I'm taking the Teachin cert soon. I understand there are a number of recommended text in the booklet. I'm wondering which books are the more important ones..b'cos i can't be buying ALL of them b'ccos they are not very cheap.<BR>

Dear RAD<P>If you could let me know what books have been listed then I can give you some recommendation on what ones you probably should get hold of or any alternatives that might be more cost effective. If you need any other help with the exam please let me know.<P>Best wishes<P>Tuk<BR>

likewise, RAD girl - i've got a huge dance library, and am really fussy about which books i recommend! this would make for a great discussion between Tuk, myself and others, i'm sure! <P>for starters, i believe no student of dance history can do without Horst Koegler's 'Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet' - even though it is well out of date now, there is nothing newer to take it's place, and it makes for a quick reliable reference source - invaluable!<P>assuming the texts are still the same as a few years back, this one and Ivor Guest's 'The Dancers' Heritage' are the recommended references for the history units. i can think of some alternatives to the Guest book, but the Koegler cannot be done without.<P>also, this one is not at all expensive <P>are these the ones you have been told about, or has this changed? up-to-date info from you would be great!

shame you are in singapore, RAD girl! i was just going to suggest that you might augment your study by attending this dance history conference at covent garden:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"Dance History? <BR> 3 - 5 November<BR> An international conference about the teaching and learning of dance history in<BR> the Linbury Studio.<P> For further information please contact:<P> Madeleine Inglehearn,<BR> European Association of Dance Historians (EADH),<BR> 41 Talma Gardens,<BR> Twickenham,<BR> Middlesex TW2 7RB.<BR> Tel 020 8892 9638."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi these are the text:<P>Ryman, R. Dictionary of Classical Ballet Terminology. RAD 1995<P>Byrne.J.Hancock,s & McCormack. M Body Basics RAD 1993<P>A basic Anatomy text<P>Wallis.L.Ryan.R The Foundations of Classical Ballet Technique, London. RAD 1997<P>which are the ones /is the one tat is essential?

I have to agree with Grace that the Horst Koegler book is a valuable resource. There are more up to date alternatives, including the International Dictionary of Ballet and the International Encyclopaedia of Dance. Only one problem, they come in several volumes and are enormously expensive. However, if you can check them out in a library they contain pretty good articles and references to further materials.<P>As far as the Ivor Guest book is concerned I have to say that I prefer Jack Anderson's 'Ballet and Modern Dance, A Concise History', which is now in its second edition. Alternatively there are Susan Au's 'Ballet and Modern Dance' and Clarke and Crisp's 'Ballet: an Illustrated History'. The latter is listed as an essential text for the RAD History of Ballet unit, along with the Guest book.<P>The problem with all four of these books is that they are all about 10 years out of date. To make up for this gap I would recommend Martha Bremser's 'Fifty Contemporary Choreographers", which covers the careers of many of the best known modern and ballet choreographers up to the date of publication in 1999.<P>As far as the set texts for the teaching certificate are concerned I am afraid that all of them are considered pretty essential. However the one I would definitely get is the Hancock and McCormack 'Body Basics'. For the basic anatomy text I don't think you can do much better than Valerie Grieg's 'Inside Ballet Technique.<P>I should say I have a few problems with both the Ryman's 'Dictionary' and the RAD's 'Foundations' books. At least one of Ryman's definitions is wrong, sissonne, which doesn't mean scissor but derives from a proper name. This was comprehensive dealt with by Richard Glasstone in an article in the Dancing Times in 1999 (I must check on which one), which described pas ciseaux, the scissor step. In the RAD I have problems with some of the technical descriptions. However I don't want to cause confusion so I will leave it at that for now. I hope however to come back to this subject later in another thread.<P>I hope that helps.<P>Best wishes<P>Tuk<BR>

i agree with you, Tuk.<P>trouble is, you might have made it MORE expensive for her, not LESS (!)..that's re the history books.<P>however, i have been given the impression that both the expensive modern sets you suggest contain innaccuracies which render them unreliable - it's really "a bit much", isn't it?, to whinge about such a thing, when a reference is so incredibly comprehensive: how can there NOT be errors? BUT, that's what you want a reference FOR - accuracy - and koegler's at least doesn't let you down.<P>i also prefer the other books you mention to Guest's, but i am guessing that one reason they have recommended Guest's is because it IS relatively inexpensive AND it covers all the eras (up to a certain point).<P>as to the technique books - i agree that i would not buy the dictionary - except that if i was taking THEIR (RAD) exam, i might feel it essential, in order to be sure to be learning what THEY want to hear! you know how it is! <P>Body Basics has also been questioned by teachers i know, but i feel that they were nitpicking and/or misreading. i can see byrne's intentions are absolutely sound.<P>i would agree with tuk, however, that if you could buy one book only, and it needed to be an inexpensive book (or even if it didn't), i would recommend valerie grieg's 'Inside Ballet Technique"<P>hey, Tuk, guess what? valerie grieg was one of my first teachers! - in australia, in melbourne. truth to tell, the way little kids think everyone over 20 is ancient, i thought she would have been dead, till i saw that book published! (how embarrassing!) <P>

Hi R.A.D. girl and everybody, this is my first post and I'd like to give some help about the RAD TC (I'm a RAD registered teacher). For RAD purposes, it's absolutely essential to learn by heart "The Foundations of Classical Techinque" as it is the book on which it's based RAD method. RAD is very very very keen on all the techincal details regarding every step. I know that the book can be a bit controversial and it's not exhaustive but I find it very clear and it gives every detail of a step (the exact position of a foot or of a leg, where is the focus, the coordination of the arms and so on). I know the mistake about sissonne but this is a small one, IMO (BTW, Glasstone's article is in the December 1999 issue of Dancing Times) <BR>Another essential reading is surely "Body Basic" which is very useful for teaching too! <BR>Then you have to learn by heart all the syllabi from Pre-primary to Grade 5, have a sure musical knowledge and know how to conduct a class. These are the essential things for the TC. I'll also suggest that you find a well prepared RAD teacher to study with. <BR>History books are very useful for the written papers (Teaching Diploma) and yuo can find a list of them at the Academy (including Koegler's and Guest's). HTH. AntoP.

antoP, it has MADE MY DAY to see you here! <P>i am so please you found us, as i enjoyed your input so much at ballet alert. in case you don't realise, i am 'susan' who used to post at ballet alert (a site i very much appreciate). i have missed not being able to have technique exchanges with you. <P>Tuk is also an RAD teacher, whereas i am only someone who happens to teach some RAD work, as and when required.....so my knowledge is more sketchy.<P>actually at times my knowledge of RAD stuff has been really good, but then i don't keep up with the changes for a few years, and i'm out of touch. such is the case now. <P>so it's marvellous to have the two of you around, as i've noticed that americans - who make up the vast majority of online dance people - are increasingly curious about the RAD, and there are so many questions to answer, when it's not something that's been part of your country's dance culture for years (as with australia, england, etc....- i don't know how long it's been popular in italy....?)<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I know the mistake<BR> about sissonne but this is a small one, IMO <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>re the above: i agree with you - it will always be possible to pick at least one fault in every book. it's important not to let such an item colour your opinion of the author's credibility, or of the work as a whole,....but it IS sometimes hard to know HOW confident to be of a relatively new reference book. no doubt there are errors in koegler....i'm just not aware of them!<P>how i DO wish someone would bring that book up to date!<P>i also agree with you that having an excellent teacher as your role model is invaluable - RAD girl: are there a lot of RAD teachers in singapore? also, just curious, do you personally have any contact at all with SDT (Singapore Dance Theatre) which visited perth a few years ago (lovely people!)?<P>antoP: a <I>HUGE</I> <B>welcome</B> from me - may you stay around! might i ask a little about your school, location, etc?

hi Grace<P>I don't personally know Singapore Dance Theater ppl. But i do attend their performances. <P>Where are u from Grace?which part of Aust?<P>There quite alot of RAD teachers here in Singapore.Most sch do RAD syllbus. I don't know of anyone who does other syllbus other than CSTD and ISTD.<P>I've spoken to my teacher abt the teaching cert. She have calculated the hrs tat i'm required to teach..and it seem tat i can't meet the minimium teaching hrs of 450hrs by Jan2001. So i'd haf to take it in 2002. <P>Thank you for ur recommendations. I'd get the books and read up to prepare and learn the syllbus well!!

RAD girl - i am in perth, western australia - not so far from you! <P>the reason i asked about SDT is i wondered if they ever have classes you could go to, like masterclasses, or open community classes - say, by their ballet master or someone? is the ballet master still david peden? i met the previous one, cathy sansom, from england....i only know of david peden from his days as a dancer with the royal ballet.<P>are you disappointed you can't get the teaching hours in, to do your certificate this year?<P>i would certainly agree that you should do whatever antoP says, as i know she gives out good advice. i have seen her in action elsewhere!

Hi grace, you made me blush . Thank you for the compliments and the consideration! I remember you very well as susan! . I found this site some months ago but I haven't registered till now because I have some problem to read it off line (as I have written in my presentation in the "about critcaldance" section). The problem has not been solved yet but I hope I can manage with it. <BR>I've been teaching for almost 19 years. When I discovered the RAD method (five years ago) I was absolutely enthusiastic. I find it very suited for students who attend a ballet school twice a week (as it is my case). My school is small (about 100 students) and I run it alone (till my forces will sustain me!). It is located in a small city. I also teach (as you already know!) contemporary dance (which I like a lot). Here the RAD is gaining more and more "fans". I think there are at least 700 RAD schools(and Italy is a small country, even if somewhere it's overcrowded!) <BR>I hope we can keep on sharing our points of view. antoP. <BR>

Hi Grace<P>I'm not sure who the ballet master in SDT is now.<P>Oh so u are from Perth? I went to Perth for Holiday last Nov. And i tell u....i luv it. The air, the ppl. I didn't get to really explore the whole of Perth b'cos of time constraint. <P>Where are u teaching ? I didn't see any ballet school.<P>The hotel i stayed in (Grand Chancellor) is very near the Ballet and Costume Center. Do u always buy ballet stuff from there ? or is there another shope tat is more popular? b'cos i find tat the things there are not very as cheap as in singapore.<P>Yap i'm very disappointed tat i can't fullfil the hrs required for the teaching cert. But i guess i've to juz be very patient to wait and see. <P>I'd be hafing my sch vacation in Nov to dec. I'm hoping to go abroad to do INter juz for tat period of time. hopefull i can do it EVERYDAY. I'm considering Malaysia (since its very near Singapore). But i'd very much like to go to Perth again..do u know if there are any gd schs in Perth tat offer Inter ? <P>SDT do haf its own ballet sch. Its called Singapore Ballet Academy. I tried outthis yr. But they teacher didn't want to take me in b'cos of some inter relationship problem. U see, at tat time my ballet teacher was a gd fren of the SDT principal (Goh Soo Khim). I think they didn't want to sour their relationship tat's why they didn't want to accept me.*sad*<BR>

antoP - great that you remember me. and re the 'reading offline' problem: i have asked azlan to address this issue - he's our technical whizz - hopefully he can help. it might help him if you gave him your email address, so he can communicate with you directly about it. his is azlan@criticaldance.com - OK?<P>i had no idea there would be as many as 700 RAD schools in italy! i wonder, what style or approach were you teaching before that? and what contemporary style do you teach?<P>RAD girl : nice that you've been to perth! yes, it's a lovely place - if isolated! but i think that's one of the reasons it IS so lovely, so mustn't complain!<P>there are certainly plenty of good ballet schools (including RAD) in perth, and you would be most welcome to take class at the best of them should you come again - i would be happy to make any arrangements for you.<P>one of my very good friends is diana de vos, an RAD major examiner (who did singapore about 2 years ago....) - she teaches RAD syllabus and open-style ballet classes in perth, and is one of the best teachers i have ever come across anywhere in the world. i know she would be happy to help you.<P>there are also at least 2 other top-class RAD schools here (i am talking ONLY of the best, here) - of course there are hundreds more which are more average! <P>costume & ballet centre is the best ballet shop, but it has now moved out of the city.<P>when you say 'Inter Jazz', i assume you must be meaning ISTD syllabus? or is it CSTD? or what? can no doubt give you more info when i know this....<P>i didn't know SDT have their own school. thanks for that info. do you know if they have a website? i'd like to find out a bit more....

Hi Grace<P>I'd be very grateful if u can make arrangements for me if my parents allow me to go to perth to do ballet Do u have any idea how the charges for inter class is? I've got to prepare enought $$ for me to dance everyday *LOL*<P>The thing i worry abt is lodging if i go to Perth. 'cos i dun drive ..and if i stay really far from the ballet sch i'm going to...i dun know how i'm going to travel there.<P>This is SDT's website <A HREF="http://www.cyberway.com.sg/~sdtdance/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.cyberway.com.sg/~sdtdance/index.html</A> <P>Today i went to watch my fren who was relief teaching...i got an idea of gr 1,3 &5. <P>