The Royal Ballet School
The quality of its graduates speaks for itself. Dame Margot Fonteyn, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Sir Anthony Dowell, Dame Antointette Sibley, Dame Merle Park, Monica Mason, Lynn Seymour, Alessandra Ferri, Gailene Stock, Wayne Sleep, Marcia Haydee, Richard Cragun, Jiri Kylian, Wayne Eagling, David Bintley, Leanne Benjamin, Darcey Bussell, Viviana Durante, Eva Evdokimova, Alina Cojocaru and Christopher Wheeldon are just a few of the famous people who are products of this august center for ballet training.
As would be expected, The Royal Ballet School has a rich history. The founding of the school came in 1926 when Dame Ninette de Valois opened a ballet studio in London called The Academy of Choreographic Art. Inspired to create a repertory ballet company and school, she collaborated with Lilian Baylis, Manager of the Old Vic Theatre. When Ms. Baylis acquired the Sadler's Wells Theatre, deValois moved the School there in 1931, and it became the Vic-Wells Ballet School feeding dancers into the Vic-Wells Ballet Company. The School was renamed the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in 1939 and, at the same time, the Company changed its name to the Sadler's Wells Ballet.
In 1947, the School and Company acquired premises in an area slightly west of Central London called Barons Court. Because the Lower and Upper Schools needed separate facilities, the younger students moved to White Lodge, an eighteenth century former royal hunting lodge in Richmond Park. About an hour from the heart of the city, the huge park is filled with deer and other wildlife. It became a boarding school, combining general education and ballet training. The students aged 16 and above continued to work alongside the Company at Barons Court.
When the Royal Charter was granted in1956, the School and the Companies were renamed The Royal Ballet School, The Royal Ballet and The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet Company (later renamed Birmingham Royal Ballet following its move there in 1990). A major refurbishing of the London's Royal Opera House, which is in an area known as Covent Garden* was completed in 1999, and meant that it could fully accommodate the company allowing it to move from its Barons Court location. In January 2003, the Upper School moved to new premises on Floral Street, directly across from the Royal Opera House. The state-of-the-art studios are linked to the Royal Ballet's facilities by the award winning Bridge of Aspiration, an elevated walkway three floors above Floral Street. The space-like design of the bridge connecting two beautiful, historically significant buildings is quite an eye-catcher. But what is most significant is that by linking the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School, Dame Ninette's dream to have a school and company side by side in the center of London was realized.
For a ballet student with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, no situation could be more ideal than being enrolled at The Royal Ballet School. The Upper School has recently moved into a beautiful new physical facility, and the Lower School is beginning a £22 million renovation which will provide more housing for this boarding facility and additional studios.. But beyond the lovely buildings that house the School, lies a top-notch institution steeped in tradition and run by a dedicated, knowledgeable, experienced staff.
The goals of the school are:
Provide artistic and academic training of the highest possible caliber in a caring environment, offering all students of the School a positive learning experience which is constantly monitored for potential improvement
Achieve recognized accreditation for the vocational curriculum
Offer students as many performing opportunities as possible
Ensure that students have close practical and artistic access to the Royal Ballet companies
n Maintain a high employment rate of graduating dancers, with many being recruited to The Royal Ballet or Birmingham Royal Ballet
n Expand the international exposure of students of the School by participating in international competitions and festivals
Develop new state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities which will enhance the teaching and learning opportunities for students
Conduct an extensive Audition and Outreach program
Gailene Stock, the Director of the School, has held the position for six years. A graduate of the School, Ms. Stock has an illustrious and inspiring background. At age 8 she contracted polio and was told she would never walk again, let alone dance. With much determination, she proved them wrong, studied at the RBS and later accepted a contract to join The Australian Ballet. She later danced with the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet among others and attained the status of Principal dancer. When she became a mother (she is married to RBS faculty member, Gary Norman), she decided not to return to dancing, but to accept the job as the Director of the Australian Ballet School. One day she received a call from the Deputy Chairman of the RBS insisting she drop everything and fly to London. All of this happened in 48 hours. As an aside, it seems her only concern about making this move would be whether she could bring her
precious toy poodle.
With the dog on her lap and last year's Christmas card from the President of the School, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his two sons on the mantle in her office, Ms. Stock began to discuss her job. Her manner is one of dignified enthusiasm. She is consumed, at the moment, with the Lower School renovations. The new facilities will accommodate 75 of the 125 students and 6 house parents. These live-in chaperones are married couples who have children of their own; one has a daughter that went through the School. She says it's a warm, family experience for the young dancers, age 11 through 15, who are living away from home.
Recreational facilities at White Lodge include an indoor, heated swimming pool, a tennis court and a small football field. The Fonteyn Studio Theatre, named after Margot Fonteyn, the first graduate of The Royal Ballet School, converts from a fully equipped theatre with a seating capacity of 250 into one large studio or two smaller studios. These young students not only study classical ballet, but other subjects such as character, contemporary, gymnastics, Irish and Scottish dancing. In the higher levels they are introduced to repertoire, solos, pas de deux and upper body training for male students.
When Ms. Stock was quizzed about the authenticity of the movie, "Billy Elliot," in which part of the story was set at the Lower School, she replied that the act-ual filming did not take place in the School; it would have been too disruptive in the midst of a school year. The people who made the movie did observe classes and were informed about the audition process. They then filmed their own version of what they wanted it to be. As Ms. Stock says, "it was exaggerated, but close to the truth for the period it was set in. Auditions nowadays are much more relaxed and friendly. We want candidates to enjoy as much as possible the audition experience."
Now the movie has been turned into a musical, which opened in London's West End (London's equivalent of New York's Broadway) in the spring. The boy who is playing the lead role of Billy Elliott is a 12-year-old student at White Lodge. He is to do the part for only six months since he is expected to grow too tall after that period of time. The school has agreed to work around his performance schedule. They have three more boys from the School who are trained for the part as well as three 10-year-olds waiting in the wings, so to speak.
When the children finish the Lower School, they are not automatically promoted into the Upper School. There are many reasons why they may not be accepted. Maybe they have grown too tall, or physically the demands of classical training are just too much for their bodies. If this is the situation, the administration helps them find another school which will be more suitable for them.
At age 16 the children fortunate enough to be promoted from the Lower School are joined by other talented and well-trained students from all over the world. All students in their first year at the Upper School are expected to take up residence in Wolf House in West London. The house is near the London Underground's Barons Court station which allows travel to Covent Garden in about 20 minutes. The residence is under adult supervision 24 hours a day. Older students live in rented accommodations in the same area and have experienced adults available to help them find suitable premises.
The Upper School offers a three-year comprehensive course with classical ballet being the foundation of the curriculum. Solos and repertoire introduce the students to new and heritage works of the Royal companies. Knowledge of these ballets is essential since students are frequently required to perform with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. While character, contemporary, pas de deux , pointe work and upper body training for boys (to enhance pas de deux training) were studied in the Lower School, they now become more physically demanding at the Upper School. The study of Pilates is added to strengthen core stability for all students.
Guest teachers come to the Upper School from all over the world. This introduces the students to different dance styles and techniques. International choreographers coach students in new ballets and stage existing works which are often presented at the School's end of the year performances at the Royal Opera House. Recently, International Star, Carlos Acosta, worked with the students, as well as John Meehan, Director of American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company.
It may seem that the major emphasis is on dance training, but the RBS strongly believes that the students should continue with a solid platform of academic study in core subjects throughout their training as a dancer. A good general education complements and enriches a vocational career. It also provides security should a student later decide to change career direction, or suffer an injury which may cut short a dancing career. Academic lessons at the Upper School occupy two hours each day.
Time is devoted to music and arts appreciation, economic awareness, career, social and health education and discussion of current moral, ethical and spiritual issues. Visiting speakers are invited to lecture on a variety of topics, and visits to theatres are arranged.
For overseas students who may be unable to participate in some aspects of the curriculum, special courses are devised to enable them to develop their skills in English and to take examinations set by Cambridge University at various levels.
When Ms. Stock took over her post, the method of teaching was totally Vaganova. "We had graduates of the school who looked like they would have been fabulous in "Spartacus," but the Directors of The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet felt the training was not suited to the English repertoire. So I sat down and devised a syllabus that was still based on the Russian syllabus because it is very well constructed, but we wanted the students to integrate effortlessly into any major classical company--not just the Royal Ballet Company, and be able get a job anywhere. That's something I am very proud of. When I came here six years ago, the employment rate for our graduates was 48% and it's now 96%. I am very pleased about that."
How will this marvelous school perpetuate its very high standards? As Ms. Stock describes it, they have a very small Teaching Course which is basically for people "across the road" (meaning dancers in The Royal Ballet) because there are a lot of people over there who are very interested in teaching. She says that even though someone has been a great star, it doesn't mean they know how to train a young body. She feels it is very important that teachers have formal qualifications.
Before being accepted in the program, they must have had a minimum of 3 years full time employment in a professional dance company of major standing. They will already come in with a prior knowledge of terminology and methodology. Then they are taught music and how it relates to dance as well as child development and psychology. The course is taught in 4 modules of 12 weeks apiece. She explains, "an individual can organize their schedule coming across the bridge to do one module for 12 weeks. But then they might not do another module for another couple of months because they are on tour. For professional dancers, it's impossible to stop dancing for long periods of time to study a course. Breaking it up into four modules makes it possible for dancers to complete their teacher training. I am happy to have the program just so we can produce these great teachers who are qualified."
In addition to the Lower and Upper Schools, there is an extensive Outreach Program which caters to a wide variety of individuals across different age groups throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. The faculty of The Royal Ballet School works closely with teachers and students in dance schools through master classes and seminars as well as annual International Summer Schools. The program is designed to augment a young dancer's current training as well as introduce them to the training system of the RBS.
Junior and Mid Associate classes for students 8-13 years are held in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Poole and Bath. Students are encouraged to attend on a weekly or every two week basis. The Senior Associate classes for students 14-15 years are currently held in London and Birmingham. This program is intended for dancers who are considering serious dance training after the age of 16. Since the program's inception, many Associate students have progressed through the School into the Royal Ballet companies.
A vital part of the Outreach Program is the events that bring together teachers and dance organizations. Forums for teachers to discuss relevant topics relating to the training of students and open days for teachers to visit the Lower and Upper Schools are an important link with the dance community and provide a chance to experience elements of the School's System of Training
Audition dates and procedures as well as contact information can be accessed by going to the website: www.royalballetschool.co.uk
*In earlier years, the Opera House was surrounded by a bustling flower, fruit and vegetable market which was where Eliza Doolittle sold her flowers in "My Fair Lady", but now is a colorful piazza full of stores and shops known as Covent Garden Market. It is easily accessed by either Covent Garden or Leicester Square tube stops.
Janice Barringer is a former dancer and is now a ballet teacher and writer. She is the co-author of The Pointe Book and also On Pointe, both published by Princeton Book Company. She also has produced instructional DVD's, "Beginner and Lower Intermediate Pointe Classes" and "Intermediate Pointe Classes," as notated in The Pointe Book.