BalletDad10

Thanks Chaperone. I'll check that out.

Yes, I'd also like to know about the Northern 16+ summer school (Leeds). I didn't realize there were two Northern Ballet Schools. How confusing...

And I'm still keen to hear about Central SS if anyone can help.

Thank you.

Can I pick your brains about two more summer schools: Central and Northern? Feel free to DM if you prefer. Thank you in advance.

My DD's experience at ENB summer school was very positive but the dates don't work for us this year. Information about deadlines, application photos, etc. is on their website. The admin staff are very helpful and DD liked and learnt a lot from her dance teachers.

Are there any other summer schools like NYB (National Youth Ballet) that focus on performance? We are big NYB fans.

balletqs (#66) is spot on. The only thing I would add is that wherever our DC do their training, success is usually born out of hard work. Good luck everyone.

Yes. I was also surprised that ENB didn't offer contracts to any graduates in 2013. I understand that in other countries (e.g. USA), the sole purpose of vocational schools is to feed young dancers into the parent ballet company. Why is it different in the UK I wonder? And if ENB are not taking graduates from their own school, where are they recruiting from? And I note that a few ENB graduates are going to continue their training at Northern. That was also a surprise. For what reason(s) I wonder. And would it be useful to research where 2013 graduates from Northern ended up? And other UK schools, e.g. Rambert. 

As you can see, I've got a lot to learn… with your help.

This from an article in July about young dancers joining RB certainly backs up what you've all been saying:

"Annette Buvoli and David Donnelly will join as Artists from The Royal Ballet School, with Masaya Yamamoto joining the Company as a Prix de Lausanne dancer.  Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Luca Acri and Marcelino Sambé joined as Artists during the 2012/2013 Season."

The article can be found here: 

Masaya Yamamoto has only trained in Japan, I believe. 

Would it be interesting to share data on the vocational schools overseas supplying dancers to UK Ballet companies? Another thread has listed destinations of recent graduates from UK schools. By examining both threads, parents/dancers will have a wider and more up-to-date knowledge of vocational school options worldwide. 

I've been asked by one of the moderators to start a new thread on another aspect of our research into graduates and ballet companies. I'm going to call it "Overseas Graduates in 2013 Destined for UK Ballet Companies". Please take a look.

"It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows."

Epictetus

As for motivation -whether the student is self-motivated or not the energy of the class rides on the energy of the teacher.  I am not speaking here of physical energy - but of positive - this is possible - let's work for it - energy.

 

The nicest thing - in all my years of teaching - that I over heard one of my students say was in a class of 7 to 9 yrs olds - when one of them said to a new girl - "We work hard but we laugh a lot.

Great post. I really agree that the teacher has to set the tone and create the energy for the class. And getting that balance between hard work and having fun is another of my goals when I teach (I'm not a ballet teacher).

Your comments about corrections were spot on too and chime with the thesis of a book I'm reading called "Bounce" by Matthew Syed. The subtitle is "The myth of talent and the power of practice". Believing that people are born with a special talent becomes a block to our journey on the learning curve. Either we believe we are talented so we don't have to try, or we aren't so we'll never be any good. Research shows that a "growth mindset", the idea that we can improve with the right kind of instruction and practice (the 10,000 hours), is what produces success in dance, sport or any other field. It's a fascinating read. The teacher's (and parent's) approach to corrections and praise, therefore, is crucial.

I contacted ENBS last week and they said their list should be out soon.

Maybe it would be interesting for us to also look at which vocational schools overseas supplied dancers to the major UK ballet companies. 

Another aspect of teaching that really interests me is how we motivate students. And what is the best way to praise and correct them? Any thoughts or experiences to share?

Great research. Looking forward to getting the ENBS list when it becomes available.

Hello. I noticed the last post here was in July, so I was wondering if anyone knows the vocational schools' graduate destinations for 2013 yet.

Thank you in advance.

I agree with Sugar Plum that overcoming difficulties as a dancer can be a great asset for someone who becomes a teacher. But are there really some dancers who never experience problems, the 'naturals' as you call them? I find that hard to believe. Maybe it's comes down to how well they harness and use those experiences when teaching their students.

Have other people heard that teachers at vocational schools are under pressure to assess out rather than work students through difficulties?

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts and experiences. Do you think ballet is like sport in the way that the best performers (players) don't always make the best teachers (coaches)?

What is a good teacher?

Many of you have echoed my original comment that a lot depends on the chemistry between teacher and dancer. In addition, timing is important. At what stage in their development the dancer works with the teacher. And certainly it's essential that the teacher loves ballet and loves teaching and knows how to handle different types of people. I also agree that dancers can benefit from a variety of teaching styles.

Instead of focusing on who are the best teachers, maybe I should've asked you a different question: what qualities in your experience make a teacher good or bad? What kind of work ethic is important? How much and what kind of practice do students need? What type of praise should the teacher give? And how do they motivate their students?

These are some of the many questions I ask myself every time I teach, although I am not a ballet teacher. Any thoughts?

Thank you for some great replies especially from Dance Is Life. I started this post because the focus on this forum is usually on which are the best schools. As a teacher myself, I know that it is the quality of the teachers that make the school. Therefore if good teachers leave school A and go to school B then it might be something worth sharing here. The other reason is that there are many teachers who don't work in vocational schools who are excellent - the unsung heroes and heroines. Maybe they would like to be named on a public forum and given some recognition for their hard work.

Has there ever been a thread on this forum identifying some of the best ballet teachers in the UK and elsewhere around the world? As a teacher myself (not of ballet) I realize that a successful teacher/pupil relationship is often just down to chemistry and timing. But I'd be interested to hear about ballet teachers who have trained a high number of successful dancers.

Nice to see a thread about NYB. Such a great experience for young dancers to be part of a professional company, working with top choreographers and performing 6 times in front of a paying audience. They are doing seven ballets this year... SEVEN ... plus the two choreo winners performances. Amazing.

Recently a stream I started ("Fake Auditions?") was locked. The reason given was to avoid speculation by users regardi g my on-going dispute. Yesterday I asked a moderator to open the stream so I could post an update. I was asked to wait until the forum committee had been consulted. Then I received a mail asking about the content of my next post. I was wondering if this is usual practice on this forum. I've had a look in "Help Notes for Users" but can't find anything.

Thank you.

Welcome to all the new NYBers. It's my DD's third time and she loves it so I'm sure yours will too. Looking forward to meeting some of you at the performances. You'll probably find me at the bar.

I recommend Sussex Summer School which my DD attended from the age of 8 to 12. Their brochure says residential starts from 9 and Grade III but drop them a line and ask. Beautiful location, friendly atmosphere and experienced teachers. A great place to start summer schooling.

Good Luck.

http://www.sussexss.demon.co.uk/SSS-2012-brochure.pdf

I recommend Sussex Summer School especially for younger dancers. The atmosphere is professional but fun, and the teachers are experienced and supportive. My DD went there 5 years running from 8 to 12 and benefitted tremendously from the experience. It's a lovely venue too. We both miss it. (Don't be put off by the amateur website design)