balletla Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I would think that any country's 'national ballet' company is going to be the best in that country and of a very high standard comparable to the best in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 What I find gratifying about the list of contracts is that there are still so many dance companies out there offering work! Just because I haven't heard of some of them doesn't mean that they won't be any good. Whenever I get mail from Sadlers Wells I am always amazed at the variety of dance on offer and have made a more conscious effort in recent years to learn more. Many British people can only name the Royal Ballet or ENB as companies in this country so it stands to reason that many international companies are not that well known by people in this country, and vice versa. Something that has really opened my eyes these past 12 months is just how high a standard a small company has to be- there is no hiding behind a large corps if you are having an off day and thus directors of these companies really have to be very careful about who they employ, they know that their dancers have to have more stamina for starters. Lots of people my ds age who trained at top vocational schools from 11 are now working and I don't know of anyone who is dissatisfied or who feels they are in a "3rd" rate company, far from it. They all seemed to be very happy to have found jobs that best suit their personalities. My ds, despite knowing that there was at least one other company director intersted in him is extremely happy to be in a small company. He is already performing lead roles and more importantly to be in a position to be dancing at a high level every day rather than be in a large corps where it would be up to him to maintain fitness until he got his chance. He never wanted to be in a large company, its just not his style at least not at the moment. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 You do make an interesting point thequays, in that I think some parents (rather than the children) think because their child is in a top vocational school that they will end up working in the associated company. I've been amazed at how many parents I've talked to who have been genuinely surprised when they realise their child at White Lodge probably isn't going to get a job in this country let alone one in the Royal Ballet. The children soon come to learn that the graduates go off to other countries - and that's partly the reason I started this thread - so that parents would also see where the jobs are. My son's having a great time in a small company in a different country - having to learn loads of different roles and getting great experience of different styles. His dream would've been to have got a contract with BRB, but he realistically knew from quite early on that he was going to be working on the continent. His aim is to get some experience and then hopefully come back to the UK to dance in the future. We shall see..... In the meantime, I'm very excited as hubby and I are off to see him on Friday, for the first time since he went in early August, and we'll be watching him in two performances - a jazz ballet and Nutcracker - I've bought some warm, fluffy boots specially 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akh Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Have a wonderful time, it's a very special experience watching your child in their first perfomance as a professional dancer. Also invaluable life experience living in different countries and cultures. Exciting times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Julie, I hope you have a wonderful time. Please post some thoughts on the performances on the forum! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Irene Savary from Central School of Ballet, has just been offered a contract with Scottish ballet for their Christmas production of Nutcracker. Well done to her and best wishes to all the other graduates. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Well I can think of at least half a dozen straight away, including for example Ruth Bailey , Francesca Hayward, Tierney Heap and the wonderful James Hay. That's correct. Of the current younger generation of Royal Ballet dancers Ruth Bailey, Yasmine Naghdi, Francesca Hayward and James Hay were fully trained throughout both White Lodge Lower School and Upper School but they are in a minority. And thats before looking at the list of current dancers! Incidently some of the international dancers (Laura Morera for example) did actually train at both lower and upper school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I am not disputing the training in Great Britain is not one of the best, just wondering why they take so many students from outside their own upper schools? Why take these students with their wonderful potential and not use them.I for one would love to see them in a company performance. I am also sure that I would be just as happy to see a majority of our own students as apposed to the ones from abroad or would I? Luke Jennings wrote about this problem in the Guardian a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 (edited) Highly likely. ADs do often come in Vocational Schools to "shop" as it were- lots of graduates over the years have got their jobs this way.If I remember rightly, Yasmin Naghi got her contact whilst still only 2nd year Upper School! I remember reading that Yasmine Naghdi had only just finished her 1st Year at the Upper School, skipped the 2nd Year and was moved straight into the Graduate/3rd Year. She was offered several contracts including a Royal Ballet contract a few months into the Graduate year. She was only 18 months out of White Lodge when she entered The Royal Ballet company as a professional dancer . Now that's very very rare! Edited November 19, 2012 by Nina G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Have the names of the two new RB recruits been divulged officially yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirrups36 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Many many thousands of boys would love to play professional football for a '3rd division' team. They will still be getting paid for doing what they love day in day out, and there are many stories about players making the leap to 2nd, 1st division, premiership. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I'm sure I'm not alone in that I have hardly heard of any ballet companies outside of the uk other than the big famous ones, however, if my dd is fortunate/talented enough to secure a classical ballet contract at a good company where she will be happy either in the uk or overseas at the end of her many years of training, I will not for one nano second consider that she has only made the second, or even third, division if it is not with the likes of RB or BRB. The definitions of success are numerous! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe are both now listed as Artists of the Royal Ballet on the ROH website. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Congratulations to both! Ive known for a while but obviously couldn't say until it was official. I soon as I saw Anna Rose doing body conditioning in year 7 I knew she was destined to go far and made a point of finding out her name that morning! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Yes I also thought that it would be Anna Rose, even at a very young age she was amazing, there are some clips of her dancing on youtube age just 8yrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyG Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 DS has today told me that another graduate of the Royal Ballet School has been offered a contract with RB. This was more of a surprise but not unexpected. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaffa Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 DS has today told me that another graduate of the Royal Ballet School has been offered a contract with RB. This was more of a surprise but not unexpected. The RBS' electronic newsletter, which Friends received yesterday, listed a total of 5 students with RB contracts and one who'll be joining BRB. So I expect it's semi-official, though probably best not to put names here until details are on the RBS website. Yaffa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Gosh, that's a lot Yaffa. Let us know when you spot it on the website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) In the Friends' newsletter there's also a full page article about Anna Rose O'Sullivan and her journey from JA to RBS company. It also confirms what was debated earlier in a thread, that mother did not have a ballet background. Edited to add last sentence. Edited February 1, 2013 by Pas de Quatre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 As this went off on a tangent I'm going to lock it and will start a new thread when the schools announce their graduate destinations. I know it's been very hard this year, with apprenticeships being offered more. Hope to see some good news soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts