Laura_ballet

Lucinda Strachan

English National Ballet

lucindastrachan15@gmail.com

Any idea when NYB release results for summer intensive? And anyone had experience with the bursary side of things?

11 minutes ago, BattementBatty said:

Elmhurst released results in the middle of the 2 day WL finals?  When will these schools start to think about the impact of this sort of thing on the children involved. They are 10 & 11. 

That really annoyed me! They could have waited until Friday afternoon, I’ve chosen not to tell my daughter yet and help her focus on the audition instead. 

Also would agree, Luke is great https://balletphysio.com/

By the timetable they have sent out, I’m going to assume the final is over 2 days for all finalists. They might possibly change the groups around though? 

Thank you @Adagio123 any idea what parents do during this time? 

I just love it!! Not enough hours in the day to get through it after work! Me and my daughter watched it last year and thoroughly enjoyed watching the progress of some of our favourites. 

The email states 4hrs on the 1st day and 6hrs on 2nd day . They did inform more information will follow however i am impatient and would love to know a bit more if anyone has any knowledge from last year!! 

Where can I watch once the live steam is over? Do they put it up at some point on YouTube?

We applied for NYB. Due to my lateness we can only take part in the zoom audition but that saves on travel costs! I’ll look at Malvern and central. Thanks all 

Following on from the original post, can anyone share what happens at WL in terms of weekends, leave-out and how long are holidays? Do they take all their stuff back at end of each term? Does WL also do an activity each weekend? 

Thanks @Adagio123 with regards to RAD do they start with Intermediate Foundation? What happens if they have taken it already? 

Thank you so much for the information. So helpful to create a picture of what the future could look like.

I had a group just like this. I really struggled in the end had to stop teaching them. Felt like a failure but my heart sank every time I got to that class! Maybe ask the head to come and observe? See if there’s an improvement? 

Hi everyone,

My daughter is auditioning at Elmhurst today, and the possibility of her attending has me thinking about logistics. For parents with children already at Elmhurst, could you share insights on the weekend schedule, typical travel arrangements for those from the south, and the duration of holidays compared to local comprehensives? Additionally, I'm curious about the allowed evening departures during the school week. Is it only Saturdays after classes, or are there other options? Lastly, what percentage of children stay on weekends, excluding leave out? If they stay, what sort of activities do they do?

Thanks in advance for your help!

In the final year at JA, they do prepare students for the WL audition. Although I'm unsure if being a JA enhances your chances, I doubt it poses a hindrance. Numerous JAs successfully gained a place at WL last year, at least 8 of the current year 7s.

I wasn’t going to apply this year however my daughter has expressed an interest in taking part in some sort of intensive. Are there any intensive applications still open? 

It will cost you £20 roughly but you can download on the RAD app advanced 1 syllabus. Get acquainted with it. Of course it will never be as good as learning in class however it’s worth having a look before, hear the music etc 

Hi @Allbarone I’m also an adult who returned to ballet after a very very long break. I would say, the jump actually isn’t that big to intermediate however I would spend more time getting ready for  it. Especially the pointe. Would it be possible for you to also take the Advanced 1 class? It would be good for stamina and strength building. Plus you’ll know the syllabus well for when you move on. Also, if your main concern is the pointe work then I would consider taking a pointe class online that is very basic and keep going over the strengthening exercises, practice, practice and more practice of rises, echappes and releves. Hope this helps. Wishing you the best of luck with your adult ballet journey!

Thank you @MissEmily I also heard about the limbering side of it, I wasn’t sure if it was just one example so that’s good to know. 

What occurs during the semi-final audition for the Royal Ballet, and how does it differ from the preliminary round?

Will let you know how RB goes, my daughter is auditioning in London on 26th November. Can’t quite believe the time is nearly here. We are also doing Elmhurst. 

I don't know about you, but that documentary about dark side of vocational schools hit close to home for me. My little dancer, who's just 10, was all excited about joining a vocational school someday, but now we're both wondering what's next. How are you all dealing with these revelations? Any tips, thoughts, or experiences to share? Maybe we can figure out how to support our kids and guide them towards their dance dreams while keeping them happy and healthy along the way

6 minutes ago, Hadtopost said:

 

I have read the comments on this thread.

I have read the newspaper articles and watched the Panorama programme.

Not one thing that I have heard or read has contradicted the real-life experience that our daughter had in the world of vocational ballet training. It is a toxic environment, and one that unfortunately it is so hard to see as such whilst they are in it. One of the posters on here used the term ‘groomed’ and Luke Jennings referred to its cult like qualities, and I would say neither were far from the truth.

 

During training from the years of 11-16 there was the daily belittling, humiliating, bullying, coded comments such as needing to lengthen her lines, the not so coded comments, eat less biscuits (she didn’t eat biscuits anyway). While she was in training at upper school (RBS) she suffered with eating disorders, self harm, and suicidal thoughts. She made the decision to leave as she was so desperately unhappy, and hasn’t stepped into a ballet studio since. 

Although she is out of that world now, and studying at a mainstream school, the internal wounds, as she calls them, are still there.

 

She didn’t watch the programme, but she read the article in the Times on Monday night. She called me at 11am yesterday morning from the toilet at school where she was having a panic attack. Reading it unearthed all the trauma that is still inside. 

 

So it’s easy for people to comment, parents should know or protect their kids, well female dancers need to be light enough to be lifted in PDD, whatever whatever whatever (and by the by it wasn’t just the females in her boarding house who said they felt ‘fat’ after dinner so they needed to go and throw up, the disordered eating/eating disorders/body shame/self loathing ran across both sexes). But the wounds are still there for all these ex-dancers, no matter who it feels easier to blame.

 

I don’t have any more than that really to say on the subject. 

 

When I spoke to my daughter yesterday after she had come home from school following the panic attack (she basically broke down having the trauma resurface and her school sent her home to recover), she said she still feels wrong, and damaged inside, and alone, and I thought how wonderful it would be if out of all of this something positive could happen. Something like a support group for survivors of this world, where they could talk and share their experiences and feelings and feel truly seen and understood by others who have been through this. I really don’t know how such a support group could be facilitated but if anyone has any ideas or thoughts and wants to DM me about this please feel free.

 

One thing both my partner and I thought after we watched that programme was that in fact she isn’t alone, none of them are alone, there are so many of them who have been damaged. 

 One good thing that might come out of this is, less children going into vocational training at 11 sparing them the abuse/bullying/body shaming. I feel this programme has highlighted my fears for my own daughter and has seriously impacted our decision making. 

Just now, Thelittleswans said:

on 15 September, a whistleblowing line for the general public is also available on 0800 028 0970 for anyone who feels they can't directly raise a concern with the School. The line is staffed by independent experts and is available to call from 9.00 to 21.00 daily.

@TwirlyWhirly