Philosophy

The Royal Academy of Dance holds Examinations and Presentation Classes in classical ballet which test the student's progress and ability.

Students may only enter for Academy Examinations and Presentation Classes if they have been trained by a teacher holding an Academy teaching qualification.

The Academy's Syllabus has been devised with great care to ensure the safe and correct training of students . It provides two distinct training pathways in classical ballet - Graded and Vocational Graded programmes.

The Grade Syllabus is for the younger children and is great fun to dance. The Vocational Grade Syllabus is for girls and boys over the age of 11 who wish to study ballet more seriously, possibly with a view to pursuing a career in dance or dance related subjects.

Examinations

The school presents children each year for the Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Examinations and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance Tap Examinations.

The Examinations begin with Primary when the children are 6 or 7 years old and continue through the Grades at intervals of approximately one year to eighteen months. They are in no way compulsory however, and there is no pressure put upon the children to enter but many pupils welcome the challenge of assessment and look forward to gaining their certificates.

The Examinations are very exacting , particularly for the once-a-week child. In the term prior to the exam, candidates take extra lessons to ensure a confident and polished performance.

In the past year, Dansarena's examination results have been very rewarding with 100% successes in Graded and Vocational examinations of the R.A.D. and the I.S.T.D.

Those pupils who do not wish to do examinations and wish to dance merely for pleasure are given every encouragement in their class work and are allowed to progress from one class to the next with the exam entrants.
Alternatively, they may decide to miss entering one Grade and join the next examination group when the required standard has been reached.

THE IMPERIAL SOCIETY OF TEACHERS OF DANCING

The tap and modern theatre examination structure of the ISTD is designed to cater equally for the once-a-week child and the child who will go on to make dance his/her profession, either as a performer or as a teacher. The work progresses through each level, building on the lessons previously learned as well as adding new skills. Musicality and artistry are valued as highly as technical execution and all syllabi are regularly reviewed to keep them up to date.