All England regionals

[Mrs Brown]

Sorry if I have missed a recent thread, I did search but didn't find one.

 

We are going to regionals for the first time in a few weeks. Any tips from those who have been before? My daughter is the first (and only) one from her dance school to do it and we don't really know what to expect. She has two dances, start and end of the sane day and she is really looking forward to dancing in a nice theatre. (Our qualifiers are in schools or colleges).

[joyofdance]

Hi, well done to your daughter. They can be a great experience. Depending on the region the standard can be very good and they are very well organised. My daughter did all England regionals and finals from age 7 to 14 and enjoyed every minute of them. On the whole they are very similar in format to most dance competitions albeit a bit stricter. On the whole we found the adjudicators to be fair and professional and whilst they had high expectations they always gave constructive feedback and positive comments. I have heard some negatives from some regional competitions and not all of the theatres were lovely but luckily the ones we went to were a good experience. 

[Mrs Brown]

10 hours ago, joyofdance said:

Hi, well done to your daughter. They can be a great experience. Depending on the region the standard can be very good and they are very well organised. My daughter did all England regionals and finals from age 7 to 14 and enjoyed every minute of them. On the whole they are very similar in format to most dance competitions albeit a bit stricter. On the whole we found the adjudicators to be fair and professional and whilst they had high expectations they always gave constructive feedback and positive comments. I have heard some negatives from some regional competitions and not all of the theatres were lovely but luckily the ones we went to were a good experience. 

Thank you. It is all a bit daunting. The South region is at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth and it looks like a lovely "proper" theatre. Just hope she doesn't stand on the stage just looking at it!

We are expecting the standard to be very high, certainly one of her dances was a surprise qualifier and the other is national so is very much personal choice adjudication wise so for her it is just the experience of getting to dance in a nice theatre and another opportunity to perform her dances again. Just hope people aren't too competitive behind the scenes, it is hard when you are on your own without lots of friends around you from your school.

[joyofdance]

My daughter did lots of different comps as an indep entry so was often the one competitor without dance school support. Mostly she made friends quickly and had positive experiences. The regionals and finals do tend to be a bit more competitive behind the scenes but nothing awful from our experience. My daughter experienced more not so nice competitive behaviour from her own dance school peers than she did from dancers from other schools so it very much depends on the schools performing so you never can tell what the atmosphere is going to be like. Hopefully your daughter will enjoy the experience and have a wonderful time. 

[Mrs Brown]

30 minutes ago, joyofdance said:

My daughter did lots of different comps as an indep entry so was often the one competitor without dance school support. Mostly she made friends quickly and had positive experiences. The regionals and finals do tend to be a bit more competitive behind the scenes but nothing awful from our experience. My daughter experienced more not so nice competitive behaviour from her own dance school peers than she did from dancers from other schools so it very much depends on the schools performing so you never can tell what the atmosphere is going to be like. Hopefully your daughter will enjoy the experience and have a wonderful time. 

She does normally talk to people at festivals, just not sure how many will be in her section at this as we won't see a programme until we get there I assume. I suppose there will probably be quite a few as the only one in their section from their school so more opportunities to talk to someone new.

[joyofdance]

I'm pretty sure that your dance school will get a programme before the comp. Ask the dance teacher. Are any of her dance teachers going with her for support?

[MissEmily]

@Mrs BrownWe're at the same regional finals. If you would like to, send me a private message with your child's age group and which sections she's dancing in and we'll keep our eyes open for you 🙂 It's also my students' first regional finals, and my first as a teacher rather than a volunteer, so you'll be in good company!

[Mrs Brown]

@MissEmilyThank you.  I will do.

Edited May 12, 2022 by Mrs Brown
to tag

[Mrs Brown]

27 minutes ago, joyofdance said:

I'm pretty sure that your dance school will get a programme before the comp. Ask the dance teacher. Are any of her dance teachers going with her for support?

Oh I just assumed because of the short timescale there wouldn't be any programmes until the actual start.

 

I am not sure her teachers will be able to go but she normally does festivals on her own as noone else at the school wants to do festivals so we are used to it being just the two of us. Her teachers come when they can to our local one but they often aren't free as they are very busy. We don't mind, it is our choice to do festivals and they are very supportive of her with the dances but I do all the entries etc.

[joyofdance]

14 minutes ago, Mrs Brown said:

Oh I just assumed because of the short timescale there wouldn't be any programmes until the actual start.

 

I am not sure her teachers will be able to go but she normally does festivals on her own as noone else at the school wants to do festivals so we are used to it being just the two of us. Her teachers come when they can to our local one but they often aren't free as they are very busy. We don't mind, it is our choice to do festivals and they are very supportive of her with the dances but I do all the entries etc.

Oh I see. My daughter did them with her dance school support but on her own. She made some lovely friends at other dance schools and I met a few lovely parents who I am still friends with. I hope your daughter has a really lovely time.

[Mrs Brown]

12 minutes ago, joyofdance said:

Oh I see. My daughter did them with her dance school support but on her own. She made some lovely friends at other dance schools and I met a few lovely parents who I am still friends with. I hope your daughter has a really lovely time.

Thank you. Yes I met a couple of very nice mums I am in touch with on social media but none in her section for this. We met them when she used to do a ballet solo. She a happy to chat to people if they are also on their own or only in a pair from their school but sometimes they are in big groups which can be a bit intimidating even if it is unintentional. 

[balletbean]

On 11/05/2022 at 18:37, Mrs Brown said:

Sorry if I have missed a recent thread, I did search but didn't find one.

 

We are going to regionals for the first time in a few weeks. Any tips from those who have been before? My daughter is the first (and only) one from her dance school to do it and we don't really know what to expect. She has two dances, start and end of the sane day and she is really looking forward to dancing in a nice theatre. (Our qualifiers are in schools or colleges).

Hi. How exciting for you. My snippet of advice is if you have chance try to watch a session before your DD is due to compete. This enables you both to get a feel for the place and watch how adjudication as they seem to vary so much and what to expect.  Children make great friends at these events but there’s always some interesting characters 😉 both children and adults who may be seasoned veterans.  Just remember they all were new at some point they just might have forgotten it. Enjoy and celebrate the achievement of reaching this far. Your DD’s hard work has paid off. Anything after that we always felt was a bonus rather than an expectation. 🥇🥈🥉

Not to say it won’t happen but if the pressure isn’t on, it can assist them in their performance if that makes sense. 
They learn so much besides their actual performance as they seem to learn so much not just within their dance but of themselves just by watching others perform. 
 

Good luck. 🍀
 

[Mrs Brown]

1 hour ago, balletbean said:

Hi. How exciting for you. My snippet of advice is if you have chance try to watch a session before your DD is due to compete. This enables you both to get a feel for the place and watch how adjudication as they seem to vary so much and what to expect.  Children make great friends at these events but there’s always some interesting characters 😉 both children and adults who may be seasoned veterans.  Just remember they all were new at some point they just might have forgotten it. Enjoy and celebrate the achievement of reaching this far. Your DD’s hard work has paid off. Anything after that we always felt was a bonus rather than an expectation. 🥇🥈🥉

Not to say it won’t happen but if the pressure isn’t on, it can assist them in their performance if that makes sense. 
They learn so much besides their actual performance as they seem to learn so much not just within their dance but of themselves just by watching others perform. 
 

Good luck. 🍀
 

Thank you. Yes we had hoped to watch one before but she is in the second section of the day so it won't be possible as she won't have time to get into her national costume. I think she will enjoy I, just hope she doesn't get too nervous (and that we don't get stuck in traffic!)

[balletbean]

12 hours ago, Mrs Brown said:

Thank you. Yes we had hoped to watch one before but she is in the second section of the day so it won't be possible as she won't have time to get into her national costume. I think she will enjoy I, just hope she doesn't get too nervous (and that we don't get stuck in traffic!)

And breath……….  
As long as you know where you will park and methods of payment that’s one factor sorted. 
Eat & drink en route so you are fully charged up ready when you arrive to focus on costumes etc Food may not be permitted in certain areas. 

Pre arrange a pick-up point for afterwards. I always allowed some ‘freedom time’ after performing before meeting up just to allow my DD time to talk to other children or their teacher without feeling the need to rush off to meet me but obviously that’s personal to you and your DD and her age if you feel that’s appropriate. The only rule for this freedom time was she couldn’t leave the theatre/venue at all. 
Enjoy the day. ☺️

Edited May 15, 2022 by balletbean

[Mrs Brown]

2 hours ago, balletbean said:

And breath……….  
As long as you know where you will park and methods of payment that’s one factor sorted. 
Eat & drink en route so you are fully charged up ready when you arrive to focus on costumes etc Food may not be permitted in certain areas. 

Pre arrange a pick-up point for afterwards. I always allowed some ‘freedom time’ after performing before meeting up just to allow my DD time to talk to other children or their teacher without feeling the need to rush off to meet me but obviously that’s personal to you and your DD and her age if you feel that’s appropriate. The only rule for this freedom time was she couldn’t leave the theatre/venue at all. 
Enjoy the day. ☺️

Thank you. I have already booked my ticket, put the car park in my Google maps and paid for my reduced rate parking.

 

I am not sure her teacher can go and she hasn't got any team mates so she probably won't want any freedom time but I will suggest it to her and see what she says. In the absence of a teacher I will be her supervising adult so I guess I have to be with her pretty much all the time anyway. Thanks

[HopelessMummy]

On 14/05/2022 at 23:07, Mrs Brown said:

Thank you. Yes we had hoped to watch one before but she is in the second section of the day so it won't be possible as she won't have time to get into her national costume. I think she will enjoy I, just hope she doesn't get too nervous (and that we don't get stuck in traffic!)

If you can't watch the section before, defo get her to see the stage she's going to be performing on and the auditorium so she can see where the adjudicators are going to be sitting. If you can't do that, Google a pic of the stage so your DD gets a general idea. E.g. tun wells assembly halls' stage is slightly raked

[Mrs Brown]

8 hours ago, HopelessMummy said:

If you can't watch the section before, defo get her to see the stage she's going to be performing on and the auditorium so she can see where the adjudicators are going to be sitting. If you can't do that, Google a pic of the stage so your DD gets a general idea. E.g. tun wells assembly halls' stage is slightly raked

Thanks. You are right, I think we should see if she can poke her nose in the back of the audience to see the set up when we arrive. I looked up the size of the stage online and it said it was enormous but I have since worked out that I think that included the wings because there was then a smaller measurement for the archway bit. (I think a 16m wide stage sounds extreme?)

[Dance*is*life]

I can't believe that the All England is still going strong!   Your post brought back memories from when I was 9 (well over 60 years ago!)  and also the only candidate from my school!   I got through to the southern semi finals and came 8th with my national dance.  In those days the top 4 from both the north and the south semi finals came together for the London finals.  A couple of days before the final, they informed me that as no-one was coming down from the northern semi-final I could take part in the finals!  I was so thrilled, but my Dad was working and couldn't take us, so my mother and I went with the pianist by bus up to central London, clutching my dress and character shoes.  In those days we danced to live piano music!   Anyway, we got off the bus and suddenly the pianist realised that she had left the sheet music on the bus!    Luckily she remembered it off by heart and to cut a long story short, against all the odds,  I won!   Wouldn't it be nice if the same thing happened to your daughter, Mrs. Brown!    Good luck to her!  I hope she enjoys herself.  I adored comps, because they gave me a chance to dance on stage 😊

[HopelessMummy]

2 hours ago, Dance*is*life said:

I can't believe that the All England is still going strong!   Your post brought back memories from when I was 9 (well over 60 years ago!)  and also the only candidate from my school!   I got through to the southern semi finals and came 8th with my national dance.  In those days the top 4 from both the north and the south semi finals came together for the London finals.  A couple of days before the final, they informed me that as no-one was coming down from the northern semi-final I could take part in the finals!  I was so thrilled, but my Dad was working and couldn't take us, so my mother and I went with the pianist by bus up to central London, clutching my dress and character shoes.  In those days we danced to live piano music!   Anyway, we got off the bus and suddenly the pianist realised that she had left the sheet music on the bus!    Luckily she remembered it off by heart and to cut a long story short, against all the odds,  I won!   Wouldn't it be nice if the same thing happened to your daughter, Mrs. Brown!    Good luck to her!  I hope she enjoys herself.  I adored comps, because they gave me a chance to dance on stage 😊

What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing..isn't it wonderful how you had a pianist! These days parents either have to clutch two copies of CDs and a multitude of formats or have them emailed in. 

[Mrs Brown]

23 hours ago, Dance*is*life said:

I can't believe that the All England is still going strong!   Your post brought back memories from when I was 9 (well over 60 years ago!)  and also the only candidate from my school!   I got through to the southern semi finals and came 8th with my national dance.  In those days the top 4 from both the north and the south semi finals came together for the London finals.  A couple of days before the final, they informed me that as no-one was coming down from the northern semi-final I could take part in the finals!  I was so thrilled, but my Dad was working and couldn't take us, so my mother and I went with the pianist by bus up to central London, clutching my dress and character shoes.  In those days we danced to live piano music!   Anyway, we got off the bus and suddenly the pianist realised that she had left the sheet music on the bus!    Luckily she remembered it off by heart and to cut a long story short, against all the odds,  I won!   Wouldn't it be nice if the same thing happened to your daughter, Mrs. Brown!    Good luck to her!  I hope she enjoys herself.  I adored comps, because they gave me a chance to dance on stage 😊

Oh this is a lovely memory.  I don't think there is any chance in the world of her getting to national finals but it is nice for her to try. What was your national dance?

[Dance*is*life]

I think it was Swedish, but it was a very long time ago so not sure!   By the way there's a wonderful play on Youtube about comps in those days of yore!  It's  called "Happy Feet" - BBC Screen One 1991.  The ballet teacher is played by a very young looking Phyllis Logan - Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey!

[Dance*is*life]

On 19/05/2022 at 01:03, HopelessMummy said:

What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing..isn't it wonderful how you had a pianist! These days parents either have to clutch two copies of CDs and a multitude of formats or have them emailed in. 

Another amazing thing from those far away days was that the mothers made all the costumes!  No ordering from IDS then!  My mother was actually a professional dressmaker, but the other mums weren't  and it boggles the mind what they were expected to produce - and did!   Nowadays I can hardly find a mother who can sew elastics and ribbons on their children's ballet shoes - they have to get Grandma to do it 🤣

[Mrs Brown]

On 23/05/2022 at 20:24, Dance*is*life said:

I think it was Swedish, but it was a very long time ago so not sure!   By the way there's a wonderful play on Youtube about comps in those days of yore!  It's  called "Happy Feet" - BBC Screen One 1991.  The ballet teacher is played by a very young looking Phyllis Logan - Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey!

Ooh will look that up. Thanks

[Mrs Brown]

On 23/05/2022 at 20:24, Dance*is*life said:

I think it was Swedish, but it was a very long time ago so not sure!   By the way there's a wonderful play on Youtube about comps in those days of yore!  It's  called "Happy Feet" - BBC Screen One 1991.  The ballet teacher is played by a very young looking Phyllis Logan - Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey!

Ooh will look that up. Thanks

 

On 23/05/2022 at 20:34, Dance*is*life said:

Another amazing thing from those far away days was that the mothers made all the costumes!  No ordering from IDS then!  My mother was actually a professional dressmaker, but the other mums weren't  and it boggles the mind what they were expected to produce - and did!   Nowadays I can hardly find a mother who can sew elastics and ribbons on their children's ballet shoes - they have to get Grandma to do it 🤣

Ha. I made her national costume too.

[Mrs Brown]

Sorry I posted too soon. Yes I made her national costume.  I am quite good at sewing but it did take some time and a lot of research.

[Dance*is*life]

Mrs. Brown  - that really is impressive - well done!  😁

[Mrs Brown]

9 hours ago, Dance*is*life said:

Mrs. Brown  - that really is impressive - well done!  😁

Luckily I made it with a 4 inch hem a couple of months before covid started. She has now grown so much I had to let it down and stitch in another 7 rows of ribbon..... But much quicker and cheaper than making a while new one.

[Loulabelle]

On 24/05/2022 at 21:11, Mrs Brown said:

Sorry I posted too soon. Yes I made her national costume.  I am quite good at sewing but it did take some time and a lot of research.

National costumes were always my favourite costumes to make, I have a collection of my daughters in the loft. The research is the fun bit as well as making something look as unique as possible from modern fabrics. I mainly make tutus now but would choose a National costume over a tutu any day. 

[Mrs Brown]

33 minutes ago, Loulabelle said:

National costumes were always my favourite costumes to make, I have a collection of my daughters in the loft. The research is the fun bit as well as making something look as unique as possible from modern fabrics. I mainly make tutus now but would choose a National costume over a tutu any day. 

I have only made 1 tutu and don't intend to make any more! I love decorating them but making them is such hard work and I think what professional tutu makers produce is amazing. Most of my daughters national costume was made from a cheap black sheet.....