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What We Are:
We're a Recreational Dance School:
For many of our students,
dance is one part of a rich & diverse extra-curricular life. While
we build solid technique & performance skills, the majority of our
students attend between 1 & 3 classes per week. While many of
our students take classical lessons, many just do jazz lessons.
We cater for the 99.99% of dance students who are not going to become
ballerinas with ballet companies.
We teach a love of dance.
What We're Not:
While our aim is to
provide the recreational student with a positive dance experience, other
schools will be a better choice for those seeking a career as a dancer or
for whom Eisteddfod success is all-important.
We're Not a Vocational Classical School:
Students who wish to pursue a career as a ballerina should carefully
select a vocational dance school. Vocational schools typically
insist on students attending upwards of 5 classical ballet lessons
per week. Weigh-ins & eating disorders are unfortunately
commonplace. To be successful as a ballerina, students must possess
the ideal bone structure & physique. It is also generally necessary
to undertake full-time dance training by the time the student
reaches 15 years of age. This effectively means either an
abandonment or at least a postponement of high school & tertiary
studies until after the completion of their ballet dancing career.
Teachers concentrate on those students who show the most promise &
therefore the best likelihood of being placed with a ballet company.
The class environment & teaching techniques are consistent with a
purely results-driven focus. There is nothing inherently wrong with
vocational schools, indeed attendance at vocational schools is
essential for the 0.01% who have the ability,
physique, drive & total commitment to make it as a ballerina.
However, these schools can produce an unfortunate dance experience
for those who, for whatever reason, are unlikely to succeed as a
ballerina.
We're Not an Eisteddfod School:
Some schools stake their reputation on Eisteddfod success.
Like vocational classical schools, these schools are extremely
results-driven & their teaching techniques, dancer selection methods
& class atmospheres naturally reflect this. To guarantee Eisteddfod
success, you combine lots of rehearsal time with simple routines,
then enter dozens of Eisteddfods each year.
The end result is a polished routine which will be pleasing to
adjudicators. Although far less demanding than a classical
vocational school, these schools nonetheless require a significant
investment of time & money, as well as prioritisation over other
sporting, cultural or social commitments. They are certainly the
right choice for those students (or parents) for whom Eisteddfod
success is paramount.
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