Advanced 1

[stardancer]

Hi my dd has been doing advanced1 since october2011.my dd was in a lovely class of older girls and the class flowed nicely .but now the girls have left to go to college.my dilema is my dd has been put in a class of beginners advanced 1 .Her teacher asked her if she would like to help out at one of the classes as she was getting to old and my dd would be a great help.Also my dd attends another class of beginners and has to wait a lot at the side untill 8 of the girls have learned something.I asked my dds teacher if she could have a couple of private classes as my dd needs to be learning at a different level.This did not go down very well and I was told my dd was being a bit selfish .I then asked could she come in over the holidays to be told she does not need to learn anything more.the question I am asking is can my dd develope as a dancer in advanced 1 beginners class .as her teacher thinks she is better in a class of children her own age and maybe take the exam the same time as the other girls in 2015 as there is no other classes to put her. I find this very frustraiting and my dd is very unhappy about this.Any advice

[Guest Autumn days]

I seem to remember that your dd is quite young and is therefore very advanced for her age. My view is that you can always lean in a class and that it is important to get the basics right so going over the syllabus again with the beginners should actually be a great help to her. I think that Advanced 1 is quite a difficult syllabus!!

[SBallerina]

I did advanced from sep 2011 to may 2012 and did my exam may 2012.

I'm still doing the syllabus even though I did my advanced 2 exam this spring. Though I think I know the syllabus very well and I'm a bit tired of doing it, I still find it really helpful because I can focus a lot on the technique.

She can probably do more of the exercises on Demi-pointe or pointe at the barre if she is allowed. Just to gain even more strength

As I said if she is allowed doing the whole syllabus, or barre on pointe will help her a lot - at least it helped me very much.

 

Doing advanced 1 from 2011-2015 before doing the exam is a very long period of time !

 

I'm sorry if my English is hard to understand..

[LinMM]

I would feel extremely frustrated if I was your DD even if I wasn't going on to make ballet my career.

It does seem as if she is being held up if she has had two years at this level already and has to wait another two years to take the exam!! There is a point whether music or ballet exam course when boredom sets in as the thought of playing a particular piece or doing a particular enchainement AGAIN stops your enjoyment.

It sounds like you have been with this dance teacher a long time and hence the difficulty of progressing your DD's case.

I certainly don't think your DD is being selfish.....does she want to help out in this class? I know sometimes if thinking of a teaching career in dance then helping others to learn pieces could be useful experience but even then getting on with ones own training is still pretty important!! It feels to me as if its the teacher being a little selfish in this instance.

 

If this cannot be resolved with this teacher then you may have to start looking elsewhere for training I think. What are your daughters ambitions with dance?

[stardancer]

Thank you everyone my dd would like to try as a dancer then teach . My. Only concern is she spends most of her time standing at the side. And the teacher spends all of the time with the other girls.altough this can help her in many ways .I feel there is no training for her. I get the feeling she wants my dd to train her new girls up and at first my dd loved this .But now I am thinking she is only doing this as she needs help. As this only came to light on the last day of term when my dd and the other girls had to make a dance up together . My dd sugested things they could not do yet. And my dd went along with them as she did not want them to feel uncomfortable.this leaving my dd unchallenged and unhappy.Her teacher told me she has never seen anyone so unhappy. I explained the story to her and she said this was a poor excuse and her girls can do more advanced moves than my dd as they go to lots of other schools. I told her she must be very proud of her girls and will not be needing my dd to help out.i then started to think that the teacher hated my dd being on a higher level than my dd and is holding her back. The funny thing is I do not understand this as the other girls are beautiful dances.

[Thecatsmother]

2015 is too long to stay in one level in my opinion. She can make use of spare moments in class by doing strengthening exercises. I am wondering if she could attend another class elsewhere as it is always good to be pushed a little. Not sure where you are based but RAD do classes often on Saturdays which might give her a chance to be around dancers of a similar standard. I think we can all learn from watching others but if she is contemplating a professional career she needs to be in an environment where she continues to learn rather than teach others as the competition is tough.

[Guest Autumn days]

Oh, sorry, I didn't notice that she had already been doing it for two years! Will she be able to switch to the new syllabus soon and therefore learn new things?

 

I am a bit worried about the dance school, though, and think that perhaps you should look elsewhere if your dd wants serious training. Advanced 1 is indeed quite advanced and all the students need proper tuition at this level from a teacher who has all their best interests at heart! It doesn't sound right for your dd or the other students that she is teaching them!

 

How old is your dd?

[taxi4ballet]

Is it the RAD syllabus?

 

If so, they are only examining the current syllabus for another year, and by 2015 she may have to learn the new syllabus in order to take the exam. We got caught out like this with Inter foundation. And - what happens after she's taken the adv 1 exam? Will there be an Adv 2 class for her to join or will she be on her own? (maybe this is why the teacher wants to keep her in that class for now).

 

Not sure whether it is helpful to your dd to be helping in the class, when she should be concentrating on her own training and ambitions! Is there another school anywhere near that your dd could move to?

[Legseleven]

Does the teacher mean that your DD will do the exam in 2015 as the first exam set in the new syllabus? If so then I would find out exactly when the teacher will begin to teach your DD and the rest of the class the new syllabus, as at that stage they will all be starting together. If this is the case and your DD has a definite end date for 'helping' to teach the Adv 1 vocabulary, she may be less frustrated. If she would want to take the exam in the old syllabus, ie before the end of 2014, it seems that she will have to move elsewhere.

[stardancer]

Hi she is 14 and rad. I live to far away from London but would travel anywhere for extra lessons. as my dd would like to train to be her best like all dancers.i no her school will not allow my dd to attend other dance schools .As I think that would help .the only answer would be to have all private my dd and I think this would be good.There are no classes in advanced 2 so my dd will have to have private. I sugested she does this .Then she can still help out and even learn the new advanced 1 For extra training .As my dds school is not doing it untill may next year. She also has her grade8 class starting in September .she did grade 7 last year but her teacher said she was moving to fast and had to take a year out. I wish I could find a school that pushes my dd they often tell my dd she is to intense and needs to stop dancing for the summer holidays.it,s like telling me not to talk for 8week if only.

[taxi4ballet]

Stardancer, have sent you a PM

[LinMM]

Perhaps then she could try for one of these associate classes. It does sound as if she could do with a push. Describing someone as too intense often infers that they are too keen and really at 14 you can't be too keen to get on in the ballet world.

 

I did forget about the current change in syllabus so it seems if if there is a deadline for the current syllabus exam it's better to get on with it and take this before the change as she already has two years experience of this. My friends DD has been learning this syllabus for about a year now but takes the exam in December this year and she is 13 now and will be 13 at the time of exam!!

Your DD needs to be with other girls of a similar ability if she is to take a ballet career seriously. If she wants to be a teacher of ballet then perhaps there is more time to play with but I would say move things along now!!

[stardancer]

Thank you LinMM I have phoned her dancing teacher she wants my dd to come in for a chat before the new term.She is going to have my dds other teacher there too. I have a funny feeling this is not going to go down well.As my intentions are for my dd to be moving on and be challenged more.And my dd wants to learn so much more.whatever she may do with her life .I would of loved her to remember her dancing times as happy something teachers forget .Often getting lost in exams ,who got the best mark. Who,s leg is higher etc.when all it takes is someone that cares

[aileen]

I really don't see why your dd is expected to help other students in the class. That is the teacher's job, for which she is paid. I assume that you are paying full price for her lessons rather than a concessionary rate in exchange for your dd's help. If your dd is interested in getting teaching experience then it would be more appropriate for her to assist with classes for much younger children. Perhaps the school has not taken on board your dd's serious ambition to be a professional dancer. As others have said, if matters cannot be resolved you may have to look for another school.

[Circe]

I agree with Aileen . My dd helps with a lower grade group but then we don't have to pay for one of her weekly classes in return.

All sounds a bit odd and not in the interests of your dd's training.  Hope you can have a productive conversation with the teacher to resolve all the issues.

[dramascientist]

I would avoid this as I think it should not be the responsibility of unqualified girls to be teaching others, especially if your DD is wanting to persue a career in ballet. My DD attended a school many years ago where the teacher was starting to feel her age. She began to get older girls to take the classes more and more and in the end my DD was so bored and fed up she didnt want to go, so in the end I moved her to another school. I understand that your DD is interested in teaching eventually but it should not be her responsibility to teach especially if you are paying for the class. I would definitely look somewhere else

[stardancer]

Thank you.My dds teacher offered her this class .and this in turn is free .The other advanced 1class my dd does we have to pay for that.so my dd does two classes and just repeats anything the girls need to learn. There are no classes just for her .I am very worried for my dd as advanced is hard enough to pass without this.

[Jazzpaws]

I have been in a very similar teacher with DD. It was really hard, but she did move to another school away from her elderly first ballet teacher who she was so fond of. It was the right move ( but she is fortunate to have found, in my opinion, one of the best ballet teachers there is). She has come on so much (SA2 this year) but making that break is very painful.

As a matter of interest, which area do you live in x

[Dance*is*life]

As I understand it your daughter took her Intermediate in 2011 and then started working on Advanced 1, but she also took Grade 7 in 2012 and is soon going to be working on Grade 8. Advanced 1 usually requires 2 years to work on it and probably needs a separate class on pointe work as well, in order to be strong enough for the quite extensive pointe section. This is very important, because if you fail the pointe section you fail the whole exam. In addition, as has been pointed out, they are changing the syllabus and it is going to be very different in content and style from the old syllabus. How long are her classes and how much time does she devote to pointe? Does she work in demi-pointe shoes and can she manage all the work in the shoes? The Advanced level exams are called Advanced because they are just that and students who take them need to be working intensively at that level. Perhaps they are holding your daughter back because they realised that she is not getting sufficient training to prepare her properly in time to take the old syllabus before the new one is compulsary?

Edited August 16, 2013 by Dance*is*life

[LinMM]

This could be correct (above post) but I find it strange if it is. If this student has been working for two years at this level why hasn't she been fully prepared for the exam by now? If there is this strong pointe work section the teachers must know this so if this student hasn't been getting this via themselves shouldn't they have been advising the parent about this....to attend further classes?

By all accounts this is a keen student so should be progressing at a normal rate so should not need more than two years for this exam unless her progress up to this point has been too hurried or rushed for some reason so teachers now want to hold her back!

Also the teachers will be aware of the change in syllabus and will surely be looking at their students to not get caught out by this and focus the ones who need to towards taking the old syllabus exam so progress is not delayed. There is nothing wrong with then having a look at the new syllabus as well once the exam has been taken.

[stardancer]

Hi my dd did 4 classes to start then a pointe class .Then the girls moved to advanced 2.The teacher had nowhere to put her so we moved to this school.who then only did 1class a week.But since April of this year she has been doing 2classes at 1hour 15 only because yet again nowhere to put her.I agree with you they are not giving her enough training and because of that my dd may lose her dream of doing the old style.Yes she is very strong on pointe and can dance all her steps in Demi pointe and can do most of the advanced 2 .But her teacher says she is to young to even try this ,and has all her life to do it why rush. The only problem is my dd wants to learn more and they as teachers are finding it hard not my dd

[BankruptMum]

My DD has just taken her advanced 1 exam and is 15, I cant believe your poor DD is being held back in this way.  Whilst its no bad thing to be in a class with 'beginners' there is always time to thing about posture, strengthening exercises etc., but if she is standing at the side then she isnt taking part in the class you are paying for.  Is this the only class she has at this level?

Personally I think its time to change schools as it seems your current school isn't meeting your DD's needs.

[Legseleven]

Alarm bells started to ring very loudly for me when you said that her dance school will not allow her to attend other dance schools, especially when added to her helping to teach the syllabus and being considered selfish for wanting to learn for herself rather than to help others learn - and being told that the other dancers can do more advanced moves than your DD (who is nevertheless thought 'selfish' for wanting to have some lessons where she can just concentrate on learning and improving her own work rather than helping others). It doesn't sound right and it certainly doesn't sound as though your DD's wishes for a dance career and her needs are being considered.

 

Perhaps everything will be resolved when you have your meeting with the teachers. If it were me I would ensure that DD was there with me to explain exactly what her dance ambitions are and to ask for exact confirmation of how she will be assisted to achieve these. This needs to include classes (preferably not all private lessons) where she concentrates on exam work if she wants to take the exam in the current Advanced 1 syllabus. She has no time to lose if so given that the last exams of that syllabus will be in late 2014. Alternatively she could wait to take the new Advanced 1 syllabus exam but again she needs exact confirmation if so of when the new syllabus will be taught.

 

If it is possible for her to attend lessons at another dance school then I would research this now, prior to the meeting with her dance teachers, so that you will have all potentially useful information available to you for discussion. If she wants to take the current syllabus exam then this may be the only way for her to do so, ie by attending classes elsewhere as well as at her current dance school. And if the current dance school 'won't allow it', even if your DD wants to take the current syllabus exam, then she will have little option but to leave the current school. Her long term dance career plans shouldn't be sacrificed out of loyalty to the current dance school if they can't provide what she currently needs - and their current behaviour seems to show little loyalty on their part to your DD, although perhaps they don't realise her career aspirations.

[LinMM]

Well she has all her life to do it if she is not serious about a dancing career yes!!

Do her teachers realise that she is possibly considering dancing as a career? And is not just a keen recreational dancer?

 

Achieving Advanced 2 is probably okay by 16-17 even for serious contender but at the rate your daughter may progress she may just get her advanced one by this age!!

 

Anyway doesn't she still have till next May before she needs to take the old syllabus advanced one? That should give her plenty of time and by then she will have been studying this syllabus for three years!

[Tulip]

This school is demonstrating a lack in effective communication and is actually putting barriers in place to further progress your daughter. I would start researching good schools in your area and audition for associate schemes. Which area are you in by the way? At the weekend is it possible to get a train to London or Birmingham as there are some very good classes in both areas.

[Guest Autumn days]

Is there any reason why your dd can't take the exam in the next sitting? Perhaps the best time to find a new school is when she is about to go into a new grade!

[stardancer]

Thank you for all your,e advice .I am not looking forword to this conversation ,as one of the teachers talks over everyone and the other always let's her do this.I did write a letter to one of the teachers and opened up my heart to her about this problem,But I was told she was to busy at the time doing the summer show that my dd was not in as they told me you have to sign up for it a year in advance. But they did say she could come and watch the other advanced 1girls .Then I asked for lessons in the holidays ,my dds teacher said she could give her two lessons a week for 4 weeks.she was all excited and decided to turn down summer places to focus on advanced 1.Then at the last minute she changed her mind,but can do 1week ,and that was after a lot of begging.I then phoned other dance schools for the summer,most were closed the other,s did not get back to me, the one,s that did said they do cannot except another child from another school,but one nice lady who could of helped broke her foot.What a summer

[taxi4ballet]

The RAD is doing an intensive examination course at the end of the summer holidays for advanced students. It is in London though.

 

If you go to their website and follow the link Education and Training, and then choose Training then 'syllabus and non-syllabus courses' from the menu on the left, the details are on there. The closing date has passed, but it might be worth calling them just in case there's a space.

[Jaylou62]

Hi,

My dd is 15 and in RAD Adv 1. Her teacher has invited dd and some other girls to attend RAD Adv 2 classes as well as doing Adv 1 from September because of the change in syllabus. Dd is applying for ballet schools for 2014 entry. Dd will now do 2 Adv 1 classes, 1 Adv 2 class, 1 Advanced pointe class and Intermediate tap per week with this school and she also does 2 Advanced Russian ballet and pointe classes per week and associate class fortnightly.

  I think we're fortunate in that all the teachers understand dd's wishes to apply for training and are incredibly supportive of her attending other schools (dd also goes to a third dance school for singing lessons). Dd did Intermediate and Adv 1 classes at the same time before taking her Intermediate exam so dd has been taking Adv 1 classes for 18 months. Is this option of learning Adv 2 at the same time as Adv 1 available to your dd?

[stardancer]

I told her teacher she was attending advanced classes in London this summer,that is how my dd is having one week with her that week.I hope she does not let her down again because I will not be happy..Jaylou62 you are very lucky to have the support of a lovely school your,e dd will only flourish in life.I asked her teacher could she do advanced 2 but as there are no classes and she does not have anytime to teach it was a no.We have already been to 2 schools this will be the 3rd because they can not offer classes and when I started to do classes at both they told me to leave this leaving us with a bad reputation.My dd is very upset this is her life, all they seem to care about is themselves when all she wants to do is dance.

[Guest Autumn days]

It sounds as though you are having a really rough ride 

 

Have you talked to any of the teachers that your dd has had about her desire to dance professionally or her potential to do so. It could be that perhaps her current teacher for some reason doesn't see the potential because she is so focussed on other things. It may be worth taking your dd somewhere like RAD hq for a private lesson and evaluation of where she is and what they think is best for her! RAD may also be able to recommend more reputable teachers in your area that would be more than happy to take on a dedicated and talented student!

[stardancer]

Mum in a spin thank you .Sometimes I could cry when I look at my dd she tell,s me she will never give up and then starts to practice her advanced 1 in our small living room.Then she starts stretching.If no one will teach me it i will learn it myself she says.The determination she has and the will to keep going is something I admire in her.I will try the rad in London for a private class and see if they could help.But last time I did that they told me as she goes to another school ,it would not be fair to her teacher can you believe it

[Dance*is*life]

Do you live near enough to take her once a week to the RAD HQ for syllabus classes rather than privates, which are really expensive? I have a student who moved to London and she learns at HQ and at other schools and no-one objects. It was the only way for her to get enough lessons. It can be very difficult if you are the only one who wants to take the exam at a particular level and the school really sounds most unhelpful. Have you got the DVD of the old Advanced 1 syllabus? It might help if she could practise with that. If you say she can do Advanced 2 pointe, then she should have no problem with Advanced 1 and I really feel very sorry for her and can quite understand why she's feeling so frustrated.