3rd Examinations email – sent Tuesday 18th January
Dear Parent or Guardian,
Examination practise dates
This is to remind you that examination practises start this Sunday (24th January). The time of your child's lessons are detailed on their examination letter and the attached practise schedule.Also, please remember, there are not practises for the Freestyle Modern Performance Award examination, only a mock examination (please see on schedule attached), therefore it is vital that your child attends all normal modern and street lesson until the examination.
I have also attached the mock examination schedule for the Tap, Modern, Freestyle Modern Performance Awards, Ballet and National examinations and also the ballet Practise with the Pianist schedule – please ensure that you check the schedules carefully and that your child does not have any clashes. I have done my very best to ensure that there are no clashes, however if you do find a clash please let me know in the office asap. Thank you.
Remember; if your child is doing more than one examination, there will be a mock examination for each genre. Also; if your child is taking a National examination, they may be dancing in two groups (first for their actual examination and second as a ''body'' to make up numbers) so check all groups in your child's level for their name to appear.
The Sunday Practise dates/mock examinations/ballet practise with the pianist dates for each genre are below, please ensure that you have all dates and that you also note the time for each practise/mock exam from the schedules attached;
MODERN AND TAP PRACTISE DATES, MOCK EXAMINATIONS AND EXAMINATION DATES
Examination practise - Sunday 24th January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 31st January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 7th February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 21st February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16p
Examination practise - Sunday 28th February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Modern & Tap Mock Examinations – Sunday 6th March – time on the Tap, Modern, National and Freestyle Performance Award Mock Examination schedule attached (please note that this is the same day as the ballet Practise with the Pianist)
Modern & Tap Examinations - Thursday 17th, Friday 18th and Sunday 20th March – date and times TBC
BALLET PRACTISE DATES, MOCK EXAMINATION AND EXAMINATION DATES
Examination practise - Sunday 24th January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 31st January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 7th February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 21st February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Ballet Mock Examinations - Sunday 28th February – time on the Ballet Mock Examinations schedule attached (we have the normal tap, modern and National examination practises on this day still)
Ballet Practise with the Pianist – Sunday 6th March – time on the Ballet Practise with the Pianist schedule attached (same day as the tap, modern, National and Freestyle mock examinations)
Ballet Examinations – Sunday 13th and Monday 14th March – date and times TBC
NATIONAL PRACTISE DATES, MOCK EXAMINATION AND EXAMINATION DATE
Examination practise - Sunday 24th January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 31st January – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 7th February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 21st February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
Examination practise - Sunday 28th February – time on your child’s examination letter and on the Examination Practise Schedule SP16
National Mock Examinations – Sunday 6th March – time on Tap, Modern, National and Freestyle Performance Award Mock Examination schedule attached (please note that this is the same day as the ballet Practise with the Pianist)
National Examinations – Sunday 13th March – time TBC
FREESTYLE MODERN PERFORMANCE AWARD
No Sunday practises for Freestyle modern performance award!
Freestyle Modern Performance Award Mock Examinations – Sunday 6th March - time on Tap, Modern, National and Freestyle Performance Award Mock Examination schedule attached (please note that this is the same day as the ballet Practise with the Pianist)
Freestyle Modern Performance Award Examinations – Sunday 20th March – time tbc
Information regarding the Mock Examinations;
· All students must attend their mock examination(s) (and practise with the pianist for ballet) otherwise it us very likely they will not be permitted to take their examination.
· Please ensure your child arrives at least 15 minutes before their mock examination slot so that they can warm up in the waiting room then wait outside the correct studio door 5 minutes before their slot.
· Correct uniform should be worn (as detailed on the examination letter) without a cardigan.
· Please try your best with hair for the mock examination (we will be able to help on the actual examination day).
· Once your child has done their mock examination, please ensure he / she brings the mock examination notes sheet to all lessons. This is extremely important as the teacher will need to work through each note ensuring your child understands and can make the relevant corrections before his / her examination. If your child does not bring his / her mock examination sheet to the lessons, it may be necessary to arrange a private lesson to work through the notes with the teacher.
Also, please note re Sunday examination practises;
1. If your child has more than one examination practise and they run back to back, please ensure they bring all props etc to the lessons so that they do not need to go up to the changing room to collect anything and waste any time.
2. We are unable to supervise any children on a Sunday between their examination practises so if they do not have a consent slip, an adult will need to collect them between practises.
3. We remind you that children should bring the correct props with which to rehearse for their examinations to all practises and lessons:
· Primary modern - shaker (no nuts inside please as one child has a SEVERE nut allergy and it is extremely dangerous)
· Primary National – flag on a stick / pencil
· Primary ballet – fairy wand
· Grade 1 modern – shaker (no nuts inside please as one child has a SEVERE nut allergy and it is extremely dangerous) & camera
· Grade 2 ballet – A5 exercise book
4. Please ensure your child has his / her shoes fastened correctly (double knotted) before coming into the dance studio otherwise the first 5 minutes is wasted as the teacher has to tie up shoes.
5. Girls in Grade 2 ballet who are wearing the lavender leotard should have lavender belts that have been adjusted to fit on the waist, not hips! The belt should be worn for all classes.
Examination schedules
I hope to be in a position to send out the schedules in the next few weeks; please note it is too late to put in any requests.
Wednesday 3rd February 4.30-6.00pm - satin ballet shoe fitting date - REMINDER
All students doing a ballet examination please remember that your ballet shoe fitting with myself on Wednesday 3rd February 4.30-6.00pm- please come to the office. You may need to order the correct ballet shoes from Duo Dance so don’t leave it until the last minute! (This date is an amendment to the first examinations email as detailed in my email to you on Tuesday 22nd December 2015)
Please ensure your child wears ballet socks or tights and bring your ballet examination shoes with you without ribbons / elastic sewn on.
After the shoes have been confirmed as suitable, you can sew on the ribbons. You can find the correct place to sew ribbons by folding in the back of the shoe and marking where the back of the shoe meets the inside of the shoe. This is where the ribbons should be sewn (i.e. towards the back of the shoe, not the middle of the shoe). If you are unsure, you can ask me on the day.
Each examination session we have a few panic's where a child's ribbons fall off just before their examination. Ribbons must be sewn on really securely as they take a lot of strain when dancing. You need to burn the ends of the ribbons or double them over before sewing them into place - if you sew over a raw edge, the stitches will work their way loose and it's a disaster if they fall off during the examination.
Guide for fitting ballet shoes
· Freed (from Duo Dance) – seem to fit the average/wide foot
· RochValley(from Duo Dance) – seem to fit a narrow foot
· Starlight (from Push Studios inEast Dulwich) – seem to fit a wide foot
· Capezio Daisy (from Duo Dance) – seem to fit a very wide foot
Pleasedo notbuy shoes with growing room as the arch of the foot cannot be seen.
You will need to refer to your examination letter for which satin ballet shoes to purchase (however, if split-sole ballet shoes are listed but they do not fit your daughter’s foot well, full sole shoes are acceptable.)
Please remember – Pre-primary ballet students do not need ribbons!
Uniform and grooming for examinations
Please refer to your examination letter for information on uniform and grooming. I recommend you start getting all items in place, checking the fit and stitching, also purchasing the correct hair equipment as follows:
1. Hairbrush / comb
2. A few thick hair bands(they must match the colour or your daughter’s hair)
3. 25 hair pins(these are V shaped pins,notKirby grips, and should be the medium metal type not the thin wiry ones or really thick wire ones which do not hold the hair properly and fall out)
4. 25 Kirby grips
5. 2 hair nets(not bun nets) (they must match the colour of your daughter’s hair)
6. Hairspray
7. Hair mousse / gel (for curly / wayward (!) hair
8. Lavender head band(only needed for thick fringes and students who will wear lavender leotard for examinations)
9. Lavender belt - girls in ballet who are wearing the lavender leotard should have lavender belts that have been adjusted to fit on the waist, not hips! The belt should be worn for all classes.
These items are required for ALL examinations, not just classical genres.
Parents / Guardians viewing classes to help your child prepare for a Class Examination (i.e. the very first examination in each genre)
On the examination letters for Primary modern and Primary tap,in the list of practise dates we have included a date for parents / guardians to watch the class to learn and make notes so that they can help their child practise at home for their examination - please attend armed with practise sheet, pen and paper so that you can make notes to help your child. The dates are as follows:
PRE-PRIMARY BALLET – please attend to watch your child’s normal lesson on:
Tuesday 26th January 4.55-5.40pm studio 2
or
Saturday 30th January 1.30-2.15pm studio 3
PRIMARY MODERN – please attend to watch your child’s normal lesson on:
Monday 25th January 4.45-5.30pm studio 1
or
Saturday 30th January 3.00-3.45pm studio 3
PRIMARY TAP – please attend to watch your child’s normal lesson on:
Wednesday 27th January 5.00-5.45pm studio 2
or
Saturday 30th January 2.15-3.00pm studio 2
Information for National examination students
Projects
Please ensure named projects are handed in by Monday 1st February
Shoes
If your child has National shoes with a button on the fastening, please double check the stitching is not coming loose as it would be a disaster if the button fell off in the actual examination. Please also check the buckle fastening is not coming loose.
Skirts
Please ensure National skirts fit tightly on the waist (not hips). The correct place to move the button should be found when your daughter is standing correctly i.e. using her abdominal muscles and not slouching!
Helping During Examinations
As parents, who've helped on exam days for many years, we'd like to encourage everyone to get involved in what can be a very positive experience.
Playing CDs in the exams (which teachers are not permitted to do, so it is only possible for parents to fulfil this role) provides a fantastic opportunityto watch the children perform confidently and to see how the older children progress through to the higher grades.It really isn't stressful, because it's very straightforward, and the examiners are always very pleasant and grateful.