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RBS preliminary auditions


Zacharovitti

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Hy everybody, I need your precious help please!!

My DD applied for full time training audition at White Lodge for year 8. In the application form we asked for London venue, so I suppose the audition date will be the 18th of january, according to their website. Once I sent the application, I received a confirmation email saying that further information will be send two weeks prior the audition. As we are travelling from Italy, we need to book international flights and I'm afraid that a last minute booking can be much more expensive. So I would like to know from someone who auditioned in the past: do I have to arrive in London the day before? What about departure (from London)? When do auditions finish? Do I have to stay overnight on the 18th as well? Thanks for helping!....You all know that this will not be the first and last question, don't you?!!!

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Hi

Speaking from our experience a couple of years ago I would say that yes, I would definitely want to be in London ( or nearby) the day before, you never know what the weather or traffic is going to be like . On the day of my daughters audition we woke up to a large snowfall and all trains in our area were cancelled along with many road closures.

There will be several groups auditioning in a day and they try to put people who live in or near to London in the earliest group, working outwards, so that those who live furthest away have more time to get to London.The audition itself took approximately an hour and a half by my recollection so it would definitely be possible to fly home the same day, with a note of caution though as you won't know which group you are in or what time it will start. Good luck

Edited by along for the ride mum
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No don't do that!! The preliminary auditions (for all age groups) are held at the Royal Ballet Upper School in Covent Garden, Central London so you'll need a Central London hotel. Only the final auditions for the Lower School take place at White Lodge in Richmond Park. Good luck!

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That's a wonderful news! Maybe we could meet up and share our anxiety! We are not expecting that much, we know competition is fierce and places are very few, if not none. But I think it can be a good educational experience for DD, independently from results. At least, it is a fantastic opportunity for her to spend two days alone with her mum (I have 4 children and few time to dedicate exclusively to each of them) in London (it will be the first time for her)!!! Good luck to your DD too!

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If you can get an easyjet flight, you might still be able to get good prices one or two weeks ahead. I recently gave birth to a baby 2 weeks early and my mum immediately booked a flight from London to Milan for 6 days later and paid €30 each way.

 

As others have said, you'd definitely need to be in London the day before and I'd recommend not taking a flight too late in the day to allow for any delays and so that your DD can get a good night's sleep the night before. I can't help with your question on how long the days lasts but I'll sure someone here will be able to advise or you could ask for more info from the school, they should be understanding of the fact you are coming from overseas and need to make plans.

 

In bocca al lupo!

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Invisiblecircus (I love your name!) thank you for your helpful advise and many congratulations for the new born! I emailed to the school two days ago but they didn't reply....

As I see you live in Milan, do you have a DD attending a ballet school there?

Crepi il lupo!

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Don't be afraid to call the school if they don't reply to the email!

 

I have a 2.5 year old daughter who loves to dance around the house but isn't taking ballet classes yet. I have been thinking of applying for the teacher's training course at accademia teatro alla scala but don't know if it would be useful if I eventually moved back to the UK or even here in Italy.

 

Are you applying to any other schools for your DD? It's a shame there aren't more options here in Italy but I suppose the training provision reflects the number of jobs available.

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Definitely plan to be there the night before and remember as well as the preliminary audition there will be talks and tours that you may wish to attend. If I was in your shoes I would probably book2 nights in a travel lodge or holiday inn in London near Covent Garden now as it will probably work out cheaper than waiting till the last minute! Good luck and safe travels ????

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Yes Invisiblecircus, it's really a shame we don't have many options here in Italy! We are not applying anywhere else here because, as you probably know, the Accademia teatro alla Scala is not a boarding school and of course my 11 years old DD can't live by her own in Milan (we live in Rome)! As for Rome, she is attending a very good private ballet school, whose director is a former POB etoile; he is my aunt's husband so I believe in his advise and he himself suggested us to try abroad, as here the only chance for her would be the teatro dell'opera di Roma, but he doesn't trust too much in their training system...Re the teacher's training course at accademia teatro alla scala, I can't help you...I don't know if you are a former dancer, if so, it is enough to teach in a private school in Italy; if you are moving back to UK, maybe you know better than me if a certificate from the Scala is a "plus" in your country or not!

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Billyelliott, thank you for your kind advise! Fortunately a friend of mine can rent me her mother's home for that weekend at a low price! It is in King's Road that it's not so far from Covent Garden with the tube, is it? So I definitely will stay 2 nights!

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Lucky you!!

 

Not far from Sloane Square station is Partridges a really nice food shop with a cafe which does good food!

It's on the left hand side as you walk up Kings Road away from the station.

 

When I first moved to London in 1972 I returned to ballet as a 20 something with Ruth French who used to teach ballet above or next to the old town hall. It was a pretty "hip" place then but I wasn't particularly a la mode but people wore some quite extraordinary clothes then so always interesting to walk down.

 

At the bottom of Flood Street is a really nice gardens......with another great cafe with good food.....called Chelsea Physic Garden and is quite fascinating for medicinal plants too.

No doubt you won't have too much time but also have a look to see what's on at Cadogan Hall very close to the station they sometimes have very good concerts and events there.

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Zacharovitti, your friends must be very wealthy unless they bought their place many years ago. Homes off the Kings Road are now beyond the reach of all but multi-millionaires. Even the upper middle classes can no longer afford to buy in Kensington and Chelsea. These areas are no longer frequented by hipsters. They've all gone to Shoreditch.

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Yes Kings Road is no longer the centre of Fashion as it was back then.

 

I forgot to mention that there is Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square and they have a cafe up on one of the top floors which has lovely views and is not too expensive to eat in (I seem to be obsessed with food at the mo!)

It's part of the John Lewis chain and is a great shop with a great cafe!!

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LinMM and Aileen thank you so much for your lovely messages!! I am very happy to receive this kind of advise as I know London more as a tourist than as an "insider", though I have spent 4 months of my life there when I was young......but it was more than 20 years ago!! I know Chelsea and Kensington have become unaffordable places! My friend's mother is from London, she married an Italian man 50 years ago and moved to Rome, but she still had her old mother living in their home in Kings Road till last year, when she died at the incredible age of 101 years!!! Now she knows what kind of fortune she has to own an apartment there, so she is trying to maintain it renting it to friends and relatives!.....so yes, I am very lucky! She loves Peter Jones too!!

I hope to have enough time for everything, as my DD has never been in London before and she has a huge list of places she would like to visit....but we have just two days! (And an audition in between....!!)

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Going back to the original topic: the RBS finally replied to my email. They said the audition will be on 18th  at 11.30 a.m., with a short talk before it; everybody can leave after the class, as results will be send by email. Did anyone else received it? Flora11?

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Hi Zacharovitti and all, yes we got the same email with the same audition time! Dd is v excited! We think it's a good time, not too early or too late! We are really looking forward to our day in London too, you will have a super time staying for a few days.

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Hi no preliminary auditions are only a ballet class of around 1hour 15 mins, it's quite basic according to my DD. It's the finals that take up most of the day consisting of a ballet class, physio, academic test and interview. It's all quite friendly and my DD really enjoyed her day at finals as did all the other children I gather.

Ax

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