English Youth Ballet Belfast

[carmen67]

Hi everyone.

I am new to posting in the forum although I have been lurking for a while!

 

I was wondering was anyone at the EYB auditions today in Belfast and what they made of them.

 

My DD was accepted but I felt the audition was very poorly organised. It was so overcrowded. There were 145 dancers in the senior audition and they were corralled in a tiny performance space. The ventilation was very poor and the lights intense. I also felt it was very difficult to see all the dancers perform properly.

 

My DD was close to fainting by the time things finished up. It did not feel like a good experience but then maybe I am naive and all auditions are like this??

[happy days]

The eyb auditions my dds have attended have never been like that.  All dancers got a chance to be in the front and show what they had to offer.  I don't think that there has even been 145 in the same audition though and I think maybe two audition days would have been better with so many.  Putting the auditions aside I'm sure your dd will love the eyb experience.  They do put on a fantastic show.  However be prepared for a lot of hard work.  My younger dd did struggle with the rehearsals but the older dd loved every minute.  

[Anna C]

Hello carmen67 and welcome to the forum. :-)

 

I agree with dancetaximum that 145 dancers on stage at one time is unusual for EYB; whenever my dd has auditioned there have been no more than 100-105 and the lines are always rotated so that everyone gets a chance to be seen. The enchainements are usually done in small groups too. Temperature etc is down to the theatre and probably largely out of the control of EYB.

 

Anyway, congratulations to your dd on being accepted - this thread may be of use to you: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/5256-english-youth-ballet-eyb-frequently-asked-questions/

[taxi4ballet]

Phew, that was a lot to have auditioning together! Although they like you to register for the audition in advance, they do let people register on the day, so perhaps more people turned up than they were expecting...?

 

You will find that the rehearsals will be much more organised, and they will give you all the necessary paperwork and information you need in plenty of time.

 

My dd has performed with them three times now and has loved every minute

[Lisa O`Brien]

Welcome to the Forum,Carmen67.

[carmen67]

Thank you for all the replies. I guess we were just unlucky with the set up. And although they did rotate the lines, very often 3 lines performed together as they had to get through them all somehow. They were also very crowded on the stage.

 

She is looking forward to it very much and I am sure it will be a wonderful experience for her.

( Thanks for the welcome too and the links!)

[Pups_mum]

Congrats to your DD Carmen. She will have a great time I'm sure.

My DD has done EYB 3 times so far and I have always been impressed by how well organised everything is generally. As a previous poster has said, it may be that more people turned up than they expected, and since Belfast is a new venue for them, possibly the theatre weren't quite as au fait with their requirements as some of their more regular venues.

The rehearsals won't be at the theatre apart from the dress rehearsal. Usually they book a school with several suitable rehearsal areas, so there is plenty of space for everyone. Don't let the audition experience put you off, I'm sure you will find the rehearsals and performances are well organised and enjoyable.

[Lemongirl]

 

I echo what everyone else has said although I do sometimes wonder about EYB auditions with regard to numbers.  What would they do if 200 turned up??

 

Congratulations to your dd carmen, mine has also done EYB 3 times and loved it.  Sleeping Beauty is her favourite so far!  It's a really lovely atmosphere and the shows are amazing.