Intermediate Foundation Music.

[DancestudioArea]

Intermediate Foundation Music. There are some songs at the end of the CD after the Reverence. Jigs, Hornpipe, Galop/Coda, etc; Are there any instructors out there who know what these are for? They are not listed in the syllabus at all or on the DVD.

[swanprincess]

I believe they are for unseen enchainements, which are set by the examiner in the exam x

[DancestudioArea]

Oh that would make sense....they never used to do that for RAD, only ISTD.  I wonder if they added that with the new syllabus?  

[drdance]

Yes they are for teachers to use for unset enchainements.

[Legseleven]

I also understood that they were for the teacher to use for unset enchainements. I am pleased that the RAD has retained unset enchainements as part of the vocational exams up to Advanced Foundation level, although I always feel sorry for the intermediate foundation candidates who have to do unset work for the first time in an exam. Having gone through the old RAD syllabus which included unset enchainements in every exam from either Primary or grade 1 upwards, we were not particularly nervous at the prospect of unset enchainements in the old major exams, simply because we were used to doing them under exam conditions as well as doing them in every class. 

[Dance*is*life]

The problem is not that they are unset, but that the free enchainements are not demonstrated, but asked for in words just using the terminology.  The students have to know the difference between dessus, dessous (though most examiners use over/under as children find differentiating between dessus and dessous very difficult) devant, derriere, en avant an arriere etc etc.  Most children if shown an unset exercise can copy and pick it up, it's knowing the terminology that's difficult.  And yes the pieces are for the free enchainements - they are in the music books too for the pianist.

[drdance]

The problem is not that they are unset, but that the free enchainements are not demonstrated, but asked for in words just using the terminology.  The students have to know the difference between dessus, dessous (though most examiners use over/under as children find differentiating between dessus and dessous very difficult) devant, derriere, en avant an arriere etc etc.  Most children if shown an unset exercise can copy and pick it up, it's knowing the terminology that's difficult.  And yes the pieces are for the free enchainements - they are in the music books too for the pianist.

 Only a problem if they aren't trained using the terminology! Although I agree dessus and dessous is a tricky one, I still get that one confused myself. 

[ParentTaxi]

I have always watched in some awe at the ISTD ballet awards (ISTD has unset enchainements for every grade from the very beginning), where the person taking the award class on stage walks on, gives a string of instructions (with increasingly minimal demonstration - Grade 3 there is a fair amount, but there seemed to be almost none by Grade 5 last year), the competitors mark it through, 'practice' [though that too is marked] and then perform  the enchainements row by row on stage....

 

DD is completely unfazed by it, having been used to it ever since she started ballet. It's always funny to hear her and her friends discussing what they thought of enchainements set in exams or at the awards, including quite vocal 'but those steps just don't GO together very well, it would be much better in THIS order' type of comments.

[DancestudioArea]

Thanks so much for all the thoughts and comments!  I don't remember at all having to do unset enchainment in my RAD exams!  I do remember having to do them in ISTD exams but I only took one of those and then my instructor decided to do RAD exams only.  Could I be remembering incorrectly?  I took up to Intermediate level RAD and that was almost 30 years ago.  My students are fairly well trained in terminology.  My most advanced class I have begun making them do a written test as well so that they learn the correct spelling.  However, I don't use dessus and dessous as I still get those confused myself and I've always worried I would pronounce them incorrectly!  Guess I'd better start teaching them that as well though!   They all know en arriere, en avant, devant, derriere, etc; very well.  

Edited December 10, 2015 by DancestudioArea