Floundering ballet mum!

[HowMuch!]

Hi there,

 

I’ve been trying to write this without sounding like a pushy ballet mum but can’t 😂

 

My DD got a no for Northern Ballet JAs. She got to the finals which was great but the ‘no’ left me wondering a few things which i’m hoping you lovely experts can answer! 😁

 

Which RAD grade would you expect a Year 4 child to be in? (Or perhaps Year 5 as i’ll be exploring things for Sept)

How many classes per week should they be doing to make good progress?

 

I’ve had a search for these answers but i’m confused! 

 

Any advice? XXX 

 

 

[Picturesinthefirelight]

It depends on how long the child has been studying ballet, their aptitude and how much emphasis the dance school put on exams as opposed to non syllabus work or festivals but on average I’d expect a child just going into Year 5 to be working at around Grade 2/3 Level. 

[sarahw]

Ideally 2, maybe 3 classes a week by year 5 I would think  - assuming they want to of course! Ideally some non syllabus work included.

 

But if a DC was totally recreational only then one per week would be fine.

 

Is your DD keen to dance a lot?

 

 

[HowMuch!]

Thank you, they’re reassuring replies. 

 

She’ll be in grade 3 in sept/Oct depending on the exam date for grade 2. And does 2 ballet classes a week but no associates.

 

Thank you! 

[dancefanatic]

My younger DD is currently 8.5 & in Year 4. She is in Grade 2 ballet and just about to take her exam. She is also an Elmhurst associate. She only does the one ballet class locally a week but also does tap, jazz and a private lesson working on a variety of styles for her festival dances every week on top of her weekly associates. My elder DD didn’t get serious until she was in Y6 when she was Gr2 ballet and did one lesson a week of ballet & tap plus RBS JAs that she started that year. She’s now in her third year at vocational school. We were advised to up her ballet hours and I am looking to do this for my younger daughter come September. 

 

But be proud of your DD. She did really well to get to finals which shows she has got something. Perhaps try for another associates, i’m not sure if Elmhurst run classes near you but you might not be too late to apply there?

Edited April 20, 2019 by dancefanatic

[HowMuch!]

1 minute ago, dancefanatic said:

My younger DD is currently 8.5 & in Year 4. She is in Grade 2 ballet and just about to take her exam. She is also an Elmhurst associate. She only does the one ballet class locally a week but also does tap, jazz and a private lesson working on a variety of styles for her festival dances every week on top of her weekly associates. My elder DD didn’t get serious until she was in Y6 when she was Gr2 ballet and did one lesson a week of ballet & tap plus RBS JAs that she started that year. She’s now in her third year at vocational school. We were advised to up her ballet hours and I am looking to do this for my younger daughter come September. 

 

But be proud of your DD. She did really well to get to finals which shows she has got something. Perhaps try for another associates, i’m not sure if Elmhurst run classes near you but you might not be too late to apply there?

Thank you! I’m hugely proud of her for both auditioning and getting to finals. It’s so brave of them at such a young age. 

 

I’ll have a look at other associates nearby, I think Ballet Boost is in Hull which is do-able. She decided against RBS JAs, I think she loved Northern too much to think of anything else at that time. 

 

Thank you again xxx

[Farawaydancer]

2 minutes ago, HowMuch! said:

Thank you! I’m hugely proud of her for both auditioning and getting to finals. It’s so brave of them at such a young age. 

 

I’ll have a look at other associates nearby, I think Ballet Boost is in Hull which is do-able. She decided against RBS JAs, I think she loved Northern too much to think of anything else at that time. 

 

Thank you again xxx

 

Ballet Boost at Hull is excellent, I would thoroughly recommend it. 

[HowMuch!]

7 minutes ago, Farawaydancer said:

 

Ballet Boost at Hull is excellent, I would thoroughly recommend it. 

I’ll have a look and see if we’re too late to apply.

 

Does anyone know when Elmhurst associates in Manchester classes take place? 

[sunrise81]

She should def have a go at RBS JAs . Miss Hatton teaches in Leeds and is such a lovely teacher......classes are at Yorkahire Dance which is about 100 metres from NB.

 

My DD is in Year 5 and does ISTD and is grade 4....don't know how it compares. At the start of the academic year she did also start RAD inter foundation, which I know is quite unusual but something her dance principal invites younger ones to start if she has spotted them for potential vocational training. She does two classes per week plus RBS JA lesson.

Edited April 20, 2019 by sunrise81

[HowMuch!]

3 minutes ago, sunrise81 said:

She should def have a go at RBS JAs . Miss Hatton teaches in Leeds and is such a lovely teacher......classes are at Yorkahire Dance which is about 100 metres from NB.

We’ve missed the closing date unfortunately but will try next year. She wasn’t keen at all this year. 

[tutugirl]

If you are northern based , you might be interested in my summer school ?

Based in Keighley .

I have quite a few pupils who attend Royal  JA’s - and have had many northern associates / CAT scheme over the years .

Attending will be ‘ once a week ‘ students , alongside vocational students from : Elmhurst , Hammond and Tring .

We are offering a classical focus , alongside other genres .

Please pm me for details if you’re interested .

Tutugirl 

[dancingboy65]

2 hours ago, HowMuch! said:

I’ll have a look and see if we’re too late to apply.

 

Does anyone know when Elmhurst associates in Manchester classes take place? 

Ballet Boost Hull's closing date is 14th June and Auditions are on 22nd June. DS is really enjoying the classes there. Good luck if you apply!

[Tinks]

Hi

My 8yr old was a no for associates too, she got to the finals and is grade 2 RAD and just about to take grade 1 IDTA, it’s a long process at our dance school which is frustrating! She has just auditioned for York Dance Scholars and that’s the one she really wants, she loved everything about the audition. 

[TinyNEDancer]

23 hours ago, Farawaydancer said:

 

Ballet Boost at Hull is excellent, I would thoroughly recommend it. 

That’s great to hear, about Ballet Boost. My daughter is hoping to audition in June. I have heard some great things and they’ve been so helpful in correspondence. Which BB location does your daughter (or son?) attend classes, Farawaydancer? 

Edited April 21, 2019 by TinyNEDancer
For clarification of a question

[Farawaydancer]

28 minutes ago, TinyNEDancer said:

That’s great to hear, about Ballet Boost. My daughter is hoping to audition in June. I have heard some great things and they’ve been so helpful in correspondence. Which BB location does your daughter (or son?) attend classes, Farawaydancer? 

 

My dd attends at Hull and both dc have attended ballet boost holiday courses in London, and will do so again this summer. Always had excellent teaching and good advice from @Emma northmore   

[TinyNEDancer]

2 minutes ago, Farawaydancer said:

 

My dd attends at Hull and both dc have attended ballet boost holiday courses in London, and will do so again this summer. Always had excellent teaching and good advice from @Emma northmore   

Brilliant, thank you! My DD is very excited to audition, we have found them so helpful and professional so far. Fingers crossed!! 

[BlueLou]

3 hours ago, Tinks said:

Hi

My 8yr old was a no for associates too, she got to the finals and is grade 2 RAD and just about to take grade 1 IDTA, it’s a long process at our dance school which is frustrating! She has just auditioned for York Dance Scholars and that’s the one she really wants, she loved everything about the audition. 

 

Good luck with your logistics if you end up with one dd at Northern and one at York Tinks! Both great schemes though, with wonderful teachers. 

[Tinks]

23 minutes ago, BlueLou said:

 

Good luck with your logistics if you end up with one dd at Northern and one at York Tinks! Both great schemes though, with wonderful teachers. 

I can’t even think about it! Hasn’t sunk in that eldest and got into the CAT scheme yet, will be a lot of journeys to and fro on a Saturday of youngest is successful 😬

[HowMuch!]

Just now, Tinks said:

I can’t even think about it! Hasn’t sunk in that eldest and got into the CAT scheme yet, will be a lot of journeys to and fro on a Saturday of youngest is successful 😬

This is part of my pondering and floundering too! My youngest DD (6) has her gymnastics and ballet on Saturday mornings which makes it all a big head ache. 

 

I’ll investigate them all and see which we can still audition for, and then see what we think. 

[Tinks]

3 minutes ago, HowMuch! said:

This is part of my pondering and floundering too! My youngest DD (6) has her gymnastics and ballet on Saturday mornings which makes it all a big head ache. 

 

I’ll investigate them all and see which we can still audition for, and then see what we think. 

I feel your pain , my youngest does gymnastics too and that is so very nearly the route she took but in the end she had to decide and chose dance, but she loves gymnastics and if she could do both that would be ideal ! Have you thought about English youth ballet? They are auditioning in York ( not sure if that’s do able for you?) age 8 +

[richieN]

@HowMuch!,

If you live anywhere near the Manchester area and your DD is serious about ballet, take her to Centre Pointe in Denton (if you're not going already).

If you want to keep her in the existing school, consider "The Pointe", which is like an associate programme, but it has Ballet, Contemporary and Classical Repertoire.

 

 

[Mrs Brown]

not associate material here but both my girls were grade 2 ISTD at the start of year 5, I believe this is generally seen as roughly RAD grade 3 but from what I read online the associate classes aren't looking at what grade they are currently on but what potential they have and how they audition.  My girls won't be dancers so just do 1hr of each of their dance styles but if she is serious about ballet then I would definitely try to get her up to 2hours a week.

[HowMuch!]

10 hours ago, Tinks said:

I feel your pain , my youngest does gymnastics too and that is so very nearly the route she took but in the end she had to decide and chose dance, but she loves gymnastics and if she could do both that would be ideal ! Have you thought about English youth ballet? They are auditioning in York ( not sure if that’s do able for you?) age 8 +

I’ll have a look. We’re near Leeds so York is definitely an option. 

[HowMuch!]

9 hours ago, richieN said:

@HowMuch!,

If you live anywhere near the Manchester area and your DD is serious about ballet, take her to Centre Pointe in Denton (if you're not going already).

If you want to keep her in the existing school, consider "The Pointe", which is like an associate programme, but it has Ballet, Contemporary and Classical Repertoire.

 

 

Thank you. I’ll have a look. We’re near Leeds but i’m considering all opportunities.

[HowMuch!]

7 hours ago, Mrs Brown said:

not associate material here but both my girls were grade 2 ISTD at the start of year 5, I believe this is generally seen as roughly RAD grade 3 but from what I read online the associate classes aren't looking at what grade they are currently on but what potential they have and how they audition.  My girls won't be dancers so just do 1hr of each of their dance styles but if she is serious about ballet then I would definitely try to get her up to 2hours a week.

She’ll be going into Grade 3 over the next few months. I think in the audition she felt that she could do with being more confident in a few more steps - she felt a bit out of her depth. It could be that she needs some more non-syllabus classes to enhance her RAD work. 

[HowMuch!]

Thank you everybody! This has been such a big help! Xxx

[Mrs Brown]

non syllabus might be the way to go, too much repetition of syllabus must surely get boring ? - I am not a dancer but I would think it would. A wider range of combinations and musical interpretation would probably be very good for her development

[HowMuch!]

16 hours ago, Mrs Brown said:

non syllabus might be the way to go, too much repetition of syllabus must surely get boring ? - I am not a dancer but I would think it would. A wider range of combinations and musical interpretation would probably be very good for her development

We've been busy scouting for opportunities. She’s luckily been offered an associates class at a dance school, invite only rather than audition which reduced the anxiety levels a bit! She’s very excited. So, in September she’ll be doing 3-4 hours of ballet a week which will do so much for her development AND confidence for next year’s round of auditions! 

 

Happy DD, happy mum!

Xxx

[BlueLou]

HowMuch! I think your dd is a bit too young at the moment, but it’s worth having Renanisance Scholars on your radar if you live near Leeds. 2-5.15pm on Sundays, fortnightly, at Northern ballet studios, half ballet half jazz, optional add-on hour of singing 1-2pm and optional pointe add-on at the end some weeks. It is very good, but I think age 11+. 

[HowMuch!]

2 minutes ago, BlueLou said:

HowMuch! I think your dd is a bit too young at the moment, but it’s worth having Renanisance Scholars on your radar if you live near Leeds. 2-5.15pm on Sundays, fortnightly, at Northern ballet studios, half ballet half jazz, optional add-on hour of singing 1-2pm and optional pointe add-on at the end some weeks. It is very good, but I think age 11+. 

I’ll add it to my ‘list’! Thank you!

[shygirlsmum]

I just wanted to show support and tell dd’s story, I believe everything happens for a reason, if dd had been successful in her first ever audition we would probably stayed with old dance school and subsequently missed out on many other opportunities.

The first associate scheme we ever heard of was York Scholars, dd auditioned at year 6 and was put on the reserve list (a place never came up) at the time dd was doing one syllabus class of 45 mins per week.  Not long after we decided to move to another school that offered more opportunities, dd immediately auditioned for Northern Ballet associates and was offered a place for year 7, at year 8 she successfully auditioned for RB MA’s and has progressed from there to being offered RB SA2’s in September.

I regret not taking dd’s talent/passion seriously earlier, we missed the boat for voc school as I really had no clue about dance.  My advice would be, don’t worry about being pushy, surround your dd with great teachers and sit back and enjoy the ride, good luck x

 

[HowMuch!]

7 hours ago, shygirlsmum said:

I just wanted to show support and tell dd’s story, I believe everything happens for a reason, if dd had been successful in her first ever audition we would probably stayed with old dance school and subsequently missed out on many other opportunities.

The first associate scheme we ever heard of was York Scholars, dd auditioned at year 6 and was put on the reserve list (a place never came up) at the time dd was doing one syllabus class of 45 mins per week.  Not long after we decided to move to another school that offered more opportunities, dd immediately auditioned for Northern Ballet associates and was offered a place for year 7, at year 8 she successfully auditioned for RB MA’s and has progressed from there to being offered RB SA2’s in September.

I regret not taking dd’s talent/passion seriously earlier, we missed the boat for voc school as I really had no clue about dance.  My advice would be, don’t worry about being pushy, surround your dd with great teachers and sit back and enjoy the ride, good luck x

 

Thank you for this. That’s really helpful. I’ve been going back and forth about changing her dance school - it’s lovely, supportive and she does well in the exams, but she’s very much the ‘serious’ big fish in the small pond of ‘recreational’ dancers. 

 

I also wondered recently, through my lengthy googling, whether children doing ISTD are better prepared for auditions than RAD dancers? I know very little about it all but my googling tells me that RAD is very much about perfecting steps in a precise way whereas ISTD involves putting more steps together, on the spot? I may be totally wrong on this? I just wonder if perhaps an ISTD dancer is more familiar with complex steps and sequences? 🤷🏻‍♀️ This might influence a change of school.

[Ruby Foo]

You definitely have a point regarding the ‘ free work ‘ that is part of ISTD. It is a bonus to practice, week in, week out, picking up steps on the spot especially for building confidence in an audition etc. However,  the most important element in your Dds classes is the QUALITY of teaching. You can do 3 classes a week or just 1, but if that 1 has wonderful teaching then it wins every time especially at such a young age when building slow and careful technique is so important. That could be ISTD or RAD or any other society. My own Dd was grade 2 ( and very behind !)when she successfully auditioned for RBS mids having one class a week. Her teacher was very good though, slow and thorough. You know your own child best though and if she’s ready for more, why not?