grace

this is out of sequence, but earlier on, i mentioned the fact that the RBS had had a similar report done, several years ago. here is my post (from another board, now defunct) about that, in case anyone is interested here. i don't know if the link to the full report still works.:

=====================

Inspectors' of the english Office for Standards in Education, into The Royal Ballet School, november 1999. (here is the site of the Office for Standards in Education: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/ )

10 inspectors spent 4 days in the school (lower & upper), visiting "115

lessons and 28 ballet or dance classes and attended rehearsals. They examined pupils' written work, spoke to both staff and pupils, and scrutinised the school's policies and documents. A questionnaire was sent to all parents and the results analysed. In addition, a meeting attended by 25 parents was held at the school."

the specialist ballet input was provided by the director of the finnish ballet - sorry i don't know who that is/was at the time of the report.

interestingly, individuals are never named, presumably to re-inforce the aim of objective assessment.

here are some extracts (which will, of course, be immediately recogniseable to anyone who has been there! )

 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE INSPECTION

This inspection was carried out in order to advise the Secretary of State for Education and Employment of the school's

suitability for registration under the Education Act 1996 and to report to the Government on those schools in receipt of

significant public funding.

MAIN FINDINGS

The Royal Ballet School successfully combines a uniquely high standard of ballet training with good standards of all-round

education. ..........

The school is well led and soundly managed, but aspects of management are in need of improvement. For example, ............

High standards are attained in all forms of dance, especially classical ballet. Pupils make good progress in dance throughout the school and excellent progress in the Upper School. Pupils' self-discipline in ballet lessons and their attitude to learning are of the highest order. They are eager to learn and work hard to perfect their skills. - - -

In 1998, 34 pupils in Year 10 and Year 11 were entered for the Elementary Royal Academy of Dancing Examination. This was

the first time that the school had entered pupils for this examination; there was a 100 per cent pass rate, just over half the pupils

gaining the top grade of honours. - - -

......annual balletic assessment. This end-of-year assessment combines

two sets of marks: 60 per cent is given for appraisal based on attendance, progress and attitude throughout the year, given by

the appropriate teacher; and the remaining marks are for performance in an assessment class in the presence of an assessing

panel. - - -

The school has recently upgraded some of the girls' boarding accommodation to a good standard, but some issues remain, including some overcrowding. The maintenance system needs to respond more rapidly to reports of breakage or breakdown. Management

needs to be sharpened in this area.

Pupils' comments on their boarding experiences in Years 7-9 were not positive; there was some justified disappointment with

the quality of boarding experience..........

The school is expensive to run; the cost per pupil, at almost £17,000, is substantial. This is due to the high levels of staffing, the costs of repairs in old buildings and the split-site accommodation. The condition and use of the libraries on both sites are unsatisfactory, although steps are being taken at White Lodge to address the issue.

- - -The behaviour of pupils of all ages is exemplary, both in lessons and around the school. They are unfailingly courteous and behave with great consideration for others. Overall, behaviour is such that teachers and pupils can devote their full attention and all the available time to advancing learning. ........

Pupils relate very well to each other and willingly work together. They listen to each other and show respect for their fellow pupils' views and concern for their feelings. They spontaneously applaud others' success and react with understanding when others make mistakes. Pupils of all ages relate very well to their teachers and most other adults in the school, in a respectful but, in most cases, very easy and friendly way.  

Pupils display a very good sense of responsibility for themselves, in their appearance, their work and their use of time. Their self-esteem is high.  

- - -

The changing rooms, showers and toilets at the east end of the building are in a very poor condition and need urgent

maintenance. - - -

Specific problems include: the shortage of pinboard for boys' use; a lack of soap and toilet rolls in the toilets; no closer on the fire door in

Dormitory 1; poor maintenance in Dormitory 3; overcrowding in rooms 4 and 5; windows which open too far in Dormitories 5, 6, 9 and 10. The toilet and bathroom to the rear of room 6 has a broken shower curtain allowing spillage onto an adjacent electrical heater. The school has plans to carry out repairs to boys' dormitories in its summer work programme for 2000.  

The school has recently upgraded some of the girls' boarding accommodation to a good standard, but some issues remain. The

Crescent is cramped, with beds too close together; some mattresses are in need of replacement; there are no fire exit signs in the Attic dormitory; there is a general lack of wardrobe space; windows lack restraints; towels are hung too close together; telephones lack privacy and there is no safety net at the top of the stairwell in Tito building; the sickbay is inadequate in size - - -

The condition and use of the libraries on both sites are unsatisfactory, although steps have been taken at White Lodge to address problems. Access to the Upper School library, which is kept locked, is limited. Most students are not aware that any member of staff has specific responsibility for the library. There is no obvious register of books and no signing out procedure. The room is poorly lit and has no computer facility, although several computers are inappropriately placed in a nearby corridor. - - -

The school is expensive to run; the cost per pupil, at almost £17,000, is substantial. This is due to the high levels of staffing, the

costs of maintenance and repairs on old buildings and the split-site accommodation.  - - -- - - etcetera

to read the full report, click on

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspect/docs/indy...let.htm#Summary

thanks leigh - might be worth a read.

katherine - that DOES sound wonderful.

if ever i am in paris...

i realise i'm coming in late, but i think they're lovely.

like alexandra and giannina, though, i find it hard to imagine them in flight.

i also think they would be hard to dance in, ruling out (as they seem to) the possibility of 'using' the arms to help you to do anything.

thanks balletnut, for the description of gala performance.

hans: penguin cafe has some funny moments, but its message is a terribly serious one - so, overall, if you understand what you are seeing, even though you will be amused by moments, you also feel depressed. (its message is about destruction of the environment and eradication of species.)

although, the connection to susan sontag, who i know of only as an author, DOES need explanation - please? :confused:

it's OK mel. i know what 'camp' means in this context. ( 'camp' is NOT 'USA-speak'! ;) )

"a camp classic" ?

great!- it SHOULD be. what i saw is lovely.

mary j - your info is wonderful - thank you.

strangely, i think the main character (in the bit of the movie that i saw) was called mette - certainly ONE of the women was called mette, as i remember thinking how all the danish (first) names were names i knew of. maybe kirsten was even called kirsten? anyone recall. if you don't, don't worry - i'll be able to see for myself, in a couple of weeks, when they re-run it.

this subject is all new to me. but surely we risk confusing two issues - one is the uncomfortableness of rising above the crowd (or the crowds' desire to squash you back down), while the other is this new attitude which alexandra is reporting on, about the proposals to do away with heirarchies within the group of dancers in a company. does that make sense?

and alexandra - i HAVE understood your question, but i have no quick response. i can't seriously imagine that the japanese and the australians, for starters, have much in common, in their social attitudes...

and i haven't met many danes. the dance 'star' types who i met, were only meetings - brief conversations - i have mentioned them to you privately before (flemming ryberg, niels kehlet, hans brenaa, ...oh yes: and my old teacher poul gnatt). the danes i knew best were business people i worked for (not in dance - they ran a graphic arts service). he was/(is?) also the danish consul, here. they fitted right in, really, with australian attitudes - although, they have been in australia many years. i suppose they were/are conservative, but no more so than the class of australians they would socially move in.

the no-heirarchies thing - as has usually been the case in contemporary dance ensembles - IS catching on with ballet companies, i think. but i don't think it's related to jantelov/poppies/nails..

can anyone tell me a bit about gala performance? - i don't know anything about it.

thanks.

"Mette's mentor is Kirsten, who cares so much for the good of the company that she practically begs the direction to give Mette a chance at her greatest role -- Swanhilda."

NOW i get it!

the relationship seemed odd - not your standard ballet film stuff. when mette is injured, simone says "OK *I* will dance the role" (NOT a quote)...and starts to prepare her hair and so on...yet she keeps encouraging the injured girl to recover and "DO IT" (which she does, of course), for her beamingly staisfied parents in the audience (i DID see the end - only the end).

so: i saw mette honningen dancing with kronstam..... the coppelia bits. simone is the "more established ballerina"/mentor, who i only saw in fur-coat sort of attire. the program credits were mis-spelled anyway. they listed only kronstam and simone, so i thought they were the principal dancers featured (in the story), dancing coppelia leads. both women are so beautiful, they glow.

i DID like the film - it was quite refreshing to see a ballet film totally 'new' to me eyes, and so 'sweet'.

is that a real theatre and curtain? i take it you are suggesting that is in finland, if it is real?

[thread title changed, A.T.]

last evening, i dropped in on a friend with foxtel, who promptly flicked around the channels to find something i might like...and he stopped on a dubbed and obviously very old (but color) movie, called 'Ballerina'.

i said, "this should be good for a laugh" - which proved immediately correct, as the young star in tiara and stage make-up RAN excitedly down the backstage metal stairs, in order to greet another (more established?) ballerina. just as i said "now she'll fall" - SURE ENUF! - chuckle, chuckle.

it got better... ;)

anyway, never having seen any of these dancers before, i kept up a running commentary, to my friend, about who or what they might be...obviously REAL dancers, not 'just' actors/actresses...but totally unfamiliar to me, as was the setting.

i decided that the setting for the last ten minutes of this film (which was all i saw) was a real theatre in denmark (fabulous curtain)?

...and that the older blond woman was MAYBE googie withers?

and that the lead dancers were REAL - and very glamorous indeed - so i thought maybe they were american, until the woman did some exceptionally neat batterie with lots of body, which made me wonder if she was danish...

it was a fun guessing game, as it's rare to come across people and settings in filmed ballet which are completely unknown - and yet clearly professional.

at the end, they didn't show the credits! i was mad.

in the program, all it told me that the very tall, long-legged, dark-hairded handsome young man, who i had not paid much attention to, (except for his neat double tour) was henning kronstam. and the very glamorous, young and pretty female 'star' was kirsten simone. and the 'other' blonde ballerina - also extremely glamorous in an american way? who was she? does she dance in the film? is there more dancing earlier on? any class scenes?

foxtel show it again, a few days after christmas, so i have made a note to video it, and watch the rest...

the choreo in coppelia (solos) was WIIEEEEEEEEERD! what's up, there? just choreographed for the film?

any interesting information gratefully received. oh yes, it was a Disney film, apparently. 1960 or 1966 - i've forgotten which, already. i would have guessed much older...

{edited to add the date}

i'd like to see a whole season of comic ballets...isn't it interesting that one's IMMEDIATE response must surely be: "that'll never happen." i wonder why...

anyway, i am surprised by how many we have come up with. there are many names here i am completely unfamniliar with - mostly works by american choreographers.

but there are also many which i would not describe as comic ballets, even though there might be the occasional or incidental laugh in them...coppelia, nutcracker, and certainly grad ball are several that spring to mind immediately. even fille, which has so many marvellous comic moments, and is clearly intended to delight all the way through, is not what i would have described as a 'comic ballet' in it's raison d'etre, or, ... 'deeper meaning' might be what i am referring to... (please let's not speculate too much about the inner workings of the choreographer's brains, or refer to their statements, published or otherwise...really i am asking about the ballet's effect, rather than its intent...oops - that could be dicey! ;) )

i think maybe the distinction i am making, is that the main purpose of, say, midsummer night's dream or nutcracker is not to get people to laugh (as, for example, the concert's 'main purpose' IS - if i can be so bold and foolish as to make such a statement).

OK OK, maybe you COULD say that about coppelia - in it's time - but not now, surely?

the only work i would have in MY list, which no-one else seems to have mentioned, is elite syncopations - whose intent must surely be to amuse, at least. and i'm not sure if, up above, someone mentioned ashton's wedding bouquet? i've never seen that, but i assume it's comic?

if i may presume to slightly re-direct the topic (?): out of all of these above - and any others that come to mind - which are really 'intended' (ALLOW yourself to make assumptions, please!) to amuse, pretty much all the way through...and DO work (for you)... - as distinct from those which just have comic moments?

i would start such a list with

the concert

facade

---------------

p.S. later thought: i'd have to concede that lots of these ARE 'comic ballets'. i guess what *I* am really asking is slightly different to what alexandra asked:-

which ballets make you laugh pretty much all the way through - or at least summon true amusement/delight?

i wish i could be as FUNNY as 'you guys'...

sometimes you really make me feel inadequate.

alexandra wrote

Could such a statement be made by a Russian ballerina? Or an American one?

i'll take the bait.

at this highly generalised level we are daring to discuss, it's hard to imagine such embarrassment/humility about promotion coming from a french, russian or american dancer (stereotypes only, being discussed here!).

no indeed!

;)

i'll have a go at fixing the link.

thank you for this. most interesting.

interesting, dale. i didn't know that. so, that DVD has les noces, firebird and what else?

thanks alexandra - now i understand better.

response for carbro:

alexandra wrote

Like foreign policy, I don't think art can be decided by polls.  But I do think there is a lot of guessing that's NOT based on data ...

obarzanek based his work on the data. he sent out a multiple choice questionnaire, asking things about plot (if any), number of dancers, gender of dancers, lighting, music (if any), and so on. i didn't see the result - only read about it - and i've pretty much forgotten. if there are other australians here, they might have seen it, or might recall better than i do.

i DO remember that, predictably, the work was no big success. but it was a cute idea!

about kronstam, in a review of alexandra's recent book:

his reticence to leave Denmark may have been rooted in his own sense of vulnerability. And Tomalonis discovered it was also based in a concept called Jantelov, a Danish word that points to the reserve that permeates Danish society.  

"In four interviews in a row, Danish dancers, all 28 or 29, would ask, 'Do you know about Jantelov?' " Tomalonis says. "Then, they would tell me the ten rules in monotone: 'Do not ever think you are more than us, do not ever think you are better than us....' There's enormous resentment against anyone who is treated special."

i would be interested to hear these ten commandments, if anyone knws them? it sounds like a danish version of our australian 'tall poppy syndrome'.

here's the rest of the review, if you're interested:

http://www.timeoutny.com/dance/370/370.dan...r.kronstam.html

Ari: you LAUGH during coppelia?!?!?!?

:eek:

alexandra posted: "I think it might be useful for dance professionals to see what audience members really want to see "

are you aware that gideon obarzanek in australia (artistic director and choreographer of chunky move company) sent out a survey form to people, asking them what they wanted to see in his next choreography, then analysed the results and "gave the people what they wanted"!???

i like ballets you can laugh at - we need more, just because there are so few of them.

what do i mean? well i love watching the trocks, but that's not what i meant...

i mean works like elite syncopations, the concert, ...what else is there, that's REALLY funny? you've probably had a thread on that... (there is also a kylian work with 'jokes' in it - is it symphony in D? - but that never worked for me.)

i wasn't aware that macmillan did an 'agon'?