Zacharovitti Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hello friends! As somebody of you already knows, my DD applied for RBS SS. She is 11 years old, and I'm wondering, as I couldn't find it on RBS website, how children are divided: are there different classes for 10, 11 and 12 or are they all together? How many children per class? Does any of you (much more experienced than me) know about it? Thank you for any information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plie Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) Hi Zacharovitti, my daughter has been for the last 2 years (yrs 5 & 6) and was in the group with year 5 and 6 girls both times. The next group up is mostly yrs 7 & 8 maybe a couple of older girls too. As for numbers there were at least 25 in her class last year which is a lot when you consider that when she did the National Ballet of Canada summer programme last year, she was in a class of just 8!! Hope this helps! Edited March 4, 2014 by plie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hi, when my DD did it at 12, she was in a group of 12 to 14 years old and they were about 30 in the group. Hope it helps... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Thank you Plie and Afab for your kind replies.....The groups are enormous!!! I didn't imagine that! Did your DDs find the course useful? Apart from having fun (that it is NOT what we are looking for) , do they (and you) really think is worthwhile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) Hi Zacharovitti, I actually asked DD lately to rank the different SSs she's done over the years in terms of "having learned the most" and RBS SS came last... I don't want to offend anybody... The groups were too big especially at that age and the corrections mainly general... So much that she decided not to apply at all this year! She had fun though! She said she'll try again for Upper School but not WL anymore even though she was successful 3 times (albeit 2 waiting lists). Because DD is not in a vocational school, she needs the holiday schools to progress and not only to have fun... I'm sure there was a thread I participated on about WL SS with lots of other opinions... Edited March 5, 2014 by afab 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Thanks afab. Maybe I should have asked before....which other SS did your DD attend? And which was the best for her? Maybe it's too late to apply now, but it could be helpful for next time. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 She thought the ones she learned the most at were the Northern Ballet in Leeds and one in France... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 What about french summer schools eg cannes or princess grace in monaco? I read they are very expensive....do you have any suggestion for SS in France? As RBS SS wasn't as you expected, what you think, instead, of WL full time training? Sorry for asking all these information, but it's quite hard to have a true insight of UK voc school living abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat09 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Zacharovitti are you looking for a residential SS in France or would you travel with your daughter? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Hi Kat09, I'm looking for a residential one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 What about french summer schools eg cannes or princess grace in monaco? I read they are very expensive....do you have any suggestion for SS in France? As RBS SS wasn't as you expected, what you think, instead, of WL full time training? Sorry for asking all these information, but it's quite hard to have a true insight of UK voc school living abroad. The SS I know in France that is very good is non residential. I really don't know about Rosella Hightower. I hear not very good things i.e. level but nothing I can corroborate so I don't know. Yes it is expensive so is Princess Grace academy but PGA is also very very difficult to get in... As for WL full time training, I don't know at all... It puzzles me that not enough of their students get into their upper school and I still haven't found out why... There are a few residential SS programmes in France, POB does one now but the application process is finished for this year... There is of course the problem of the language as French schools aren't really good at other languages...Having said that, neither are the British ones... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramascientist Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Oh but WL is lovely to do just to be in the places where all those people trained, thats what was so thrilling for my DD! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Afab - I can't use the quote function from this computer! But to answer your question about not all students from WL getting into upper school - some have changed physically and are no longer what the RBS are looking for, some give up dancing altogether, but also there aren't loads of places for UK students at the US - as places also go to the winners of various competitions, or other overseas students - so it's a combination of things. Dramascientist - I was also going to say that, although perhaps the actual training and class corrections at the WL summer school aren't maybe as "good" as some others with smaller classes - I'm sure most people go there for the experience of going to White Lodge. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Yes JulieW and dramascientist, I agree with you: just being at White Lodge is exciting and worthwhile for my DD, as it'll be (in case of a yes, of course) her first experience abroad too. In that case, she could have the chance of testing herself in many different ways: ballet level, knowledge of English language, suitability to life as a full time student in a foreign country. I actually hope she gets in, also to understand better her readiness to all this (and mine too!!!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletla Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 (edited) Just to give another view; my DD has done several different well known summer schools over the last few years and feels that she has had the best teaching at RBS summer schools and that her classical ballet technique improved the most after these summer schools. She also felt they were a bit more serious than some of the others, where there was sometimes more emphasis on having fun. Also agree that you can't beat the opportunity to spend a week at White Lodge if you get the chance! Edited March 7, 2014 by Ribbons 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharovitti Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Thanks Ribbons for sharing your experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonrothbart Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 (edited) The response Just to give another view; my DD has done several different well known summer schools over the last few years and feels that she has had the best teaching at RBS summer schools and that her classical ballet technique improved the most after these summer schools. She also felt they were a bit more serious than some of the others, where there was sometimes more emphasis on having fun.Also agree that you can't beat the opportunity to spend a week at White Lodge if you get the chance! My grandaughter has been to WL summer school the past two years and hopefully this year too with a bit of luck, and she has absolutely enjoyed every minute. I can't compare the training with other schools, but I'm pretty sure it was on a par with the training she gets at JA or MA, and as others have mentioned, it's probably worth going for the atmosphere alone. spelling mistake for the edit. Edited March 7, 2014 by Vonrothbart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I respect Ribbons' opinion on the RBS SS because she has a point of comparison which makes it interesting and also answer Zacharovitti's questions, I find yours Vonrothbart far less objective... You say yourself that you have no point of comparison with other SS but you're nevertheless "pretty sure" of the quality of the teaching! Come on, I never said the quality of the teaching was not on a par with either JA or MA... In fact, I'm pretty sure it is but the sheer number of kids per class makes a huge difference and the fact that they come from different countries, have different languages and expectations makes also a huge difference... In a JA or MA class, the teacher and students get to know each other and work towards a certain goal together and this is close to impossible in a class of 30ish 11-12 years old... That's all I was trying to convey. My DD had a lot of fun and loved every minute of it and couldn't wait to do it again. But 2 years, 3 SS and some maturity later, she actually believes she learned more elsewhere... As for the atmosphere of the place, I agree it's great... Hope you don't mind my honesty! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeliB Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 (edited) The groups were too big especially at that age and the corrections mainly general... So much that she decided not to apply at all this year! She had fun though! My DS at 15 had exactly the same perception. General corrections to the whole (large) class and no individual attention. He wouldn't go back either, even though he (as afab's DD) had a lot of fun. edited to add- this was at Covent Garden rather than WL though.... Edited March 7, 2014 by CeliB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletla Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Afab, I wasn't disagreeing with your opinion by the way. Everyone's experience is different and valid. It's just that my DD's experience was a positive one and so thought I'd post as no one else had and wanted to give Zachorovitti an alternative view in case her DD gets offered a place. As for the class size, it seemed to be pretty much similar everywhere else that she went. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I know Ribbons, I never thought you were disagreeing. We all have different experience and valid ones... Z asked and wanted a comparison and you and I gave her our impressions... My annoyed answer was aimed at Vonrothbart who seemed to dismiss an experience that was dissimilar to his without having any point of comparison... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 This issue about RBS seems to arise quite often. People, quite naturally, assume the RBS must be best for everything and they haven't always researched other options. As in normal schools I think that different options are better for different children. It worries me because I know that some children at RBS feel a huge amount of pressure and they may have thrived better elsewhere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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