Gingerbread

Hi Sheila

 

Its coming along, I've almost got rid of the old body memory from somewhere that automatically wants to fouette the second turn. But I think I'm going to have temporarily wear knee pads as the knees are getting a bit sour from repeated landing, but there is no way I'm not using those. I really love the way Natalia executes this move, most other dancers don't go fully down but I most definitely will. I did try it a couple of times before our class started this morning, but all I got was "Show off".

 

 

See the link at 1.05 and 1.08 , I can see this becoming one of my favourite movements.

 

Although this morning class (in my village) was super simple, as it was beginning of term, plus we had three new dancers who had not done ballet since children, a returning dancer who has been away for several months, but only had a few months of ballet from scratch. I found it quite difficult, everything was done in first, no port de bras in plié's, arm positions for all barre exercise were either bras bas or second. It just seemed so unnatural and required quite a lot of conscious effort, even harder when the music started, I just wanted to flow with the music.

 

I also spoke to Nicky my teacher as I will be hiring the same hall shortly to rehears my repertoire, otherwise I'm frightened of loosing it, or at least will require lots of rework to get it refreshed in memory. I know Nicky is not interested in providing private tuition for repertoire as I have already asked her, but I thought it only courtesy to tell her, as she is well away of my other ballet activities.

Michelle I'm looking forward to you uploading some video of you in action - I'm sure it would be most educational.

you can't be a professional ballet dancer if you're fat though 

yes it could have been an awful lot worse.....

An update - good news, it's just a soft tissue injury, with some bruising/swelling. Definitely not actually dislocated.  She has been recommended nurofen/paracetamol plus no ballet for a week. They did an x-ray... did not refer for physio but i will cough up and pay for that privately just to make sure.

coincidentally, the nurse practitioner who saw my DD said she herself used to do ballet and wanted to be a dancer, but was too tall for ballet. So she became a nurse. She could see DD was a ballet dancer from the way she lifted her leg when asked. She gave DD a little pep talk about following her dream. 

quite amazing when you think about it! life never ceases to surprise me.

Thank you all for your support!! xx

Hello all - I am writing this on my phone from A and E waiting room! Can you believ e there is only one other person waiting?!!

You have both made me see what's staring me in the face - that I need to go to urgent care.

I'm waiting for DD to come home now, and will take her there asap!

Sunday night she slipped on the kitchen floor and somehow dislodged her knee. She was screaming in pain and managed to push it back into position. I gave her nurofen and got her to elevate it and ice it for a bit but she was far too distraught to really do this properly. 

I've tried without success to get a physio to see her - they all seem to be on holiday! Still waiting for one to get back to me and hopefully that could be Thursday but at this rate the soonest anyone can see her is the weekend.

It keeps "popping out" again and is causing a lot of pain - needless to say she is not dancing at the moment.

Can anyone advise what I can do please?

I'd like these to go to a good home - they've been worn but not loads and loads, there's still a lot of wear in them. Black with pink trim. Size 4 but they come up very small. so normal size 3 I would imagine.

I learnt that "bangs" meant "fringe" when I was quite little, because Laura Ingalls Wilder talked about them in Little House on the Prairie!

I keep reading about all these summer schs and feel so lucky that my DDs have been able to attend their dance sch throughout the summer apart from two weeks when they close.

It hasn't cost the earth and they have had excellent tuition also have been able to watch several dress rehearsals of Bolshoi.

We are also in the same boat. I feel enormously grateful to DDs dance school. They run right through the holidays except the next two weeks and what a privilege to see the Bolshoi dress rehearsals at Covent Garden!! DD used to attend YBSS regularly but not since going to her new dance school. On the subject of the one that costs £1,000 a week or something like that - well, no summer school is worth that, unless they give you a free bag of gold for attending! No matter how good the faculty, premises etc, all that will be available to you elsewhere if you search hard enough plus I believe that if you have talent and a hard work ethic, that's more important than going to a flashy summer school. Fair enough if you have money to burn, but seriously, I wouldn't feel too hard done by if you can't afford to go!

InterestedParent, I am LOVING the notion of apres-dance (and I fear it's something my own DD values almost as much as the actual Dance)!

I'll admit I haven't set foot in a Primary school for many years, but I have several dozen pupils in that age group.  They mainly go to about 5 or 6 Primary schools within a 1 or 2 mile radius.  Then I always have a few from schools a bit further away.  Therefore, with the things both they and their parents tell me, I think I have a very accurate overview of what is happening in schools in our area.

 

For choreography I welcome ideas from pupils when setting a dance for shows.  With younger ones it might just be a particular step they feel would fit the music/theme.  With older ones we have made it a joint project, choreographing to music they have chosen. 

I have to say that going just by what parents and pupils tell you about a school is never going to give a very accurate overview of any school. It is very important to meet with and speak to teachers and headteachers. I would always recommend this whether it's a case of "normal" school or indeed a ballet school.

You beat me to it spanner, I certainly was referring to masterclass!

 

I know the students on the dvd are from Elmhurst.ds knows ome!

They must be students from a selection of schools because several students from  DD's old dance school have also been used (local school)-

sorry - off topic!

can I just say that the masterclasses I've seen didn't all consist of RBS students. The first year we were there we saw Lauretta S. in 2 or 3 masterclasses and she didn't go to RBS. It may well have been different recently though - we haven't been for a few years! 

I'm watching this thread with interest and a bit wistfully - DD went to YBS for 4 or 5 years running but can't go now due to other commitments. She loved every minute of the time she had there and I also loved watching classes - including of course the evening masterclasses.

Rather you than me! If anyone wants to get me some Betty's fruit cake when they reach the front of the queue I would be most grateful!! 

you usually have to queue for Betty's - good luck in the heat!!

Mama Mia in Gillygate is a fantastic Italian restaurant - I can highly recommend it! For coffee, you are spoilt for choice for places in York....

To be fair to the music teacher (I did a music degree) people who can keep time in dance can't always in music and vice versa.

Ok I will forgive the music teacher's comment! Musical ignoramus here .....

DD's music teacher wrote "DD is starting to grasp basic concepts such as keeping rhythm"

I should blinking well hope so, she's been dancing for 10 years and for the past 3, almost every day!!

Another one has said that DD shouldn't take the ballet as her inspiration for the "performance" themed textiles project she has to do, because it's "just tutus." I do despair sometimes

I speak as a teacher, and of course ideally the parent will safeguard the child to the best of their ability, but the school has a very definite responsibility and duty of care in this respect, whether it be a vocational school or non-vocational school.

However, I feel this is now off topic and not helpful to Angeline, so I will not be responding further.

it's not ultimately the responsibility of the parent to do the safeguarding when the child is away at a vocational school which SHOULD have a duty of care

"You can have all the guidelines and oversight in the world but you are never going to get rid of a school that "cons" or a teacher who insidiously abuses - and the people who abet it either through silence or neglect. "

I'm sorry but that's a shocking attitude. 

guidelines should and MUST be in place to root out abuse of any sort.

surely good Russian training is not dangerous like this though?

I hope not - dd is being taught Russian method and does not have flat turnout.

The message I get is as follows:

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