[quote]i guess my girl would have violin grade 7, guzheng grade 7, ballet grade 6 and jazz grade 2 by Pri 6, do you know which one will be easier to get into DSA? She only got an average result, will that affect her chances?[/quote]
i'm sorry but it shouldn't be about how easier it is to get in through DSA but which art form is your daughter trully interested in. Getting in through DSA means that the child will have to stick to the art form (or whatever CCA) through her school years & i sure you won't want to be tied to be doing something you don't enjpy for 4 years

[quote]I'm sorry you did not make the cut at P6[/quote]
if i'm not wrong, sota will not allow you to audition for the same art form twice.

it seems unfair to 'late-developers' but think of all the logistics if all the rejected applicants keep coming back.

i've known of people who didn't make in in dance but succeeded through theatre

[quote]appreciated if u could enlighten me why no need to worry too much about technique for young kid [/quote]
hyper kiasu

if you like me is not trained in ballet then what can you do. some of the things are very subtle & only when my daughter (who is now in advance 2) point them out to me do i realise them & sometimes still don't.

at that young age, their bodies are not fully develop & it may even be dangerous if you force them to do something that their young body is not ready for. developing their rhythm & musicality may be easier & more helpful.

also different teachers interpret things slightly differently & emphasis on different things.

all in all, i say find a good & reliable teacher & let him/her guide your daughter.

[quote]Does SBA teaches RAD or CSTD method?


We've been to the SBA new location. We missed their open house... The rooms are big but not as many rooms back in fort canning. Actually I prefer non aircon when comes to ballet dancing..it is better off. My girl is turning 4 soon in Aug but she can't go for this yr assessment ..have to go for next year in Apr cuz she missed the July intake....[/quote]SBA teaches the RAD syllabus from Pre-Primary to Grade 5 & then the major grades up to Advance 2 skipping Grade 6 to 8.

There were only 2 studios at SBA Fort Canning, now they have 3 at Waterloo so they have more not less but yes, they are now air-conditioned & bigger. Personally, I think Fort Canning is more 'parent-friendly' because you can watch the children dance but quite impossible at Waterloo.

My children have never attend ballet classes at cc so I can't comment but some cc do produce good dancers. As I had posted earlier, I believe its the teacher not the school that really matters. however at SBA, the teachers usually stick around for a long time & they don't have problem forming classes because there is always a demand. Perhaps someone can clarify what will happen if cc wouldn't attain enough quota for a class or if too many students drop out.
[/quote]

[quote]
HyperKiasu wrote:
Dear Parents,

Do your DD practise ballet at home after attending class? How to help her when she practise at home if parents never dance ballet before? Appreciated your advice....

thanks


My DDs practice a couple times a week. They each have DVDs that cover what is taught in class. NAFA and some of the other schools follow the syllabus from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). You can order RAD DVDs online from the UK. I think Sonata might also sell them. Sonata has a few branches.[/quote]If your daughter is young & just starting out, i wouldn't worry too much about technique. I wouldn't suggest learning from video either. Leave it to the experts to teach & correct because its more difficult to 'unlearn' a wrong technique than learning a new one. I think parents can help their children by keeping their interest high, making ballet related books & other materials available to them & if possible, bringing them to dance performances (Ballet Under The Stars for eg) to rouse their interest further. Encourage them to stretch & make sure they pay full attention during classes because that's where they can really learn correctly & also safely.

@ vlim, i’m sorry if you are offended but my comments is not directed at anyone in particular.


what i’m trying to stress is that it is very difficult to prepare a child for sota. there are some who started their art form very early & yet were not selected & there are others who receive no formal training but were. i believe students & their parent chose to opt for sota because of the children’ passion for their art form & not because of a financially rewarding prospect. If you followed earlier news, you may have read about a girl who forgo her comfirm place in rjc to join sota losing 2 academic years!

i would suggest you expose your child & let her develop naturally accordingly to her interest including other things like sports & even computers. when the time comes, you will have a better picture & can help your daughter decide

perhaps, i’m the one in the wrong forum

please remember that sota is essentially an academic school & not a vocational art school


i attended a briefing for the pioneer cohort & the principal clarify that any academically brilliant student who wish to say take up medicine in university will be allowed to give up their art form for another science subject. the student is however expected to complete the art curriculum.

it’s well & good that we are concerned about our children’ education but if you are asking too many question, you are perhaps not mentally prepared to send your child to sota

remember that sota is after all a ‘government’ school so how bad can it be.

personally, i think the child’s commitment should be the first consideration because if the child loses interest & cannot pass his/her art form, i believe sota is quite willing to kick him/her out even if he/she is doing ok academically

please, let your children dance because they love too

i have 2 daughters in sota, both in dance, 1 in the pioneer cohort & the other now in year 2.


though it is not a vocational school, the training (at least for the dancers) can be long & tiring but like most sota sudents i know, they are enjoying themselves.

yes the school culture is very different from main stream schools & there is also a vibrancy when i visited their interim campus in goodman road.

i am not familiar with ib but i can see what my daughters are doing is very different from main stream school so i think it may be quite difficult to switch to GCE after say a couple of years.

i understand competition amongst each art form itself can also be vicious & i understand some become disillusion because may be before sota, they may be the best but when in sota they find that are probably competing with the best in their art form age for age

hi sugarsprite - i think its not fair to drag SOTA into comparison & anyway no one has graduated from SOTA as yet. Anyone who is interested in their level of dance can catch them during heir annual dance showcase.


personally, i feel i is not the ballet school but the teacher itself that matters & i knew of my daughters’ friends who ‘followed’ the teacher when their teacher moves to another school.

my daughters started ballet at 3.5 years at crestar & though they made good progress under dedicated teachers, they switched to SBA at about 5. Unlike crestar which also offer other art forms, SBA only offers strictly ballet & no other dance form. this probably inculcate a very strong ballet culture within the school & its one of the few that offers training up to vocational level. SBA boasts quite an impressive alumni.

SBA offers the RAD syllabus & hold exams for qualified students every other year & hold a concert in between usually at the victoria theatre. during the concert year, the student skip to the next grade without taking exams. unlike the vocational grades, skipping exam at the lower grades is ‘acceptable’ so don’t worry too much if your daughter (or son) has missed them.

the main difference between crestar & SBA to me is that crestar tends to be too commercialized. SBA tends to concentrate on the ballet side of thing & its quite common to see the older girls hanging around the premises & taking multiple classes.

i suppose SBA is a good place to cultivate your child’s love for ballet & if she/he has the passion, it also a good place to pursue it. having said that, i’m quite sure that there are other school that are just as conducive.