PRESS RELEASE

October 2012

More than 100 young dancers (aged 8-16) as well as dance teachers from all over Scotland have already signed up for the rare opportunity of attending workshops and master classes offered in Glasgow by The Royal Ballet School.

Based in London - with eight Outreach hubs throughout England - The Royal Ballet School will make this special two-day visit on 17 and 18 October, hosted by the Dance School of Scotland.

There will be a variety of sessions available, offering Scotland’s dance community first hand experience of The Royal Ballet School’s unique system of dance training and teaching methods. The residency will take place in the Dance School of Scotland’s campus at Knightswood Secondary School in Glasgow’s West End.

Teachers travelling to Glasgow will include The Royal Ballet School’s Assistant Director, Jay Jolley; Head of Outreach and Teacher Training Mark Annear and Associates Coordinator Sylvia Hubbard, all assisted by Glasgow-based dance teacher, Penny Withers.

Three sessions will be offered for the young dance students and a three hour session entitled Foundations of Classical Ballet Technique will provide Scotland’s dance teachers with the chance to explore some key areas in the teaching of classical ballet. This will also include taking part in a practical session showing special body conditioning exercises that The Royal Ballet School employs to aid technical and physical development.

Commenting on the visit, Director of The Dance School of Scotland, Kenn Burke said:

‘The Royal Ballet School is recognised as being one of the world’s top ballet schools and I warmly welcome this visit to The Dance School of Scotland. Young dancers as well as dance teachers will really benefit from the experience which will undoubtedly enhance participants’ understanding of technique, artistry and training methods’


For more information, please contact Jim Fletcher, Development Manager, The Royal Ballet School on 020 7845 7074 or 07768 455667 or by email jimf@royalballetschool.co.uk


Notes for Editors

The Dance School of Scotland is Scotland’s only fully-funded centre of excellence for vocational dance and musical theatre training. The School is funded by The Scottish Executive and is unique in that it is incorporated into a state secondary school: Knightswood Secondary School in Glasgow’s West End. Admission is based on talent alone and access to the School’s state-of-the-art facilities, outstanding dance and academic teachers, is free of charge for successful applicants.

http://www.thedanceschoolofscotland.org.uk/


The Royal Ballet School, established in 1926 by Dame Ninette de Valois, is one of the world’s great centres of excellence in dance training. The Lower School for 11-16 year olds is based at White Lodge, Richmond Park, South West London and the Upper School (16-19 year olds) is adjacent to The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.

With its centres in eight locations throughout the UK, the Outreach Programme enables The Royal Ballet School to achieve the key objective of identifying and nurturing exceptional talent wherever those individuals live and whatever their circumstances. Admission to The Royal Ballet School is based purely on talent and potential with more than 95% of its 220 students receiving financial support from the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme or from other sources. In any one year, the Outreach Programme engages with more than 3,500 aspiring, young dancers with about 1,000 of these auditioning for a place at the School. The Royal Ballet School admits 24 students into year 7 each year.

http://www.royal-ballet-school.org.uk/