All About Ballet
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Porky Pig:
My DD will be sitting for her very first RAD exam next April. Her school is imposing another 20 lessons on top of her current lessons. I presumed this is the norm for most schools. Will it be tiring if I have both lessons at one go with a short break in between? Doable?
It depend on which grade.
For lower level like primary grade ballet : BTB (back to back) lessons Are Ok, because there are some running around steps like galloping like a horse (eg), so Ok.
Running around, galloping is fun to them, won't make kid tired, because after all they are kids, good to let children exercise. In fact, kids enjoy galloping around, like a pony.
For young kindergarten kids, 2 hr too long.
Usually if BTB, at most 1.5 hr is the maximum.
That means after 1 hour, let young children rest a while first, before resume last half hour. 2 hr rather long, young kindergarten kids may not tahan concentration for so long. 1.5 hr still ok
But for higher level grade that involve lots of leg stretching until straight, straight (eg Grade 2 & above), most ballet Tr do not advise BTB.
Reason being in the first hour, since so much leg stretching involved (stretching is painful to most kids), the students are already physically tired.
They usually cannot sustain a second hour, to do any more stretching. Their tired body can't take another hour of bending & stretching, for higher grade. As go up higher grade, the steps get more & more difficult.
Hence, better to make it twice a week, come back afresh to practise, even if it means inconvenient to come down twice a week.
Have a word with your ballet Tr, see what she said.
Most Tr are strict, stick to twice a week regime, as they feel that better for girls in the long run, to practise twice a week afresh, as they can concentrate better. 1.5 hr is the most that higher grade can bear, if come down once a week, not 2 hr
For us parents waiting to fetch kids, we may feel that 1 hour time pass quickly. But to kids practise body bending, leg stretching inside that 1 hour, it can be grueling. -
Excuse me，I want to send my daughter for ballet course. Do you have any recommendation for a ballet academy?
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Well, you can bring your kid to \"Singapore Ballet Academy\", Waterloo Street (Bras Basah MRT station, Circle line)
refer 2015 timetable schedule, below
(check which class still got vacancy, for the grade you keen in)
http://singaporeballetacademy.com.sg/schedule/cgs/ -
Is RAD exam required at Primary level? Meaning we go for regular lessons but not the exam and maybe join the RAD exam at Grade 1 instead. I am totally upset with DD’s current school. I am looking around for a better alternative. Any good recommendation for ballet in the East?
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marmalade:
Hi marmalade, Following up on the 27 Jun'15 entry I posted... Term 3 started & ended with no updates from the management. The Ballet and Music Company said they needed to ask all the parents what their preferred times were before TB&MC could decide on the new timing & new teacher for dc's class. So I waited & waited; there was no reply even when Term 3 ended.Yes, I agree with you that the management of The Ballet and Music Company need to be shaken up. ... ... Initially I thought of enrolling for 1 term just to let my girl try it out but after this episode, I don't feel good about the way the school is being managed and i was thinking if they were to change teachers again, then my gal will suffer as she doesn't adapt well to environment changes though she likes ballet.
On the other hand, I was concerned about dc's maladjustment with a new teacher & so, on my part, I would regularly check with the incumbent teacher when her last day was. When I asked her in Jul, she said she would be there till the end of the month, probably not later than that. When I asked her in Aug, she said she would still be there till the end of the month but probably not after. This went on till the last lesson of the term on 19 Sep. I do not know whether the uncertainty comes from herself or TB&MC. Now, if one were to inquire with the school, one can still find the name of the teacher there, but she will probably only work till Oct. On a separate note, if one were to look at the teachers' profiles, those teaching RAD ballet may not be RAD certified themselves.
Dc likes ballet. Since that is her enjoyment, I would like her to be properly guided, trained & certified; certification being a tracker of progress & a showing of little achievements one can be proud of. Dc is now enrolled in Palais Dance Studio @ Crown Centre, upon a friend's recommendation. The teachers are very qualified & always wearing a smile. Dc has no adjustment problems & I can spend the money I save (more than SGD100 a ballet term) drinking coffee at the nice café downstairs! -
sky minecrafter:
I was super pissed off with the counter girl of the Ballet & Music Centre. They do not care about their students and kept canceling and changing timing. I need to look for an alternative.
Hi marmalade, Following up on the 27 Jun'15 entry I posted... Term 3 started & ended with no updates from the management. The Ballet and Music Company said they needed to ask all the parents what their preferred times were before TB&MC could decide on the new timing & new teacher for dc's class. So I waited & waited; there was no reply even when Term 3 ended.marmalade:
Yes, I agree with you that the management of The Ballet and Music Company need to be shaken up. ... ... Initially I thought of enrolling for 1 term just to let my girl try it out but after this episode, I don't feel good about the way the school is being managed and i was thinking if they were to change teachers again, then my gal will suffer as she doesn't adapt well to environment changes though she likes ballet.
On the other hand, I was concerned about dc's maladjustment with a new teacher & so, on my part, I would regularly check with the incumbent teacher when her last day was. When I asked her in Jul, she said she would be there till the end of the month, probably not later than that. When I asked her in Aug, she said she would still be there till the end of the month but probably not after. This went on till the last lesson of the term on 19 Sep. I do not know whether the uncertainty comes from herself or TB&MC. Now, if one were to inquire with the school, one can still find the name of the teacher there, but she will probably only work till Oct. On a separate note, if one were to look at the teachers' profiles, those teaching RAD ballet may not be RAD certified themselves.
Dc likes ballet. Since that is her enjoyment, I would like her to be properly guided, trained & certified; certification being a tracker of progress & a showing of little achievements one can be proud of. Dc is now enrolled in Palais Dance Studio @ Crown Centre, upon a friend's recommendation. The teachers are very qualified & always wearing a smile. Dc has no adjustment problems & I can spend the money I save (more than SGD100 a ballet term) drinking coffee at the nice café downstairs! -
Palais Dance centre (Crown centre, 557 Bukit timah road, level 2)
http://palaisdance.com
If stay in Tampines or Sengkang, can try Tru dance
http://www.trudance.com/courses.html -
phtthp:
Hi phtthp, Thank you for posting the link. Interested parents may want to first visit the site. The school does not look as flamboyant as other ballet schools, but a close friend's dc was dancing there for 10 years, plus the sincerity of the teachers, Palais Dance earned our trust.Palais Dance centre (Crown centre, 557 Bukit timah road, level 2)
http://palaisdance.com -
phtthp:
Thanks Phtthp. I will check them out.Palais Dance centre (Crown centre, 557 Bukit timah road, level 2)
http://palaisdance.com
If stay in Tampines or Sengkang, can try Tru dance
http://www.trudance.com/courses.html -
Porky Pig:
Is RAD exam required at Primary level? Meaning we go for regular lessons but not the exam and maybe join the RAD exam at Grade 1 instead. I am totally upset with DD's current school. I am looking around for a better alternative. Any good recommendation for ballet in the East?
No, RAD examinations is not required at Primary level and the child can indeed proceed to take the RAD exam at Grade 1 instead. However, most mummies prefer to let their daughters take the RAD exams at lower level as the requirements is less stringent, hence a good avenue to let the kid gain some \"exams experience\". RAD Ballet is somewhat like ABRSM Piano, one can \"skip\" grades accordingly to the child's abilities and the teacher's recommendations. Only at higher grades, there will be imposed pre-requisites, as below:
Advanced Foundation (Pre-requisite: Intermediate)
Advanced 1 (Pre-requisite: Intermediate)
Advanced 2 (Pre-requisite: Advanced 1)
Solo Seal Award (Pre-requisite: Advanced 2 (Distinction))
At lower grades, kids are usually being restrained by the minimum age requirements which is a new rule set by RAD in 2013. So a child need to be 5 years old on 1 January of the year she is taking the pre-primary exams, and so forth.
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