SugarPlum2000 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I’ve just looked at the dates out of curiosity but I’ve noticed that for the final upper school auditions, they have a semi final on the Saturday and then a final on the Sunday - has this always been the case? Why would they have 3 stages of auditions for upper but not lower school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitwornout Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 12 hours ago, SugarPlum2000 said: I’ve just looked at the dates out of curiosity but I’ve noticed that for the final upper school auditions, they have a semi final on the Saturday and then a final on the Sunday - has this always been the case? Why would they have 3 stages of auditions for upper but not lower school? Yes , I think it’s been like this for a few years. Last year they handed you an envelope after the Saturday audition to say whether you were called back on the Sunday. Also last year ENBS finals were on the same day so we had to race from Royal over to ENBS . My dd didn’t open the envelope till after the ENBS final . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrise81 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) So my dd well and truly hated the audition today. 1. The Manchester JA teacher coming in and speaking to all the JAs she teaches. Ignores all of the rest of us. 2. In the lesson the teacher uses numbers for students she doesn't know, and names for ones she does. That's really off putting for a 10 year old. 3. Have so many students in the room that at the barre she kicks the child to the right when lifting her leg, and cant lift leg to left as barre on wall next to her is in the way. No space to shuffle along either. 4. Room so hot and not being able.to drink. If she doesn't get through to finals.she doesn't even want a MA place now as she hated it that much. Would be interesting to hear what others thought. Edited January 23, 2020 by sunrise81 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletBoyMumma Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) 28 minutes ago, sunrise81 said: So my dd well and truly hated the audition today. 1. The Manchester JA teacher coming in and speaking to all the JAs she teaches. Ignores all of the rest of us. 2. In the lesson the teacher uses numbers for students she doesn't know, and names for ones she does. That's really off putting for a 10 year old. 3. Have so many students in the room that at the barre she kicks the child to the right when lifting her leg, and cant lift leg to left as barre on wall next to her is in the way. No space to shuffle along either. 4. Room so hot and not being able.to drink. If she doesn't get through to finals.she doesn't even want a MA place now as she hated it that much. Would be interesting to hear what others thought. Oh that’s really horrible. I’m so sorry she felt like that. 😞 I’ve never experienced this with RB (DS has really lovely teachers but then we’re at a different centre) but my eldest DD experienced similar at a one day course with another well known ballet school - it was her first one, she was the required grade (meant to be non-pointe work but as 90% of the class brought pointe shoes a few girls who didn’t were pushed to one side and told to do something else and it became a pointe-work class instead despite the course description saying there’d be none), she said the teacher was cold, rude almost, to those she didn’t already know, and it’s put her off doing any again or even trying out for anything (thankfully she dances just for the joy of it, not with aim of a career in dance, but her words were “I’m never doing that again!”). Might be worth giving them some feedback as that does sound unfair. I hope it doesn’t put your daughter off if she doesn’t make the finals, in future or for elsewhere. Edited January 23, 2020 by BalletBoyMumma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrise81 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) She has Elmhurst finals so all is good . That's was a completely different first round audition experience. Huge studio and parents got to see the last 10 minutes of it too. Not at all impressed with RBS. I will be emailing her JA teacher who will most likely be really sad about it as she is so lovely and supportive of everyone. Other parents said the same things as we were leaving Edited January 23, 2020 by sunrise81 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Gosh Sunrise, I am not surprised your DD was upset. I do some sports coaching and I was taught very early on in my coach training that a child's (or indeed an adult's) confidence, and thus performance, can be badly affected if they feel the coach values them less than other participants. Using the names of only some of the children creates a division and will boost the confidence of some whilst damaging the self belief of others, even if that was not the intent. Obviously a teacher in an audition class cannot learn everyone's names, so they should use no-one's. Every dancer has a number on, which makes it easy to treat everyone the same. I know it is difficult to challenge behaviour in such circumstances but I really hope someone feels able to give some feedback. The teacher may be unaware of their own behaviour and how it affects the children, but if this kind of thing is taught on basic sports coaching courses I would really expect an expert teacher to know better. I hope it hasn't upset your DD too much and that she ends up in the school that is best for her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katia05 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 13 hours ago, sunrise81 said: So my dd well and truly hated the audition today. 1. The Manchester JA teacher coming in and speaking to all the JAs she teaches. Ignores all of the rest of us. 2. In the lesson the teacher uses numbers for students she doesn't know, and names for ones she does. That's really off putting for a 10 year old. 3. Have so many students in the room that at the barre she kicks the child to the right when lifting her leg, and cant lift leg to left as barre on wall next to her is in the way. No space to shuffle along either. 4. Room so hot and not being able.to drink. If she doesn't get through to finals.she doesn't even want a MA place now as she hated it that much. Would be interesting to hear what others thought. I have to say, we experienced the first point at the London Mids auditions last year too. The existing group teacher came and greeted all the pupils she knew, and at the end of the audition she winked and smiled at a couple of them. My dd didn't take much notice, but I thought it was a bit off to show favouritism when the girls were all equally excited and nervous about going in, and we were led to believe it was a level playing field. Not sure whether it had any bearing on who was selected, but I found it a bit cliquey. At least we'll be prepared this year and have no illusions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
margarite Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I’m really surprised at this and agree that it must be disheartening for those not greeted by name. I’ve helped out in the past with auditions (not RBS) where the helpers/audition panel didn’t overtly acknowledge children that were already known to them. This seemed very fair to me. Auditions are already so stressful that any feeling of uncertainty or not being as welcomed as others can’t fail to have some impact. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieN Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Just dropping by to wish everyone "best of luck" for the auditions. 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetdancer Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 17 hours ago, sunrise81 said: So my dd well and truly hated the audition today. 1. The Manchester JA teacher coming in and speaking to all the JAs she teaches. Ignores all of the rest of us. 2. In the lesson the teacher uses numbers for students she doesn't know, and names for ones she does. That's really off putting for a 10 year old. 3. Have so many students in the room that at the barre she kicks the child to the right when lifting her leg, and cant lift leg to left as barre on wall next to her is in the way. No space to shuffle along either. 4. Room so hot and not being able.to drink. If she doesn't get through to finals.she doesn't even want a MA place now as she hated it that much. Would be interesting to hear what others thought. I'm afraid this was exactly my DD's experience in the Manchester auditions two years ago. The teacher using first names is still something she rants about! She was put off RBS for life which is a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieN Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 On 15/01/2020 at 19:40, balletboy8 said: Does anyone have any thoughts whether pupils have more or less chance of WL if they apply for Y9 vs Y7? Year 7 has the whole year of places available, so the odds are greater of being successful. The finals themselves are over 2 days due to the large volume of finalists. Years 8, 9, 10 & 11 auditions happen over one day. There are very few finalists, only a few places available each year, and the school has to think very carefully about making sure they have dancers who have solid technique and can keep up with the rest of their year group. However, there are so many other intangibles that can affect your success - rate of growth, how early you started dancing, how experienced you are at auditions, etc etc etc... So I guess what I am saying is - it's up to the applicant as much as it is the conditions of the audition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingWellies Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 And the whims of the artistic director. If the candidate has sparkle (undefinable) they may have a chance. Don't forget students from other vocational schools often audition for the year 8 to 11 places, some of them get in lots don't. WL is not easy to get into. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieN Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 18 hours ago, DancingWellies said: And the whims of the artistic director. If the candidate has sparkle (undefinable) they may have a chance. Don't forget students from other vocational schools often audition for the year 8 to 11 places, some of them get in lots don't. WL is not easy to get into. k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletboy8 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 24/01/2020 at 17:16, richieN said: Year 7 has the whole year of places available, so the odds are greater of being successful. The finals themselves are over 2 days due to the large volume of finalists. Years 8, 9, 10 & 11 auditions happen over one day. There are very few finalists, only a few places available each year, and the school has to think very carefully about making sure they have dancers who have solid technique and can keep up with the rest of their year group. However, there are so many other intangibles that can affect your success - rate of growth, how early you started dancing, how experienced you are at auditions, etc etc etc... So I guess what I am saying is - it's up to the applicant as much as it is the conditions of the audition. Thank you, so much to consider. I'm told DS has the talent but possibly not yet the maturity- it's not for this year anyway so time will tell 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletboy8 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 24/01/2020 at 19:30, DancingWellies said: And the whims of the artistic director. If the candidate has sparkle (undefinable) they may have a chance. Don't forget students from other vocational schools often audition for the year 8 to 11 places, some of them get in lots don't. WL is not easy to get into. DS is very shy so sparkle is a concern- thank you for your thoughts 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudDanceDad Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Emails for White Lodge finals are out, for the Bath auditionees DD has been invited for final audition in London 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopelessMummy Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 29 minutes ago, TheDanceDad said: Emails for White Lodge finals are out, for the Bath auditionees DD has been invited for final audition in London Congrats. It was an expected no for us. Best of luck at finals xx 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coniger Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 My DS got year 9 finals....... 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletmumlife Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Year 7 boys final for us! 😊 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motomum Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Y8 finals for my son. Here we go again! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tutugirl Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Are these all from Bath ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletmumlife Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 28 minutes ago, tutugirl said: Are these all from Bath ? We were London. X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopelessMummy Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Bath I wonder how likely it is that someone who was rejected at the prelim stage for WL is going get MA place? I heard that some WL might also be offered an MA place but wonder whether just to accept a no to WL is a no to MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadowblythe Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Hard as it is, try not to think too far ahead - one thing that is certain about RBS is that they are a law unto themselves. No second guessing. And please don't think WL/MA is the only route to a successful dance career, it's simply not the case. Try and leave as many doors open as possible for next year, based on what suits your child and their aspirations - not what is considered "best" and take it from there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foreverdrivingtodance Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 We got a No last year to WL but wait list for Mids so 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Foo Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 hour ago, HopelessMummy said: Bath I wonder how likely it is that someone who was rejected at the prelim stage for WL is going get MA place? I heard that some WL might also be offered an MA place but wonder whether just to accept a no to WL is a no to MA Definitely not! Know of several MA’s who have had no’s to prelim WL. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopelessMummy Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 45 minutes ago, meadowblythe said: Hard as it is, try not to think too far ahead - one thing that is certain about RBS is that they are a law unto themselves. No second guessing. And please don't think WL/MA is the only route to a successful dance career, it's simply not the case. Try and leave as many doors open as possible for next year, based on what suits your child and their aspirations - not what is considered "best" and take it from there. Thanks. Just wondering, rather than thinking ahead. It'll be nice if she gets offered MA but it's not the end of the world if not. We've learnt to take things in our stride over the years. If anything, this process teaches DD resilience!! Thanks for the other responses. I've not got a clue! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motomum Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 4 hours ago, tutugirl said: Are these all from Bath ? We are London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird22 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Are we thinking it could be Manchester tomorrow ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrise81 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 22 hours ago, Bluebird22 said: Are we thinking it could be Manchester tomorrow ? Hope its soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally-Anne Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I thought we would have to wait longer - I’m surprised to see results are coming out already! (My DD was London year 7 group 4) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calea Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 @Sally-Anne we were in this group too! According to the website there’s still one audition to go on Friday! 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird22 Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 There’s definitely an audition tomorrow, I’m taking a student who wants White Lodge, so I’m hoping they are really fast getting the finals letters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now