Whats Happened to Brent Street

my daughter was thinking of going to the tdhs next year. any current students out there that would like to comment on the level of teaching and if it is an enjoyable, positive experience for you. it is extremely small for a high school and it makes me wonder......maybe its small for a reason.....?? is it a welcoming, friendly environment or a clicky, bitchy place?? most of the comments so far seem to be about the full time performing arts course.

I went to Brent Street about 6 years ago after attending there for 4 years. Those 4 years scared me. I had been going to a small acedemy in Bexley North which was on the way up and now is fab ( Nadines Acedemy )and left there as I wanted to be pushed further and haveing seen the standard of brent street at eistedfords I had to go there. My time there was horrific, for 4 years I was branded " the new girl". I did not fit in there, I didnt bitch, I didnt have lots of money, I didnt join a clicky group, I didnt have quite open mass orgies with the boys in the corridors at the camperdown studio, or the Waterloo, and I didnt find talking about getting with guys and sleeping around fun, so ultimately, the girls didnt like me and the guys ignored me. Someone that did notice me was Jackie Howard and Cameron Mitchell however, due to brent streets failure to recognise new talent openly ment that no one pushed me, in fear that parents of the kids who had been there since they were 3 would not be upset to see their babies in the second or third row, so i slogged it out in the back for 3 years. I was training at Newtown High School of the performing arts where I had developed advanced technique and stamina and on countless accassions I was asked to demonstrate things thats required technique as none of those girls had any technique, in fact that entire studio just fudged all their technique things, but still no recognition. For 3 years I was the only kid in Pre SEnior Jazz not in show class why?? My mum rang up and jackie said " Look , I know there are kids in show class that shouldn't be there, but they have been with us since they were little so I have to put them in?' what a load of ****!! Finally in my fourth year I was 'allowed' in show class but didnt do it as I was committed to another company in those hours. IN 12 months we did one dance? only one?? at my last studio we did up to 10 dances and I asnt allowed to do the ballet dance as I didnt do my exams? at the studio I am at now we have done 4 already. My family had to sit for 3 hours at star city to watch me in one dance which was number 34 our of 35 dances. In my eyes, the place was a joke, and I got out just before things went bad, as I heard plenty cos alot of my friends went there and some have this year and have since left. The dancing was GREAT! i loved it, my coming home every sat night in tears because I was so unhappy being there was not great. Its easy to say ignore it, but being there from 10 am to 5 pm all saturday with no friends, sucked. I stuck it out because I wanted to dance and be trained by professionals. at the time I was trained by the fabulous Cameron Mitchell ( who has sicne left) and Matt Lee ( whom was an excellent dancer, but a prick of a human being ). People didnt like me because I guess I was a threat. In my last year there I was in the front for everything. No one spoke to me, or even smiled - a very fake environment. A breeding ground for bitchy, horrible, spoilt little girls, and that wasnt me. You hav to deal with that in this industry, and its not like I did one term and said " they are so mean, I want o leave' - i tested the waters for 4 years - and nothing changed. To the point when some people came to my school who were in my class at dancing loved me at school, but at dancing would not even bat an eye lid at me. Horrible girls. Im a teacher now at another excellent studio which is moving on up and in my eyes, if you can not walk down your studio hall and not be able to say the name and hello to every child who walks past you... then you are too big. Brent street made me stronger in the sense that I can put up with alot more stuff, and if anything made me funkier iin my dancing style. thats all - the teachers taught me very little and the environment was not warm. as a teacher now, I have vowed never to treat kids the way the teachers treated me when I was at brent street.

There is alot of negative talk about Brent st, and i assume for very good reason. Im not a student, nor did I used to be a student. I was the partner of a student. Now im not one to have a whinge, ill leave that to the girls that went there, but I have never witnessed such a pack of shrewd, stuck up, incompentent tarts in my life. The way in which these girls looked at my partner, and I, would strip paint off walls. Half of them couldnt dance any better than some of the smallest studios I saw at dance comps, but cos daddy had alot of money they were the queens of brent st. Money talks, skill doesnt......anymore Skaters skate, because they like skating, Surfers surf, because they like surfing, Brent St dance, because they love the world to look at them, not because they like dancing. If people are a product of there environments I hate to see how some of the girls, and boys, turn out after 5 years at brent st. disgrace of an excuse for educating willing dancers

dont do it......dont do it ....if you want you daughter the way she is now dont do it to her ...bitchy clicky is only a small amount of what goes on there and ill tell you jackie can talk you into anything so be careful...your daughter will be dying to go there and will be really dying to get out of there.

I am an ex student of ED5... I attended the school for about 14yrs... I used to think brent street was awesome also back in the day and loved the dances they performed at the Sydney Eisteddfods but recently they aren't so fab. Even though I am no longer a student at ED5 I still go to the concerts every year the senior school and full time concerts and for whoever said their full time conert sucked last year you must be BLIND!!! I thought it was AWESOME!! there was plenty of energy, passion and strive for success. I know many of the students from last years full time course, 1 happens to be my neighbour and everyone of them loved the course and would do it again if they could!!! The students of ED5 are getting better and better every year. For anyone wanting to do a full time course I strongly recommend ED5.... there are plenty of opportunities for the future and they have very strong networks with the USA.... one more thing then im off- brent st ARE losing all there good teachers to ED5, believe they are happier there!!!!!!

What a load of absolute tripe. Brent Street is FANTASTIC. How spiteful and petty you are froofroo. Someone must have hurt your feelings badly, or are you just another failure, who tried to mix it with the best and just did not have the talent or personal drive to get there.Hide behind an anonymous notice board with an anonymous name. What a cowardly thing to do. Our teachers are brilliant, the atmosphere is awesome. Like I said earlier, I'm doing full time, I'm having the best time of my life. Brent Street is awesome. Regards Johnny

good for you maybe u dont have any clue.....how long have u been at brent street .....i know the teachers and the way it was and the way it is now isnt close ....so if u love it now great ...but u dont know wat u missed , because it was once a great school and the only place to be and i am quite happy in myself and dont want to cause people problems so thats why i didnt say who i am ....so get over it ok .....talk about yourself not other peoples experiences and views....maybe u love it so much because u dont no anybetter did u ever think of that??? have a great day

I didn't miss anything saddo. I'm part of the new generation taking over the world. Enjoy your tired old memories, maybe this board is the place for anonymous losers like you. Over and OUT Johnny.

Right...Lets get this shit togther... It is totally obvious that 99% of all these post are made by either disgruteled employees or ex-students (fulltimers) that didnt make it into the agency (pretty much because they were not good enough). Lets get the f***k over it. In any industry, if your not right then you dont get the job! Ummm.... Hello same shit right here! Get with the program. Alot of pple think that if you go to brent st, you'll end up famous- well you have have some talent first! If your gonna bag the shit out of someone personally then do it to their face not behind a keyboard. Admit your names not just alias's! Lots of Love Ex-brent streeter!

Agreed ex, students who don't make it and lets face it will never make it. FROFROO hello, I think you need serious psychological help. Your disorders are screaming through even if you want to be anonymous. Stop making yourself sick.

Does anybody realise that some courses/schools are not for everybody? I'm sure Brent St is great for some people, and bad for others. It depends on your abilities (not just talent, but the want to learn) sure, but some teacher's techniques work for some, and are hated by others. I had a teacher at school who constantly tried to use reverse psychology on me, which is absolutely the wrong way to get me to do anything. I respond to being left to my own devises. On the other hand, my friend found this to be beneficial, and appreciated being pushed like this... It all depends on your temperament and the best way that you learn. Stop arguing, it's not a fight anyone can win. The Prompt Copy Networking emerging theatre professionals www.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs http://stickyapplelegs.artsblogs.com

mmm......this is an amusing site! along with the rubbish there does seem to be a few professionals who know what they are talking about. so here i am changing the subject. i am a struggling muso in a band, i would like to eat while also following my passion. i used to do acting when i was younger - suprise, my agent was brent street ( who were amazing, committed, honest and helped me make heaps of money! is deanna still there?) so anyway i wouldn't mind working in the behind the scenes of productions, adds, whatever but have no idea where to go or who to contact- and no experience, just creativity and willingness to work hard and learn. can anyone give me names or places to contact. or any other useful ideas to get some work in this industry. which is what we should all be on about, not carrying on this negativity

Tree, you might want to consider that there's practically no money doing tech work. If you want to eat, then try a 'normal' job - you'll find most of us techies are doing 'normal' jobs, just like the other artists out there. If you do want to get into the production side, start off in the amatuer community, where you can get some experience. You may want to look at getting a certificate in something (pick - lighting, sound, etc) and apply with local production companies. ALIA would be the best place to start with getting some contacts, and their forum is always a good source of info/networking. The Prompt Copy Networking emerging theatre professionals www.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs http://stickyapplelegs.artsblogs.com

time to move on you brent st obsessed fans!!!! ED5 kicks serious ass!!!!!! anyone interested in some hip hop classes try Dance Central!! mwa

i have been a student at brent st for many years...trained there most of my life..i am now considering my departure.although it offered me the best training in the early years.i must say it has most definatley in the recent years gone downhill. everything about it has changed dramtically. now im finding that depending on how much money you pay will determine how well you are treated. it doesnt matter if youve been there a decade, if your not paying as much as another student whose only been there a week you'll be treated like crap. things used to be better so much better. i guess things just got really out of hand when they opened that excuse for a school TDHS. loyalty has been completley lost. it is no longer the fair, happy, family it once was. dollar signs are now in everyones eyes.

i have been a student at brent st for many years...trained there most of my life..i am now considering my departure.although it offered me the best training in the early years.i must say it has most definatley in the recent years gone downhill. everything about it has changed dramtically. now im finding that depending on how much money you pay will determine how well you are treated. it doesnt matter if youve been there a decade, if your not paying as much as another student whose only been there a week you'll be treated like crap. things used to be better so much better. i guess things just got really out of hand when they opened that excuse for a school TDHS. loyalty has been completley lost. it is no longer the fair, happy, family it once was. dollar signs are now in everyones eyes. im sure many would agree?

i have been a student at brent st for many years...trained there most of my life..i am now considering my departure.although it offered me the best training in the early years.i must say it has most definatley in the recent years gone downhill. everything about it has changed dramtically. now im finding that depending on how much money you pay will determine how well you are treated. it doesnt matter if youve been there a decade, if your not paying as much as another student whose only been there a week you'll be treated like crap. things used to be better so much better. i guess things just got really out of hand when they opened that excuse for a school TDHS. loyalty has been completley lost. it is no longer the fair, happy, family it once was. dollar signs are now in everyones eyes. im sure many would agree?

Brent St had Cameron Mitchell & now they don't. Rumor has it that he had a falling out with one of the Howard sisters? A real shame because he is the best musical theatre teacher ever. The Brent St kids do miss him & will suffer now because of this. I know for a fact that he is at K & V, Sutherland & does not seem very happy at all teaching young kids Jazz. They do not have a musical theatre class there but who knows now they might. What's Brent Street's loss is K & V's gain!

OMG has Cameron really gone. He was the only good thing about the school, I just loved him. Is Mel still there she started this year, oh I mean she is a student not a teacher, she comes from Adelaide like Cam did. I didnt know if she was going to stick it out, cos she wants to do other things I still cant believe it, I heard that Cameron was an owner but obviously not. I didnt think the Howard sisters owned it anymore either. Ah well, the rumours you here hey

Let's start with the crappy part about Brent St, but first I have to say that I am a strong believer in that for every negative-there is a positive solution & that if you are going to point out a negative then you should also step up & offer a positive solution. * It's expensive, you will be waaaaay over-charged here. SOLUTION The fees should be capped. & if your kid even gets the whole hour you paid for. Like the class is supposed to start at 9am. The kids are there but their teacher is standing in the corridoor talking to another? now 2 classes will start late. SOLUTION The teacher's need to be made accountable so that they are in class on time too, after all aren't they being paid by the hour too? * The building is run down, disgustingly dirty & needs urgent maintainence. SOLUTION Brent St beat us to it, they are moving to Fox Studio's. * Are all the teachers qualified? When the regular class teacher is absent, it seems that anyone that can check off the roll & push play on the sound system can teach the class. SOLUTION Responsible, qualified relief teachers are provided. * The costumes are pathetic! What happened to looking good at least? The kids are humiliated every time they show up at an eisteddfod in a costume that has been worn every year by another student & so on. SOLUTION Update the costumes of course or give the parents (as a group) the opportunity to choose whether they want to hire the costumes ($50 bond +$50 hire fee) or buy new. * Lack of communication/organisation or just basically none at all. No-one ever knows anything that is happening. Parents are not adequately informed of places to meet, times to meet, or what teacher will meet the kids? There doesn't seem to be that duty of care I see with all the other dance schools where the class teacher is at an eisteddfod checking on the kids & making sure all costumes, hair, make-up, everything is arranged. SOLUTION Show some respect for your students who represent your establishment. * Eisteddfod Troupes need to be selected, dedicated students only. Some parents/students don't actually care to compete & so less effort is shown by these people & it affects the group. SOLUTION Selected performance troupes. * Information/knowledge is the key to everything. Some people have no idea about makeup, hair, eisteddfod etiquitte. Where do we find this information? How do we prepare ourselves? SOLUTION Put some descent info on the website, in the studio, offer get togethers for the parents sitting around to learn makeup skills, hairdo's. Parents can learn valuable how to skills just in the cafe waiting area. Well, I'm a little tired now but I will get back to it tomorrow night because I am hoping that a Brent St Director/Manager/Staff member will get to read this & maybe act on some of the points if not hopefully all? Goodnight all...

I odnt know what happened to the great days of brent street it really has gone down hill i cant believe how bad it has gotten it definately is not worth the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM SO OVER HEARING ON ITS WEBSITE ALL THE BULLSHIT ON HOW GOOD IT IS its nothing special luv ya bitches

im a student at brent street.....haha this site is great everything is so true!!! yes it used to be the best place for dancing and having a great time (for me anyway) but now the bitchiness is out of hand....the teachers HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING.....and im not enjoying even going there anymore....melbourne WHAT A JOKE why were we there???? im seriously thinking of leaving there for good...whos with me?? :D:) lets head off to well....somewhere better...were they might actually care about feelings..and teaching....cya guys xoxo

Hi everyone. Brent St was a little more quiet today than usual but we could account that for the fact that it is the holidays. Everyone is still talking about Melbourne & OMG some of the stories are truly frustratng to say the least. So here comes the goss.... The Melbourne Eisteddfod was a joke! Totally biased & we so did not belong in the game there. The Brent St kids did great! So sorry the costumes sucked though! But what's new? (ha ha not the costume's obviously!) The Melbourne style of dance is very rigid & old-fashioned. Some groups did full on theatre productions with props & back up music to match their storylines? & they were so looong. Not to mention the rediculous facial expressions/fixed smiles as if the kid was constipated! The Brent St kids were so much more entertaining with real feeling & real expressions & real smiles of enjoyment! But the Melbourne kids were just as rude as the organisers & looked our kids up & down as if they were aliens. Now correct me if I am wrong but the only reason kids would do that is if they have heard their parents talking about our kids & putting them down. So I would never blame a child for being given a false impression by single minded, talentless adults living in the 20's! And don't get me started on the judge! The rude, self indulged, OLD FOSSIL, pathetic excuse for a performing arts critic was nothing more than a bad mannered, blind as a bat biaaaaaarch! She was sooooooooooooo horrible. Enough said, my blood is boiling! So that was Melbourne. As much as I hate the eisteddfod & never want to do that again, I do wish we could go back & STICK IT TO THEM GOOD! Match them with better costumes, make-up & hair, we already have the better choreography. But as biased as they are they would still find a way to put our kids down. THE GOOD STUFF ON BRENT ST... * Fantastic Choreography * Nice big studios * Freedom to choose the classes you want to do * The best singing teachers * A high school with great results * Happy, energetic kids * Good Cafe' with good coffee And I'm sure there's more.... We as a Brent St family need to take the next step & voice our ideas to make positive changes not only to help ourselves & our kids but to make Brent St WHAT WE WANT! Well guys, even though alot of stuff Sh'ts me about Brent St., my child loves it. Loves the friends, some of the teachers, loves to perform & I want what my child wants, to be happy! I know Brent St used to be the ants-pants of performing arts & it has gone downhill but I am hangin out for it to get to that stage where I can honestly & openly say that I am a proud mum of Brent St. See-ya!

This comment was removed at the request of Wayne Aspinall wayne.aspinall@brentstreet.com.au on 19 July 2006 for reason libellous content. Grant Malcolm Site Administrator

This comment was removed at the request of Wayne Aspinall wayne.aspinall@brentstreet.com.au on 19 July 2006 for reason libellous content. Grant Malcolm Site Administrator

Jackie i cant believe you let Cameron go but ui am thankful for it you have provided me and myt friends with enjoyable classes you got rid of one of the best choreographers i believe Brent Street is really good but i must admit they have gone downhill!!!!!!!! i never realised any of this was happening but when i was at sydney dance i over heard people talking they were from Brnet Street and some of my freinds said that now that Brent Street is out of the way our competition is ED5 thanx Jackie for making enough mistakes to finally get rid of the competition

I GO TO ED5 AND THAT IS GOIN TO WELL EITHER WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

today in my tap class all these wires came out of the wall and all these sounds started happening it was something out of the film alien and i was freaked BRENT STREET WHEN ARE YOU MOVING TO FOX STUDIOS!!!!!!!!!! i hope this isnt a last attempt to keep people here i mean thats why i am still here hoping for a change but now im starting to wonder if that will ever happen I USE TO LOVE YA BRENT STREET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I STILL HAVE HOPE IN BRENT STREET

I GO TO BRENT STREET AND AM IN JAZZ 1 AND I HAVE 1 THING TO SAY THAT THE EGOS OF MOST OF THE STUDENTS IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DECLINE OF BRENT STREET ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT IF YOUR LOUD OBNOXIOUS RICH AND GIVE JACKIE THE MONEY SHE NEEDS YOUR FRONT ROW OH YEAH AND ALSO IF YOU GO TO TDHS WHEN THE SCHOOL I OPENED THATS WHEN ALL OF THIS STUFF BEGAN TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST LIKE ONE OF BRENT STREETS DANCES MELTING POT REFLECTS WHATS HAPPENEING TO IT ITS MELTING IN A POT THAT WAS MADE BY THE PROBLEM ITSELF

OK, we all recognise that Brent Street is no longer what is was, but was are the other alternatives out there? Please supply information for people to have positive alternatives.

ED5 K&V ARE ALL GREAT SCHOOLS FOR JAZZ AND MUSICAL THEATRE MARIE WALTON MAHON IS ALSO GREAT FOR JAZZ AND TAP CAPITOL IS A GREAT FOR TAP ALLEGRIA AND ECOLE ARE GREAT STUDIOS FOR BALLET AND MODERN DANCERS THSES ARE JUST A FEW ALTERNATIVES THERE IS MORE OUT THERE.....

I HAVE SOME ADVICE DONT BE SOOOO ROUGH. BRENT STREET IS A GREAT SCHOOL FOR A DANCER WHO WANTS TO BREAK INTO THE HIP HOP INDUSTRY OR MUSICAL INDUSTRY BUT FOR A MODERN OR CONTEMPORARY DANCER IT IS NOT THE PLACE AND I SUGGEST YOU CHOOSE A PLACE THAT WILL DEVELOP YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN THIS DISCIPLINE EVEN MORE. I STUDIED AT NEWTOWN HIGHSCHOOL OF THE PEROFRMING ARTS AND ALSO ATTENDED BRENT STREET AND I HAVE FOUND THAT THE DANCERS AT NEWTOWN ARE WELL TECHNIQUED AND ARE DISCIPLINED WHICH IS A SIGN OF THE INTENSE CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY TECHNIQUE THE BRENT STREET DANCERS ARE NOT AS DISIPLINED BUT ARE TALENTED PERFORMERS WITH FUNKIER STYLES AND MUSICAL THEATRE BUT WHEN I HEAR THAT JACKIE CLAIMS THAT ALL THE DANCERS ARE JAZZ DANCERS AND NOT BALLERINAS THIS DOES LIMIT THEIR POTENTIAL AND I CAN SEE IT BENFITING THE STUDENTS IF BALLET AND CONTEMPORARY WAS TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY THE TECHNIQUE WOULD ALSO GROW AND THE REPUTATION OF THE OBNOXIOUS EGOTISTIC LOUD BRENT STREETER WHOS PUNCUALITY IS NOT THE BEST WOULD BEGIN TO DISSAPEAR. THE BRENT STREET KIDS HAVE MASSIVE POTENTIAL BUT JUST NEED TO WORK ON THEIR ATTITUDES AND ALL WILL BE SOLVED.

I GOT AN EMAIL TO CHECK OUT THIS SITE HAHAHAHAHAHA BRENT STREET SOUNDS CRAP NOW HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I LOVE ED5

I LOVE ALLEGRIA

BRENT STREET made me hate dancing

Stop Shouting

I am appalled at the sentiments expressed by this person in the name of K&V. Kelly and Vanessa never put down or denegrate other schools. They have a lot of respect for jacqui and her school. How dare you post any negative comment and attach their dance school name to it. I will be speaking to them tommorrow. I know who you are and they will not be impressed. In future if you have anything negative to say, use your own name. I am sure Kelly and Vanessa will tell you that tommorrow.

My daughter is in Glens senior Jazz and Tap classes and performance groups at Capital. The are challenging Brent st, as they always do. They beat them at Extreme. But they do so doing one night and a saturday per week. Yes Glen is the best, but he also makes kids cry...my daughter included....thats a top dance teacher for you. If you wnat to break into the industry, then its better to be prepared...its about the most competitive and brutal one out there. My daughter is also doing musicals at Musical Societies this year (42nd St, Oliver, Grease) and is doing Music (singing) for the HSC in 07. Do the combination we hope is giving her a rounded repertoire. So we were thinking of sending her to Brent st on 08, fulltime to see if it pushes her up to pro level. So to ask the question then: What are the alternatives? Dancing as good as Brent St or Capital, Singing as good as What? Acting as good as NIDA? Any real answers. Oh and BTW, Brent st is not expensive...Capital costs me about $5k for jazz and Tap over maybe 10 hrs a week max. Is the answer this: Split the Dance Singing acting into three and go to three separate ones part time? I'd really like some advice from someone who knows and does not have an axe to grind. The measure of course is what is the best pathway to a career. What overseas PA schools are worth looking at too? My email is steve1734@yahoo.com

Ok, you really want to know what has happened to Brent St.? Well I feel that the only way to find this out is to ask a constant competitor against the institution. A person who has been there, watching and evaluating the dances over the years. Yes *** oh shame I’m talking about eisteddfods. You make think they are petty competitions, but they’re really not, they are Brent St’s chance to she the best they’ve got in that way of dancer AND choreography, it I very suitable way of differentiating the standard and ‘passion’ of those, you it is all about passion, well who, when onstage does not perform with passion? If you don’t then you obviously aren’t a dancer because I do agree that passion is what fuels the fire, but it also comes down to the dance and dancers themselves. I have been dancing for 13 yrs, singing for 7 and acting throughout and as dancing goes, things change. If you don’t know this then who you to say that you have knowledge in the industry. At a younger age, say 4 years ago, Brent St were the almighty dance school, everyone feared being compared to them in any performance Genre, if, say you were at City Of Sydney eisteddfod and Brent St was in your section, you had no hope whatsoever. You just couldn’t compete. Especially with the full-timers, it was in a word phenomenal. The main reason for this was the quality of the teachers. If you get successful professionals from the industry, well, what do you expect but a professional standard? But we have all started to see the standard fall. Especially those who compete against their ‘best’, a few years ago their best were probably the best you’d ever see, I’m definitely not one to deny that, but nowadays they can be easily beaten. When up against Brent St, everyone has in the back of their minds the fear that they used to make you feel, that intimidation. But now its just a mutual respect of dancers, not even agitation. Now its just “oh, we’re against Brent St, let’s see what they’ve come up with now”. To all those who are pro-Brent St, then you obviously were there when the standard was high, but now, say the past 2 years, where the hell have you been?. I now go to Capital performance Studios, and not trying to sound high and mighty in any way but we’ve beaten Brent St in every open age jazz and tap section this yr that the 2 dance schools have been in. And we only rehearse once maybe twice a week, for about 3 hours at the longest during the school term, because we go to school, compared to Full-timers doing 25hrs was it? Now if Brent St is being beaten at every opportunity by school students who don’t practice nearly as much, we must ask ourselves, indeed what has happened. Oh and for ballet, that you say is studied there *** then excuse me for putting this but, it is a complete and utter joke, it is true that ballet greatly aids a dancer but please, don’t try and say Brent St is serious about it, I have gone to school such as Ecole Classique, Conlan College, Tanya Pearson, and have performed with the Australian Ballet, now for a girl the age of only 16 ,however, I think I might know a thing or 2 of what I’m talking about, when it comes to the style. And please believe me if you call that ballet then you are, I’m not very sorry to say, no judge in any case of dance. I must say that Glenn, our major dance teacher is probably the most emotionally unpleasant person you will ever meet, who I think is slowly going insane but also the most amazing choreographer I have ever come across, I can easily compare his skills to those of much higher standard than that of Fred Astaire and you will know if you’ve seen it, but he pattern work is something close to genius. Given that he does on occasion make the odd student cry, but seriously, what dancer hasn’t been yelled at for not giving 110% when asked. I myself on frequent occasion have been screamed at, but for motives I find quite reasonable. For a dance school where the open age dances are made up entirely by the most 2 people, and music done on computers I an office, rehearsing in a complex with 3 studios in total, with school students, the oldest fifteen, learning once or twice a week, we simply must say that Capital Performance Studios is of an amazingly high standard, even compared to Brent St, I’m not comparing this to the “musical theatre” was it? But instead to what the full-timers students at Brent St are being trained to do, it is obvious the course focuses on dance but even though the institution spends so much time on the Genre, the standard must indeed be considerably lower that that of 4 or 5 years ago. City Of Sydney is in less than a week, let us see how the two compare shall we? Good Luck to all may the ‘best’ DANCE school win.

I think people are getting confused as to what Brent St's Full-time course is exactly, it is not a place to learn to dance, sing, or act, it is a place to prove yourself amongst those who have learnt same thing. You go there to see if you are good enough to go there, that's it. Not to learn anything! please!! If you want ot learn how to dance, go to a dance school, the same with singing and acting, but dont expect to geain anything new at a place like Brent St. It's an institution for fine tuning and perfecting, if that! The only major achievment you can get out of it is saying to yourself, "well at least i got in, ast the audition!"

Hi there. I had a friend here earlier & our children go to different dance schools. I showed her this webisite & she was very upset by a comment posted from someone @ K & V. The comment was very immature & an unfair asessment by far. There is no point in judging something you don't know anything about. My friend & I are also a little annoyed (& hey we go to different dance schools remember) at other unfounded comments from people about Jacqui. Again, immature & unfair comments. Jacqui does not solely own Brent St or take all the money & she isn't 80 or 100 years old? Where the hell are you getting your facts from? Brent St is a business & right now Martin IS sorting out all the financial woes. Things like this don't happen overnight. You also have no idea about the fact that part of the money troubles arose from student fees not being collected & this would be why there was little funding for infrastructure. Hey, there were mistakes made but alot is being done now to correct the issues. Another fact for all is that the current studio at Waterloo is not owned by Brent St, it is a rental property & the owner has been approached for maintainence issues but refuses to spend any money on the place because as soon as Brent St moves out the building will be demolished & turned into apartments. Is that Brent Streets fault? Some people need to live a little & take the bad with the good, take it on the chin & not hold grudges. Do what you can to improve situations. Do your parents attend the parent meetings & say something about what you/they want/expect? Do we offer our suggestions or just complain about everything we don't like? I beleive in Brent St & I would never ever put another dance school down no matter how good or bad they were. What happened to good sportsmanship & good competition?

ALL YOU HATERS THAT SAY BRENT STREET IS BAD WHAT YOU HAVE TO REALISE IS THAT WE ARE JUST AS GOOD AS WE EVER WERE AND ARE STILL IMPROVING AND IF THE TRAINING WAS SO BAD THEY WOULDNT HAVE NEARLY 1,000 STUDENTS AND WE DEFINATELY SHOWED THIS TONIGHT AT EXTREME 3 FIRSTS AND A HIGHLY COMMENDED AND ON SATURDAY WE ILL BE DEFENDING OUR TITLES AT CITY OF SYDNEY FOR 17 AND UNDER JAZZ, SENIOR MUSICAL THEATRE, SENIOR CONTEMPORARY (6 YEARS IN A ROW)WE WON ALL OF THIS LAST YEAR AND WE WILL AGAIN IM WILLING TO BET ON IT HIVE IT A GO TRY AND WIN GO ON I DARE YA!!!!! ALL U GUYS JUST JELOUS COZ UR DANCE SCHOOLS ARE JUST NOT ON PAR WITH THE TALENT AT BRENT STREET STUDIOS WE ARE AUSTRALIAS BEST DANCE SCHOOL AND WE CONTINUE TO PROVE IT FROM YEAR TO YEAR SO GET OVER IT WE ARE GREAT NOT AWFUL LIKE YOU ALL SAY WE ARE!!!! STOP HATING IF WE WERE BAD WE WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO WIN 1ST PLACE AT EEEEVVVVVVRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY ESITEDDFOD WE ENTERED COUNT THE TROPHIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA AND GOT ALL U BITCHES A FIFTH PLACE SO BE THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD IT TAKES YEARS TO GET A REPUTATION AND IT CAN TAKE A SECOND TO LOSE IT I BELIEVE WE HAVNT LOST ANYTHING AND I WANT PROOF OF IT I CAN NAME MORE THAN 60 PEOPLE WHO LOVE BRENT STREET SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PLEASE LEAVE THE BITCHINESS AND STOP SAYING HOW BAD IT IS I LOVE IT AND I WOULD NOT BE ANYWHERE ELSE............ LUV YA BRENT STREET!!!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH AND THAT BITCH THAT SAID THAT CAPITOL HAS BEATEN BRENT STREET AT EVERY OPEN AGE SECTION THIS YEAR IS FULL OF SHIT COZ WE HAVNT ENETERED ONE OUR FIRST SYDNEY EISTEDDFOD FOR JAZZ WAS TONIGHT SO UR FULL OF SHIT BITCH!!!!!!!!!! AND IF YOU GET TO REHEARSE TWICE A WEEK FOR THE ANMOUNT OF 3 HOURS WE REHEARSE ONCE A WEEK FOR AN HOUR SO GET OF UR PEDESTAL AND BOW GRACIOUSLY!!!!!!!! OH YEAH AND REAL DANCER I TO AM IN THE BALLET CIRCLE AND I KNOW ABOUT 10 PEOPLE THAT GO TO ECOLE AND IT AINT ECOLE CLASSIQUE ANYMORE ITS JUST ECOLE SO GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT AND I KNOW MORE THEN 10 PEOPLE WHO GO TO TANYA PEARSON YOU TELL ME UR NAME AND ILL TELL YOU IF YOU REALLY ARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE OH YEAH AND THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET YOU SAY YOU PERFORMED WITH THEM AND I KNOW HEAPS OF PEOPLE THAT PERFORMED IN THE YOUNG VERSION OF THE NUTCRACKER ITS NOT LIKE YOU ACTUALLY WEN TO THE SCHOOL BIATCH SO SHUTUP TELL ME WHAT YEAR AND WHAT BALLET YOU DID AND ILL TELL EVERY1 THE TRUTH I BET UR FULL OF SHIT IVE ALREADY CAUGHT OUT MOST OF UR LIES!!!!!! OH YEAH AND "REAL DANCER WHAT EVER YOU CALL YOURSELF" WHEN YOU SAY YOU HAVE ONLY 3 STUDIOS WHO GIVES A SHIT THAT SHOUDLNT MAKE IT HARDER FOR YOU TO WIN WE HAVE THE TALENT AND WE PROVE IT AND DONT SAY THE OLDEST STUDENTS ARE 15 WHEN UR 16 YOU LYING BIATCH SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH AND AT CITY OF SYDNEY WE WILL BRING THE TALENT YOU BRING YOUR POSSE OF BITCHES AND MAY THE BEST DANCE SCHOOL WIN I WONDER WHO THATS GONNA BE ILL GIVE YOU A HINT 2 WORDS BEST DANCE SCHOOL IN SYDNEY ITS CALLED BRENT STREET MAYBE YOU HAVE HEARD OF IT!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD NEVER HAVE SAID ANYTHING I WOULD HAVE BEEN FAIR BUT YOU TOOK IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL BRING IT ON CAPITOL WE ARE READY!!!!!!!!!!!1

i am a student at brent street and jacqui has never made any of us cry as "PJ..." stated. she has always supported us and encouraged us. I think that it is disgusting that anyone could speak about anyone like that without any foundation, and for the record i think shes about my mums age.

I WOULD NOT BE THE DANCER I AM TODAY WITHOUT BRENT STREET IT HAS PREPARED ME FOR THE INDUSTRY I HOPEFULLY WILL BE ENTERING SO PLEASE STOP THE BITCHINESS ITS NOT WORTH IT IT JUST MAKES YOU ALL LOOK LIKE SAD CASES SERIOUSLY GROW UP

YOU ALL GOTTA CALM DOWN THIS WHOLE SUBJECT ON BRENT STREET HASNT SHOWN ANYTHING BUT THE JEALOUSY YOU ALL HAVE TOWARDS BRENT STREET AND THE COMPETATIVNESS OF THE DANCE SCHOOLS IN SYDNEY YOU ALL SHOULD BE HAPPY FOR EVERY DIFFERENT SCHOOLs TRIUMPHS WHO CARES IF ANOTHER IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER WE ARE THERE TO LEARN AND BECOME AS BEST DANCERS AS WE CAN NOT TO WIN EVEN THOUGH WE ALL LOVE TO. WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID IS A MESSAGE FROM ALL THE STUDENTS AT BRENT STREET WE TREAT YOU WITH RESPECT AND WE WANT TO BE TREATED THE SAME IT DOESNT MATTER IF WE WERE THE BEST IN THE WORLD WE ARE JUST STUDENTS TRYING TO LEARN AND GET BETTER NOT TO TRY AND BEAT ALL OF YOU GUYS. Jacqui doesnt deserve this ur all cruel half of you dont even know her i dunno why u al give a crap bout htis anyway half of you dont even go to brent street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, its interesting isn’t it?, people who are so defensive obviously have some weakness to defend. 1. You seriously need to read properly before you call me a liar, the people who this post is aimed at, i.e.: parents looking out for the changing standards of dance nowadays, know Ecole traditionally as Ecole Classique. 2. You say you haven’t entered any open age section this yr? PLEASE!! Where were you at the open age Tap sections at Wahringah and Extreme and the open age jazz section at Wahringah. 3. Its really not necessary to repeatedly call people bitches, you may find that you are displaying the 'bitchiness' that people have complained about experienced by those unfortunate enough to encounter one such as yourself with such a limited vocabulary. 4. I did not say that Capital is better (you might want to check the spelling yourself) than Brent St, I said that going by this yrs results, the outcomes have been in favor of Capital, you can not deny that going by the results in the eisteddfods this yr, in the open age sections, which Brent St have competed in, Capital has been of a higher standard. I personally was blown away by the level of tap this yr at Extreme, but look at the results and they will tell you what I’m trying to imply. I am not trying to put Brent St down, I myself am thinking of going there the yr after next for the full-time course that is what is driving me to write this, i want to be sure that I’m not leaving something good for something of a similar/ or lower standard if I’m going to be paying $7000 for 25hrs a week rather that considerably less for a less amount of hours, but better results. If you also closely read my previous comment you will find that I have the utmost respect for Brent St, my best friend is currently doing the full-time course there and when thinking of dancing performing professionally, one wants to have the best possible training, and presently Brent St is not at the standard it once was, but no-one knows what the future holds. Also if people are so worried about getting into the professional industry at that level in musical theatre, look at the industry we are faced with in Australia, or lack there of. If you really want to be successful it is simply put that you must go overseas, we have one maybe 2, or shock perhaps 3 major productions a year, where if you compare to the west end in London, you will find at the moment there are 17 productions, we can hardly call what we have in Australia anything close to an industry. Also at the end of the day the worries of training are not the biggest if Musical Theatre is what you want to do, it is after you have completed your training, what to do next, we have so little jobs to offer in Australia that you have to be of an amazing standard you get major roles, it is all about connections these days, that is what Brent St have got right. And I’m never going to deny that Brent St know at least someone in anything. The contacts built up over the years are truly to be commended. But seriously the language is just inappropriate.