POB Summer school 2014

[afab]

The application form for next summer is on the site if someone is interested...

 

http://www.operadeparis.fr/en/L_Opera/L_Ecole_de_Danse/Stage_ete_EcoleDanse/

 

 

[Tulip]

Did anyone attend this summer school this year?

[afab]

DD's friend did.

[Tulip]

Hi afab, what was your daughter friends oppinion of the summer course and how old was the child.

[celb]

Unfortunately it looks like this is before the end of the UK school term even for my DDs vocational school.

[pas de chat]

Despite being super slim and fit according to their regulations my DD is overweight!!!  That has to be very unhealthy!?

[Sheila Beelam]

Indeed and one reason why the Degas Leo's come up small

[Moomin]

Out of sheer nosiness I had a look at the height/weight charts, how bizarre! They have a difference between max & min height of 3cm but that spans the entire year, so for example a girl 8 years 1 month of 135 cm is ok but one of 8 years 11 months of 136cm is not, although they are actually shorter or am I being stupid? Similar thing with weight and those dancing say 10 hours a week will surely have a bigger muscle mass than those dancing 2 hours a week.

[audsjcanuck]

But I am pretty sure those height weight requirements are not for the summer intensive.

[afab]

They are not. They are for the year long auditions and the POB school  is not that strict about them at all...

[Legseleven]

Hi afab, do you mean that the POB school doesn't adhere to their height/weight regulations when admitting new students - and if so, I can't imagine why they would keep them on the website, which seems to state baldly that students who don't fall within the stated parameters will not be considered. I have to say they have always seemed bizarre to me, as it is patently obvious that in any class of 10 or 11 year olds there will be some who have very little further growing to do before they reach full adult height and some who won't 'shoot up' until their mid teens and yet all of them may eventually be the 'desired' adult height and shape for classical ballet.

 

Having said that, it must work for the POB school...;-)

Edited October 6, 2013 by Legseleven

[afab]

They do adhere to it and they don't at the same time. When DD1 auditioned, a while back now, I met a mother whose DD was way too small and she had a wrist Xray with her to show her "bone age"...

When DD2 auditioned last year, she was older than what you find on the chart because of her date of birth, hence taller and heavier, and it was no problem to be allowed to audition. On top of that, we filled the form in November and she auditioned in May so she had grown and put on weight of course. They simply asked her if her weight there was the same as her weight at home...

 

Ha

[afab]

Oops sorry...

 

Having said that, the girls who audition are really really thin... DD2 is thin and she looked so much bigger than most...

 

I hope it's clear!

[Legseleven]

Thanks afab, that does make sense - insofar as it could ever make sense....ha!

[taxi4ballet]

I wonder whether they make allowances for girls who hit puberty young and have had their growth spurt earlier than others?

[afab]

I suppose they do. But they are also known for assessing out kids who are at adolescence either too tall, not thin enough or not tall enough (especially boys). Don't forget that their aim is to provide dancers for the corps de ballet... But of course all of this doesn't apply to the SS.

[taxi4ballet]

Yes, and with boys I suppose that some of them could start to grow very tall at a much later stage in their training. It must be very hard for them to go through so much and then be assessed out when the end is in sight.

[LinMM]

The POB sounds more and more like a sort of club!!

 

Don't mention Degas have just had a go at them about their website and general customer service especially as they charge the earth for their leotards!! Another sort of POB (pay of billionaire)! ;(

[afab]

The POB sounds more and more like a sort of club!!

 

But a free one at least!

[LinMM]

? Free one?

I thought you were referring to the billionaires club at first

 

The POB would hardly be free after all the years of fees paid out for training to actually get there!!!

 

It does worry me though all this insistence on being ultra thin etc but anyway this doesn't apply to their summer school presumably. Or does it?

[pas de chat]

I downloaded the form which is linked above and that is where I found this weight/height chart.  Some children are naturally thin and fine boned but I think limiting children at such a small age is quite tragic.  It is such a shame that certain schools have certain looks and then cut out such a lot of talent.  I do love to watch POB but I also love the ATB where girls are more muscular.  nose off despite faces comes to mind! 

[Sheila Beelam]

What problems did you have with Degas Lin? Was it French or US site? PM me if we can help in any way. X

[LinMM]

I will Sheila

But first I know its the wrong place but thanks so much for getting the Dancers Nutrition book to me so fast etc. Ive already read the first five chapters and I think I might order another copy and send it to the POB!!!

 

Seriously I will tell you the saga in a PM it was with the French site I think as it sent me to Europe!! Needless to say I didn't buy anything but then they are horrendously expensive though admittedly beautifully designed! And I couldn't get any sense out of them!

 

And I do hope the POB have good nutrition experts looking after their dancers so that they don't all have osteoporosis by the time they are 40!!

[Anna C]

Sorry OT but is that the Zerlina Mastin book Lin? It's a super book. :-)

[LinMM]

Yes S and P it is that book and its fascinating so far and would be useful for all (young people particularly) as well as dancers.

[Anna C]

Yes indeed. :-)

[LinMM]

To get back to topic though I can't believe that the POB would have height/weight restrictions for a summer school surely not.

 

A summer school should be open to all who have the required standards to attend it.

A chance even for students to enjoy the expertise of teachers and the facilities there and the kudos of having been to the school even though they normally may have no chance to get into the School itself as a permanent student(well as permanent as any student at a ballet school can be these days it seems)

 

They shouldn't be using the summer school as an extra auditioning procedure......they already have more than enough students trying to gain a place there every year in the usual way.

[audsjcanuck]

Those measurements do not apply to summer program. Also, it states on website that ss is not an audition for full- time program.

[Tulip]

The school can do what it likes, just like The Royal Ballet International summer school does, which is audition by photographs. I have never seen a large student at The Royal, sorry but I haven't. I actually looked at photographs of older POB students and to me they looked like ballerinas just perfect. They didn't look too thin, not in the photographs I saw anyway. So I think the weight thing is a guide line. When we have filled in application forms for ballet schools in England, all of them ask for students height and weight and the same question to the parents, not sure if the weight thing is still on there for parents anymore? The point I'm making is we can all have a point of what the school should or shouldn't do, but at the end of the day it's the schools decision. I don't think it mentions weight for the summer school but it does say for those aspiring to be professional dancers. Therefore the course is not there just for fun, it's serious training. If the body isn't right for serious ballet training it will get injured, especially in point. If the tone of my comments have come across as brisk, I didn't intend it to, just writing as I'm thinking and not saying it all too well.

[Anna C]

When we have filled in application forms for ballet schools in England, all of them ask for students height and weight and the same question to the parents, not sure if the weight thing is still on there for parents anymore?

I *sincerely* hope not!!

[Circe]

I'm sure I read recently that Sylvie Guillem left POB as she got too tall and that must have been a few years ago...surprising they haven't modernised since.

[LinMM]

Yes I agree Tulip they should have reached the required standards for a summer school some discrepancy has to be in place but not too much the height and weight thing.....some children attend at quite a young age....though don't know what age you have tobe for the POB one. At YBSS last year there seemed to be girls from about 11-16 there......all of a very good to excellent standard for their age.

 

But in the end I suppose it is their Summer School (the POB I mean) just a pity from my point of view if there are these weight and height restrictions as not all aspiring dancers will be intending to go to POB as a company.

[Jazzpaws]

I had a quick look at the height/weight charts but they are for younger children (unless I missed something). What are they looking for in a 16 year old.?