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.