CSTD Examination 2018

Exams are significant events in every student’s life. Historically, students more often than not end up associating exams with “stress”. That may be true when it comes to conventional tests in school and college, but we at LDAB take pride in the difference we make in the lives of our young ballerinas by not causing an iota of stress throughout the exam process.

Over 80 students from LDAB shall be appearing for their Pre-Ballet, Primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2 examinations,taking place on November 28 and 29, 2018. The Examinations are being conducted under the programme designed by the esteemed Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing (CSTD), headquartered in Australia. We at LDAB are proud to announce that this year the examinations shall be graded by learned instructors flying in from CSTD headquarters. It’s an honour for us to host these renowned personalities in Pune and we believe this will be an equally exciting and enriching experience for our ballerinas as well.

As part of the abovementioned approach to exams at LDAB, we’ve collated a list of things we expect from our bright exam-takers, which if followed to the T, will ensure that it’s a complete joyride from the start to the end. We urge parents and students to carefully go through the entire article below.

Preparation

Our classes for November shall be majorly geared towards getting students exam-ready. Neha Suhjani, our Creative Director, shall be giving out important tips and tricks pertaining to the syllabus, the important exercises etc. needed to ace the tests. We emphasize that attending all the sessions this month is the best way to prep.

Exam Day Attendance

The students shall be taking their exams in groups of 2-3. The Exams are spread over 2 days: 28th and 29th of November, 2018. The Time-Table has been already shared with the students.

The students must arrive at the centre dressed in their complete uniform at least 20 minutes prior to their scheduled exam time. Changing into the uniforms after arriving at the centre shall not be allowed.

Attire

We expect the students to be presentable. This is an important factor in the grades awarded.

• Hair: It should be tied in a neat and tight ballerina bun only. Care should be taken that no
  strand of hair stands out. Use of hairspray is advised. Only black hairbands can be used. 

• Jewellery: It is advised that no piece of jewellery such as long earrings, necklaces and bangles
  are worn. However, small earrings are allowed.

• Makeup: We urge that no makeup of any kind should be worn by the students.

• Uniform: Uniforms are colour-differentiated based on the Exam. Please ensure that the
   student wears the uniform in accordance to the exam for which she is appearing.

Exam	Uniform (Leotard)	Skirt Needed?
Pre-Ballet and Primary	Royal Blue	Yes
Grade 1	Violet	No
Grade 2	Grey	No

• Stockings: They should be pink. Please ensure they are washed and not ripped.

• Shoes: Ballerinas should wear well-fitted soft ballet slippers (leather/satin). Pre-Ballet
  and Primary     exam students do not need ribbons. However, Grade 1 and 2 students
  need ribbons and they should be properly tied and tucked in so as to avoid any
  incidence of them unravelling during the actual exam.

• Props: Students appearing for Pre-Ballet examination are required to carry a small
   teddy-bear with   them, and students appearing for Primary examination are required
   to carry a small basket. These   props are required for them to execute their character dance.

Exam Protocol

The examiner shall ring a bell, which will mean that the next batch of students should enter the exam room. The ballerinas should run into the studio smartly with their heads held high. They should greet the examiner warmly. A “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening” with a bright smile shall suffice. Then the students should proceed to perform the exercises as required by the examiner. While performing, the student should respect the examiner’s space not encroach upon it.

The students should perform in the chronological order of their roll-numbers only.

After the exam concludes, the student should do her curtsy bow as a gesture of respect to the examiners, then proceed to thank the person in-charge of the music, and then run out smartly from the studio. Demonstrating confidence throughout the interaction is the key.

In the Grade 2 examinations, the examiner shall test the ballerina’s knowledge by setting an exercise on the spot, which is then required to be performed by the ballerina. In case, the student is confused in regards to what is expected from her there, we encourage her to get it clarified from the examiner, so as to avoid making a mistake which could be potentially avoided.

Concluding Remarks

Exams at LDAB are meant to be enjoyed and it’s important that the student has fun throughout the whole process. The abovementioned pointers will ensure that the student is well-prepared and presentable on exam day. This in turn shall take care of any anxiety issues one might face before the exams. We want this entire process to be a comfortable one.

And the most important rule: Always smile. No serious faces allowed. There’s a provision for extra marks for a beautiful smile!

BALLERINA OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER 2018

It’s kind of ironic, this month of October; we celebrated Dussehra, the festival that epitomises the defeat of the gods over demons and then as a recent contemporary import from the West, there are parties in the urban centres across the country inviting youngsters to revel in the jollification that is Halloween, a festival where we dress up as ghosts, demons, witches and what not! Natalie Portman’s ebony feathered costume from the ballerina movie, Black Swan, will make one amazing Halloween costume for sure! A few thousand miles away in Germany, there’s the merrymaking in the spirit of the October Beer Fest!

We, here at LDAB, have our own reasons to celebrate in October. We’re celebrating the crowning of young ballerina Mira Vogelaar as “Ballerina of the Month: October 2018.”

Mira Vogelaar – October Ballerina of the Month

Mira, 10, is the daughter of Joel and Elishiba Vogelaar. She’s a 5th Grader at Vibgyor High School. Mira is fairly new to ballet, having been a student for about 4 months with LDAB now. Her relative newness to ballet hasn’t held her back in anyway though. Our Creative Director, Neha Suhjani’s assessment of Mira’s progress stands testament to this,

“She’s full of enthusiasm when it comes to ballet. Her intelligent questions during class highlight her razor-sharp focus on all that I teach.”

Mira strikes a pose in class

Mira is the older sibling to 6-years-old Lovisa and 5-years old Asher. Lovisa is a fellow ballerina at LDAB too. Joel happily admits, “Mira and Lovisa love jumping and dancing around the house all day long. And I guess that transcends to the ballet class as well.”

Mira with her sister Lovisa in the ballet studio

Neha also adds her observations on their sisterly love, “Mira helps her little sister tie her perfect ballerina bun and makes sure that her shoes are properly worn at all times. She’s subconsciously cultivating the discipline that this dance form demands effortlessly.”

Mira helping her sister Lovisa ensure she is properly dressed for her ballet lesson

Joel is a Dutch citizen, who has now happily settled in Indiafor the past few years with his Indian wife and kids. He ran a graphic design, multimedia and event management firm in Holland. Since 2014, he’s been a teacher of Culinary Arts at the Maharashtra Fellowship for The Deaf. He also manages his own bakery “Dutchies” in the campus. 

A Christmas greeting card from the family

They say the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree. Mira has inherited many of her parents’ interests. She loves to paint. She plays the piano beautifully. She sings and has performed live in her church multiple times for crowds of over 400. Her dad’s there to accompany her with his guitar and the rest of his bandmates. She even bakes when she spends time at Dutchies. 

Mira strikes a pose before her singing performance!

Daddy's little girl helping him out at Dutchies

But there’s something zen about Mira. Her father shares, “Her teachers at school go gaga over her work in the Arts and Music subjects. But Mira never bothers to competitively pursue them and win medals or prizes. She’s has no interest in vain things like recognition, self-promotion, awards and accolades. She pursues these hobbies simply because she enjoys them.” That’s a lot of wisdom for a 10-year old, I must admit.

Her smile shows how much she loves being in the studio!

I ask Mira what she’d like to be when she grows up. She’s non-committal,to say the least, “My mom wants me to be a doctor maybe. But my dad wants me to do whatever I want to do.” 

Joel’s got some sound parenting advice for everyone here, “Childhood and the teenage years are honestly the best time to let children discover their talents and gifts. That allows them enough time to hone their craft and eventually make a substantial career out of them. “

Mira acting like her happy, goofy self during vacations

For now, Mira is thoroughly enjoying her time at LDAB. She’s made amazing friends in her Grade 1 batch here. Most importantly, she’s looking forward to performing in the Nutcracker Ballet Concert that’s planned for July next year. It’ll be her first real live stage performance as a ballerina and we’re sure she’s going to be amazing in it.

BALLERINA OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2018

The month of September is an eventful one. We celebrate with gusto the birth of Lord Krishna and then we set the carpet rolling to welcome Ganeshji for his annual vacations in India. The atmosphere is pulsating with enthusiasm and fervour, and we here at LDAB can’t help but have this celebratory energy rub off on us. This month we’d like to draw your attention to a special someone who’s been crowned “Ballerina of the Month”: Teesha Parmar. Read on to know her uncommon story.

Teesha, 14, the older child of Santosh Parmar, a businessman and Sonal Parmar, a homemaker, was one of the very first students Neha Suhjani mentored. We’re talking about a time when LDAB wasn’t even founded. For Teesha ballet personified “love at the first sauté”. But what’s a good story if not without its fair share of unexpected twists and turns?

Teesha was diagnosed with scoliosis, a medical condition involving a curved spine, in 2015. Her diagnosis was quite late, but by God’s good grace, a timely surgery set the things right. This development in life put an abrupt brake on Teesha’s ballerina dreams.

Teesha with her cousin Riva at LDAB’s studio

Over the year she spent recovering from her surgery, Teesha never really lost touch from ballet so to speak. Her cousin Riva, who’s a fellow ballerina too, kept her updated with all the happenings in the small world of ballerinas in Pune. These anecdotes from Riva never let the flaming fire of a ballerina insider her die. 

Teesha in her Grade 1 class

The end of the year of recovery was marked by her triumphant return to the world of ballet, now at the newly founded Les Danseuses Academy of Ballet (LDAB). She had the blessings of her doctor, who assured her parents performing ballet was well within Teesha’s grasp.

Posing with her mentor Ms Neha, Teesha is all smiles after a fabulous performance in December 2017

Ms.Neha has nothing but praise to shower on this exemplary ward of hers,

“Teesha’s zest for ballet is commendable. She’s a super-fast learner. Give her some complicated choreography to learn, and she’ll have mastered it in no time!”

On Stage – Teesha  performing on “Sleeping Beauty”

Teesha’s mom Sonal was apprehensive as she entered the auditorium in December 2017, the night of the Once Upon a Time concert. Seeing Teesha arrive on stage adorned in her alluring rose ballerina outfit and impeccable make-up was a vision she will always cherish. Her mesmerising movements as she performed to the tunes of Sleeping Beauty is a memory that’ll stay well-etched in Sonal’s mind forever.

Ballet has taken her places. Teesha after her ballet performance at TEDX Pune.

That night isn’t the only public ballet performance by Teesha. In March earlier this year, when LDAB presented a performance at a TEDx event in Pune, Teesha proved her mettle once again. She was a last-minute replacement for another student, who unfortunately couldn’t make it. Teesha, the fast learner that she is, had already picked up the fairly challenging choreography, during the practise sessions that used to take place concurrently during her regular sessions. The actual performance went smoothly and it was another feather in LDAB’s already” burgeoning with accomplishments” cap.

You’d imagine we’re done talking about Teesha now. Not so soon. Her personality has another facet we’d like you to explore. She’s an avid painter too. She has created beautiful canvas paintings that adorn her house. She sketches portraits with flair. She’s passed her Elementary and Intermediate drawing exams with flying colours too.

Teesha with her family

I quiz her about what she envisions for herself in life. It’s a weighty question to put forth to a teenager I must confess. Her mom interrupts gleefully,

“She wants to do too many things. It’ll depend on her mood. She’ll announce her decision to be a dance teacher like Neha Ma’am one day in the future and the very next day she’ll confess about her ambitions of exploring Interior designing given her affinity to art. And to top it all, she wants to add a patriotic angle too and do something inspiring for the nation!”

With Teesha, you never know, the sky’s the limit!

BALLERINA OF THE MONTH – JULY 2018

As the torrential rains lash our city, creating potholes on the roads and the muddy waters overflow through the ill-equipped drainage systems, our romanticised notions of the rainy season slowly turn to those of sheer inconvenience. However, as the proverbial silver lining to every dark cloud, we at LDAB come like a ray of hopeful sunshine to brighten up your day as we crown Anshika Rath as the “Ballerina of the Month” for July 2018.

The beautiful AnshikaRath in her ballet class

AnshikaRath, 11, with her infectious smile is a ballerina with tremendous potential who has been training at LDAB for over a year. She is now in Grade 2 of the curriculum.

Dancing and Anshika go back a long way. She’s learnt Odissi, an ancient dance form which speaks volumes of the cultural heritage of the state of Orrisa, which is also where the Rath family has their roots. Moreover, she has also been an enthusiastic student of modern Bollywood dancing for over 3 years before joining LDAB

AnshikaRath with her proud parents

Her mom Smruti Rath, an engineer who’s now blissfully settled into being a homemaker, recalls how the mother-daughter duo decided to give ballet a try and if it clicked, Anshika could take it up further. And yes, it did click very well, with all of Anshika’s hesitations vanishing after the initial classes and then she took to ballet like fish to water. 

On being quizzed on her student, our Creative Director Neha Suhjani narrates,

“One of the striking aspects of Anshika’s ballet technique is the gracefulness of her movements. Her background in Odissi enables her to embrace ballet in a manner a non-classically trained dancer never can. It goes on to clear the widespread misconception of classically trained dancers finding it hard to adapt their bodies to the art form that is ballet.  Her inquisitive nature is another notable feature that sets her apart.”

Anshika’s mom gleams with pride, and rightfully so, as she talks about her daughter,

“She’s a very sincere child. Whenever she’s handed a task, she will responsibly endure to finish it in a rightful manner. I witnessed her team-player and leadership skill set at our residential society’s Art Exhibition where she got together all the children, meticulously planned the art-work they would make and put on display and the final outcomes were remarkable. “

Anshika loves cooking, and here she is brilliant at it

Amit Rath, an IT specialist and Anshika’s dad, who also devours eagerly all the delicious dishes that his daughter cooks for him: from Chili Paneer to even a few Chinese specialities, has a curt response when asked to comment on Anshika’s pursuit of ballet,

“I want Anshika to be sincere and put in a 100% in any endeavour that she takes up.”

Anshika does surely pay heed to her father’s words. She stands in the top 3 in her class at the Delhi Public School when it comes to academics, reassuring her parents that she can juggle all her commitments well. She and her friends from LDAB, Lavanya and Tanishka, get together and practise ballet after class at home with the help of Youtube.

Anshika chirps on in her sweet innocent voice,

“I love multitasking. I think I’ll be an entrepreneur when I grow up. But despite all that workload, I’ll surely find time for the things I love: Dance and Painting. I wish I have a beautiful dance studio like the new one at LDAB. Neha Ma’am is an inspirational figure in my life.”

Dressed as Princess Fiona, Anshika has participated in the 2017 Ballet Performance – Once Upon a Time

Taking a break from our chat, Anshika proceeds to make tea, and her mom reminisces about her daughter’s first performance as a ballerina at the Once Upon a Time Concert held in December last year,

“She looked ethereal in her Aqua-green full sleeved embellished costume and her performance on stage was a memory for a lifetime. All the nervousness which she might have felt before stepping onto the stage simply evaporated when the music began. It was a proud moment for both me and my husband as parents.”

BALLERINA OF THE MONTH – JUNE 2018

The rains have arrived, quenching the thirst of the scorched earth, rejuvenating the life all around us and ushering in an exciting new season. We here at LDAB welcome our students to the new term, after our much deserved season break. We continue with our beloved traditions whilst looking forward to all that is in store this year for our students. We proudly crown Rea Gollakota, the Ballerina of the Month for June 2018.

      Rea Gollakota – Ballerina of the month for June 2018

Rea’s first brush with ballet happened a really long time ago. As a child, she accompanied her parents to a ballet recital, where she first witnessed graceful young ballerinas performing en pointe to soothing music. The memories of this night, stayed with her as the years passed by and blossomed into dreams of becoming an accomplished ballerina.

Rea with her proud parents Doctor Sapna Gollakota and Major Venu Madhav after the spectacular performance in Once upon a time

Today, Rea, a young 13 year old tall, slender and pretty teenager, has been a student at LDAB for the past one year. She’s the daughter of blessed parents, Major Venu Madhav and Doctor Sapna Gollakota, who’s now pursuing her Masters in Healthcare Administration.  She’s a student at St. Mary’s in Camp. But beyond that she’s a dynamic creative juggernaut.

Her dad proudly enlists all the activities she pursues,

“Rea’s always been a person with a creative bend in her mind and body. Before ballet, she learnt Bharatnatyam. She excels at not just tennis but golf too. She plays the casio beautifully and now is in the midst of learning the guitar. Recently she’s also started taking gymnastics class with the intent to strengthen her core and make her muscles more flexible, which will both go a long way in helping her become a better ballerina. To top that, she’s also begun taking creative writing classes to hone the storyteller inside her.”

Given our predisposition to worrying about grades I enquire about how Rea manages to balance out all that is on her plate and her mom shares her insights,

“Rea’s always been an outdoor person. And she’s juggling all these activities for so long now, that it’s almost a way of life. She’s sincere and that reflects in the fact that her grades haven’t suffered and I’m content with that. She finishes all her homework in school itself, which leaves her enough time after school to whole heartedly pursue these extra-curriculars.”

I asked Rea a very fundamental question, what’s the best thing about being a ballerina for her? Her answer makes me wonder, she’s really wise, beyond her years perhaps,

“I feel content from inside when I perform ballet. I feel this joy deep inside my heart knowing that my performance makes my parents happy.”

Rea in class 

Her mentor Neha Suhjani, Artistic Director at LDAB, has profound observations regarding Rea’s growth as a budding ballerina,

“Rea’s technique and form are impeccable. The other students in the class look up to her and try to emulate the hardwork she puts in. She almost never misses class. I recall an instance where she’d come to class despite a hand injury, we went through the motions and later I was informed about the injury. I was surprised but more importantly impressed with her unwavering dedication to the craft.”

Rea surely deserves all the high praise that her teacher showers on her. She makes it a point to practice for atleast thrice a week for 45 minutes in addition to the bi-weekly sessions at LDAB.

Rea on stage at the Once upon a time concert

At the Once upon a time concert held in December 2017, Rea played Sleeping beauty and performed with utmost poise and grace, dressed to perfection in her embellished pink tutu. She has pleasant memories of the night as she reminisces,

“Everyone appreciated the sweat and tears that went in to putting up our set. My Mom, dad and my grandmother happily cheered for me in the audience and a big hug from them after the performance just sweetened the entire experience for me even more.”

FEBRUARY BALLERINA OF THE MONTH

THE BALLERINA OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY IS ONE OF

 OUR NEWEST AND VERY TALENTED STUDENTS MEHER 

BIJLANI.

Meher Bijlani

She has been learning ballet since 2 months at LDAB and has shown

 tremendous growth and dedication. Her affinity towards ballet and the keen

 interest she showed in learning it prompted her parents to enroll her in Les 

Danseuses Academy of Ballet.

“The positive feedback that was given to us about LDAB encouraged us further to enroll her hereas classes for ballet are rare to find” is what her parents had to say about her classes.

Of all the ballet exercises, Meher enjoys Chassé the most. She even insists

on teaching her grandmother every new step she learns at the classes.

When asked how ballet has changed her life, here’s what her mother had to say “Ballet has boosted the morale for my daughter as she is getting a very divergent exposure by learning something exceptional.”

Outside the walls of the dance studio, Meher is an extremely creative and 

imaginative personality. She is quite the little chef as she creates new 

recipes and takes delight in experimenting in the kitchen. Meher is also an 

avid fan of art and loves drawing in her spare time.

Her father is very happy with her progress and said this about the academy “This academy not only ensures that the children learn the dance form with precision but also provides a protective atmosphere. The presence of the personal touch makes the children feel wanted and loved. This has created a strong and special bond between the teacher and student.”

Her teacher Ms Neha is very impressed with her keen observation skills and

 grasping ability. She said “Meher attentively listens to all the theoretical 

details communicated to the students in the class. She applies the theory in 

her ballet practice which is making her ballet technique very strong.”

BALLET EXAMS

“Perfection isn’t about how much you want it,

Its about how hard you are willing to work for it”

February 2017 will be reminisced as the most challenging month by the young ballerinas of LDAB in the days to come, for they had to glissade through the turbulence of their first ballet exams.

Exams are a vital part of education as they put the students’ abilities to test and reflect what they imbibed during the process of learning. Hence with the motive of inspiring our pupils to further hone their talents, LDAB held it’s first ever set of ballet examinations for the Primary Grade and Grade 1.

What makes the ballet exams stand out from any regular exam is the extensive scrutiny concentrated upon the accuracy of every single dance technique to ensure flawlessness.

To add to the uniqueness, this was the first time that ballet exams were conducted in the history of Pune.

The anatomy of the exam was bifurcated into three categories; Barre work, Centre work and a Choreographed Dance upon which the students would be assessed and it took a duration of 6 classes to orchestrate the procedures of these exams.

The multitude of emotions that the students were going through added to the tense atmosphere of the dance studio.

Zahabia Ghadiala, who was giving her exam to graduate from the Primary Grade to Grade 1 said “I was feeling nervous as it was very different from normal classes because Neha ma’am was very particular about every movement.”

On the contrary, Sarah Dupuy, a young girl of 5 in the same batch as Zahabia’s was very calm and composed.

She personally told Miss Neha after the exam that she was very excited and enjoyed giving the Allegro test most of all.

The air was electric with the contagious nervous energy of the Grade 1 girls when they were asked whether they felt confident about the exams. They said that were feeling both skittish and exhilarated at the same time and could be seen practicing ballet steps outside the studio while awaiting their turn.

Ariana Sangtani, an effervescent student was quoted saying “I enjoyed giving the exams especially when Miss Neha told me to perform the adage”. Her sister Lara Sangtani was equally ebullient and told Miss Neha in advance that she was looking forward to these exams and primarily towards Allegro movements.

What impressed Neha Suhjani, their mentor and examiner, were the vibes of superlative energy she felt during these 6 classes. “The fact that my girls, who were all first timers to ballet exams, kept a positive temperament throughout is applaudable. ”

As of now, the young dancers expectantly await their results in hopes of making it to the next grade which will be even more an arduous but fruitful journey.