The Middle School Dance Course (Years 10 and 11) is designed to meet the needs of the young dancer that aspires to a future career in the dance industry.
Classical ballet is the primary focus of the Dance Course. Pupils also study Contemporary and Jazz Dance and have additional classes in Pointe work, Repertoire, Virtuosity, Pas De Deux, Solos, Pilates, Body Conditioning and Weights. Training is supplemented by RAD Ballet, Cecchetti Ballet and ISTD Modern and Tap syllabus classes, all delivered via Saturday lessons.
Students also attend lessons in Contemporary (Cunningham and Release) and Jazz Dance, ensuring they become well-rounded and capable performers across all three genres. Additional training in Pilates, Body Conditioning, and Weight Training help students to develop healthy and strong bodies capable of performing at the highest level.
Course Summary
The course is designed for the aspiring dancer who seeks to have a career in the dance sector. Young dancers hoping to enter a vocational performance qualification thrive in this environment, where both a rigorous physical training schedule and a nurturing of individual artistic expression come together to help students achieve levels of excellence.
Students study a variety of dance genres including; classical ballet, pointe work, solos, repertoire, pas de deux, contemporary, jazz, pilates, conditioning, fitness and weights.
Course Structure
Classical ballet is the focus of the course, serving to create a strong foundation upon which the young dancers can develop their skills and hone their abilities. Students attend daily technique lessons, supplemented by further lessons in pointe work, virtuosity, pas de deux, repertoire, and solo performance.
Students are also able to supplement their vocational training with syllabus classes in RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern and Tap, enabling students to achieve these useful qualifications via additional Saturday lessons.
The annual Young Dancers Show takes place at the end of the spring term. This is an opportunity to showcase the technical and artistic skills of our pupils developed during the year. Works are created encompassing all learned genres, created and taught by in-house choreographers and repetiteurs.
Fees & Funding
The school offers Music and Dance Scheme Awards, funded by the Department for Education. The awards are designed to ensure that access to excellent training may be given to talented young dancers regardless of their background or financial circumstances. These are means-tested awards and therefore the level of funding is dependent on parental income.
FAQs
The audition is a classical class, and a jazz combination. A solo of your choice is also required in any genre you wish to show.
1 minute in length.
Academic subjects are held in the morning from 8.30am and vocational classes start at 1:45pm and go on until 6:30pm.
Find Out More
Mr Antony Dowson ARAD, PDTC Dip. | Artistic Director of Encore and Graduate Programmes
Miss Lorraine Jones LISTD (MTH, Tap), AISTD (CB, NT) | Director of Dance Course, Head of Dance