will see what happens. Will report back after Friday. Thanks again everyone for all your help 😘

13 hours ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

Very true - I was talking a bit more generally as someone taller and physically comfortable with a bit of seat-maneuvering. One thing I liked about the end seats in H-K (from memory) was the extra ledge on the side for coats and bags as well!

 

Enjoy! It's been an incredible run from the two I've seen so far. I hadn't realised the balcony tickets were so reasonably priced - hopefully you get the best of being closer & being able to see the incredibly precise Wili formations. I found myself captivated by the corps more than the principals many times - a testament to how good the entire company have been for this revival. 

Thank you 🙏 I can’t wait! 

Thanks all! I went for C61 Balcony £28. So excited 😆 

39 minutes ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

My pick, if you're able to stand, is SCS. I'm always blown away by how exceptional the view is for the price. My only hesitation would be that - for me at least - the most magical part of Giselle is seeing the formations in Act II from above. 

 

I am your height and I have never found the "restricted view" seats in the main amphi to be problematic; in fact, I find the price reduction a real blessing. I would just weigh up the distance from the stage vs cost - the generous discounts for these tickets more than outweigh any potential problems. I cannot recall an occasion in which the tiniest parts that may have escaped my sightline felt like the evening was marred - except one evening with a really tall patron in front (who would have obscured my view wherever I was in reality). 

 

I'm not familiar with the balcony seats in question but from recollection they are also quite a bit more expensive than the amphi?

Aww thank you for your help 😊. The balcony seat is £35. The amphi ones are £21-28 the standing stalls circle are £8 but they’re next to the light box right in the centre so idk if the light box will be blocking my view? 

14 minutes ago, alison said:

How's your back?  The ends of row H amphi are reasonably okay if you can sit forward (there shouldn't be anyone directly behind you), but if you have to sit with your back against the backrest you lose over 50% of the stage.  SCS D28 - I'm not sure what the air circulation is like round there, because I haven't stood there "post"-Covid.  You need to be quite tall to be able to rest your arms on the ... armrest ... in front of you.  The row C balcony loose seats are rather a lottery: they can be good or bad depending on the people sitting on the (equally loose, but lower) seats in row B in front of you.

 

Possibly one of those posters who managed to come up with the photos last time will be able to do so again  

Aww thank you for replying Alison that’s super helpful 😊 I’m 5’8” and my back is okay so I could lean forward and would probably be able to reach the armrest standing in stalls circle. I’ve had my Covid booster so should be ok re Covid fingers crossed. Row L in amphi is also a possibility how would you say that compares to the others? Not sure if it’s worth getting a super cheap £8 or going to £20-35 mark? Thanks again xx

I’m thinking of sneaking off to see Giselle on Friday while the kids are at school. I have a choice of standing in the back of the stalls circle near the light box D28, C61 - a loose seat at back of balcony, H72 or H43 amphitheater view obstructed by ledge or L71 mid right amphitheatre. Other than that it would be the slips. I’m wanting to get some cheaper seats this time as I’m saving my pennies to see Marianela in swan lake next spring. This will be the first time I’ve been to the Opera House since childhood so I’m very excited but have no idea if any of the above seats are any good - hoping some kind person will help. The roh don’t seem to have the ‘view from your seat’ pictures like they used to either. 

Capezio white canvas split sole ballet shoes UK1

Boys white leather full sole ballet shoes UK1

Boys RAD white leotard suit age 8.

Free to a good home.

Collection CM12 9PL Billericay, Essex

Thank you 😊

Hello everyone!

Does anyone know of any adult beginners ballet classes in South Essex in the evenings, Friday daytimes or weekends please?

I’m a total newbie and only started ballet a couple of months ago at the ripe old age of 45 having never danced before.  
I go to Adagio in Hutton/Brentwood on Monday nights (they’re amazing and so nice given that idk what I’m doing), but I’d like to do more than one class a week.

Many thanks in advance,

Angela, Billericay, Essex