Auditioning with injuries

[tabitha]

My DD is currently auditioning for 6th form ballet schools but is nursing an injury which means that she is unable to do some of the audition exercises. Despite this, she has got through to a few finals, but even though the schools know all about the situation, I am wondering whether she can be successful at final if she can't do some of it.

 

Has anyone got experience of auditioning with injuries and do you think that the people at the audition can see through the injury to the real dancer?

[Tulip]

I can imagine it would depend on the injury but its clearly a good sign that she has got through to the finals. I think if your daughter has got what they are looking for, physique, musicality etc then they will take her. Good luck with everything it is a very stressful year for the year 11s.

[tomuchtallent]

Tabitha, I'm so sorry to hear this.Tell her to smile and show that she is confident and perform.good luck and all the best xxx

[Jaylou62]

I'm glad you asked this. Dd has Osgood Schlatters and has had to cut down on her classes. She wants to audition for 2014 entry and her physio says that recovery is slow although she is making good progress. She is already 5ft 7ins, so hoping she won't grow much more!

[restor]

I suppose that good schools look for what the potential outcome could be not just how much  a student has already achieved- but a tendancy to injury and  growth sput problems is of course a worry. I suppose it depends if the dancing is really for recreation or a career.  Don't  worry about her height - let her be a nature intends.Good luck.

[spooky]

My dd fractured a metatarsal in Oct of year 11. We explained the situation to the schools we appplied to requesting the latest audition date possible but we also obtained a letter from our GP explaining the nature of the injury and that once healed she did not believe there would be any long term repercussions. The schools were all very understanding and she was offered 3 funded places from 5 applications so I don't think it would matter unless the nature of the injury was likely cause problems in the future.

[tabitha]

Spooky that is really encouraging to hear, thank you. My DD also has a foot injury but it is a tendon issue which has flared up through overuse. The schools have been understanding but I just worry that if she can't dance full out or do much jumping, they might not see her full potential. Also she is not as strong as she would have been due to being off class for a couple of weeks this term. Such a shame for her.

[restor]

It is tough but with about 5 main ballet companies in the UK with perhaps 3-5 vacancies each per year and many more colleges than there are companies with an intake in each college of more students than jobs available one of the factors to take into account is the
physical robustness to sustain a career as a ballet dancer.

 

Easier perhaps to be disappointed as a young teenager than later. While everyone perhaps deserves a chance for a dream there are too many colleges offering unrealistic hope to people. If it is recreation why go through emotional  stress and risk physical damage.

 

[Anna C]

I wouldn't think there's a dancer alive who hasn't had an injury at some time or another! One or two injuries as a teenager - particularly during that tricky growth spurt - must be extremely common, and shouldn't indicate by any means that the dancer is lacking "robustness".

 

Obviously if there is an injury which is serious enough to end training (or a career) then that is a different matter, but I don't think we should be scaring youngsters by suggesting that they won't make it on the basis of a few injuries along the way.

[balletla]

I wonder what Lauren Cuthbertson or Johan Kobburg would say about their physical robustness for ballet training? Both are out with long term injuries at the moment. 

 

I think there is a world of difference between dealing with an injury that can resolve and a lack of physical capacity in some area that makes you unsuitable for a career in ballet.