Lifeafterballet Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 Dd has been offered a scholarship to a ballet school in the US. She has just returned from an intensive there after winning the opportunity at YAGP finals. It was an amazing experience. The Vaganova style was tricky at first but she has warmed to it. After 6 years at a British ballet school we are in a quandary as to whether she should accept. Has anyone had any experience of training in the US and whether British students go on to secure employment there, visa problems etc. Thank you x 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointetoes Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 No experience but congratulations to your DD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 I really don’t envy your decision. Huge congratulations to your dd, very well deserved 🎉🌹❤️😘 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 CeliB's son trained at the Kirov Academy in Washington I believe. He now dances with the Bolshoi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 How old is your daughter and has she been in a vocational school in the UK? What are her options in the UK if she does not accept this scholarship? Do you know about the graduate destinations of that particular school and whether students have gone on to secure contracts overseas? I've heard in the past that Visa issues could be a problem but am not sure of the current situation. However, there are plenty of companies abroad she could audition for. What does your DD want to do? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 1 hour ago, invisiblecircus said: How old is your daughter and has she been in a vocational school in the UK? What are her options in the UK if she does not accept this scholarship? Do you know about the graduate destinations of that particular school and whether students have gone on to secure contracts overseas? I've heard in the past that Visa issues could be a problem but am not sure of the current situation. However, there are plenty of companies abroad she could audition for. What does your DD want to do? Dd is 17 and has been in a uk vocational school for 6 years. She has 2 years to go and is on a DaDa, which we would have to pay a terms notice on if she were to leave. Students at the US school graduate at 18 and secure contracts with ballet companies, studio companies and apprenticeships. But they are US citizens and do not require a full visa. Dd is 50/50. She doesn’t want to regret not taking this opportunity but knows that it comes with risks. She would start in 4 weeks time so there isn’t a lot of time to mull it over. Do you have any experience of jobs post US training for British students ? X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 What are her prospects if she stays at her current school and graduates? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, cotes du rhone ! said: Dd is 17 and has been in a uk vocational school for 6 years. She has 2 years to go and is on a DaDa, which we would have to pay a terms notice on if she were to leave. Students at the US school graduate at 18 and secure contracts with ballet companies, studio companies and apprenticeships. But they are US citizens and do not require a full visa. Dd is 50/50. She doesn’t want to regret not taking this opportunity but knows that it comes with risks. She would start in 4 weeks time so there isn’t a lot of time to mull it over. Do you have any experience of jobs post US training for British students ? X Sounds like a fantastic opportunity however does the scholarship cover all costs, fees and maintenance (living)? Even if the scholarship is comprehensive it won’t cover travel and probably medical. Which as we all know is incredibly expensive and unavoidable. Sorry to dampen your DD’s achievements but sometimes it’s good to slow down, take a deep breath and look at the whole picture. Not an easy decision to make but if you do decide to go you have to know for sure you can sustain the commitment for the duration. Good luck with whatever you decide. Edited July 27, 2018 by balletbean 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 Ballet Talk for Dancers cotes du rhone - are you aware of this website, Ballet talk for Dancers, link above. It is a very similar board to this, based in USA and people there might be able to give you a more detailed view of the school and the destinations of its graduates. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 32 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said: Ballet Talk for Dancers cotes du rhone - are you aware of this website, Ballet talk for Dancers, link above. It is a very similar board to this, based in USA and people there might be able to give you a more detailed view of the school and the destinations of its graduates. Thank you I will have a look x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 2 hours ago, balletbean said: Sounds like a fantastic opportunity however does the scholarship cover all costs, fees and maintenance (living)? Even if the scholarship is comprehensive it won’t cover travel and probably medical. Which as we all know is incredibly expensive and unavoidable. Sorry to dampen your DD’s achievements but sometimes it’s good to slow down, take a deep breath and look at the whole picture. Not an easy decision to make but if you do decide to go you have to know for sure you can sustain the commitment for the duration. Good luck with whatever you decide. The US school is tuition fee free. There is a cost for boarding but they offer financial aid testing and unlike the UK DaDa they take your outgoings into account. It would actually work out cheaper to send her to the US even with medical insurance and flights 3 times a year. I have a Ds on a DaDa too and the system allows no extra support for two 😢 Both schools have pros and cons, we just want to make the right choice that will give her the best chance of getting a job at the completion of her training x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Anna C said: What are her prospects if she stays at her current school and graduates? We hope that she will get a contract with a ballet company 🤞 Entering YAGP has given us a glimpse into the global world of ballet and the competition that our UK students are up against. We have Ds graduating first so we will hopefully be better prepared and informed the second time round. X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 4 hours ago, cotes du rhone ! said: Students at the US school graduate at 18 and secure contracts with ballet companies, studio companies and apprenticeships. But they are US citizens and do not require a full visa. Dd is 50/50. She doesn’t want to regret not taking this opportunity but knows that it comes with risks. She would start in 4 weeks time so there isn’t a lot of time to mull it over. I take it your reference to 50/50 means Dd is torn, not that she's entitled to dual US/UK citizenship? That might make a difference. Certainly, visas might be a problem - especially while You-Know-Who is in charge of things 10 hours ago, Jan McNulty said: CeliB's son trained at the Kirov Academy in Washington I believe. If that's the school in question, you might want to correspond with her directly. I can't really offer any advice, except to ask how you think she would get on with the Atlantic between you? Some young people might thrive, others might be homesick. Best of luck to you all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 1 hour ago, cotes du rhone ! said: We hope that she will get a contract with a ballet company 🤞 Entering YAGP has given us a glimpse into the global world of ballet and the competition that our UK students are up against. We have Ds graduating first so we will hopefully be better prepared and informed the second time round. X Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant what are the graduate employment figures like for her current school? How many of this year's grads got contracts with ballet companies (those who wanted them)? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 DD completed a year in US in June and although she is now joining a European school for one year, she had a fantastic time, grew up a lot and made astonishing progress as well as lots of friends. She hopes to return to the States (ideally the same school) for her graduate year and job search from there as the prospects seem so much better. You never really know with a new school so rather than focus on it I'd ask the question realistically what will she achieve in her current school? Do the graduates get paid jobs or do they end up doing a further year of training or repeating a year? And crucially, if it goes wrong will they probably have her back? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 You may already have done this, but you could search for genuine first-hand parent & child feedback about the school on the US-based "sister" board to this one: Ballet Talk for Dancers (Hope the Moderators don't mind me suggesting this!) And to follow the train of thought from other posters - could you see this as a year's exchange between her current school, and the school in the US? A year in another country with quite a different approach to training (in my experience of doing open classes at big studios in the US compared with the UK) could be very beneficial to your daughter. As you say, competing in the YAGP has introduced you to the global nature of the ballet profession. So a year in a school of the same standard as her current one here could prepare her really well for her future career. She'll be exposed to different kinds of training, and develop an international network of peers which might be very very useful (eg dancers with friends looking for jobs can often be quite generous about saying "We've got a guest contract here. Come & take class" and so on). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletsoccermom Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 My dd has many friends from the EU who have gone on to accept jobs with U.S. companies. They don't seem to have a problem with the visa when the company is backing them up. Wish I had more info but thought that would shed a little light on the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingsisters Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 We would love to know the school and might be able to give you assistance with your questions. Some companies just don't hire from Europe or Canada because of the VISA issues. If the company does have dancers from Europe, she will likely be fine. Is she tall, small, how does her style fit within the company? It's a matter of they may like you this year, but next year they need a blonde with blue eyes and your eyes are brown. SO many variables. Ballet employment for females, is difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeliB Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Hi there yes as noted.my DS trained.in washington from.14-18. He didn't want to stay in the US after graduation although he was offered ABT studio companyvia prix de Lausanne. Many of his peers in the US have gone to Europe (mikhailovsky, Dutch national, Danish royal, dresden to name but a few ). Others did go to US companies but not always the top ones (tho I think one of their alumni has just been named ABT studios new AD). I always had the impression that vaganova training made the students more suitable for Europe but I would emphasise that my knowledge is fairly limited as I'm not a ballet person... if your daughter is particularly taken with vaganova training I have to say I would advise going straight to the source (the academy in St petersburg) but if her desire is to work in the USA she might be better off with a school that has an associated company like San fransisco, SAB etc... Anyway feel free to pm me or message on the board if you think I could answer any other questions. I.might be a bit slow to answer as I'm on a campsite in France (hence writing on my phone so apols for the rubbish grammer and typos) All the best - it's a tough decision (and a expensive one!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeafterballet Posted August 2, 2018 Author Share Posted August 2, 2018 It has been the toughest decision 😓 but Dd has decided to stay at Elmhurst. Harid is a wonderful school and it was an amazing opportunity but it came with risks. We truly wish that we had discovered the school a few years ago when Dd was younger and not fast approaching grad year 😬 We are so grateful that YAGP gave her the opportunity to experience training elsewhere in the world. I would 100% recommend it, the masterclasses, performance opportunities and friendships that have come from this journey are wonderful. And Dd got to dance at the Lincoln Centre ♥️ Thank you all for your advice and experiences, it was very much appreciated. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 What an amazing experience she has had and something she will remember for ever 😘❤️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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