BalletBloch Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Has anyone had any experience of the teaching at the Northern Ballet Academy ? I was interested in the International Easter Course and wanted to know more information if anybody had any Thanks so much.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emsloves2dance Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Hi my dd does their associate class and from what I know of them its very good. I know they have one of their cat students has just been accepted at royal upper school. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 It has a very good reputation, one of my pupils is going again this Easter as she loved it so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat09 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 My daughter is going this Easter - our first time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taximom Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Be aware that some Summer and Easter courses bring in guest teachers who are not teachers on the full time courses. I am not saying this is the case at Northern but it is something worth checking out especially if you are 'trying it out' before applying for full time training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veryskint Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 My DS has participated in Summer School three times. Our impression is that the teachers are mix of the Academy teachers and a couple of guest teachers. Guest teachers were relevant to the course ie specialised in an area other than ballet and positively added to the experience. In the senior summer school Yoko Ishino teaches ballet. My DS who is in vocational training thinks training excellent to the point that hoping to return this summer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat09 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Teaching faculty for Easter 2013 are as follows Yoko Ichino ,Asier Uriagereka (Ballet de Monte-Carlo),Simon Kidd,Cara O'Shea and Tony Louis. I think the participants are in for a fantastic week 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletgirlsplease Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Cara is brilliant! My daughter has done two open days there with her and she is so much fun! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletgirlsplease Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Just out of interest this girl has just got a place at WL US from the Northern Ballet's acadamy CAT scheme! There's a great advertisement for the level of teaching there!! http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=media-releases/academy-student-earns-place-royal-ballet-school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I might apply myself if Asier Uriagereka is one of the teachers. He's one of my all time favourite dancers from his BRB days!!! Apologies for being facetious!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
if only! Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 DD attended this fabulous course last year and is going again this year. As Intensives go it's excellent value for money. Always a plus She loved the teachers, Yoko Ichino was fab (her words) and really got them to think on the spot, (some exercise when she wanted them to improvise, think up their own exercise there and then, whilst the pianist played. Or something like that. Dd reports back in such high speed it's sometimes hard to recall what she said) And she loved spotting the Northern Ballet dancers as they went passed, (we always try and see Northern Ballet when they visit our local theatre.. they look so much smaller in real life, must be the pointe shoes!) She'd love to do their Summer school but unfortunately it clashes with other commitments, as it did last year. I had never visited Leeds; the only thing I knew about it was Leeds was my brother's favourite football team way back in the 70's. So we all had a family trip up North, stayed in a Travelodge, which was in walking distance of Quarry Hill. We explored Leeds, the countryside and had far too many trips to the Leeds Armouries (I have boys... we had 3 trips. They did not return my level of tolerance when we visited the Art museum or Henry Moore Institute!) DD can not enthuse about it enough and can't wait till next week, just hope all this snow clears up, it's about time we had something Spring-like! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletmum1 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 (edited) We have had first had experience of NBA and i have to say the quality of the teaching here is poor! At present, the facilities are good...but thats as far as it goes! The pastoral care is inadequate. A lack of duty of care (emotionally when it counts) often with 'brush off' responses to challenging questions. There is only one way of training at NBA and i feel it is substanded compared to the fantastic teaching styles that are taught in Vocational schools in this country and abroad! I would not recommend this CAT scheme. The hours of training are long (for very little results) and the proof is in their end of year show when they clearly think its ok to have 12 year old students 'skipping' and 'galoping' around the stage with very liitle technique and virtually no strong classical vocabularly to show off. I guess a positive comment to all this is that the students do get to dance with the associated company NB....which of course is an amazing experience. The Company is great and students can aspire to their roll models! My recommendation....find a really good 'local' school and i am sure your son or daughter will do just fine there! Edited March 25, 2013 by Balletmum1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Hello Balletmum1 and welcome to the forum. As much as you are entitled to your opinion, our Acceptable Use Policy states: "If a member chooses to make highly critical comments this must be done in their own full name and not behind an anonymous user name and email address." If you wish to edit your post promptly to add your full name, we would appreciate it. If you are unable to edit your post please let me know. Many thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie3 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Oh dear Balletmum1 - you've obviously had a bad experience with them. Have to disagree - dd thinks Easter course is one of the best she has attended in terms of teaching/technique/expectations etc. Also know a number of CAT and associates whose dancing has improved greatly since commencing training there - now having gone or recently gained places at sixth forms - so they must being doing something right. I hope you have found a school that is more suited to your dd/ds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletmum1 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Millie3 Yes we found my dd technique, strength, focus, etc has improved so much since training elsewhere! We are much happier thanks! My DD has also been very successful in auditions for Vocational schools....so was obviously a great move for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitschqueen_1 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 (edited) It just goes to show that no scheme is perfect and can suit one child but not another. I did see the end of year show last year as my DD attends the Leeds contemporary CAT and they do this jointly with the ballet CAT's. I did think at the time that if I had been the parent of one of the junior ballet CAT students I would have been disappointed in the amount of stage time they were given to perform, however the quality of dancing of the senior CAT students was high. NBA (like the contemporary CATs) have a 100% success rate of students progressing to full time dance training if desired so I guess they may be doing something right. My DD has attended their summer school in the past and enjoyed it very much, unfortunately the dates now always clash with her contemporary intensive so she has not been able to audition for it since. Edited March 25, 2013 by Kitschqueen_1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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