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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

English youth ballet-is this a ridiculous idea

35 replies

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 18:18

Dd is 9. She does one dance class (45 mins ballet, 15 mins tap) a week in the village hall-it’s a lovely class but no exams or grades or anything.

There is an audition for the English youth ballet coming up locally and she says she would like to go to it. I’ve fully briefed her that she’s very unlikely to get accepted but she says she’d like to go just for the experience of being taught by ‘proper ballerinas’

From what I’ve read the audition takes the form of a class but I’m worried she will be completely out of depth. I imagine the other dancers /parents will be focused on themselves/their children so won’t be looking at her but I don’t want her to be ridiculed.

Would it be unkind to put her in that situation even though she says she doesn’t mind?

OP posts:

elephantoverthehill · 14/10/2018 18:22

Would you rather a) mop up a few tears or b) have you and your Dd spend a long time wondering? Go for it, you never know!

eatingtomuch · 14/10/2018 18:25

Friends dd who had never done any ballet was spotted when the royal ballet did a project at her school.

She is now in their youth programme. They often look for raw/natural talent, it's not always the best that get selected.

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 18:26

Haha I see what you mean but I just think we’d be taking the mick a bit rocking up just for the fun of it (which may well not be fun at all!)
Although I guess it may inspire her and give her a direction to work towards for next time.

OP posts:

CherryPavlova · 14/10/2018 18:30

The auditions are quite fun - dressing up, lovely buzz but it’s not really a taught masterclas but lines of children on stage copying a few moves. The rows rotate so everyone gets seen. It’s often about stage presence rather than technical ability.
Go for it. If they get in, the training is then good.

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 18:34

If they could see the presence she has when she’s ‘performing’ in the kitchen they’d snap her up I’m sure .

OP posts:

BingerGeer · 14/10/2018 18:36

My dd did it last year - the audition is HUGE, over 100 children just for the junior section. They perform in lines of 10 on the stage, in front of all the parents and the other kids, rotating so they take turns being at the front. If your daughter can avoid panicking in that situation, and can pick up steps quickly, and dance them with confidence even if not perfectly, that will go a long way.

But if you think she’ll panic and cry, then maybe not. Or if you think she won’t cope with not getting in (it’s all in public, they pick the ones they want at the end and the rest go off for a ‘maybe next time’ talk).

If she does get in, it is an amazing experience, dd absolutely loved it, but she does quite a lot of dance (not that much pure ballet, about two hours a week).

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 18:38

Seriously though-is she expected to know and follow all the French names of the moves? She could probably recognise the very basic ones but if they start asking for sequences without anyone to copy she’ll be screwed.

OP posts:

BingerGeer · 14/10/2018 18:41

I’ll ask dd (I was watching but can’t remember!), but I think they were told the moves and shown them at the same time. But the ones at the back can’t have been able to see the demo, there were so many of them. On their other hand, they were able to watch the other dancers do it (so many dancers...).

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 18:45

I don’t think she’d panic and cry-more likely just look bemused and hop up and down a bit . Neither would she expect to get in so I’m not worried on that front

OP posts:

NigellasGuest · 14/10/2018 18:48

Go for it, EYB standard isn't all that high. NYB is harder to get into, but EYB gives more stage time to the kids that get through. Both my dd's did EYB twice and enjoyed it.

BingerGeer · 14/10/2018 20:20

Just asked dd - she says that most of the moves (but not all) were demonstrated at the audition, but that if you couldn’t see the demo then you’d need to rely on the people in front of you getting it right. And she added that the rehearsals were quite fast-paced and the choreography was taught using the French terms rather than demonstration. When she did EYB she was nearly 10, working on G3, and was in the youngest / easiest group.

So I think if your dd got in, it might be worth having a few extra lessons, just to make sure she knew the French terms she might encounter.

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 20:29

Ok that’s great thank you. We’ve talked about it again this evening and she’s still keen. She said if she can’t keep up she’ll just ‘smile and wave’ 🙄

OP posts:

ifIonlyknew · 14/10/2018 20:35

when they had auditions near us they actually didn't have enough people to get the 100 in total they wanted so they basically took everyone. They say they want to offer an opportunity and include all levels of ability so I think she should give it a go. certainly they do have a wide range of levels in their shows but it proves everyone can take part

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 14/10/2018 20:40

She said if she can’t keep up she’ll just ‘smile and wave’

Your daughter sounds awesome. I hope she really enjoys it.

AlexanderHamilton · 14/10/2018 20:40

My dd never auditioned as the first time it came we couldn’t afford it and the second time it clashed with other commitments but lots of her friends did.

At our local theatre they take about half to two thirds of the auditionees. I’ve heard they really look for stage presence.

And Miss Lewis hates purple!

Original poster

Notaballetmum · 14/10/2018 21:25

Good to know about the purple!

She is awesome (although an infuriating mixture of away with the fairies and bloody stubborn) and has a knack of pulling something out of the bag when she has to so it might be worth a go.

OP posts:

longestlurkerever · 14/10/2018 22:16

I have no idea about ballet but I say go for it! Wanting to give something a whirl for the sheer experience of it and being prepared to shrug off failure are two very admirable qualities I think are worth nurturing if you can. Let her do the audition, tell her how proud you are and go for ice cream. She sounds great!

BingerGeer · 15/10/2018 09:29

Your dd sounds great! She might like to watch some of the rehearsal videos EYB put on YouTube, it’ll give her a sense of what they do.

BeaTrewts · 17/10/2018 14:57

Go for it - they aren't expected to do things on their own in the audition so there will be people to copy, and parents get to watch the whole audition as well. If she doesn't know some of the steps, then tell her to give it her best shot and keep going with a big smile. They like that.

At the end, everyone sits down on the stage and then numbers are called out. If your number is called then you have a place and stand up. All those not selected go onto the waiting list. They usually take about fifty or so from the junior audition, and usually have well over 100 auditioning.

blackeyes72 · 17/10/2018 16:17

It will depend how many children go to the audition. My DD1 auditioned a few years ago and didn't get in - she was very good (also spotted although we didn't go down that route in the end). There were literally hundreds of children when she did audition.

If I remember correctly there were a lot fewer of the older ones, so they had a better chance. I would go for it even just for the experience!!

ilovesushi · 20/10/2018 22:04

I've entered my daughter and she is the minimum age and grade, so not sure if she stands much of a chance. She loves performing and I thought the audition sounded like a fun experience in itself. Her knowledge of ballet terms is very limited, but hopefully she can copy with style and confidence! Our approach is going to be very much enjoy it and if something comes of it great, if not that's fine too. x

BingerGeer · 23/10/2018 21:18

Ilove They have roles especially for the youngest ones who have done relatively little ballet, so not to worry about that. It’s definitely worth a go - though I would say that it is pretty gruelling if you do get in. My dd was 9 and had done youth ballet before, but she was physically and mentally tired and very hungry after rehearsals. So you might need to think about ramping down other commitments during the rehearsal period, if your dd is one of the youngest there.

BeaTrewts · 24/10/2018 19:38

Which ballet is it OP?

ilovesushi · 01/11/2018 10:14

Binger good to hear they have parts for the littlies. Any tips for the audition? Are there any particular steps or terminology I should run through with her? I noticed from the videos on facebook that there are lots of waltz steps in the Coppelia, so we've been doing those in the kitchen. Her ballet vocab only goes as far as plie. Absolutely don't want to overwhelm her, but at the same time, I'd like her to stand a decent chance. She's grade 1 RAD soon to do exam. Thanks!

Crazygirlmama · 01/11/2018 19:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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