Post-transmission: BBC Panorama documentary/investigation into vocational schools

[BalletP]

Apologies Anna, I'd go back and edit but unfortunately its not letting me.

 

So yes if anyone reads it , please just take it from my own childs experience.

[Hadtopost]

22 hours ago, Kerfuffle said:

What’s worrying is the fact that in spite of these reports  schools are still getting outstanding ofsteds, luring the parents into a false sense of security. 

 

I think the other thing I find not just worrying but actually disturbing, is that despite over 100 students having shared their stories with the author of the article / producer of the doc, the standard response from the schools is along the lines of 'this doesn't tally with our records'.  No concern that such damaging comments and treatment of young dancers is taking place. 

 

Are they suggesting all these dancers/ex-dancers are making these things up?

 

 

 

[BalletcoForum Moderators]

A post on this thread has been hidden for making an unsubstantiated statement.

 

Two other posts referring to it have also been hidden.

 

Can we respectfully remind members that evidence should be provided when making sweeping statements.  It is also against the AUP to make highly critical statements using a pseudonym.

 

Here is a link to the Acceptable Use Policy which all members sign up to when joining the Forum.

[Swanwings]

6 hours ago, BalletP said:

 

Most probably because everybody’s experience is different , my child is currently at one of the vocational schools mentioned by the BBC article and to be frank has a wildly different opinion

to what has been mentioned within it. Finding it an incredibly nurturing and fulfilling experience, I couldn’t drag her out of it if I tried.

So from my own personal experience and point of view I can understand the ofsted results.

Obviously not wanting to undermine yourself or anyone on here who has had a bad experience.

 

I do think that it’s important though to express the fact that from what I’m aware of, my child and the absolute majority of her class peers are having a fantastic time doing everyday what they truly love. Which I personally don’t take for granted, they are lucky to have that experience.

 

I’ve reluctantly replied to this thread as its such a tough subject but I do think some balance needs to be kept here.

I agree absolutely with @BalletP my dd is also at one of the schools and her experience differs vastly. She has been there for years and we have found it to be nurturing and wonderful, all the staff have taken such care of my dd I couldnt wish for a better school.  She has been ridiculously happy and adores all her teachers. I am sorry to hear of the reports from some students, but this is far from our experience.

[Ruby Foo]

It’s very good to hear that students are having positive experiences at vocational schools and I do understand your motivation in posting about your experiences in order to balance the books. But that’s not really what this thread is about! It’s about those who are suffering without a voice. And this thread gives them just that - a voice to express the pain they have been living through in silence and fear. I am speaking from experience of being in a vocational school myself and then my own daughter’s experience at one of the mentioned schools in this thread. They maybe a minority, but they are paying for a service just the same as the majority, and they have fallen foul of the contract they signed up to, in one way or the other, whether it be issues around body image or other abuse. There are many issues here that have a huge impact on young peoples mental health and not just body image although that has been highlighted. The reason these issues have arisen in the first place is because there is no independent body for parents and students to go to when problems arise and therefore the schools have been allowed to disregard these issues because students are too fearful to raise them with staff who they deal with on a daily basis. Nobody is saying that these schools fail everyone, and there are plenty threads on this forum to suggest that many students have a good experience and go on to lead happy and successful lives.

[Jan McNulty]

@Ruby Foo But people talking about their DCs' positive experiences are giving a balanced view.

 

I have found the reports disturbing and upsetting be we should also remember that journalists are after a story and happy students do not a story make.

 

[Ruby Foo]

39 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

@Ruby Foo But people talking about their DCs' positive experiences are giving a balanced view.

 

I have found the reports disturbing and upsetting be we should also remember that journalists are after a story and happy students do not a story make.

 

 
I feel I must disagree with you Jan.

I feel that over the years the stories of success ( sometimes genuine and sometimes prematurely inflated) have  far outweighed the many many tales of pain and abuse that have silently been borne and then buried.

[Hadtopost]

I find myself agreeing with Ruby Foo, the majority of the threads on this forum are not about the pain and abuse that some students have undoubtedly suffered during their training - this particular thread is. I am glad not all students have had those experiences, I wouldn't wish any student to, but some have and that is what this thread is about. 

 

 

[Kerfuffle]

This is not so much about what is going on on this thread but the fact that these experiences of abuse are being investigated by journalists and taken seriously. The U.K. is not the only place this has happened so it’s not a matter of being highly critical of any one institution. It’s an opportunity for change that is very positive. This is the Me Too  moment for a lot of young dancers, who up until now have felt too fearful to say anything, as Ruby Foo says.

[Lifeafterballet]

"The pastoral care staff shut me in a room in the medical centre and left me crying and screaming hysterically for hours," she says.

She developed anorexia in her second year at the school - the same year she won an award for most promising dancer. 

"[It] felt like validation for what I was doing," she says. 

But then her anorexia worsened and led to interventions by the school - although one of those stopped her from attending ballet class, which she says, only made her condition worse.

"It felt like I was being punished for being ill," she says. 

On one occasion, she says she was humiliated after being weighed in front of other students, berated for having an eating disorder and told she would not be allowed to dance. 

"Ballet was everything I knew, and when they stopped me from doing it, I would get hysterical. They weren't nurturing - it was the opposite of that."
"Eating disorders are one of the most prevalent issues at ballet schools, and Elmhurst is supposed to be one of the best in the world - but they didn't seem to have any idea how to deal with mine," she says.

Sian’s experience is so so close to that of my daughters that it’s scary 😟 

The medical centre staff, at that time, didn’t have the expertise or knowledge in how to help her and until yesterday I thought that she was the only one who had been locked in a room crying and alone.
They were very reluctant to refer to CAMHs and get professional help, preferring to keep it in house. We felt isolated, alone and very frightened. It was like her disordered eating and mental health issues were a shameful secret 😞 

These 4 young people are so brave to share their experiences and represent others who have yet reached that point that they are able to do so publicly.

 

 

[Lifeafterballet]

She says she believes the industry "wants functioning anorexics who don't complain"

I’m lost for words with this statement 😢 

I must admit that I do sometimes find ballet painful to watch and look forward to the day my children will be out of the industry and I never have to go again. 

[Jan McNulty]

10 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

 
I feel I must disagree with you Jan.

I feel that over the years the stories of success ( sometimes genuine and sometimes prematurely inflated) have  far outweighed the many many tales of pain and abuse that have silently been borne and then buried.

 

Can you please provide proof of your statement?

 

10 hours ago, Hadtopost said:

I find myself agreeing with Ruby Foo, the majority of the threads on this forum are not about the pain and abuse that some students have undoubtedly suffered during their training - this particular thread is. I am glad not all students have had those experiences, I wouldn't wish any student to, but some have and that is what this thread is about. 

 

 

 

Please read the title.  After all this is a discussion forum.

 

10 hours ago, Kerfuffle said:

This is not so much about what is going on on this thread but the fact that these experiences of abuse are being investigated by journalists and taken seriously. The U.K. is not the only place this has happened so it’s not a matter of being highly critical of any one institution. It’s an opportunity for change that is very positive. This is the Me Too  moment for a lot of young dancers, who up until now have felt too fearful to say anything, as Ruby Foo says.

 

Being investigated by journalists ... says it all really doesn't it.

 

I wasn't bullied at my school but my best friend was (by another pupil).  I was, however, bullied twice in my working life and that has affected me and still makes me upset when I think about it.  Neither of these circumstances mean that that was the norm and there are many positive experiences out there.

 

I should also remind people that solicitors are touting for business, as mentioned upthread, so they should be mindful of what they say in case court cases become involved.

 

@Lifeafterballet has shared personal experiences and for that I think she should be applauded.  It must have been very hard to share deeply personal issues but that really is what members should be doing (if they feel they can) rather than making sweeping generalisations.

[Anna C]

From a personal and parental point of view, I think the important thing to remember is that without people coming forward, journalists investigating, and lawyers “touting for business”, the cases of abuse and mistreatment in, for example, gymnastics, would not have been brought to light, and therefore no inquiry and no change would have happened.

 

Of course nobody’s saying that there are no happy students at any of these schools, or even that the allegations are being made by the majority of students, but at the end of the day, even one student leaving (or being assessed out of) a UK vocational school with an eating disorder/severe mental health problems etc due to (alleged) mistreatment is one too many. 
 

If this eventually leads to an inquiry, and positive change in the ballet world, surely that’s a good thing, in the long term?  Not just for students, but for the schools themselves?

[Kerfuffle]

My daughter is at vocational school right now. The programme was broadcast in her first week of term. Her friends who had come from various lower schools both here and abroad were not at all surprised by its contents but she was, having been at a regular secondary school up until then. This really is a chance for reform, and as Anna C says, , even one student leaving (or being assessed out of) a UK vocational school with an eating disorder/severe mental health problems etc due to (alleged) mistreatment is one too many. 

This also means hopefully a more healthy industry as well as training environment. 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Kerfuffle
Adding quote

[alison]

It's good to hear that your child's school is taking major steps to address these issues, as I would hope all were by now - let's hope this really is a turning point for all those schools which need to have one, so that nobody experiences this sort of unacceptable treatment in the future, or even in the present.  And if journalists can help to shine a light on these practices, so much the better, without giving the impression that they affect all dance students and all vocational schools, or being sensationalist.

[Ruby Foo]

I most certainly can provide evidence Jan. 

But I will need to wait till later as I will want to reply properly.

This is a very important issue which has taken years and years ( and years) to come into the public consciousness and I feel very strongly that if there’s anything positive I can do to to make changes that will help make young dancers life more healthy then I have a duty to do so.

 

[Sim]

12 hours ago, Lifeafterballet said:

She says she believes the industry "wants functioning anorexics who don't complain"
 

Interestingly, in the interview given by Annette Buvoli and Nicol Edmonds on the ROH rehearsal stream they both stress that they eat constantly, and AB says that the old view of the skinny ballerina who doesn't eat is now outdated.  She said they are, essentially, athletes, and like athletes they have to eat in order to keep up their strength and stamina.  I eat dinner from time to time with a couple of top level ballerinas and they eat a lot.  They don't understand how you can dance and not eat.  The top companies have nutritionists who help, but I don't know what happens in the schools.  The good ones should of course be encouraging healthy diets and inculcating into students from the start that they do NOT need to starve themselves in order to succeed.    I do hope that schools are working hard to reverse the poor and damaging treatment of some of their students.  Bullying them and telling them that they are no good will often cause a young girl to think that if she's skinny, her dancing will improve.  No, no, no.  

[alison]

That quote was based on the student's experiences from 2017-2020, aged 11-14, so hopefully things may have changed in the past few years, but it's still shocking to think that that sort of view might still be being supported in vocational schools, especially since companies appear to have been promoting healthy eating for, what, well over a decade now?  I know it takes time for changed attitudes to filter down, especially when some independent teachers may not partake in Continuing Professional Development, and may even think "It was good enough for me, so it must be good enough for them", but there's surely no excuse these days for promoting that sort of thinking.

[Colman]

21 minutes ago, Sim said:

I eat dinner from time to time with a couple of top level ballerinas and they eat a lot.    

It does seem to be at odds with modern best practice, but a lot of these problems seem to be more perpetuation of past cycles of abusive practice than based in professionally reasoned positions. "Never did me any harm. <twitch>"

 

I can see a certain logic to it: I'm pretty sure that our 15 year old  - not in vocational school - has been passed over for things because he's a bit too chubby for some people's preferences, but the idea that he could actually build enough strength to dance at 10% body fat or whatever they think is desirable is just contrary to all the science. He can cut when he's an adult if he needs to.

 

If he'd been a girl, missing those opportunities would probably have been lethal to his hopes, but given the demand for boys here - especially post-lockdown, where (in Ireland at least) we seem to have lost a generation of teenage boys from ballet -  it's not such a problem. So if you expect powerful people with an unhealthy relationship to both food and body fat to be making the decisions about who's good enough, you'll try to fit into their preferences.

[Kerfuffle]

My DD’s experience of upper school has been great for advising her on being properly fuelled for dance. She now understands the relationship between bone  injuries and nutrition. This had never been explained to her before and thanks to the school she now eats better than ever before. They are mostly dancing from 8am until 5 or 6 pm  so it’s incredibly important. Perhaps in lower schools the children are doing fewer hours and going through puberty so there is more  of fluctuation  in weight but still that is no justification for comments such as “lengthen your lines” as quoted in Panorama  

[DVDfan]

What this is really about, is teachers bullying pupils, which can happen anywhere and happened to us in an ordinary state primary.

A successful bully is always 'in' with the authorities, whether he/she is another pupil or a staff member. That's how they get away with it - the headteacher believes what their good, caring staff member says, at best thinks there is a misunderstanding and at worst that pupil and parents are lying. The result is that if they complain, the victims are effectively gaslighted. I am not surprised at all that the schools just respond by saying how caring and nurturing they are, and how little interest or concern they seem to have for their former pupils. It's what they always say, in our experience.

Years ago I was talking with a teacher who told me she thought the worst problem in education in this country was the inability of the system to remove teachers who were not suited to the job. That needs to change - everywhere.

 

 

[Pas de Quatre]

There are some horrendous situations described, so this is not to belittle that, but I do wonder if sometimes there is some misinterpretation of comments, or they haven't been properly explained.  For example, as a teacher I find "lengthen your lines" a normal correction when a dancer is gripping their muscles rather than extending them.  A fundamental skill in ballet is to learn how to engage muscles in an "excentric" manner which means "away from the centre".

[Kerfuffle]

I think I need to rewatch the programme but as far as I recall “lengthen your lines” was a general statement not a correction in class (probably to avoid saying something more directly critical).

It’s awkward making complaints about specific teachers, we had this experience at a regular primary school too. It takes a lot of courage. 
 

.
 

[Farawaydancer]

38 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

It’s awkward making complaints about specific teachers, we had this experience at a regular primary school too. It takes a lot of courage. 

My ds attended one of the schools in the programme for eight years and experienced bullying behaviour from a teacher in his second year there. The teacher didn’t believe ds should be there, that he wasn’t good enough, and would never have a career in dance, and made classes completely miserable for him and excluded him for example, from the choreography for the summer show . However, we addressed it with the school quite robustly, recorded concerns in emails (so they know we had ‘evidence’ of concerns raised) had meetings etc, and school dealt with it entirely appropriately and changes were made.  This included us (and other supportive staff in senior management) challenging the teacher’s notion that, “This is just the industry he’s in.” He was firmly reminded that he was a 12 year old at school, and not a professional, and that it wouldn’t be ok to treat a professional in that way either!  DS stayed, very happily and successfully, for another six years, with no negative consequences from other staff. There is nothing to be gained for us going to the press or lawyers, because we asked the school to make changes and they did, and that’s all that we wanted. The teacher concerned was sidelined and then left entirely a number of years ago. Ds was cared for exceptionally well in the rest of the time he was there. They also provided mental health support over the years, as and when needed. 
 

Dd is also at a different school and the same thing there when dealing with staff - neither school has been defensive when I’ve asked them to address issues, they’ve just got on and done it. 
 

I suppose what I’m saying is that if a parent/child has an issue then bring it up with the school and keep written records so that you can hold them to account when they say they will do things. They can’t deal with it if they don’t know about it. 

[Hadtopost]

7 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Can you please provide proof of your statement?

 

 

Please read the title.  After all this is a discussion forum.

 

 

Being investigated by journalists ... says it all really doesn't it.

 

I wasn't bullied at my school but my best friend was (by another pupil).  I was, however, bullied twice in my working life and that has affected me and still makes me upset when I think about it.  Neither of these circumstances mean that that was the norm and there are many positive experiences out there.

 

I should also remind people that solicitors are touting for business, as mentioned upthread, so they should be mindful of what they say in case court cases become involved.

 

@Lifeafterballet has shared personal experiences and for that I think she should be applauded.  It must have been very hard to share deeply personal issues but that really is what members should be doing (if they feel they can) rather than making sweeping generalisations.

 

 I'm not sure what you are referring to by quoting me then saying please read the title - the title of this thread is Post Transmission, BBC Documentary. It is a thread discussing the issues brought up in the documentary I thought.

 

I am not 'making sweeping generalisations', I have posted earlier in this thread about my own child's experiences. It wasn't easy for me to watch them go through or for them to live with the eating disorder that they developed. My child has also been courageous enough to speak out about their own experiences to the BBC. It hasn't been easy for them to do that.

There is no denying that the experiences all of the students who have spoken up went through during vocational ballet training damaged them.

 

As I said earlier, I wouldn't wish that on ANY student, so I am glad for all those who don't have that experience. But that doesn't negate the fact that many have.

 

Editing to add - the reason I posted on here and my child has spoken about what happened to them is only to try and effect some change. Some of the things that are said and done in the name of ballet are simply not ok in this day and age, if teachers/schools do not realise the impact their words have on young impressionable minds they need to be educated. The aim is to see some positive change on this front, it isn't to say that all students will experience it, but NO young students should.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Hadtopost
To add final sentence

[Jan McNulty]

21 minutes ago, Hadtopost said:

 

 I'm not sure what you are referring to by quoting me then saying please read the title - the title of this thread is Post Transmission, BBC Documentary. It is a thread discussing the issues brought up in the documentary I thought.

 

I am not 'making sweeping generalisations', I have posted earlier in this thread about my own child's experiences. It wasn't easy for me to watch them go through or for them to live with the eating disorder that they developed. My child has also been courageous enough to speak out about their own experiences to the BBC. It hasn't been easy for them to do that.

There is no denying that the experiences all of the students who have spoken up went through during vocational ballet training damaged them.

 

As I said earlier, I wouldn't wish that on ANY student, so I am glad for all those who don't have that experience. But that doesn't negate the fact that many have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly - Post Transmission BBC Documentary - it doesn't say only bad experiences can be mentioned.

 

I wan't referring to you in respect of sweeping generalisations, that comment related to the post quoted above it.

[Ruby Foo]

Not sure what you are looking for in terms of proof Jan? I can only recall one or two bad experiences at Ballet Schools ever making it to press over the last 30 years. Whereas I recall many articles on up and coming potential stars. Do you want me to research and find these? Would have thought that the many experiences so bravely expressed in this thread that have had no journalistic motivation should be enough to stand on their own. Some of them have stated categorically how the effects of the abuse lasted long after leaving the school.
I know what I have witnessed through 8 yrs of training myself at Vocational Ballet School, 12 years of teaching, with pupils attending RBS, Elmhurst, TringPark, Bird College and Laine and witnessing their experiences, and my daughter training at 3 different vocational schools - 2 in UK and one in Europe. 
A total of 26 years.

There wasn’t a single journalist around touting to speak us about any of the experiences I’ve witnessed or my students have witnessed. Some of these experiences have led to anorexia, self harm, a complete absence of self worth, and giving up dance completely. I’m obviously not going to name names.

There have been also been many positive experiences in certain schools but where there has been negative experiences the same patterns of subtle abuse happens again and again regardless of the school or the year. I was amazed when my daughter told me a couple of years ago that a teacher never looked or corrected anyone in the class bar one student. It happened twice a week for a whole year. I remember this happening when I was training. A ex RB professional ignored everyone for 2 years except one student. Dancers progress with corrections. They pay for corrections. To withhold information that helps a student progress is cruelty and leads to students becoming depressed disillusioned and trying to find alternative solutions to becoming worthy, such as losing weight. I’m appalled this still happens.

The ethos of the schools is coming from a sound place. The health teams do a great job of providing excellent nutritional information. The schools have improved in many ways and it’s great to hear that some schools have changed as direct result of a complaint.  And yet the same type of negative experiences still persist. Not often maybe, but enough to produce a thread like this. What is not happening is constant awareness and a watchful eye on each and every teacher to make sure they are doing their job properly and maintaining healthy communication with students. What actually does go on in the studio? A rogue teacher can lead to a lifetime of problems.

 

 

 

 

[Ruby Foo]

I would also like to point out that anyone is free to start a thread on Experience of Good Practice at Vocational Schools. 

[Jan McNulty]

7 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

Not sure what you are looking for in terms of proof Jan? I can only recall one or two bad experiences at Ballet Schools ever making it to press over the last 30 years. Whereas I recall many articles on up and coming potential stars. Do you want me to research and find these? Would have thought that the many experiences so bravely expressed in this thread that have had no journalistic motivation should be enough to stand on their own. Some of them have stated categorically how the effects of the abuse lasted long after leaving the school.
I know what I have witnessed through 8 yrs of training myself at Vocational Ballet School, 12 years of teaching, with pupils attending RBS, Elmhurst, TringPark, Bird College and Laine and witnessing their experiences, and my daughter training at 3 different vocational schools - 2 in UK and one in Europe. 
A total of 26 years.

There wasn’t a single journalist around touting to speak us about any of the experiences I’ve witnessed or my students have witnessed. Some of these experiences have led to anorexia, self harm, a complete absence of self worth, and giving up dance completely. I’m obviously not going to name names.

There have been also been many positive experiences in certain schools but where there has been negative experiences the same patterns of subtle abuse happens again and again regardless of the school or the year. I was amazed when my daughter told me a couple of years ago that a teacher never looked or corrected anyone in the class bar one student. It happened twice a week for a whole year. I remember this happening when I was training. A ex RB professional ignored everyone for 2 years except one student. Dancers progress with corrections. They pay for corrections. To withhold information that helps a student progress is cruelty and leads to students becoming depressed disillusioned and trying to find alternative solutions to becoming worthy, such as losing weight. I’m appalled this still happens.

The ethos of the schools is coming from a sound place. The health teams do a great job of providing excellent nutritional information. The schools have improved in many ways and it’s great to hear that some schools have changed as direct result of a complaint.  And yet the same type of negative experiences still persist. Not often maybe, but enough to produce a thread like this. What is not happening is constant awareness and a watchful eye on each and every teacher to make sure they are doing their job properly and maintaining healthy communication with students. What actually does go on in the studio? A rogue teacher can lead to a lifetime of problems.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your post.  You have now provided some evidence of what you personally experienced.  That is a requirement of the Acceptable Use Policy.

 

This is the specific section of the AUP on discussion of school:

 

Discussion of schools and courses This may lead to the expression of strong opinions, both positive and negative when experiences and views have understandably differed. Against that background, the general Acceptable Use Policy Conditions continue to apply but, as regards schools and courses, additional parameters are added.
    •    Posts about schools or courses must report personal experiences only (posted by the student, the student’s parent/guardian or the student’s teacher with permission).
    •    They must not include second-hand information or innuendo e.g. claiming to speak on someone else’s behalf, for “many people”, for “the majority of students” and so forth.
    •    Nothing should be included that could be construed as defamatory in any way and which could therefore lead to legal ramifications for the Forum and members.

 

7 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

I would also like to point out that anyone is free to start a thread on Experience of Good Practice at Vocational Schools. 

 

If they do the thread is likely to be merged with this one.

[Hadtopost]

7 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

Not sure what you are looking for in terms of proof Jan? I can only recall one or two bad experiences at Ballet Schools ever making it to press over the last 30 years. Whereas I recall many articles on up and coming potential stars. Do you want me to research and find these? Would have thought that the many experiences so bravely expressed in this thread that have had no journalistic motivation should be enough to stand on their own. Some of them have stated categorically how the effects of the abuse lasted long after leaving the school.
I know what I have witnessed through 8 yrs of training myself at Vocational Ballet School, 12 years of teaching, with pupils attending RBS, Elmhurst, TringPark, Bird College and Laine and witnessing their experiences, and my daughter training at 3 different vocational schools - 2 in UK and one in Europe. 
A total of 26 years.

There wasn’t a single journalist around touting to speak us about any of the experiences I’ve witnessed or my students have witnessed. Some of these experiences have led to anorexia, self harm, a complete absence of self worth, and giving up dance completely. I’m obviously not going to name names.

There have been also been many positive experiences in certain schools but where there has been negative experiences the same patterns of subtle abuse happens again and again regardless of the school or the year. I was amazed when my daughter told me a couple of years ago that a teacher never looked or corrected anyone in the class bar one student. It happened twice a week for a whole year. I remember this happening when I was training. A ex RB professional ignored everyone for 2 years except one student. Dancers progress with corrections. They pay for corrections. To withhold information that helps a student progress is cruelty and leads to students becoming depressed disillusioned and trying to find alternative solutions to becoming worthy, such as losing weight. I’m appalled this still happens.

The ethos of the schools is coming from a sound place. The health teams do a great job of providing excellent nutritional information. The schools have improved in many ways and it’s great to hear that some schools have changed as direct result of a complaint.  And yet the same type of negative experiences still persist. Not often maybe, but enough to produce a thread like this. What is not happening is constant awareness and a watchful eye on each and every teacher to make sure they are doing their job properly and maintaining healthy communication with students. What actually does go on in the studio? A rogue teacher can lead to a lifetime of problems.

 

 

 

 

Yes yes yes.

[batmanballetshoes]

Spot on @Ruby Foo

[LinMM]

Sorry a slight diversion but in a sense relevant 

I was watching a TV documentary the other evening about a Chopin Piano Competition. 
Some of the teaching on that was just downright cruel and was surprised that a couple of the teachers …particularly of the Russian girl called Eva ….seemed oblivious as to how they came across. Totally soul destroying! I was just shocked at what seemed like blatant bullying to me. 
And vast majority of the contestants were under 18. 
We do want excellence in the Arts but not at any cost. 
Of course not all the teachers were like Eva’s but seeing this programme does make you worry at what might be going on behind closed doors if that blatant when the cameras were there. 
I think this is relevant in how we treat students generally who are in pursuit of excellence in a particular field so a rather unique situation but I know  probably should be for another thread. 
 

[Ruby Foo]

22 hours ago, Kerfuffle said:

My DD’s experience of upper school has been great for advising her on being properly fuelled for dance. She now understands the relationship between bone  injuries and nutrition. This had never been explained to her before and thanks to the school she now eats better than ever before. They are mostly dancing from 8am until 5 or 6 pm  so it’s incredibly important. Perhaps in lower schools the children are doing fewer hours and going through puberty so there is more  of fluctuation  in weight but still that is no justification for comments such as “lengthen your lines” as quoted in Panorama  

The development of nutritionists and health teams in Vocational schools including state of the art help with injuries has been one of the most impressive improvements I’ve noticed over the years.

BUT, I don’t think we should assume because of these, all the problems disappear. Issues are far more complex than that.

Students will often start eating much less deliberately when the pressure of assessments are apon them. And this too happens in Grad year. Only a little while ago, my daughter was speaking to a student in Grad year who had lost a lot of weight intentionally. She told my daughter she was doing it for 1 year only.

Despite the very positive messages coming from my daughters school ( one of those featured in the program) regarding diet and nutrition, she had studied the physicality of the students who had been accepted to Upper School from the years before and convinced herself the AD liked a certain look. That may well have been true to an extent. To us, taking in all the available information, we might have considered that artistry and technical prowess would also have been part of that decision. But that’s where young dancers are mentally vulnerable and hyper perfectionist. The subliminal messages are often super distorted because they are living in a pressurised, bubble environment and these are big decisions that have a big impact on their future life. That is why making it your job to know your students really well and enjoying a healthy relationship with them is super important. Not knowing your student’s names after several years, ( which is what happened to my daughter) is a case in point.