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Tring CBA Video Audition 2021


Londonballetmum

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9 hours ago, Dancedreamer said:

Oh thats cool! my son only started ballet in May last year he has only had about 8 actual studio lessons! but he is capable. What grade is your son if you dont mind me asking, just trying to get an idea of levels but im thinking it might be quite varied

You’re right, it’s all very varied. Some kids take graded exams, and some (like my DS) don’t do them at all. 
 

My son stopped doing RAD graded classes when we left London. He’s been dancing 3 years, pretty much a year of that on zoom. At RAD in Battersea, they wait until the entire class is ready to do grade I, so that took over a year. Then he started grade 2 and lockdown happened, and they didn’t continue it online. Then we relocated and the local graded classes clashed with his associate programmes and weekly classes and I thought it would be overkill.
 

Our local classes do do grades, and submit children as and when ready, rather than waiting for a while group to be ready. So you can meet a 9 year old who is anywhere from grade 1 to 4. 
 

My understanding of what I’ve seen on zoom is that RBS, Tring CBA and Elmhurst YD are all focused on doing core things extremely well. Mastering the basics so to say. I don’t see them doing long character dances etc. I see those feature in local classes, but that all came to a stop when we went onto zoom. 
 

So apologies for my long waffle, but I think it’s fair to say grades can be a mixed bag, and it’s probably not part of their consideration as some don’t do them at all. Class content might average/hover around RAD grade 3, but at this stage they’ll only be looking for aptitude and potential. They’ll probably be looking for good bodily proportions, potential for flexibility, basic musicality and good natural turnout.
 

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3 hours ago, BalletBoysDad said:

You’re right, it’s all very varied. Some kids take graded exams, and some (like my DS) don’t do them at all. 
 

My son stopped doing RAD graded classes when we left London. He’s been dancing 3 years, pretty much a year of that on zoom. At RAD in Battersea, they wait until the entire class is ready to do grade I, so that took over a year. Then he started grade 2 and lockdown happened, and they didn’t continue it online. Then we relocated and the local graded classes clashed with his associate programmes and weekly classes and I thought it would be overkill.
 

Our local classes do do grades, and submit children as and when ready, rather than waiting for a while group to be ready. So you can meet a 9 year old who is anywhere from grade 1 to 4. 
 

My understanding of what I’ve seen on zoom is that RBS, Tring CBA and Elmhurst YD are all focused on doing core things extremely well. Mastering the basics so to say. I don’t see them doing long character dances etc. I see those feature in local classes, but that all came to a stop when we went onto zoom. 
 

So apologies for my long waffle, but I think it’s fair to say grades can be a mixed bag, and it’s probably not part of their consideration as some don’t do them at all. Class content might average/hover around RAD grade 3, but at this stage they’ll only be looking for aptitude and potential. They’ll probably be looking for good bodily proportions, potential for flexibility, basic musicality and good natural turnout.
 

 

Not a waffle at all, extremely helpful post thank you!

My DS has just gone into grade 4 but I don't think grades are the be all and end all to be honest and thats why he also does non syllabus so he can focus on the important stuff. he hasn't danced long but has good turnout and good flexibility and musicality so he has a chance otherwise I would not have considered this route, also his teachers suggested we should audition for associate programmes so giving it a go with a realistic view of no guarantees. 

We do not have the option of Elmhurst and simply too far for us being South of the country, but I like what I can see , I just hope they like what they see! ha

 

 

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25 minutes ago, Dancedreamer said:

 

Not a waffle at all, extremely helpful post thank you!

My DS has just gone into grade 4 but I don't think grades are the be all and end all to be honest and thats why he also does non syllabus so he can focus on the important stuff. he hasn't danced long but has good turnout and good flexibility and musicality so he has a chance otherwise I would not have considered this route, also his teachers suggested we should audition for associate programmes so giving it a go with a realistic view of no guarantees. 

We do not have the option of Elmhurst and simply too far for us being South of the country, but I like what I can see , I just hope they like what they see! ha

 

 

I imagine a lot of it has to do with time table and locality/practicality etc.  Our only local graded class (since we moved) falls on the same day as an associate programme, so being either/or, the decision was kind of made for us.  He does a non-syllabus class with the same school as the graded class, but his teacher said the content overlaps along the way.  

 

Our journey to Tring CBA is 2 hours each direction, but being fortnightly it doesn't feel like a chore.  Definitely worth it though.  Lovely tutor, lovely studios.  From what I've seen on zoom, the class is very calm and focused, and there's no sense of competitiveness amongst the boys.  Its very much about self-improvement.  Its also not a carbon-copy of some of the others, very much its own programme.  My son enjoys it which is the main thing.

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9 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

  

 

Our journey to Tring CBA is 2 hours each direction, but being fortnightly it doesn't feel like a chore.  Definitely worth it though.  Lovely tutor, lovely studios.  From what I've seen on zoom, the class is very calm and focused, and there's no sense of competitiveness amongst the boys.  Its very much about self-improvement.  Its also not a carbon-copy of some of the others, very much its own programme.  My son enjoys it which is the main thing.

That Sounds amazing and just the right atmosphere, where they can develop themselves without the focus on competition all the time. I am hoping my son does get on to a programme to make more dance friends especially other boys!

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3 minutes ago, Dancedreamer said:

That Sounds amazing and just the right atmosphere, where they can develop themselves without the focus on competition all the time. I am hoping my son does get on to a programme to make more dance friends especially other boys!

That's the sad by product of lockdown, as he was making friends quite easily in this group.  With a 15/20 min break in the studio class, they managed to develop friendships.  Then we went onto zoom, which makes it harder for the children to 'mix'. I like the fact that there is a broad spread of ages at CBA, so all the boys are at different levels and stages in their personal development.  Removes all that competitive vibe, which is quite refreshing.  Gives the younger boys something to aim for rather than compete against.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

That's the sad by product of lockdown, as he was making friends quite easily in this group.  With a 15/20 min break in the studio class, they managed to develop friendships.  Then we went onto zoom, which makes it harder for the children to 'mix'. I like the fact that there is a broad spread of ages at CBA, so all the boys are at different levels and stages in their personal development.  Removes all that competitive vibe, which is quite refreshing.  Gives the younger boys something to aim for rather than compete against.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have actually found the boys he has met through dance are really lovely and supportive to each other it is quite refreshing to see so fingers crossed we can see some more, it is going to be the longest wait ever!

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19 minutes ago, Dancedreamer said:

I have actually found the boys he has met through dance are really lovely and supportive to each other it is quite refreshing to see so fingers crossed we can see some more, it is going to be the longest wait ever!

So out of interest, are Tring CBA making their decision purely from the video applications? And do you know when you might expect to receive a result? 

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1 hour ago, BalletBoysDad said:

So out of interest, are Tring CBA making their decision purely from the video applications? And do you know when you might expect to receive a result? 

yes, I think so, well I have not heard otherwise. I just saw on the email I got sent that people will know for the 15th April. 

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1 minute ago, Dancedreamer said:

yes, I think so, well I have not heard otherwise. I just saw on the email I got sent that people will know for the 15th April. 

The first class back after Easter is Sunday 25th April.  So maybe those accepted start then?  I was always a touch cynical about video auditions etc, but I think its safe to say the Tring CBA boys tutor (if he's involved in the selection) has an incredibly fine eye for precision via zoom.  I'm sure they will see what they need to see via video for potential.  Good luck!  I do hate these long waits.  I was never blessed with the virtue of patience.

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39 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

The first class back after Easter is Sunday 25th April.  So maybe those accepted start then?  I was always a touch cynical about video auditions etc, but I think its safe to say the Tring CBA boys tutor (if he's involved in the selection) has an incredibly fine eye for precision via zoom.  I'm sure they will see what they need to see via video for potential.  Good luck!  I do hate these long waits.  I was never blessed with the virtue of patience.

yes, I think there was a mention for the start in Summer term so that makes sense. I haven't been blessed with that virtue either! ha ha 

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11 minutes ago, Dancedreamer said:

yes, I think there was a mention for the start in Summer term so that makes sense. I haven't been blessed with that virtue either! ha ha 

With some London RBS JA's now running on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, and the return to studios after Easter for both associate schemes, I think there might be some students who have currently managed to do JA's and Tring remotely, but will be forced to choose between the two for the remainder of the year.  I might very well be wrong, but the move out of lockdown and the gradual easing of social distancing might mean a slightly bigger intake this summer term.  Who knows :)

 

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7 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

With some London RBS JA's now running on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, and the return to studios after Easter for both associate schemes, I think there might be some students who have currently managed to do JA's and Tring remotely, but will be forced to choose between the two for the remainder of the year.  I might very well be wrong, but the move out of lockdown and the gradual easing of social distancing might mean a slightly bigger intake this summer term.  Who knows :)

 

i like your optimism!😁

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16 minutes ago, Ballet Power said:

Does anyone know what time the classes are? And are all the age groups at the same time? I have a dd age 11.  

 

My year 5 DD is in Group 1 which runs 10am to 12:10pm and her year 7 friend attends about half an hour later. Worth mentioning that CBA streams by ability rather than age though so not sure how helpful that is!

 

Older groups are in the afternoon.

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32 minutes ago, Ballet Power said:

Yes I sent by YouTube 

Can you tell if they have watched it all? This is the 2nd time for my DD trying. Last time (nearly 2 years ago) she had the good standard work on.... and come back again x

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2 minutes ago, Tiptoet said:

Can you tell if they have watched it all? This is the 2nd time for my DD trying. Last time (nearly 2 years ago) she had the good standard work on.... and come back again x

They watched a good 60-70% twice. But could have been 1 person watching it all, I don’t know.  X 

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14 minutes ago, Ballet Power said:

They watched a good 60-70% twice. But could have been 1 person watching it all, I don’t know.  X 

I can see where you find the views but how can you tell how much theyve watched? The minute I send it I'll be checking every 5 mins 🤣 

I bet there's hardly any spaces 😔

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29 minutes ago, Tiptoet said:

I can see where you find the views but how can you tell how much theyve watched? The minute I send it I'll be checking every 5 mins 🤣 

I bet there's hardly any spaces 😔

I think after 24 hours it shows how much they’ve watched.  Fingers crossed there’s lots of spaces!! 

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24 minutes ago, Dancedreamer said:

Think ours got viewed for a couple of minutes the say after submission but think it was maybe to check they could if they see it correctly I'm not sure I'm going to check again 

Ah yes maybe they play them quickly just to check its come through properly first 

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Oh gosh reading all these posts makes me feel even more nervous for my little girl. We haven’t submitted ours yet, we are using as much time as possible to practice. She’s 7 and her usual ballet class hasn’t covered a fair bit so she has had to do quite a bit of practising. She wants it so much bless her, I’ve never seen her practice so much! 
Good luck to all of your little ones! 

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To be honest, I’d be wary of “practising” at home, unless you’re a dance teacher and know what you’re doing. You could be doing more harm than good. Seven is still very young. A bit of music and movement is fine, though.

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She’s not doing anything dangerous, just for example in Grade 2 RAD they only go up to 3rd position where as for the audition they are being asked for plies in all positions. Or for releves, they are being asked to do this in pirouette position. She has done releves before but not in pirouette position... same as rond de jambe, that is something she hasn’t covered in her ballet class... however we have seeked help and advice from another ballet teacher so she knows what to do and can practice safely. 

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38 minutes ago, Tiny13 said:

She’s not doing anything dangerous, just for example in Grade 2 RAD they only go up to 3rd position where as for the audition they are being asked for plies in all positions. Or for releves, they are being asked to do this in pirouette position. She has done releves before but not in pirouette position... same as rond de jambe, that is something she hasn’t covered in her ballet class... however we have seeked help and advice from another ballet teacher so she knows what to do and can practice safely. 

 

My DD was only RAD grade 2 when she auditioned for CBA - think they are looking for potential in younger dancers rather than anything polished. Good luck!

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I didn’t mean to indicate practising unsupervised was dangerous, but that she might be doing the exercises wrongly, and that’s hard to undo. As they say, the plié is the first thing to learn and the last thing to master. If it helps, my DD was 9.5 before working on grade 2. I wouldn’t worry.

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36 minutes ago, rowan said:

I didn’t mean to indicate practising unsupervised was dangerous, but that she might be doing the exercises wrongly, and that’s hard to undo. As they say, the plié is the first thing to learn and the last thing to master. If it helps, my DD was 9.5 before working on grade 2. I wouldn’t worry.

 

Agreed, rowan.  One of dd’s teachers once said that “practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes *permanent*”, i.e. you could be committing incorrect technique to muscle memory.   For this reason, I’m always wary of little ones/relative beginners practising unsupervised. 

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On 16/03/2021 at 15:32, BalletBoysDad said:

With some London RBS JA's now running on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, and the return to studios after Easter for both associate schemes, I think there might be some students who have currently managed to do JA's and Tring remotely, but will be forced to choose between the two for the remainder of the year.  I might very well be wrong, but the move out of lockdown and the gradual easing of social distancing might mean a slightly bigger intake this summer term.  Who knows :)

 

Yes, my ds is unable to continue unfortunately. 

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