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Post by atlantic on Dec 31, 2012 15:09:40 GMT -5
I know there is a blog post about young children in adult roles, but I wanted to expand it specifically to discuss the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP).
I only recently found out how huge this competition was after watching the documentary film 'First Position'. While the film chronicled some older teens, it also showed many young dancers doing adult roles. In contrast, the Prix de Lausanne only looks at older teens.
I wonder if this competition (and the desire to become youtube famous) has been a driving force behind the trend of young children in adult roles. Does anyone know how long this phenomenon has been going on?
If you look at schools like Vaganova, Royal Ballet,POB, Bolshoi etc, they do no enter young children in these competitions. It seems that it is solely private, for profit academies. I am sure the state run academies have well trained young dancers, but they still do not seem to allow them into these competitions until they are 16-19.
Does anyone have any experience with these competitions? Has it been escalating over the years?
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js
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Post by js on Dec 31, 2012 22:17:25 GMT -5
I think these competitions are just examples of ballet becoming more like sports. I saw the documentary and thought it cheapened ballet and ballet students. It reduced them to people who strive to win instead of choosing to dance because they have to dance. Of course a young dancer can look good if he or she practices the same variation. YAGP and similar comps place emphasis on tricks or crowd pleasing stuff like extensions. This impression is reinforced by the dance students shown in the documentary.
Prix de Lausanne might be better as far as comps go, it seems not only technique is judged and actually awards training opportunities with ballet schools associated with top companies.
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Post by Admin on Jan 1, 2013 22:12:11 GMT -5
I think I remember reading in Makarova's autobiography that she won the Varna competition at age 28, but considered herself "past that sort of thing" by then.
I think the Russian kids in the big schools still consider themselves to be past that sort of thing, but some of the younger dancers in the big companies seem to feel driven (perhaps by their contracts, or by the extreme competition within these huge companies) to compete. I think Joy Womack just competed somewhere and won a prize.
What I have trouble with is the notion of ballet becoming just another childhood competitive sport. Look at Irish dance, for instance: there's practically nowhere to go as a pro. Your competitive career is usually finished by age 18; after that you either become a teacher or leave dancing behind in childhood.
Same thing with that awful drill-team type "dancing" seen on such shows as "Dance Moms" or whatever it's called.
Competitive ballet among kids cheapens what is an ART form, not just a physical activity. Plus, it's just unsavory to have to watch a child dance the role of Odile. Just not done.
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cat
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Post by cat on Jan 13, 2013 2:34:30 GMT -5
I think the YAGP is a platform of 'one-hit-wonders' (Sorry, I couldn't think of a better expression!) The way these children are drilled, performing variations too difficult, simply tossing up their legs for the sake of high legs and attempting as many pirouettes as possible - it has nothing to do with the art. I'd rather see them performing age-appropriate variations that are executed nicely, rather than these trained monkeys is tutus. I'm sure that some of these children are without doubt exceptionally talented and would certainly have a career in dance, however I don't think something like that YAGP is the right path.
I think the Royal Ballet School as well as the Russian schools are smatter than that; I'm sure they know it's not a good idea to have a 12-year old performing an Odile variation.
I do think the Prix de Lausanne is a better competition option, due to the connections and scholarships given for the various schools. If I recall correctly, Maria Kochetkova won the Prix (despite the Bolshoi school not allowing her to go) She must have been 16-17 years old at the time.
In general I'm against young children competing; you're right that it's in all kinds of fields, and that it takes away from the arts.
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cat
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Post by cat on Jan 14, 2013 6:36:28 GMT -5
I just saw the the whole film was uploaded to youtube and I watched it now. I have to say, I'm truly appalled.
I don't think it wrong to have disciplined children, but pushing them on stage like this, and the kind of attitude most of them have... and then when one looks at the dancing, for the most part it's just technique/gymnastics in pointe shoes. They might as well be dancing the variations without music for all the musicality (or lack thereof) some of them show. I looked up and one of the featured dancers (Rebecca) is no longer dancing. Michaela went on stage with tendonitis (she's 14) I really don't know what to think, whereas surely some of these children would have a potential future in dance, some of them are pushed into winning just for the sake of winning, and I think that can really break children....
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