All Classes

Toddlers

Age: 2.5 to 4 years old

Pre-Primary

Age: 4 to 5.5 years old

Our classes form a great tool to support a strong cognitive and psycho-motor development in children of this age. Structured on the respected Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, our classes have the originality of added nursery and original songs. In addition to learning the ballet basics such as 1st position, turn out and steps such as skipping, jumping and galloping, our classes follow a story trail, thus encouraging children to develop their imagination and musicality, bringing them gently into the discipline of classical ballet. Props also play an integral part of our classes at this level with the use of scarves, batons, flag etc. As musical development plays a big part in early dance training, all our classes for this age group are accompanied by experienced pianists. If you're interested in exploring our method of teaching for this age group in more details, we recommend checking out “MyBallet Method” by Lydie Schrepfer; due to come up by the end of the year.

When you first attend: Parents are invited to watch their child’s first class, but your presence in class may be a disruption to the rest of the class. So once your child is settled in, we invite you to stay in the waiting area where dance magazines and books are at your disposal. Thank you for your understanding.

Primary

Age: 5 to 7 years old

Our Primary class encourages self-discipline and self-expression, developing listening skills, encouraging children to follow instruction, learning to work as an individual and in a group. It develops co-ordination, good posture, strength and flexibility. Our ballet class provides a nurturing environment for development of artistry and musical appreciation too! From this age, we want our Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) based classes to stay imaginative, guiding children through the demands of classical technique with constant encouragement and inspiration. In keeping with the quality of our tuition for younger children’s classes are also accompanied by experienced pianists.

When you first attend: Parents are invited to watch their child’s first class, but your presence in class may be a disruption to the rest of the class. So once your child is settled in, we invite you to stay in the waiting area where dance magazines and books are at your disposal. Thank you for your understanding.

Grade 1

Age: 6.5 +

Grade 2

Age: 8 +

Grade 3

Age: 9 + (by ability)

From Grade 1 pupils are offered to enter for their first RAD Grade 1 ballet examination should they wish to.Examinations are not compulsory, and children may chose to just move up, however MyBallet Academy likes to offer the option of ballet exams to those pupils who are keen to focus on perfecting the syllabus. We believe it is good for youngsters to study towards exams as it encourages them to practice and perfect steps working hard towards achieving a goal. RAD Grades 1 to 3 constitute Level 1 of the RAD’s Graded syllabus and are the equivalent to GCSE Grades D-N or NVQ Level 1. RAD Grades 1 to 3 promote “feeling before form” where the children are unafraid to try out new sensations of spinning, leaping and balancing. Musically inspired, exercises motivate pupils to acquire a well-rounded understanding of ballet and character work, and promote joy in movement, sense of dance and performance quality. The music for Grades 1 to 3 is a glorious collection of three centuries of dance music. In our Grade 1 to 3 classes, student develop their understanding of ballet technique, their co-ordination, good posture, strength and flexibility, and in a nurturing environment develop their artistry and musical appreciation. Pupils learn Ukrainian (Grade 3), Hungarian (Grade 2) and Russian (Grade 1) Character work too. At this level, we want our Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) classes to stay imaginative, guiding students through the demands of classical technique with constant encouragement and inspiration.

Grade 4

Age: 10 + (by ability)

Grade 5

Age: 10 + (by ability)

RAD Grade 4 and 5 constitute Level 2 of the RAD’s Graded syllabus and are equivalent to GCSE Grade A*-C or NVQ Level 2. Following on from Grade 1-3, the knowledge and skills gained through completion of Grade 4 and 5 provide a base for continued progression through the RAD syllabus into Grade 6, 7 & 8, Discovering Repertoire, or to prepare the candidate for Vocational Grades Intermediate to Advanced. The underlying philosophy of Grade 4 and 5 is to expend upon the foundations nurtured in Pre-Primary up to Grade 3, providing the student with sequential syllabus that will promote a developmentally appropriate and sound technique for ballet, underpinning secure technique while continuing to nurture the student’s awareness of artistry, musicality and dynamics. In our Grade 4 and 5 classes, students will develop their ballet technique, arouse their creativity with a modern ballet section and learn Russian, Italian (Grade 4), Polish and Spanish (Grade 5) Character Dance styles. At this level, we want our Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) classes to stay imaginative, guiding students through the demands of classical technique with constant encouragement and inspiration. As the syllabus becomes more physically demanding, we strongly encourage our Grade 4 and above student to also take our PBT Classes to make their training complete.

Grade 6, 7, 8

Age: 11 + (by ability)

Grade 6, 7 & 8 or Upper Grades are suitable for students who have completed Level 2 of the RAD graded syllabus, Grade 5 ballet or equivalent. The RAD Upper Grades constitute Level 3 of the RAD’s Graded syllabus and are equivalent to an A level or NVQ Level 3. Following on from Grades 4 and 5 the knowledge and skills gained through successful completion of the Upper Grades provides a basis for progression to further personal development, lifelong learning and further and higher education opportunities. The Upper Grades are taken into account by universities and other HE institutions offering degree courses and programmes, and successful passing of Upper Grades exams carries UCAS points. Achievement of the Upper Grades contributes to a learner’s all-round achievement, as it helps to develop competencies such as motor control, self-expression, physical fitness, and stamina, discipline, mental ability and confidence. Students continue to study character, with an amalgamation of complex partner work in Polish, Russian and Hungarian styles, and develop their ballet technique mastering ballet romantic style. We encourage our Grade 4 and above student to also take our PBT Classes to make their training complete.

Repertoire Level 2

Age: 14 to 74 years old

Repertoire Level 2 is suitable for students aged 14 and up who have passed their RAD Grade 4 examination or equivalent and up. This wonderful syllabus will talk to all, teenagers to older dancers alike, enjoying ballet as a hobby or vocational students. The RAD Discovering Repertoire programme has been created with the aim of preserving the heritage of classical ballet as an art form and keeping the history of the discipline alive. Each level consists of a basic class unit and two units comprising a breakdown of simple development exercises, leading to a variation from a well-known classical ballet. The variations have been adapted for this programme and are very similar to those performed on stage. The programme offers a new style of flexible learning: each unit may be taken as an individual assessment or in combination with other unit(s) at any level. This bit-sized’ approach opens up the opportunity of performing much -loved classical ballet repertoire to a wider range of learners and highlights our commitment to giving dancers of all ages and abilities the chance to take part in ballets they have watched on stage. We encourage our Grade 4 and above student to also take our PBT Classes to make their training complete.

Vocational Classes

Age: 12 + (by ability)

Suitable for students who have completed their RAD Grade 5 exam or equivalent, our vocational classes are designed for gifted students showing an interest in a professional dance carrier. Those classes are available by application only and at the discretion of MyBallet Academy. RAD Intermediate and above constitute Level 3 of the RAD’s vocational syllabus and is the equivalent to an A Level or NVQ Level 3. RAD Intermediate is accepted as the benchmark of achievement by Vocational Schools which are attended by the majority of young dancers intending to enter the profession. They are also taken into account by Universities and other HE institutions offering degree courses and programmes in dance and dance teacher education. Successful passing of vocational exams carries UCAS points. Students who wish to continue to dance but wish to keep it as a hobby are advised to take The RAD Discovering Repertoire Levels. We encourage our vocational students to also take our PBT Classes to make their training complete.

Adults

Age: 18+

Our Adult Classes are for all ages and are suitable for the over-50s too! Whatever your age, if you are looking for a new way to keep fit and active our adult ballet class will put a spring in your step. Whether you’ve never danced before or want to get back into the swing of it, our class has something for everyone. The RAD developed the Silver Swan program based on research into dance practice for older learners and our adult classes are only taught by Silver Swans Licensees. We strive to give you individual attention and will adapt our lessons to all ages and levels of experience and fitness. Our adult class comprises of exercises at the barre, centre work and deep relaxing stretch to finish.

PBT

Age: 11 to professionals!

Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) is an innovative program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon for students to understand the depth of training muscle memory in achieving their personal best in classical ballet. Marie has been known for her creative teaching skills for over 40 years and has trained many professional dancers and teachers worldwide. She has experimented with outstanding success the use of muscle memory to improve students understanding of core stability, weight placement and alignment for over 20 years. She has passed on her knowledge down to our teachers who are qualified to use her technique in parallel with our RAD training. Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) plays a significant role in the importance of understanding/improving muscle memory, strength and flexibility in our ballet training. Our PBT class is a great cross training for anyone who wishes to experience the workout of a ballet dancer – regardless of his/her own dancing experience. The class begins with a warmup, then works its way through all the major muscles involved in the training of Ballet. Focusing on correct pelvic alignment, core stability, back and shoulders, hamstrings, quads, adductor and abductors muscles, foot and lower leg work. It finishes with an intense ballet stretch, looking at safe stretching practices students can take home. This class is perfect for any student with weakness in a particular region, recovering from injury, or wishing to improve their flexibility.

Rambert Grades

Age: 7+

Rambert Grades is a pioneering contemporary dance syllabus born from the partnership between two of the world’s leading contemporary dance organisations: Rambert and Rambert School. Across eleven grades, the syllabus offers students the opportunity to develop lifelong skills. Rambert Grades encourages young people to own their individuality, be playful, work in a present manner, think independently, relate with others and have confidence in decision making while learning and embodying its three strands, Technique, Performance and Creative. The Rambert Grades syllabus is progressive and inclusive and is designed to be accessible for people from all backgrounds. Our Rambert Grades teachers are taught to promote a safe environment where physical explorations can exist without rigidity, yet with focus, discipline and collaboration. Students are seen as individuals and encouraged to express their ideas and discover their unique voices. Each grade includes exploring how to create material and improvise, learning all elements of technical skill to the highest standard, from floorwork to complex leaps, and performing solo material from renowned choreographers, Hofesh Shechter and Alesandra Seutin. Rambert Grades is an awarding organisation recognised by Ofqual.