Rachel's Primary Ballet Exam

09 Nov 2012 (Fri):

Rachel's having her primary level ( I just found out her grade; and i thought it was pre-primary all along) ballet exam this afternoon. There was a little boohoo made. Her exam time was at 430pm so Ms Wu told us to be in school by 3pm. At about 12 noon, Ms Wu smsed all parents to apologise for the wrong exam timing given. All exam timing has been brought forward by an hour so this means we have to be in school by 130pm instead.

Luckily, I have written a request to Little Footprints earlier on for a change in her Chinese Paper Year End Assessment from the afternoon session to the morning session instead & her principal has kindly agreed to the change. Thanks, Ms Shufen.

Rachel has her lunch, bath, changed &  I proceeded to tie her hair into a bun. 

All ready..

Team 1 - (left to right): Jiaqi, Giselle, Wenxuan & Sharlene.

With Ms. Wu.

Team 2 - ( left to right): Peixuan, Joey & Rachel.

Together with Ms. Wu.

All the best, gals.

Wanna have a peak at their preparations, take a look:

http://lionelrachel.blogspot.sg/2012/10/ballet-exam-open-house.html

Ballet Exam Open House

25 Oct 2012 (Thurs):

This evening was Rachel's ballet exam open house, together with 6 others taking the exam as well. I took videos of the gals' exam pieces & i can also use this pieces to help Rachel with more training.

Rachel is still not very good in one or two steps; she cant keep her balance... lol

Eve of Ballet Exam Open House

24 Oct 2012 (Wed):

Tomorrow will be Rache's ballet exam open house, prep talk & stuff.. Ms Wu smsed all parents to inform that the gals would have to be in their exam attire - pink leotard, polka dots skirt, socks & ballet shoes. Hair will have to be up in a bun with only black hair accessories allowed but no fanciful ones.

Mummy here has decided to tie her hair into plaits first with the help of the hair gel & spray, before gettin her hair into a bun. Below are fotos of which i asked Rachel to pose for me some of her exam moves.

TSOD Dance Workshop

23 Sep 2012 (Sun):

After Rachel's class this afternoon, I received from Ms. Wu a note concerning a Dance Workshop for her students.

Workshop: 26 27 28 29 & 30 Nov 2012
Venue: TSOD Yishun Studio
Performance: 02 Dec @ SCGS

This is a good exposure for the kids as both ballet & hip hop lessons will be taught. However, its the price that puts me off. $220 for 10 lessons, 2hrs 15 mins each lesson, from 930am ~ 1145am.

And then there is also the concert ticket @ $15 each. Rachel is defintely keen to go so I will check with the other parents to see their views on it.

Ballet

08 July 2012 (Sun):

I mentioned sometime back about Rachel spotting a hew hairdo this time round. Since i wanted her to have her hair kept long, she has had her fringe tied & pinned back plus a ponytail at the back. So during school days & ballet classes, this is how she will look like.

Sometimes, she will just request to have her fringe pinned up on weekends. My mil commented that Rachel looks chubbier (rounder face) with her her hair all tied up. Hehe..

Ballet .... and a little Jazz

13 May 2012 (Sun):

Before they begin their regular routine for the day, Rachel & her classmates did a little dance item, sometimes 2 with their teacher. " Mama-mia " & " Greased Lightning ". The kids combined smooth ballet moves with quick jazz moves.

Regrets to inform i do not have my camera with me. But even if i do, I may not have the chance to take fotos or videos as i'm watching from the outside. Let me try my luck next week.

On a side note, Rachel will begin her first coaching lesson this coming Thursday, in preparation for the exam taking place in Nov 2012. Time from 730pm ~ 815pm.  I'm wondering how many students signed up for it.

On a even lighter note, perhaps I should take time off to sneak around abit. Hehe..

CSTD - Pre Ballet Coaching & Exam

18 March 2012 (Sun):

After Rachel's class, i was given a form. Rachel has been selected for pre-ballet coaching & exam. The coaching will begin in May & the exam takes place in Nov. I was a little put off by the coaching fees of $410. That is abt $70/month.

TSOD - Alice In Wonderland 2011 Part 2

17 Dec 2011 (Sat):

We made our way to SCGS as usual when upon arrival at Yishun Mrt Station, we were told there's a track fault & that all trains wld stopped @ Newton Station for the South Bound Line, which was fine for us cos that's the stop we will be alighting.

But to our dismay, we were all told to alight at TP instead as the train wld hv to made a U-turn to ferry passengers from Jurong instead. What crap! 2 more stops only & they cannot even complete the journey. Haiz!

We were told to wait for the next train which will be arriving in 8 mins. Alternatively, we can take the free shuttle bus which was provided at all stations to ferry passengers to their destinations.

** It was the next day before i read on the news that the MRT tracks were already posing problems since Thursday evening & that majority of the commuters affected were those on the North-South Line, East-West Line & even the Circle Line.

And so we queued for the shuttle bus at the designated pick up point. Not only the waiting time was long, the journey to Newton Station was equally long. I smsed Ms Wu. to inform that we would be late. Finally, after what seems like eternity, we alighted at Newton Station. I debated if we should take bus 171 or a cab directly to SCGS. I chose the latter.

We found out we were not the only ones who were late. Many of the parents & kids were all affected by the MRT track problems. Even for those who were driving were also affected; there were major jams everywhere, especially roads along & around the MRT Stations.

After i dropped Rachel off inside the theatre room ( as told by another mummy - i couldnt find Ms Wu), i took a taxi back home; not wanting to get stuck in another jam or track fault.

I picked Lionel up at 530pm & we went for our dinner first. Daddy called & asked for our location & said he would picked us up later. He will be heading home for a bath first. Having said that, i was filled with joy that Daddy will be joining us for the concert. I have already informed & reminded him way in advance the concert date & time & each time, he would say he may be busy & may not be able to watch the concert.
Lionel was happy too that his dad is coming.

** When Rachel saw her dad after the concert ( we hanged ard the foyer, waiting for the kids to be released), she was so happy that she hug on tight thru out our way to the car

I hv not gotten any DVD of the concert yet ( i hope there is). Hence, i will just provide you with 2videos to keep you occupied.


Rachel's dance item " Butterflies " - she's wearing the true blue tutu, with 2 pony tails, on the right side of the stage. Halfway thru the dance, she is alongside the older gal wearing the yellow tutu.


While waiting at the foyer, dad & son caught having fun. Haha..

TSOD - Alice In Wonderland 2011 - Part 1

16 Dec 2011 (Fri):

Finally, the morning dawn upon. The School of Dance - TSOD is presenting its inaugural year end concert @ SCGS this evening. There will be a total of 3 shows - this evening, tomorrow afternoon & tomorrow evening.

Both mummy & the little one went for a hearty breakfast before we went home to shower, make up & head over to SCGS.


I took these 2 photos right after she changed & before we proceeded to the foyer where the teachers & helpers took over the little ones. No parents were allowed inside the foyer & that was where i bid my little one farewell. I have pre-empted her the days before that she will only be with her teachers & big jies jies. Mummy would not be able to stay with her & that she's got to be brave & happy & contented. She's got to learn to be independent & if she has any problems like going to the toilet, to please asked the teachers for help.

** Note: its mummy here who was wondering all day long if Rachel's alright, is she happy, is she enjoying herself, is she this, is she that? **

The admission tickets for Sat evening show. I will only be watching her performance tomorrow evening.

I thought i showed you Khoo's Auditorium stage beforehand.


Inside SCGS. The school is huge.

This was the cover book of which i purchased on the 2nd evening @ SGD$5.00. Listed inside this booklet were the programme highlights, a short biography of each individual teacher & all the peformancers' photos, names & dance item.

A total of 26 items were put up by students from both school - Yishun & MacPherson.

Rachel's item entitled " Butteflies " which was item # 9. Can you spot her name?

Let me run through each individual item with you. Not in any order - The above: Enchanted Forest. Choreographer: Ms June Lee ( MacPherson) - Ballet by Grade 4 & 5 students.

Beauty & The Beast. Choreographer: Ms Tan Jia Jia (MacPherson) - Ballet by Primary students.

Groovy Rabbits. Choreographer: Ms Jasmine Koh (MacPherson) - Jazz by Primary students.

Mystical Garden. Choreographer: Ms Veronica Boh (Yishun) - Neo Classical by Primary & Grade 1 students.

Happy Birthday Princess. Choreographer: Ms Veronica Boh (Yishun) - Ballet by Pre Ballet students.

Tweedle Dee & Dweedle Dum. Choreographer: Ms Kok Huishi (Macpherson) - Tap Dance by Grade 6 & Advance students.

Pink Panther. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Jazz by Primary students.

Butterflies. Choreographer: Ms Wu Jiamin (Yishun) - Ballet by Pre Ballet & Primary students.

Under The Sea. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Jazz by Grade 2 students.

Minnie Mouse. Choreographer: Ms Tan Jia Jia (MacPherson) - Jazz by Baby Gems & Pre Ballet students.

Fairy Land. Choreographer: Ms Xu Jinyi & Ms Selina Lim (MacPherson) - Ballet by Baby Gems, Pre Ballet & Pre Primary students.

Trapped in a Bottle. Choreographer: Ms Kok Huishi (Yishun) - Contemporary Dance by Grade 6 students.

Get Your Head In The Game. Choreographer: Ms Veronica Boh (Yishun) - Jazz by Grade 2 students.

The Mad Hatter's Dancers.Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Tap Dance by TSOD 2 students

Miracles. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Neo Classical by TSOD 2 students.

Waltz Of The Hours. Choreographer: Ms Kok Huishi (Yishun) - Ballet by Grade 4 students.

Raindrops. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Tap Dance by Grade 3 students.

Mamma Mia. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Jazz by Grade 1 students.

Moving Cards. Choreographer: Ms Kok Huishi (Yishun) - Jazz by Grade 1 students.

My Hero. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Contemporary Dance by Grade 6 & 7 students.

Kite Dance. Choreographer: Ms Theresa Teo (Yishun) - Neo Classical by Pre Ballet & Grade 2 students.

Queen Of Hearts. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Ballet by Major students.

Mulan Warriors. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Neo Classical by TSOD 1 students.

Alice's Nightmare. Choreographer: Ms Kok Huishi (Yishun) - Contemporary Dance by Major students.

Always There. Choreographer: Ms June Lee (MacPherson) - Contemporary Dance by TSOD Seniors.

At the end of the concert, I picked Rachel up & was very glad to see her. I asked if she was happy & okay without Mummy by her side. Her reply: She was very very happy. The teachers gave all the young ones some colouring to do to keep them occupied, donuts to eat ( which all kids love) & cold milo... yummy... she will asked the big jie jie or a teacher to go to the toilet & either a jie jie or teachers will assist the kids. They touch up on the make up & hairdo, straighten their costume & basically took care of all their needs.

Made me felt so much at ease. Tomorrow will be another performance & i will try to upload more photos & videos of the concert. Waiting for the DVD to be release soon so that i can show you more wonderful photos

Full Dressed Rehearsal or Half Dressed...

15 Dec 2011 (Thurs):

I received a sms from the ballet teacher, Ms Wu, informing us that Thursday dance practice would be a full dressed rehearsal - full costume but without make up, hair up in bun but without gel & spray... haha... isnt that half dressed instead...



Rachel's concert item would be entitled " Butterflies ", hence the butterfly tutu...

At the end of the practice, the teacher had a talk with all parents inside the dance studio. Stuff to take note, time to report, what to wear, all the dos & donts.... etc... I took the opportunity to voice out my concern on Rachel's hair & to my surprise, many parents also shared my views... how to get our child's hair up in a bun when the hair is short...

The answer: for all gals whose hair are short, pls tie them into 2 pony tails but the fringe & any back lot must all be gel & pin up. The fringe cannot be pin up sideways; it must be pin up towards the back. No fanciful coloured hair assessories; only black hair net, black rubber bands & black hair pins allowed. Okay, that's so much easier for me.. stay tuned for my master piece then...haha..

More on her actual concert performance the following day & Sat @ SCGS, Khoo Auditorium soon.

Hair Bun

14 Dec 2011 (Wed):

After learning that Rachel's hair got to be in a bun for her ballet performance, Mummy here was wondering how on earth am i going to do up her hair. Getting her hair up securely in a bun was by no means an easy task for me. So for the past few nights, i was sourcing the net & doing trial & errors on her hair.

Finally, this seems to be the best solution. The neatest i can go without hair gel & spray.






Do i get any applause?