The latest development of The Royal Ballet School’s aDvANCE initiative begins on Saturday 15 October, when 30 Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) contemporary dance students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance visit The Royal Ballet Upper School in Covent Garden. The project marks the unique collaboration between these two leading centres of excellence and will be led by former Royal Ballet School student Toby Norman-Wright.
In keeping with the aims of aDvANCE, this project is designed to enable students of The Royal Ballet Upper School and Trinity Laban Dance to share skills and learn from the differences in their respective dance training. Both organisations are funded by the Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme which helps to identify and assist children with exceptional potential, regardless of their personal circumstances, to benefit from world-class specialist training.
The groups will work weekly at both the Laban Centre in Deptford and The Royal Ballet Upper School in Covent Garden. The project will culminate in the creation of a new collaborative performance piece which will be presented in the Linden Studio Theatre at The Royal Ballet Upper School on 2 and 3 February 2012.
The Royal Ballet School’s Dance Partnership & Access Programme aims to develop skills and knowledge in ballet through programmes of creativity, cultural and artistic exchange.
Jay Jolley, Assistant Director of The Royal Ballet School, comments:
“We are excited by this opportunity to work in partnership with the Laban Centre for Advanced Training. This collaboration is designed to engender meaningful and creative dialogue between students from different dance disciplines and I am sure the experience will prove inspirational for all the young people involved.”
Mirella Bartrip, Head of Trinity Laban Dance, adds:
“I know that this will be a rewarding collaborative experience for the students of Trinity Laban’s CAT and aDvANCE – a wonderful opportunity to enhance their creative and technical skills, increase their networking opportunities and widen their horizons”
For further information, please contact:
Jim Fletcher, Development Manager,
The Royal Ballet School.
T: 020 7845 7074; M: 07768 455667; E: jimf@royalballetschool.co.uk
Susie Haywood, Interim Media and Public Affairs Consultant,
Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
T: 020 8469 9549; M: 07912 963 427: E: s.haywood@trinitylaban.ac.uk
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Notes for Editors
The Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the world’s great ballet schools. A vocational ballet school participating in the Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme, the School's mission is to train and educate classical ballet dancers to the highest
standard and to provide an accessible resource for students, teachers and the wider community
Dance Partnership and Access Programme
The Royal Ballet School’s Dance Partnership & Access Programme was established in 2004 to provide broader access to ballet and the work of The Royal Ballet School. Over the past seven years a national programme of long term, sustainable primary and secondary school projects have been established with funding from the Department for Education. During 2010-11 the Dance Partnership & Access Programme offered a creative introduction to ballet to over 2500 children and young people.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is the UK's only conservatoire of music and contemporary dance. Leaders in music and contemporary dance education, our innovative course provision, exciting performances and groundbreaking education, community and social-inclusion work make Trinity Laban a leader in the advancement of creative artistic practice. The unequalled expertise and experience of our staff and our world class facilities are housed in landmark buildings in Greenwich and Creekside, South East London - www.trinitylaban.ac.uk
aDvANCE – Specialist Schools Partnership Scheme
The Specialist School Partnership aims to widen access to the unique resources of The Royal Ballet School by establishing partnerships with Specialist Performing Arts and Sports Colleges. Participating schools are invited to select from a menu of activities designed to introduce pupils to ballet and The Royal Ballet School.
Two Specialist Schools take part in longer term projects each year. These are designed to facilitate an exchange of skills between The Royal Ballet School students and Specialist School students. Students from both schools work with a choreographer once a week for a term to create a joint piece. These projects culminate in performances at the RBS and a theatre local to the partner school.
Toby Norman-Wright
Toby started dancing at the age of six. A few years later he joined The Royal Ballet School. Toby joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1991, where he danced for 12 years as a soloist. During this time he also choreographed several pieces for the company and got involved with their education work. Having completed an MA in multi-cultural dance and an arts management course, he left the ballet company to become Dance Officer for Arts Council England, East Midlands. He then went on to lead several dance projects for The Prince’s Trust and The Royal Ballet School and to lecture for Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry Universities.
Toby has recently completed a specialist dance fellowship on The Clore Leadership Programme and graduated from Common Purpose ‘Matrix’, a cross-sectoral leadership programme. A fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Toby has collaborated previously with The Royal Ballet School’s Dance Partnership and Access Programme.