Wales Workshop Report

“We really enjoyed the workshops today. They were very child centred and had opportunities for all. The children were clearly engaged!”

Llandaff City Church in Wales Primary School

 General information about our workshops…

We have worked hard over the years to build a strong education programme in Wales. We have spent hundreds of hours in theatres, community centres, dance studios, school gymnasiums, and classrooms in an attempt to involve more people in dance – in watching it, in participating in it, and even just having an interest in it – and to try to break down the stereo typical image that seems to surround dancers (particularly male ballet dancers!)

We have built some great relationships over the years with head teachers, youth workers and dance teachers who understand what it is we are trying to achieve and who actively support us and endeavour to help. Our cooperation with these groups is of great value to us and has been paramount in our education work.

Each year Rubicon Dance provides training for the dancers of Ballet Cymru to lead and support the workshops we deliver to schools and community centres throughout Wales. As a result, ALL of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are very capable, knowledgeable and experienced workshop leaders which is vital for the high level and standard of education work we encourage and deliver. All of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are CRB approved and our workshops are constantly monitored and evaluated to maintain high standards and maximum safety.

Our workshops primarily cater for the ages of 7 and up. We employ strict health and safety, child protection, and equal opportunities policies. Each workshop is monitored and evaluated with photographs and monitoring forms. They are supervised by teachers and / or youth workers and no less than 4 company members from Ballet Cymru attend each session.

In all of our sessions we try to educate not only about ballet but dance in general. We always provide a small demonstration so the participants are able to see what it is we do as we endeavour to increase their knowledge and perceptions of dance. We encourage as much creativity as possible so our sessions always involve storytelling, step structure, demonstration, creativity and finally the production of a small dance.

We have developed our workshop structure over the years to form an educational package which we know is successful. This is not to say, however, that we are not constantly endeavouring to improve and expand on our education programme. The response and comments we gain from each session is fed back into the company to constantly assess and improve the work we deliver in the community.

Through receiving the JADE fellowship award for Education in 2009 we have also begun to work with a wider range of groups including working with adults and people with disabilities. We are excited about these developments and plan on continually developing work in these areas.

Our Welsh Autumn tour…

• Our education programme for our Autumn Tour ran from the 12^th of September to the 1^st of December, 2010
• In total Ballet Cymru has led 12 workshop sessions in schools, universities, colleges and theatres throughout Wales.
• We have also participated in 2 school demonstrations totalling 130 students watching and learning about dance.
• These sessions were broken up into 3 dance and creative workshops, 7 ballet workshops (including pas de deux) and 2 masterclasses.
• In total we worked with 330 participants – all watching, learning, creating, performing and actively participating in dance.
• The college we worked with was Neath Port Talbot College and also Rubicon Dance full-time course.
• The university we worked with was University in Wales Institute, Cardiff.
• The schools we worked with this Autumn Tour was A1 Dance Academy (Monmouth), Llandaff City Church in Wales Primary School (Cardiff) and Treorchy Comprehensive.
• The theatre where our workshop took place was The Grande Theatre, Swansea.
• New contacts for our education programme this tour were Llandaff City Church in Wales Primary School (Cardiff), Treorchy Comprehensive, Rubicon Dance full-time course, and University in Wales Institute, Cardiff.
• Our 3 day Treorchy Intensive also involved a curtain raiser performance at Parc and Dare Theatre, Treorchy as part of Ballet Cymru’s performance of Lady of the Lake.

By Amy Doughty                                                                                                                                                   

Education Officer                                                                                                                                                    Ballet Cymru                                                                                                                                               

*The dancers of Ballet Cymru are continually assessed in their leadership skills in all of our workshop sessions, which not only continually improve the quality of our Education Programme but also aids in the ongoing professional development of the dancers of the company.

Participant’s Comments

“I enjoyed the initial section where we worked on our ballet technique. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience”                                                                                                                                                                                  - Katie Rees, aged 17

“I thought the whole things was really good – very enjoyable and lovely people to work with”                                                                                                                                                                                   – Josee Cook, aged 17

“I really enjoyed it and found it useful that they came around to help us”                                                                                                                                                                                          – Hannah Jones

“I enjoyed it and never thought I would. Job well done.”                                                                                                                                                                              – Bethan Abbott, aged 17

“I thought it was really fun and it was easy to understand when I needed to do”                                       – Kate Jenkins, aged 12

“I enjoyed the workshop today as it gave me a better idea of what type of things you do in professional ballet. It was clear to understand what I needed to do and the members of the cast were more than happy to demonstrate”                                                                                                                                 – Emma Dempey, aged 14

English Workshop Report

“I enjoyed the experience of training with a company. I loved the range of exercises and the dance to finish and I just loved dancing with the cast”

Ellen Spence, aged 15, Lytham St Annes

General information about our workshops…

We have worked hard over the years to build a strong education programme in England. We have spent hundreds of hours in theatres, community centres, dance studios, school gymnasiums, and classrooms in an attempt to involve more people in dance – in watching it, in participating in it, and even just having an interest in it – and to try to break down the stereo typical image that seems to surround dancers (particularly male ballet dancers!)

We have built some great relationships over the years with head teachers, youth workers and dance teachers who understand what it is we are trying to achieve and who actively support us and endeavour to help. Our cooperation with these groups is of great value to us and has been paramount in our education work.

Each year Rubicon Dance in Cardiff provides training for the dancers of Ballet Cymru to lead and support the workshops we deliver to schools and community centres throughout England. As a result, ALL of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are very capable, knowledgeable and experienced workshop leaders which is vital for the high level and standard of education work we encourage and deliver. All of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are CRB approved and our workshops are constantly monitored and evaluated to maintain high standards and maximum safety.

Our workshops primarily cater for the ages of 7 and up. We employ strict health and safety, child protection, and equal opportunities policies. Each workshop is monitored and evaluated with photographs and monitoring forms. They are supervised by teachers and / or youth workers and no less than 4 company members from Ballet Cymru attend each session.

In all of our sessions we try to educate not only about ballet but dance in general. We always provide a small demonstration so the participants are able to see what it is we do as we endeavour to increase their knowledge and perceptions of dance. We encourage as much creativity as possible so our sessions always involve storytelling, step structure, demonstration, creativity and finally the production of a small dance.

We have developed our workshop structure over the years to form an educational package which we know is successful. This is not to say, however, that we are not constantly endeavouring to improve and expand on our education programme. The response and comments we gain from each session is fed back into the company to constantly assess and improve the work we deliver in the community.

Through receiving the JADE fellowship award for Education in 2009 we have also begun to work with a wider range of groups including working with adults and people with disabilities. We are excited about these developments and plan on continually developing work in these areas.

 Our English Autumn Tour…

• Our education programme for our Autumn Tour ran from the 23^rd of September to the 28^th November.
• In total Ballet Cymru has led 12 workshop sessions in theatres throughout England and Guernsey.
• These sessions were broken up into 1 dance workshop, 8 ballet workshops, 2 masterclasses and 1 pas de deux workshop.
• In total we worked with 147 participants – all watching, learning, creating, performing and actively participating in dance.
• The ages of the participants we worked with were from 5 years and up.
• The theatres where our workshops took place were Catmose Theatre (Oakham), The Landmark Theatre (Ilfracombe), The Lowther Pavillion (Lytham St Annes), Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts (Guernsey), The Windmill Theatre (Littlehampton) and The Plough (Torrington).
• The new venue for our education programme this tour was Catmose Theatre, Oakham.
• Our workshops were in conjunction for our performances of Giselle, Lady of the Lake and An Evening with Independent Ballet Wales.
• All workshops undertaken were free for participants to promote access and opportunity.

 By Amy Doughty                                                                                                                                                    Education Officer                                                                                                                    

*The dancers of Ballet Cymru are continually assessed in their leadership skills in all of our workshop sessions, which not only continually improve the quality of our Education Programme but also aids in the ongoing professional development of the dancers of the company.

Participant Comments:

“I loved to dance alongside the professionals”                                                                                                                                                                      Kathryn Spence, aged 15

“I really enjoyed dancing with a partner”                                                                                               Moesha Ronson, aged 10

“I enjoyed the experience of training with a company. I loved the range of exercises and the dance to finish and I just loved dancing with the cast”                                                                                                                                                                                             Ellen Spence, aged 15

“I think that the workshop was absolutely brilliant and I want to go to every single one I can”                                                                                                                                                                                     Emma Hattersley, aged 10

“I thought the workshop was really good fun, challenging and enjoyable”                                                                                                                                                                                      Amy Goacher, aged 13

“It was good and I liked the mime part so the story was easier to understand”                                                                                                                                                                                      Vikki Latter, aged 11

Summer Tour Workshop Report 2010

“The workshop was FANTASTIC! The opportunity to work with dancers who we saw performing was very special. Thank you”

John, Teacher at Hambleton CE Primary School

General information about our workshops…

We have worked hard over the years to build a strong education programme. We have spent hundreds of hours in theatres, community centres, dance studios, school gymnasiums, and classrooms in an attempt to involve more people in dance – in watching it, in participating in it, and even just having an interest in it – and to try to break down the stereo typical image that seems to surround dancers (particularly male ballet dancers!)

We have built some great relationships over the years with head teachers, youth workers and dance teachers who understand what it is we are trying to achieve and who actively support us and endeavour to help. Our cooperation with these groups is of great value to us and has been paramount in our education work.

Each year Rubicon Dance provides training for the dancers of Ballet Cymru to lead and support the workshops we deliver to schools and community centres. As a result, ALL of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are very capable, knowledgeable and experienced workshop leaders which is vital for the high level and standard of education work we encourage and deliver. All of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are CRB approved and our workshops are constantly monitored and evaluated to maintain high standards and maximum safety.

Our workshops primarily cater for the ages of 7 and up. We employ strict health and safety, child protection, and equal opportunities policies. Each workshop is monitored and evaluated with photographs and monitoring forms. They are supervised by teachers and / or youth workers and no less than 4 company members from Ballet Cymru attend each session.

In all of our sessions we try to educate not only about ballet but dance in general. We always provide a small demonstration so the participants are able to see what it is we do as we endeavour to increase their knowledge and perceptions of dance. We encourage as much creativity as possible so our sessions always involve storytelling, step structure, demonstration, creativity and finally the production of a small dance.

We have developed our workshop structure over the years to form an educational package which we know is successful. This is not to say, however, that we are not constantly endeavouring to improve and expand on our education programme. The response and comments we gain from each session is fed back into the company to constantly assess and improve the work we deliver in the community.

Through receiving the JADE fellowship award for Education in 2009 Amy also begun to work with a wider range of groups including working with adults and people with disabilities. We are excited about these developments and plan on continually developing work in these areas.

Our English and Scottish summer tour…

• Our English and Scotland education programme for our Summer Tour ran from the 8^th of May to the 17^th of July.
• In total Ballet Cymru has led 6 workshop sessions in theatres throughout England and Scotland. 
• These sessions were broken up into 3 dance workshops, 1 ballet workshops and 2 masterclasses.
• In total we worked with 92 participants – all watching, learning, creating, performing and actively participating in dance.
• The ages of the participants we worked with were from 7 years and up.
• The dance schools we worked with this Summer Tour was Marie Booth School of Dance and Lakeland Studio of Dance and Performing Arts (Keswick) and The Brockway Morris School of Dance (Ludlow).
• The schools we worked with was Hambleton C.E Primary School (Kendal).
• The theatres where our workshops took place were Falkirk Town Hall (Falkirk), Theatre By The Lake (Keswick), Brewery Arts Centre (Kendal), Northcott Theatre (Exeter) and Ludlow Assembly Rooms (Ludlow).

 By Amy Doughty                                                                                                                                                   

Education  Officer

JADEFellow                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

*The dancers of Ballet Cymru are continually assessed in their leadership skills in all of our workshop sessions, which not only continually improve the quality of our Education Programme but also aids in the ongoing professional development of the dancers of the company.

 Some workshop comments…

“I enjoyed the workshop today as I am very involved with dance and am considering it as a future occupation” – Eve Summers, aged 16

“I enjoyed the workshop because it was exciting!” – Jessica Rutherford, aged 10

“The workshop was BRILLIANT! My girls did a workshop on the stage and loved every minute. We would love to do another workshop!” – Marie Booth, Dance Teacher

“It was a wonderful opportunity for my students to participate in the workshop. We would very much like to do more of it in the future” – Avril Crellin, Principal of Lakeland Studio of Dance and Performing Arts”

“The workshop was FANTASTIC! The opportunity to work with dancers who we saw performing was very special. Thank you” – John, Teacher at Hambleton CE Primary School

“It was such fun and so wonderful to be taught by amazing professionals” – Jenny Scott, aged 42

“We could dance with real dancers and take part on stage!” – Helen Bate, aged 7

Summer Tour Workshop Report 2010

“The workshops were fantastic, very well explained and led. The children enjoyed them immensely. We look forward to the next!”

Teresa Davies, Performing Arts Assistant, Aberystwyth Arts Centre

General information about our workshops…

We have worked hard over the years to build a strong education programme in Wales. We have spent hundreds of hours in theatres, community centres, dance studios, school gymnasiums, and classrooms in an attempt to involve more people in dance – in watching it, in participating in it, and even just having an interest in it – and to try to break down the stereo typical image that seems to surround dancers (particularly male ballet dancers!)

We have built some great relationships over the years with head teachers, youth workers and dance teachers who understand what it is we are trying to achieve and who actively support us and endeavour to help. Our cooperation with these groups is of great value to us and has been paramount in our education work.

Each year Rubicon Dance provides training for the dancers of Ballet Cymru to lead and support the workshops we deliver to schools and community centres throughout Wales. As a result, ALL of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are very capable, knowledgeable and experienced workshop leaders which is vital for the high level and standard of education work we encourage and deliver. All of the dancers of Ballet Cymru are CRB approved and our workshops are constantly monitored and evaluated to maintain high standards and maximum safety.

Our workshops primarily cater for the ages of 7 and up. We employ strict health and safety, child protection, and equal opportunities policies. Each workshop is monitored and evaluated with photographs and monitoring forms. They are supervised by teachers and / or youth workers and no less than 4 company members from Ballet Cymru attend each session.

In all of our sessions we try to educate not only about ballet but dance in general. We always provide a small demonstration so the participants are able to see what it is we do as we endeavour to increase their knowledge and perceptions of dance. We encourage as much creativity as possible so our sessions always involve storytelling, step structure, demonstration, creativity and finally the production of a small dance.

We have developed our workshop structure over the years to form an educational package which we know is successful. This is not to say, however, that we are not constantly endeavouring to improve and expand on our education programme. The response and comments we gain from each session is fed back into the company to constantly assess and improve the work we deliver in the community.

Through receiving the JADE fellowship award for Education in 2009 Amy has also begun to work with a wider range of groups including working with adults and people with disabilities. We are excited about these developments and plan on continually developing work in these areas.

Our Welsh summer tour…

• Our Welsh education programme for our Summer Tour (not including Riverfront Summer Dance) ran from the 18^th of April to the 30^th June.
• In total Ballet Cymru led 21 workshop sessions in schools, community centres and theatres throughout Wales.
• These sessions were broken up into 8 dance workshops, 9 ballet workshops and 4 masterclasses (including pointe and pas de deux work).
• In total we worked with 350 participants – all watching, learning, creating, performing and actively participating in dance.
• The ages of the participants we worked with were from 7 years and up.
• The community groups we worked with this Summer Tour was Nubrico Youth Group (Rubicon Dance) and Tights & Toupees Drama group (Newport)
• The theatres where our workshops took place were Maesteg Town Hall (Maesteg), Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Aberystwyth), Borough Theatre (Abergavenny), Neuadd Dwyfor (Pwllheli) and Theatre Brechiniog (Brecon).
• The schools we visited were Rubicon Dance (Cardiff) and Ysgol Dawns Pwllheli (Pwllheli).
• New contacts for our education programme this tour were Nubrico Youth Group (Rubicon Dance), Ysgol Dawns Pwllheli, and Tights & Toupees (Newport)
• Days of Dance were held at Maesteg Town Hall and with the Cecchetti Association.
• This summer tour also included our Abergavenny Intensive in the Borough Theatre.

 By Amy Doughty                                                                                                                                                   Education Officer                                                                                                                                                  JADEFellow                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

*The dancers of Ballet Cymru are continually assessed in their leadership skills in all of our workshop sessions, which not only continually improve the quality of our Education Programme but also aids in the ongoing professional development of the dancers of the company.

Some participants comments…

“I enjoyed the workshop. I liked the part where we did Queen and Giselle and I learnt new steps” – Rebecca Glasser, aged 9

 “It’s really nice working with professionals” – Rose Gillison, aged 11

“I enjoyed the workshop because I wasn’t excluded from the activity” – Amy Miller, aged 10

“The instructions were very clear and a lot of positive advice was provided” – Phoebe Williams, aged 14

“I really enjoyed the workshop because the instructors are really nice and I love being on stage” – Aisling tarpey, aged 11

“My favourite part of the week was making the creative dance” – Honor Ellis, aged 11

“My favourite part of the week was dancing the ballet Giselle and being able to do a character in the repertoire section” – Jenni Jones, aged 20

“I really enjoyed the workshop because you get a say in what you do so it makes it more fun” – Jessica Axford, aged 12

“The workshop was just fantastic. It was so lovely to see every child having such a great time. Truly inspiring!”   – Tami Barma, Principal of Ysgol Dawns Pwllheli

“It was a fantastic workshop. It was really enjoyable” – Finn Sinead Evans, aged 9

“The workshop helped me a lot” – Brodie Jones, aged 15

“It was great and I loved learning some of the dances and watching them rehearse” – Chloe Walkden, aged 15

“I found the workshop just right for my ability of dancing” – Emily Chambers, aged 12

“I enjoyed the workshop because the teachers were nice and the dance was fun” – Elise Norgate, aged 12

Held at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

Sunday 15th – Thursday 19th August

10am – 5pm daily

Independent Ballet Wales are on the teaching faculty of Mid Wales Dance Academy Summer Course 2010 and we would love to see you there!!

Independent Ballet Wales will be teaching the Junior and Senior daily classical class and repertoire for the course. Other classes include Ballroom, Street/Hip-Hop, Contemporary and Musical Theatre. There will be a performance on the stage of Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, on the Thursday afternoon to showcase the students work from the week.

The course costs £90 for the week. To book your place please call Lesley Walker on 01874 623219 or email Lesley at lesley@ribbons.org.uk

Independent Ballet Wales are holding a UNIQUE DANCE PROJECT!

Designed to give participants the experience of working with the professional dancers of the company and creating a performance piece, participants of our Abergavenny Intensive will have the opportunity develop an understanding about the story of ‘Giselle’ and its characters, and create a performance piece based on its themes.

The professional dancers of the company will be running two courses:

1) Younger Dancers’ (age 7 – 11)

2) Elementary Ballet (age 12 & up)

Each day participants will be taken through a warm up, followed by company demonstrations, the learning of some of the company’s repertoire and producing choreography to create their performance piece.

Date: Tues 25^th – Fri 28^th May, 2010

Where: The Borough Theatre, Abergavenny

Cost: £40

The participants performance piece will be shown prior to Independent Ballet Wales’ performance of ‘Giselle’ on Friday the 28^thMay at 7.30pm at the Borough Theatre, Abergavenny.

Participants of the course will receive a workshop ticket which, when shown to the Borough Theatre Box Office, will also receive a complimentary ticket to Independent Ballet Wales’ performance of ‘Giselle’ at the Borough Theatre, Abergavenny on either Friday the 28^th or Saturday the 29^th of May at 7.30pm.

To apply for your place please return the application form below to:

Amy Doughty/Abergavenny

Independent Ballet Wales

30 Glasllwch Crescent

Newport

NP20 3SE

or amydoughty@welshballet.co.uk

For further information please email Amy at: amydoughty@welshballet.co.uk, or visit our website at www.welshballet.co.uk

ABERGAVENNY INTENSIVE

APPLICATION FORM

NAME: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

AGE: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

ADDRESS: ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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PHONE NUMBER: ……………………………………………………………………………………..

EMAIL: ……………………..……………………………………………………………………………..

COURSE: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please do not send any payment with this application. Payment details will follow with confirmation of your place on the course.

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