Doing Dance 1

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The pics from FB… 1 of 3

This thread discussed similar.

This paper from 2011 springs to mind. https://www.academia.edu/4464722/Hypermobility_and_dance_a_review ‘Epidemiological studies of hypermobile dancers indicate that although students are selected for hypermobility when auditioning for vocational schools, they are not represented in the higher ranks of professional companies.’ RBS/ RB tested in 2004 with hyper mobility: students 97% - principals 0%. Of course this would be interesting to see more recent figures but certainly food for thought.

Absolutely, or if you’re an institution something like, ‘at X we use classical ballet as the foundation for our curriculum…’ and note its benefits/ transferable skills to other disciplines.

I think this statement would be better, but still inaccurate. Ballet is around 400 years old so to be purely academic even this statement would suggest that there was no dance in The West/ Europe pre Ballet. Obviously this is nonsense which is why we must be mindful of these often ingrained broad statements. As dance educators, what we say and pass on to the next generation is so important and influential institutions have a duty to be mindful of the power they hold when they publish any such statement. ‘What exactly do we mean when we say that? Is it historically accurate? Is it aligned with ideas that uphold inequitable, unjust norms within the dance world and world beyond that? Are there ways in which we can refine our language to be more intentional, accurate and nurturing of all within our dance communities? ’ https://www.danceinforma.com/2021/08/01/is-ballet-really-the-foundation-of-all-dance-forms-an-investigation-and-exploration/

“Ballet is the foundation of dance.” This statement, and the sentiments that it embodies are incredibly detrimental to the dance world as a whole. The idea is that in order to be a successful dancer in any kind of way, one must first study and master ballet. Only then can you be treated as a “serious” dancer, worthy of notice and pay. This attitude, by its very nature, then takes the many other valid dance forms and puts them in an “other” category that is inherently viewed as “less than.” https://www.danceplug.com/article/why-ballet-is-not-the-foundation-of-all-dance-arts-and-culture This article and its thoughtful look at dance and it’s place in cultural historical contexts has just been ringing in my head after receiving a mail out from the Royal Ballet School in which it states ‘Classical ballet is the foundation of all styles of dance’. https://mail.royalballetschool.org.uk/76ZA-LW0C-0C9966EB387733C815GTJCF29A31C12A2D449D/cr.aspx

Being a JA is a HUGE advantage. As has been said, they are meticulously prepped for the WL audition.

Just wondering if people have seen this. https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/exclusive-bird-college-staff-speak-out-about-drama-schools-culture-of-fear (sadly behind a paywall but you can sign up to read it for free) ‘Current and former staff at Bird College have complained of a “culture of fear” under the drama school’s management and raised concerns about the treatment of employees and students at the institution. It comes as more than 200 people have signed an online petition declaring no confidence in the drama school’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.’ https://www.change.org/p/vote-of-no-confidence-in-bird-college-s-commitment-to-diversity-and-inclusion?redirect=false

I wholeheartedly disagree. The pressures and expectations of young dancers today are worlds away from what they were a generation or so ago. If the position was only open to individuals who had been through the school it would run the risk of repeating mistakes from the past. I would much rather an outstanding ‘outsider’ candidate rather than someone who just happened to have gone through the school and/ or company.

I’ve just seen this on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing. BOYS’ DAY 26 NOV 2023 ARTSDEPOT, LONDON This FREE event includes dance classes as well as tips and advice - get a sense of training at LSC. Designed for male-identifying, dancers aged 13+. https://www.londonstudiocentre.org/events/

I see both the Fonteyn Gold medal & Phyllis Bedell winners are both currently at Tring Park School. That’s quite the success story! https://www.thefonteyn.org/winners?fbclid=PAAaYP_1Sh3oqa0AzbbI9hdVvtsI4k2chSpiz5be_RuUiwdz_RuLSn-nCq4xw_aem_AQgIriytZCCmBgowsW3EJJIopLvK2ZsdHpiu_rW80vk89FzyiKafHVhJ7wQqtDG2lvY

I see both the Fonteyn Gold medal & Phyllis Bedell winners are both currently at Tring Park School. That’s quite the success story!

I’m glad you’ve brought this up. Pianists see everything in these schools and should be trained to recognise and indeed report if/ when problems arise.

I can’t help but find this wording dangerous. You mentioned strenuous lifts for the men - totally valid. However, why should the women be thinner? As is already being implemented across schools and companies, surely a solution to the ‘problem’ is for the men - and dancers broadly - to be stronger?

This is perfect! For a dance school to really call itself a ‘school’, then the children should be truly learning, and hopefully learning to be a dancer, appreciate dance and even be a choreographer/ dance maker - not just picking up and performing routines. You really should ask! That’s not to say that every qualified person who teaches syllabus work is going to be an excellent teacher (can of worms alert) and that an experienced professional with no affiliation with a syllabus/ exam board can’t be an excellent teacher, but they should be able to provide proof of their suitability to be teaching your children. Where did the teachers themselves train/ perform and are they engaging in CPD (continuous professional development) by attending seminars, webinars etc. Safeguarding is a non negotiable though and there should be clear protocols in place for first aid etc

If the students are not actually ‘learning’ then what are they gaining? I have ‘thoughts’ about dance schools with a competitive focus so I’ll try to put that to one side and acknowledge my bias. That being said, I’d say, trust your instincts and get out.

I can recommend these articles on the subject. So when do you know a child is doing enough? Some good indications are that they are happy, healthy and enjoying their dance lessons. Also that they are making steady progress in their dancing and want to continue their learning. When we ask ‘how much is enough?’ we should be thinking in terms of the quality of the student experience and not how much training they do. https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/2019/10/31/ballet-training-how-much-is-enough/ Limiting hours spent in organised sport (training and competition) per week such that they do not exceed the athlete’s age. E.g. a 10 year old should not train more than 10 hours per week across all sports, https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/expertise/how-intensely-should-children-train The trend to put kids who are “serious” about sports in specialized, intensive training is just as common in dance. While it’s hard to hold off on such immersion until later, it would likely benefit young students. “Doing multiple types of movement makes for a better dancer,” Harwood says. “You know your body better and you have more tools in your tool kit. And the variety keeps it interesting and prevents burnout.” https://www.dancemagazine.com/young-dancers-specialization/ Younger dancers should be training even less than that. Jayanthi adds that “based on the data, it’s pretty clear that if you train for more hours per week than your age [e.g., 12 hours for a 12-year- old], you’re more likely to have overuse injury.” https://dance-teacher.com/its-time-to-rethink-hyperspecialization-for-young-dancers/

I find this discussion fascinating. @Aurora3 have you engaged with the dance science resources that are now available to us? IADMS is always a good place to start. https://iadms.org/media/3598/iadms-resource-paper-the-importance-of-a-good-warm-up.pdf Safe Dance Practice: http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/142/Safe_Dance_Webinar_Slides.pdf https://humankinetics.me/2015/07/02/safe-dance-practice/amp/ some other interesting articles/ resources: https://australianballet.com.au/blog/strength-beats-stretch https://dancemagazine.com.au/2019/09/why-the-australian-ballet-dancers-quit-stretching/

As mentioned above by @drdance this is really not recommended and would not actually be a ‘warm up’. However, some pre-ballet work could be introduced in the latter stage if you follow the RAMP protocol. Raise – Increase muscle temperature, core temperature, blood flow, muscle elasticity and neural activation. Activate – Engage the muscles in preparation for the upcoming session Mobilize – Focus on movement patterns which will be used during the game. Potentiate – Gradually increasing the stress on the body in preparation for the upcoming competition/session. https://humankinetics.me/2019/03/04/what-is-the-ramp-warm-up/

Hi everyone, I’ve noticed that a few of my colleagues have been attending PBT training recently, likely fulfilling CPD requirements. I have a few thoughts I’d like to air and get some input on. Firstly, if delivering PBT to students, why have you chosen this as opposed to more traditional strength & conditioning which has a lot more research to back it up? On looking at PBT videos and articles there is often a reference made to ‘training the correct muscles’ If there are ‘correct’ muscles than what are the so called incorrect ones? Supplementary training for dancers is thankfully being widely adopted across all areas of dance training, most notably in pre-professional training and professional companies/ environments. However, I have yet to hear of a professional company using PBT in this case. Is this a coincidence? One ‘take home’ message I have heard in webinars and in articles is that, the more it looks like dance then the less dancers should be doing it. I.e. We should be ‘supplementing’ their training to fill the gaps inherent in dance training and not just doing dance movement with a theraband, pilates, ball… https://www.strengthmotionmind.com/post/strength-training-in-dance https://www.menshealth.com/uk/mhsquad/big-reads-membership/a35223268/sports-science-at-the-royal-ballet/ https://iadms.org/resources/blog/posts/2018/august/how-effective-is-pilates-as-an-additional-training-program-for-dancers/ https://australianballet.com.au/blog/strength-beats-stretch Now onto the ‘Backalast’… I find this hugely problematic. If a student has problems with their upper back, rounded shoulders etc, then WHY should they be ‘corseted’ into a posture where their clothes are doing the work that their own bodies should be doing. A student presenting with a weak upper back would surely be an ideal candidate for some strength training?! Thoughts please. 🙏 https://www.backalast.com

Fair point. 👍

Interesting, I’ve had a look at some and tried the concepts/ settings on my students. When paired with the clear objectives as instructed they found them quite challenging.

Just girls? #BoysDanceToo