davidstinson Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Hi parents/carers, (I hope I'm not breaking the rules on promoting this associates course). Phoenix Associates are launching further associates. They will be holding once a month Sunday Associates in Central London, Loughborough and Bristol. Students will get taught by top industry professionals from leading dance companies to West End Shows. All of their teachers are current performers. Students take classes in Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Jazz Dance and Broadway Dance. They also have some very special guest teachers lined up throughout the next school year including: Rick Tjia | Casting Director of CIRQUE DU SOLEILMichelle Zeitlin | LOS ANGELES CASTING AGENTJanie Dee | WEST END STAR The fees are only £30 a month which includes 4 hours of workshops led by the best! All their associate students also get the opportunity to audition for their agency DSA which now works in collaboration with Michelle Zeitlins company in LA. DSA secures clients with West End gigs to Television & Movies and to opportunities in the States. SIGN UP TODAY. LIMITED PLACES. Enrolment Forms attached. Call 020 3714 3393. TEXT ‘PHOENIX’ to 07500 701 521. EMAIL info@i-path.biz Visit www.phoenix-associates.co.uk Many Thanks, David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricBallerina Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 This looks great, so nice to see an Associate Course not attached to one of the large dance schools/colleges for those that perhaps aren't the right fit or don't know which direction they want to go in. Also brilliant that it is in a few different locations and only once a month, so difficult to juggle school, work, home and all the performing lessons around, when you know you have committed to every Sunday as well!!!!! Loving the fact that it is to be taught by current top industry professionals and it is a mixture of many genres. So that's what I like about it, now if its ok I have some questions :-) Is entrance by audition? Is there a minimum standard expected? Are classes split on ability? Will there be regular Teachers or will it be Guest Teachers every week? Is it £30 payable weekly or £360 upfront? (that's an incredibly reasonable price for what is on offer by the way). Do you know the London Venue? I think that is it for now but I am sure I will have more questions once you have had a chance to respond. Thank you in advance for replying and for creating this opportunity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidstinson Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Hi, thanks for your message! Here are the answers to your questions. Also, you can email me at london@i-path.biz for further information or you can give me a bell on 020 3714 3393. 1. There is no formal audition process. 2. Yes - we expect at least Grade 3 Ballet and/or equivalent. 3. Yes - classes are based on ability. 4. We will have regular teachers, but mostly, they'll be guest teachers each month. The idea of our associates is that we offer different opportunities and approaches to training. Students get their consistent training with their local dance school - they get something very different with us. 5. It's £30 per month. Payment plans can be arranged to suit all needs. 6. I am just waiting on confirmation from 'The Place' / ' London Contemporary Dance School. This will be announced in the next week or so on our website. Once again, thanks for your enquiries and I hope to hear from you soon! Please check out www.phoenix-associates.co.uk We also have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/stinsonstageacademy Many Thanks! David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) My daughter turned up at the Bristol associates classes today ( after it was initially cancelled last month and due to start today! ) only to be told by reception staff in the hired building that the company had apparently permanently cancelled it a few weeks ago. We have definitely received no email or any contact what so ever to tell us it had been cancelled and travelled a long way to get there today. How very rude and disappointing. Anyone else had any similar issues with the above. Waiting for a refund now...! Phoenix associates, do you think this is acceptable behaviour? Edited October 25, 2015 by YellowCar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Oh dear YellowCar - was it a lot of money? I hope you get a refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Luckily only paid the first month but DD really disappointed! ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 This does not surprise me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 This does not surprise me Nor me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Taxi4ballet and picturesinthefirelight, have you had any dealings with the above? Pm me please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Im so sorry to hear this.The man running this Associates advertised another with a different name not so long ago. I think forum members should be very wary of any projects he runs. I hope you get a refund. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 YellowCar, no, we've no direct experience, but have sent you a PM anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Thanks taxi and Pictures. David Stinson has got back to me and explained the present situation which seems genuine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Oh dear, my dd might be interested in this. Is it not legitimate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 It's just not happening in Bristol and I wasn't informed today when my dd turned up which is why I was cross, But I have had an apology etc and they will hopefully be coming back to Bristol when there is more interest. I think it is legit as it it is still running in other parts of the country. They have a face book page with the information, although it did still say Bristol on it earlier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidstinson Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 Hi, I'm David Stinson. I find the above feed quiet upsetting with the amount of work I put into creating outstanding opportunities for young people. This kind of talk can be quiet damaging to a school/associates. If you look at our website www.phoenix-associates.co.uk you will see the incredible opportunities I bring to students in the UK. The lady from Bristol - Yellow Car - that was a simple administrative mistake - for some reason the email didn't send to her and I've since seen it bounced back. Since, her daughter has been offered a full scholarship to attend our London Associates until we get the Bristol one up and running. Unfortunately, regardless of my connections to Weston College and Bath Spa University, Bristol hasn't taken off as quickly as I'd expected. Dance School Principals seem less engaging than in other parts of the UK. Bristol is a place where there isn't as many opportunities in terms of associates courses as there are elsewhere in the country. I'm trying to change that. I've appointed a Talent Agent in SW England to assist in building Phoenix up and to assist me in creating other professional opportunities for children and young people in the region. And it doesn't take a mathematician to work out what I'm charging hardly even covers the venue cost and payment to teachers and their travel from London... I'm doing this to help students... It's my passion! It really doesn't help when parents speak like this on public domains. The facts are there. You can google who I am and see that it's not just Phoenix Associates I own - I'm also involved with lots of other companies that lead excellence in performing arts training as well as my work with disadvantaged children. Plus, the fact that I'm extremely well connected in the business having worked extensively internationally as a professional dancer and singer. My polite advise to parents is (and I mean this in the nicest possible way) - unless you have secure facts about a person, school or business - you shouldn't go discussing on public forums. You should always do the right thing and follow the correct channels i.e. send an email regarding an issue etc. Mistakes do happen! It was one email out of hundreds of emails I sent that day (Yellow Car - I can only apologise once again that it was you and I'm deeply sorry that your daughter was disappointed, and of course you'll be refunded). I really don't want to spend my time trying to do my best for your children to then see feeds like this - which is going to naturally make it harder for me to establish any sort of trust down in Bristol - so should I just give up now? To be honest, if this is what I get, it would be one less thing for me to put my energy into. Sarahhw - as for the other associates I ran... Yes your right! It was called SSA (Stinson Stage Academy). It was hugely successful in London, however, many of the parents were struggling to commit every week to travel to London which is why we changed it to once a month in various locations. Why the name change? Because Stinson Stage Academy made it sound like an actual dance academy rather than an associates course. I branded it wrong in the first instance. Simple as that! I hope you don't take this message the wrong way. A mistake was made and it's being rectified. A scholarship worth £300 was offered to attend our London Associates, plus a refund of the £30 they paid for this month which had to be cancelled. Plus, myself and the lady that runs my London Associates both apologised. Not sure what else I can do. All I know is that I'm trying my best to do a good thing and sometimes I wonder why I bother. I sometimes wonder - if there was a public domain forum where teachers could discuss disrespectfully about parents for mistakes that they might make once in a while, how would that make them feel? It's not nice at all. To see your name and your school's name tossed about like that. It's so incredibly upsetting and disheartening when I'm trying my best to help your children. If anyone would like to know anything further, or support me with making Phoenix work in SW England along with other ideas I have, please either call my office at 020 3714 3393 or email us at london@i-path.biz In November we have a Broadway Star from The Lion King doing masterclasses. Then in March we have the Casting Director for Cirque du Soleil doing masterclasses coming over from Cique HQ in Canada! Phoenix Associates IS the best associates in terms of the teachers that we get in! Plus we have so many more amazing stars of the stage teaching every month! I would love to make Bristol work! Maybe we could organise a coffee morning or lunch where I could come down from London and meet parents interested in helping me build opportunities for their children. I do hope to hear from some of you (ideally via phone or email, and not on a public forum) Thank you, David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Caveat emptor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Yes, I did rant on a public forum, however, please put yourself in my position initially. Last month it was cancelled, this month Dd turns up only to find place locked up and building staff told that you'd cancelled permanently. No email to tell me and answer phone on your mobile. Having heard of another company on the news recently where parents had paid and lost money, the knowledgeable ballet friends on here was my second point of inquiry! Yes, it is true that you have apologised and offered my dd classes for free in London but sadly it will cost us too much to go so have decided against your kind offer. I do hope that you are able to establish associates in Bristol which we would love to still attend. You have to see this from us parents perspective, it is expensive and hard enough as it is to pay for dance so when we think we will never see you or our money again what are we going to think!! Fortunately, this isn't the case and I thank you for the apology and scholarship offer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Thank you for posting, David. I was wondering about the name change. :-) In general I think it's sometimes easy to forget that this forum is completely public, visible to everyone on the internet. Often there are more "guests" viewing threads than forum members! So I would always advise people with an issue to make direct contact with a shop/school/organisation first - where possible. That said, people are allowed to express opinions here, assuming they do not breach our Acceptable Use Policy. We also ask people to post under their real name if they feel it necessary to make highly critical posts. It does sound as if Yellowcar tried to phone with no success hence posting here. I can completely understand Yellowcar's frustration but I also think that David has now explained what happened and why so I am glad that the issue has been cleared up. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidstinson Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 Thank you Anna C! I appreciate your post! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidstinson Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 Thanks YellowCar! Let's strive forward now! I'm going to do my best to get Phoenix off the ground and to get more paid jobs available to local children & young people in television and theatre. Got a few things up my sleeve. Just need a bit of support and patience. I think Bristol/SW England is going to be my toughest challenge yet. But I'll crack it :-) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowCar Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 In my defence, I tried phone, email and Facebook before posting on here as a last point of contact... Good luck with the Bristol associates David 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 In my defence, I tried phone, email and Facebook before posting on here as a last point of contact... Good luck with the Bristol associates David Absolutely. A very frustrating situation. I'm glad you and David have been able to get in touch now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 My polite advise to parents is (and I mean this in the nicest possible way) - unless you have secure facts about a person, school or business - you shouldn't go discussing on public forums. There are many occasions when people don't have the facts about something, and ask for help, information and advice on here. It is what the forum is for, and with the greatest respect, it is up to the forum moderators to decide what is (and is not) appropriate, not you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 There are many occasions when people don't have the facts about something, and ask for help, information and advice on here. It is what the forum is for, and with the greatest respect, it is up to the forum moderators to decide what is (and is not) appropriate, not you. Good point. :-) Perhaps we should leave it at that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Good luck with your ventures David. A new parent asked a question and I gave an opinion based on my impression from previous postings. I'm sorry if you felt it unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primrose Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I think David has explained himself very well. He did not have to do that. I think that this should now be dealt with privately before things become legally damaging. I do not know David at all, but I take my hat off to him for trying to provide these lessons that is affordable to lower income families. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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