LinMM

As far as passion is concerned I'm sure it's the same for all those bitten by the ballet bug wherever they come from and many students (and parents) are willing to sacrifice a huge amount to keep going till goals and dreams are reached or have to be given up. However I do think there is sometimes an added incentive to some students from abroad....especially from their families.....as being very successful in sport or medicine or music or ballet etc is seen as a way out of comparative poverty. You can see this a bit in evidence in the film First Position with one of the dancers (who was obviously very homesick at times) but had to go to another country to get the training....one of his dreams was to study with the Royal Ballet......and he achieved this....against the odds really....and is now in the company!! Also in the past(not sure how it works these days) in Russia if you won a scholarship to a big ballet school like Vaganova or Bolshoi etc I think the reverse could also happen where the student could lose the passion but there was pressure from home to continue for similar reasons as above.....because becoming a "star" of a company had its own relative financial rewards....which would not have been the case in a UK company for a person from UK.

Just got back sorry it's a no for her afab but at least she has found out for herself and this will hopefully stand her in good stead for future auditions.

Walkies With Chunk....could be a best seller!! A funny doggy story....once I was sitting in a busy vets waiting room (with my then now deceased cat Toscar) when a man arrived with a Great Dane who he struggled to get through the door...as obviously had bad memories of the vets.. Anyway finally got him in and the man sat down whereupon this huge GreatDane leapt onto his lap visibly shaking....it was such a funny site that the whole room simultaneously burst out laughing!! Poor dog.....at least the man saw the funny side and said his dog was always like this he was used to it now. Also talking of names and revealing a bit of ignorance now....when I got Toscar in October 1984 I wanted a theatrical name and liked the sound of Tosca even though had hardly been to any operas at the time....just heard and seen the name in print. Then a friend pointed out that Tosca was a female in the opera not the male as I thought so I just added an "r" and the name became Toscar!

The age difference thing can apply to cats too....observation of parents cats.....it must be so annoying this young upstart continually trying to pounce on your tail when you're just settling down for your nap! Is Chunkydog the name of your dog Janet?

Will she know today whether she goes forward to the second audition?

MargaretN7....I'm not very good at this sort of thing but how about sword in Giselle flips up and kills Albrecht instead of Giselle no need for second act then!!

I don't know the dance well enough to have looked out for this but I don't remember him going from kneeling position into a turn as you say....gosh how would you do that.....seems impossible.....oh for young knees!! However this young dancer from the Royal made a great impression on me with some extraordinary jumps at the beginning and created an other worldliness feel to the idol to set the final act.

It is nice to be noticed for something ones done well but I can't get used to it!! Tonight in class the teacher called out "That's it Linda you've got it (as I usually havent)....."well done" across the room and then I immediately went wrong!! Shock I suppose.... Especially in this class as its my Russian slightly more challenging class of the week! But does keep you really trying!

Have just looked up Tartu and its the second largest city in Estonia so now understand your above post!! The things you learn on this ballet forum!!

What a shame it's that way round!! I say see them dance first and then see if there are any really insurmountable problems with the body. This seems similar to the way the Vaganova school do their auditions in St.Petersburg. They must be confident that if they've got their "right" body types they can train them to be artists as well as dancers! Will be thinking of DD tomorrow and you biting your nails in the car park!!

Am looking forward to Saturday when doing Franziska Rosenzweig's second workshop. I think we will be learning a piece of choreography as well on this one. Is anybody else doing this workshop?

Love to hear how he does. Tartu that's another unusual name!

I think with the tennis it is just so amazing to actually get a Brit who is genuinely up there with the best that its bound to cause a strong interest and following!! It's natural to support your own country I think. However if there's no Brit people seem happy to cheer on and get behind their favourite players from wherever they come. They just want to see some brilliant tennis being played. Nice if there were a few more Brits though!!

I saw Bayadere last night too.....I didn't see the snake fly out so that explains why it wasn't held up after she is bitten!! Both Acosta and Marianela were dancing superbly with some lovely partnering by Acosta but particularly Marianela....she's rapidly becoming my favourite Royal dancer. One thing......still on the subject of the flower basket.....I have only seen bits of first act on YouTube before...and mostly Russians dancing it and I love the bit in the dance where she goes a bit manic and does some very fast steps coming forward down the stage but last night this bit was missed out or more likely not in this production....and I had been ready waiting for it....and then nothing....only disappointment of the evening though. A mention for Valentino Zucchetti who danced The Golden Idol, I thought he was terrific......though never seen the dance before so not seen others do it....but it seems he could be a rising star!!

Richard Ramsey takes the Chelsea Ballet Masterclass(monthly) at the Place and his adult class is great....he does some very quick footwork on occasions....but is great fun...a very well rounded class though and he works you hard but in a very relaxed way. So should be good!!

Maybe some dancers are just not suited to certain roles.....it's good that they try them out though but there must be someone in the company who suits Dream. I believe that Yuliana Lopatkina of the Maryyinski refuses to dance certain roles as she feels they just don't suit her and she is very tall for ballet(5ft 10ins)......if this is correct!! If the footwork is particularly quick is this harder for a taller person even at that level of training etc.?

There are things you can buy to put over your toes(separately) if you need to protect your second toe for now but am a bit puzzled why it seems to happen when you do tendu to the side....perhaps you are over extending your second position as a beginner...remember the turn out of the legs starts from the hips not the feet! But I think there are others on this forum who are better qualified as it seems to be a physical problem. Glad you are having a go at ballet though....have you spoken to the teacher about your concerns?

Wow I really hope she gets in wishing her all the best

With regards only British dancers being able to do Ashton style etc definitely disagree with this....Nunez is wonderful in Fille and although Alexander Grant happens to be my favourite in that role I think other dancers are doing a good job etc. Anyway not sure if Grant was British anyway?!!! A true artist should be able to interpret different styles but each individual may be slightly stronger in particular styles than others no matter what the nationality.

Sylvie Guillem is 48 and appears to be going strong though I haven't seen her for a few years. I always thought Nureyev went on too long in the end...much as I loved or maybe because I loved his dancing!! I went to one prog at the Coliseum and felt a little sad as I thought many people might be seeing him that night for the first time and would be wondering what all the fuss was about and may have gone home disappointed which would never have happened in earlier years. I once walked all the way home from Covent Garden to my then tiny room near Gloucester Road Tube station after a performance of Nureyev and Fonteyn I was so elated!! And that's how it should be I think.

I believe it was chrischris who asked whether Guillem is a good actress/dancer. Well I believe she is appearing at the Wells very soon so perhaps you could find out. Extraordinary dancing at her level at 48!!

Sorry Fiz just seen it was your daughters ex teacher who wouldn't let her audition for the Royal and it was only the post before.....I got interrupted in the middle of my post! It is a difficult one this to trust whether the teacher knows what she is talking about or not! But I suppose if you do let a child go for it against advice they will learn first hand if they get rejected and won't think "if only I'd been allowed to audition etc" It depends on the child too how resilient they are and so on. Did your daughter go for an audition in the end?

Nothing wrong with maturing a bit later though. One doesn't want to get to the stage as with gymnastics that we'll be seeing companies full of 12-16 year olds because everyone starts to force earlier and earlier......slight exaggeration to make a point!!

All this body type measurements has got me confused now(not that difficult a thing to do though). Ive always thought I'm nearly evenly proportioned but perhaps fractionally longer in the body.....but perhaps it's this long waisted thing which Ive never thought about that much(I am a bit of a jeans for nearly everywhere person) so clueless with fashion etc. But having wide hips and shoulders knew I was not the right ballet body. Actually at 11 the RBS predicted my height...and they were spot on!!! They look at hip restrictions too. The person whose teacher didn't let them audition for the Royal is a very wise lady I think. No point in dashing young children's hopes unnecessarily. However some kids are very determined so they would have to learn the hard way but perhaps a good reality check. But to return properly to the thread a lot of body shape probs can be overcome and it's dance quality which counts.....only a very few can dance with the Royal there are lots of other companies out there!!

I also agree that times have changed somewhat and that in order for the Royal to be one of the best companies in the world it must be open to all the worlds best dancers! And I do tend to like this. However it does seem a little strange that so much is invested in the Royal Ballet School finding and training the best dancers even at Junior level and then so few do end up in the company. It seems a lot more dancers from other countries get into the senior school so one could start asking what is the Junior school actually for....it is a much coseted place for many young aspiring dancers from UK but is it doing the young dancers there justice then? Perhaps we have moved to a point where there are several excellent training schools throughout the world the RBS being one of them but we are in a global market now so one has to accept that there is now much less guarantee than there was that a child from UK at our own excellent school RBS will be offered a place in the home company. Sorry a bit rambling