Verbal feedback at audition

[dancertaxi]

Anyone any experience of receiving positive verbal feedback at end of associate audition?  

 

DD attended an audition today after which the teacher said well done to the Principal of dance school for sending her and that DD did a really good audition - this was all said directly infront of her. 

 

Unusual we ve never had this direct feedback before.... 

[MrsMoo2]

We had one last year who came up to me as DS was in the changing room and said, "please do come back again, he has a great dance physique and we'd like to see how he grows..."

Didn't get in like, but he will try again this academic year...🤣🤣

Lol...xx

[dancertaxi]

9 hours ago, MrsMoo2 said:

We had one last year who came up to me as DS was in the changing room and said, "please do come back again, he has a great dance physique and we'd like to see how he grows..."

Didn't get in like, but he will try again this academic year...🤣🤣

Lol...xx

Aw I m sure he will be successful second time round.

 

DD got waiting list last year for these associates but never received any verbal feedback - just a generic email.

Just hope it hasn't increased DD expectation of being successful for her to get a no.

 

[TutuTaxi]

We had similar yesterday too...teacher said she had worked really hard and was a great audition...just waiting to hear what the email says now as I'm taking the comments lightly. DD had a lovely experience regardless of the outcome.

[dancertaxi]

1 hour ago, MoreExcited said:

We had similar yesterday too...teacher said she had worked really hard and was a great audition...just waiting to hear what the email says now as I'm taking the comments lightly. DD had a lovely experience regardless of the outcome.

Oh that's great MoreExcited. It was very odd to receive such individual comments  - please let me know when you hear?

 

[Kate_N]

Maybe it might help (of course, it might not ) to give you a perspective from the assessor's point of view?

 

Caveat: it's not ballet, but anyway ...

 

Part of my university teaching requires me to assess student performances (in choreography, performance, dance, acting). Obviously, we see their shows and presentations, and they want us to say something immediately. We can't tell them our grading decisions - we have a pretty long & thorough process of discussion before we settle marks. So we say something encouraging, but a bit bland - we can't say what we really think re strengths and weaknesses, because that is in the written feedback (our students get about a page of written commentary).  

 

It's tricky - obviously, straight after a nerve-wracking performance, on which marks are based, you can't immediately go into the weaknesses; but nor can you praise in the "Dahling, you were fabulous" style, in response to obvious student nerves & excitement to make them feel better. Because the marks may in fact be much lower than the praise, and students remember (and resent).

 

And overall, whereas a student (I'm talking undergraduates here) may well take a 55% on an essay (which maybe they wrote over the weekend quite quickly) and detailed critique of how next time they can improve their essay, as an OK response (or even, as one said to me "Fair cop, I didn't spend a lot of time), if they're performing arts students, then their performances are very close to their self-image and self-esteem as people - in the way an essay is not. To give a student 55% for a performance cuts much much deeper - they are far less objective about their performances, becaue they're inexperienced & still learning. It's as if we're saying that they're mediocre people, because their performance was mediocre (which a 55% at university indicates - OK but lots of room to improve). 

 

So it's really tricky! Hence the comments from the auditioners may be because they're aware that dancers appreciate feedback. But that the feedback, and the decision to offer a place or not, are different things.

 

I hope that makes sense?

[dancertaxi]

1 hour ago, Kate_N said:

Maybe it might help (of course, it might not ) to give you a perspective from the assessor's point of view?

 

Caveat: it's not ballet, but anyway ...

 

Part of my university teaching requires me to assess student performances (in choreography, performance, dance, acting). Obviously, we see their shows and presentations, and they want us to say something immediately. We can't tell them our grading decisions - we have a pretty long & thorough process of discussion before we settle marks. So we say something encouraging, but a bit bland - we can't say what we really think re strengths and weaknesses, because that is in the written feedback (our students get about a page of written commentary).  

 

It's tricky - obviously, straight after a nerve-wracking performance, on which marks are based, you can't immediately go into the weaknesses; but nor can you praise in the "Dahling, you were fabulous" style, in response to obvious student nerves & excitement to make them feel better. Because the marks may in fact be much lower than the praise, and students remember (and resent).

 

And overall, whereas a student (I'm talking undergraduates here) may well take a 55% on an essay (which maybe they wrote over the weekend quite quickly) and detailed critique of how next time they can improve their essay, as an OK response (or even, as one said to me "Fair cop, I didn't spend a lot of time), if they're performing arts students, then their performances are very close to their self-image and self-esteem as people - in the way an essay is not. To give a student 55% for a performance cuts much much deeper - they are far less objective about their performances, becaue they're inexperienced & still learning. It's as if we're saying that they're mediocre people, because their performance was mediocre (which a 55% at university indicates - OK but lots of room to improve). 

 

So it's really tricky! Hence the comments from the auditioners may be because they're aware that dancers appreciate feedback. But that the feedback, and the decision to offer a place or not, are different things.

 

I hope that makes sense?

Kate_N  thanks - I too am a University Lecturer so fully understand the verbal vs assessment feedback and difficulties in implying.

 

In relation to the ballet auditions and any auditions DD has been to - both with positive and negative outcomes, at no time has the audition teacher made specific comment verbally or written in relation to DD performance within the process.

 

I believe from discussing with other parents auditioning at associate programmes this level of discussion - a good 5 minutes is unusual. They do not usually comment whatsoever at the time.

[Kate_N]

I've often tread in this forum how much dancers (and their parents) would like feedback, and that it is not unreasonable to expect to receive feedback. So maybe this is an attempt to answer that sort of request? 

[dancertaxi]

6 minutes ago, Kate_N said:

I've often tread in this forum how much dancers (and their parents) would like feedback, and that it is not unreasonable to expect to receive feedback. So maybe this is an attempt to answer that sort of request? 

Possibly Kate_N although I am aware this was not consistent across the day for others auditioning. Time will tell whether this was generalised feedback or implying a positive outcome.

[Kate_N]

Good luck - the wait is always nerve-wracking!