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Retired Ballet Mums


glowlight

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My husband just asked me if there was a category for 'Retired Ballet Mums' on the forum?

 

A category for ...'Been there, done it, got the grey hair!'.

 

I know that there are many of us here who's DC's are now grown up, and I love that we can still be part of this community.

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I'm retired too! Though as my DD is teaching now (well, not right now obviously, but hopefully she will be again soon...) I am a kind of surrogate ballet grandma. I get very excited hearing about her pupils' progress and find that I can still be useful. I've had several calls asking things like "Where can I get such and such online with overnight delivery?" and "How did you make that prop I had in my character dance when I was 10?"🤣 And I've given a bit of (hopefully good) advice on how to handle...well...Ballet Mums!

She never "made it" as a professional dancer but she is doing very well with teaching, and most importantly of all, she loves it. I'm very proud of that.

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I’m “retired” in that dd started and left 16+ ballet training due to a training-ending injury.  She is physically only able to dance part-time now so returned to academic school for A’levels and is in her 3rd year at Oxbridge.  She’s proud to be a member of the university’s competition dance team.  

 

She had many happy years as an Associate at Central and Tring CBA and passed her RAD Advanced 2 with Merit while taking A levels.  I’m an avid ballet-goer and Royal Ballet fan so spend a lot of time reading reviews and discussions over in “Performances seen” as well as moderating here in our lovely, supportive Doing Dance.  

 

On a personal note, I’d like to thank all our “retired ballet parents” whose experience is so valuable and who are kind enough to stay around and contribute - your presence and advice is much appreciated. ☺️

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I would second that all  the contributions here of experiences and the combined knowledge of all active and retired BM's and BD's are very useful for the newbies. So keep your contributions and participation coming, retired or n

3 hours ago, Anna C said:

I’m an avid ballet-goer and Royal Ballet fan so spend a lot of time reading reviews and discussions over in “Performances seen”

ot.

18 hours ago, Tulip said:

My daughter is now a professional dancer and no longer thankfully requires my support in the dancing world. Yup been there and worn the T-shirt xx

And I look forward to being in the same boat soon. Or Like below, as my DD shows promise in this field too.  DD has just passed her first  ballet teaching qualification with a high distincton to add to the Pilates.

18 hours ago, Pups_mum said:

my DD is teaching now

 

Whatever road we follow, our lives and our DC's are richer for it, well probably poorer in the pocket  but richer culturally, as I am sure you would agree. Certainly Anna would agree.

3 hours ago, Anna C said:

I’m an avid ballet-goer and Royal Ballet fan so spend a lot of time reading reviews and discussions over in “Performances seen”

 

 

 

1 hour ago, meadowblythe said:

I am, however, expert on the new regulations for Brits residing in Europe ..

Interesting, and I can also give some European news on some issues too. Given the impact of Brexit on mobility of artists ,as I am sure you are following the very latest news on this, it will be important to swap news of auditions and courses that will give access to Europe. The government poo-hooed early discussion with the industry on this in 2018 and appears to have ignored the latest EU offers of visas for artists during discussions, and have abandoned Erasmus so opportunities have shrunk and all pathways must be explored for graduates and students.

 

 

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I’m still around as a retired ballet mum and drop in here from time to time. My DD is a professional ballet dancer in a national company, but I think there’s as much, if not more, value in hearing about those who have taken up other pathways. I can’t add information about vocational schools or youth dance programmes, as mine didn’t do these, but can talk about auditioning for jobs. Mine swapped ballet jobs mid-pandemic and moved countries, so there are still companies hiring, working and rehearsing - to give hope for those looking for jobs.

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Hello all!  As a young dancer auditioning for schools at the moment I would like to know if any of your DCs have gone on to have a ballet career by following an unconventional route i.e. not going to vocational school and doing training through private classes abroad and then on to a ballet company for apprenticeship? I am fortunate to have the option to do either and am leaning towards the latter but I only have one shot at this as next year I will be too old for vocational school... any experiences very much appreciated.

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Can't answer directly but .. at 16 my DS had a few options but ultimately chose to attend Vocational School.  His first company had a number of dancers with the same lower school name as his on their CVs.  His current company has a dancer who was a former room mate!  I don't think having a "known" ballet school does any harm.  For boys as well, it's not that easy to get good quality male teaching, from males, privately.  

 

But .. one company got his ballet school confused with another - offered him a job after a summer school but when he questioned why they hadn't been interested before (no audition offered for a vacancy) they admitted they were basing their opinion on his school - but had got the school wrong!

 

I think it depends how confident you are about getting an apprenticeship, whether you would miss the class/group dynamic - working on your own is very different -and how your "plan B" is affected by your decision.

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@Oakley - I too am unable to answer your question directly as my dd went to vocational school at 16.  There certainly are people who take 'unconventional' routes, but I think a lot will depend on who is teaching you, and their contacts.  It is difficult enough to even be offered an audition for a ballet company, and I got the strong impression when dd was auditioning for companies that the name of the school and what professional level performance experience you had made a big impact on that.

 

And that brings me to a second point about vocational school vs private lessons.  At school you will get the opportunity to perform on stage with others.  That is an important part of training to be a dancer and learning how to work in a company.  You might want to consider how you would get that experience with private lessons.

 

 

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Agree totally with glowlight.  As well as dancing in a group, opportunities for pas de deux etc.  Picking up rep. as part of a group rather than having one-to-one instructions.  

 

Also - contacts at professional stage.  My DS shared a flat with someone-who-knew-someone-who .. at his first company.  Hearing of job opportunities at companies where peers are working.   At his last company one of the boys had been taught privately.  Whilst he was a lovely dancer, he was incapable of getting to class on time, living on his own, socialising with the rest of the company and learning the rep quickly enough.  

 

It very much depends on which genre you hope to work in, which company and, as glowlight said, the contacts of the person teaching you, and your personality. 

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Oakley, mine followed an unconventional route, but has never had a private lesson or done a competition. It is possible. But you need a good ballet school/teaching, and you also need to learn contemporary and character and pas de deux as a minimum. The idea of a young person having all their teaching done one to one with one teacher doesn’t sit well with me at all - if that’s what you mean. How would you do pas de deux or learn to work in a corps? There is an advantage with flexibility, though, not being tied to the confines of a three-year course. The issue of contacts is valid, but can be surmounted, but of course you don’t know what additional auditions you would have been offered if you had attended a big-name school. I’m sure that attending a world-famous school would help get that initial audition, but as long as you have good video clips, that seems to have been enough in reality. Once at the audition, where applicants studied doesn’t make a difference. It’s all on merit. There are a lot of ballet schools and teachers around the world, many of which most of us won’t have heard of, and all these students will be competing for jobs, as well as those going for their second or third jobs.

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@Oakley any performing art is collaborative. And knowing how to collaborate and work with others is a learned skill; it doesn't always just happen. If you don't work with other people, you lose opportunities to learn how to collaborate, and how to be creative as part of an ensemble; you lose the opportunity to learn from others.

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