Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Apparently Jorgie Porter was talking about the sacrifices her family made to send her to vocational school & about how she managed to get a DADA in the end.
Lema Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Yes the Hammond, I read something that said she went to ballet school but left because her teachers kept telling her she was too fat to be a dancer, it then went on to say that she went to the Hammond. But it was confusing as I couldn't figure out whether the ballet school was The Hammond or if the ballet school was somewhere else and then she went the Hammond. Either way it's very sad to hear her speak of teachers telling her she was fat and crying in the toilets!!
primrose Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 It was the Hammond in Chester. She was told she was too fat for ballet, but not other areas of dancing.
dancemad Posted November 20, 2015 Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) She was a FANTASTIC commercial dancer when a senior at Hammond. Knowing the teachers there, I'm certain they didn't actually use the words "too fat". I think that is just how Jorgie, in her down to earth way tells it Edited November 20, 2015 by dancemad
primrose Posted November 20, 2015 Posted November 20, 2015 I think it was the school she attended before the Hammond that called her too fat.
taxi4ballet Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 She's probably earning a lot more than the average ballet dancer now! 5
Harwel Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Exactly Taxi. And everything she has done and been through has brought her to here. As long as she's happy, I'd say she's doing well for herself. No-one has a smooth path through life, especially people who are driven and want to achieve more than the average. Her training - the rough and the smooth, will have helped form her character to be the resilient and successful person she is today. 2
Lema Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 That's how I read it too primrose, it just doesn't say where she went before the Hammond.
dancemad Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Jorgie only went to Hammond (at 16) & it was there that she ran into the comments regarding her weight. Her first love was ballet & initially that was what she wanted to pursue.
primrose Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 This is a quote from wikipedia. Porter grew up with her mother and grandmother, and has only met her father once.[2] A former ballet dancer, Porter was told by the ballet school she attended that she was overweight for a dancer, she later attended The Hammond in Chester.[2] 1
taxi4ballet Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 I have to be honest here and say that until this thread I'd never heard of her - mind you, I don't suppose she's ever heard of me either! 5
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 21, 2015 Author Posted November 21, 2015 She was in Hollyoaks taxi.
Fiz Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Wasn't she also in Dancing on Ice? She was a beautiful skater and I was very disappointed that she didn't win.
Tulip Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Very often in upper school for ballet, if students are carrying too much weight they are told to lose it. They are not telling students to be matchsticks, but to be professional classical dancers there has to be a 'look', lean, muscular and healthy. 2
dancemad Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 This is a quote from wikipedia. Porter grew up with her mother and grandmother, and has only met her father once.[2] A former ballet dancer, Porter was told by the ballet school she attended that she was overweight for a dancer, she later attended The Hammond in Chester.[2] As anyone can add/edit/create Wikipedia pages information is often incorrect, especially without a reliable citation. Jorgie is a friend of DD. Bookies favourite to win Jungle at moment I'm told
dancemad Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Just came across this in Closer online.. Speaking previously to the MailOnline, she said: “I joined ballet school at 16, and for two years all the teachers told me to lose weight or I’d never be a dancer, or get a job. They used to ask me why I was big – did I drink a litre of cider every night?
SwissBalletFan Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Very cruel and shocking. She's probably earning a lot more than the average ballet dancer now! Silly and cruel I think Taxi4ballet to even think that it is even fair or a good thing that the average ballet dancer earns so little. But unlike rent-a-celebs, ballet dancers don't do it for the money. She seems nice enough with the little time I have seen, so nothing against her, but please lets not dismiss the hard working ballet dancers who earn so little to even think of giving it up to think of her as a role model for the 'fame or money'.
Tulip Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 I don't get why you have used my comment SBF? I commented that it was cruel to suggest that Georgie was drinking lots of cider etc?
SwissBalletFan Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 I don't get why you have used my comment SBF? I commented that it was cruel to suggest that Georgie was drinking lots of cider etc? Sorry Tulip, you did not use a quote to give the context you meant to your quote. I thought you were referring too the whole issue. I was 'hijacking' your sentiment to say that I think that Taxi4ballet's comments were cruel and shocking. Apologies.
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 21, 2015 Author Posted November 21, 2015 You've totally lost me Swiss. Nothing taxi has said has been inappropriate at all. 5
SwissBalletFan Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 You've totally lost me Swiss. Nothing taxi has said has been inappropriate at all. It is not a personal sleight about taxi. However I feel that commenting 'She's probably earning a lot more than the average ballet dancer now! ;)' is not exactly appropriate, though everyone is of course open to their opinions and their views. It is a forum after all. I just feel ballet dancers and their disproportionately low earnings is not a benchmark for 'success' when comparing to someone who is on a programme just to 'be famous' to me personally .life is more about art, self respect, and creation. Just my view, no offence meant. 1
taxi4ballet Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Silly and cruel I think Taxi4ballet to even think that it is even fair or a good thing that the average ballet dancer earns so little. Sorry Tulip, you did not use a quote to give the context you meant to your quote. I thought you were referring too the whole issue. I was 'hijacking' your sentiment to say that I think that Taxi4ballet's comments were cruel and shocking. Apologies. Perhaps you had better explain yourself SwissBalletFan, because I have absolutely no idea why you could possibly interpret things in that way, and I don't much like being called silly, cruel and shocking on a public internet forum. 4
Harwel Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 As most of us here on this board are ex dancers and/or parents of dancing children, I don't think for a second ANY of us think it is a good thing dancers are paid so little, or undervalue the extremely hard work that they put in every day at ballet school and throughout their dancing careers, if they are fortunate enough to get one of the classical jobs that are rarer than gold dust. However, there is no need to belittle others who make a decision to change career path - perhaps through no fault of their own (can't do anything about being the wrong shape for a ballet dancer) but want to remain in the performing arts world in some capacity and who have the personality and ability to change to acting/musical theatre/tv presenting etc. There are countless examples at DS school where students have had to stop persuing a dance career due to injury/wrong physical development, and are making fantastic careers as actors. In order to keep profiles high and reach a larger audience, some actors resort to reality tv to help them get into another job or change path slightly. Good luck to them and hooray for young people working hard to follow a dream. 5
Tulip Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 Sorry but Georgie will be earning more than the average professional ballerina and I consider her to be very successful as an actress in a very well known soap. I actually don't watch hollyoaks and therefore I don't know Georgie but we can't presume being a soap actress is less successful than making it as a ballerina. 1
taxi4ballet Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 It is not a personal sleight about taxi. However I feel that commenting 'She's probably earning a lot more than the average ballet dancer now! ;)' is not exactly appropriate, though everyone is of course open to their opinions and their views. It is a forum after all. I just feel ballet dancers and their disproportionately low earnings is not a benchmark for 'success' when comparing to someone who is on a programme just to 'be famous' to me personally .life is more about art, self respect, and creation. Just my view, no offence meant. No offence may have been meant, but offence has jolly well been taken. Where on Earth did you get the idea that I was suggesting that ballet dancers' low earnings were a "benchmark for success"? 5
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 21, 2015 Author Posted November 21, 2015 Dancers are in general poorly paid. That's a fact of life we are all aware of.
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 22, 2015 Author Posted November 22, 2015 Swiss - I believe this is your first foray into the Doing Dance section of this forum. We are all mostly parents of dancers/aspiring dancers with some ex professionals/teachers & adult amateur dancers mixed in. We share knowledge & advice in a supportive manner but are all very aware of the cut throat nature of this profession and the training. I started the thread to comment on how an ex student of my dds school talked about the sacrifices of training. Stuff we as parents are all aware of & many of us are experiencing. Of course everyone is welcome to read & comment but I personally take offense at how you have taken a factual comment out of context & criticised a long standing poster in the process. 7
SwissBalletFan Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Ok, my position is this: I think it is not nice that someone said that Georgie was too fat, or to assume that it was due to drinking a litre of cider a day. I think Georgie seems like an amiable and nice enough person on the programme that is called ' I am a celebrity get me out of here' (not hollyoaks) The general theme of this thread was (i paraphrase) poor Georgie, and the people who called her fat are mean and not typical of Hammond in Cheshire. (I agree) Then came the one line (She's probably earning a lot more than the average ballet dancer now! ) No I can only assume what was meant by this sentence. Which was along the lines that she is ok, she is earning more than a ballet dancer and is therefore a success, and potentially more successful than the average ballet dancer. Now, I get the points taken against what I have said, from Harwel and Tulip. My view is, great for Georgie that she got an acting job and didn't let people affect her career or view of her dreams. (Great!!!!) I just find that the comparison that she is paid more than ballet dancers was not helpful, or of interest to any dancer who is lucky enough to get a role in a company. This was my point. Georgie can be a success, Ballet dancers can be a success, and all can be well. The fact that one may be paid more than another is in my view not a magnitude of success, rather than the current perceived value of talent by society. For better or worse. Similar to a nurse vs most careers etc. I have really tried to explain my opinion and view taxi4ballet.
taxi4ballet Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 SwissBalletFan, if you were a regular poster in 'Doing Dance', you would know that my daughter is currently in vocational ballet training. You would also know, that on this part of the forum (unlike in threads which have been on another part of the forum recently) we don't hurl personal insults at one another. You appear to have completely misinterpreted my comment, which was only to suggest that despite not having 'the perfect ballet body', she seems to have done very well in her chosen career. The remark was also followed by a emoticon which (in case you don't know) is used on this part of the forum to mean that a comment is lighthearted and/or not to be taken seriously by anybody. 10
SwissBalletFan Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Ok, well I believe I have apologised and I will not prostrate myself any further. Taxi4ballet, i am not a regular poster of 'doing dance', this will be my last post in 'your section'. It seems that the rules here may be different to other parts of the forum, and the community clearly has a different idea of who and what can be posted here. I have family members, and very good friends that are in professional companies not being paid very much, and the (smiley) doesn't quite cover the difficulties of being in a profession that is not only difficult, but also poorly paid, even for those that are very successful. Thanks for the introduction to the 'cut throat' world of 'Doing Dance'. Edited November 22, 2015 by SwissBalletFan
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