Yaffa

Haven't seen any folks with badges at the RBS Holland Park performances so far. I'll have a large stash of small round blue stickers on me today if anyone wants one to keep in their purse for when they don't have their badge...

On the Academy's vk.com (similar to Facebook) at: https://new.vk.com/vaganovaacademy there's a link to the entire graduation performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILwYT_Yxzj8. Also you can continue to follow the annual exams and more of a class of girls who have just finished their 5th year at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7kg6VMzxoR7K9j20d-EDBg. Such a treat to see this and so much more Vaganova material online...

Definitely agree that the focus should be on solving the problem professionally- I think this 'new' language is at least partly a reaction/overreaction to an earlier system when error messages were full of legalese/technical stuff that always assumed that the user was at fault e.g. 'illegal operation! Disconnecting from foreign host. Services terminated' (which didn't go down too well with the non-techie wife of a colleague who was working on an international venture)...

Fortunately, he was just found: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/02/world/japan-search-for-missing-boy-downsized/index.html

Apparently tickets will go on sale in a couple of weeks.

I was told that on the 29th July, there'll be an awards ceremony and performance of the winners and finalists. Then on the 30th July, there'll be a special "Meeting of Generations" gala with winners and finalists of both the current and previous competitions. I have written to the organiser asking when more official info will be available.

I just saw in the regulations that: The competitors take part in the Competition with their own ballet costumes, rehearsal ones, toes and slippers Too bad that they have to bring their own toes

I contacted them last month and they were very helpful. The competition really sounds fantastic and I'd certainly go if I got a chance. Their website is at: http://www.varna-ibc.org/site/?lang=en They weren't sure when tickets would go on sale but said this would be at http://www.eventim.bg/bg/ for all the evenings. Last year, most tickets cost around 15 to 30 euros. Tickets for the two galas are expected to sell out quickly.

Thanks for clarifying that toe size in itself isn't a big deal in the UK vocational schools. The girl who had asked is apparently no longer doing ballet. But today, I met a mother who was also under the impression that ballet is about dancing on toes and it needs a 'perfect' body, so if your toes aren't the 'right' shape and size (as is the case with her daughter's), that's it...She was happy to see the messages in this thread. Thanks again....

The highlight of the year at RBS, the defile, is 'a group of people standing on top of a surfboard,' whereas ballet students in other countries, doing arabesques in their white tutus, are already 'jetliners.' Which have the best chance of becoming urinals?

I've also found that reaching out to people, however long after a tragedy, can be most appreciated. But I think Alison's family also have a valid point about opening old wounds - I'd be particularly careful about how to contact them - e.g. an unexpected email to a work address might arrive just before the relative is about to make an important presentation and throw him off balance... or it might be mistaken for spam and never read.

Browsing the RBS website, I saw that they have a few vacancies (Birmingham Associate Centre Assistant, Eastleigh Associate Centre Coordinator, Covent Garden Front of House Administrator - weekends) which might interest people on this forum who are tied up on weekdays. Further info at http://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/information/work-with-us/current-vacancies/ Yaffa (no affiliation with RBS - just passing on the info)

The site also lists a 'Brunch and Ballet' on Saturday, From a Google Translate of the Danish: Live: Brunch and Ballet 9 / 4-2016 Enjoy a light brunch or just a cup of coffee and a croissant at home in front of your computer while you experience ballet dancers' morning workout at the bar where they fine-tunes the body to today's specimens and performances. Get a look into a deeply fascinating world where the body is an instrument of extreme elegance, and barriers to, the body's performance degrades. And some other interesting ballet videos on the site: http://video.kglteater.dk/ballet

It would be nice to see more RB classes and rehearsals, or at least greater seating availability.

Some nice recommendations in the thread on the ROH afternoon tea: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/7448-afternoon-tea-at-the-roh/. Edited to say oops, I didn't see Alison's post... Great minds :-)

Any mention yet of whether there'll be a Nutcracker or something else in December/Jan?

One April 1st, a friend who lives in Sao Paulo said that he would be unable to run an errand that evening 'because his numberplate ends in 3.' Thinking this was some kind of April Fool's Day prank, I jokingly asked if another friend would be arrested if she ran the errand instead. 'Yes, probably,' he said, 'because her numberplate ends in 4'. Well, turns out that it was no joke - In Sao Paulo, to reduce congestion and pollution, all cars are banned from driving in the rush hour for a couple of days per week - the specific days being determined by the last digit of the car's number plate...

That also drives me nuts. There are some workarounds at http://www.spiceography.com/too-much-pepper/ Personally I usually drown whatever it is in tahini (sesame paste - the real stuff, 100% ground sesame seeds, not the diluted sauce which often comes with a strange combination of strong spices). Mind you, I usually drown everything in tahini anyway :-)

Definitely - When I read the article itself, it was clear that the matter is real and serious. But from skimming the BBC headline 'Musician sues Royal Opera House over ruined hearing' I initially assumed it was a 1st April joke.

I also initially thought it was an April Fools thing - sorry to hear it wasn't. From a quick Google search there seem to be products specifically designed for musicians, which can be customised to filter out only certain types of sounds e.g. http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/erme.html, No idea how well they work...

Good to see in the latest (2014-2015) RBS annual report that as well as making more material available online, they "propose to lend some objects to other museums, so they may be seen by a greater number of people than those who could get to Richmond Park." http://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Royal_Ballet_School_Annual_Report_201415.pdf

Paris Opera Ballet School gives weight and height restrictions for candidates at https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet-school/admission But it now says "These criteria are only given to be advisory." There's an interesting Polish video with English subtitles from 2007 called "52 per cent" - this being the ratio of leg length to height that the Vaganova academy considered /considers ideal. It follows a candidate through the entrance audition process, including her attempts at home to change this ratio...https://vimeo.com/121017289

I also thought it must be that everyone knew everyone, and most of the examiners shown in the Russian videos do come from the school. But you also see e.g. directors of schools in different cities who appear to be grading the students, not just observing.

Watching some of the amazing videos of Vaganova annual exams over the years, it just struck me that candidates never wear numbers or other identifying details on their person, though there are usually at least a couple of outside examiners on the panel who, I would assume, would not recognise most of the students. At the start of some exams, candidates' names are read out individually and they curtsey, and I would guess that the examiners are given a list of which candidate is at which place at the barre. But I'm curious to know if British examiners would be ok with that system? I think I'd find it very confusing. Just looked quickly at a couple of Bolshoi and Perm exams and again can't see anything visibly identifying each student. Am I missing something? Is this a cultural thing?

Thanks for this info, celb. The gala at http://elmhurst.monadticketing.com/Sales/Theatre-Performances/Summer-Gala-7th-July-2016/Ticket---Gala-Performancelooks really exciting. Too bad about the £60 price tag, but hopefully they will raise a lot of money for the school.