The Royal Ballet School, recognised as a global leader in classical ballet education, has launched a one-of-a-kind video-on-demand service that allows dance students to access its world-class training anywhere and at any time. The new platform, Intensive Courses On Demand, offers any young person with a passion for ballet the opportunity to enjoy the School’s exceptional teaching from the comfort of their home at an affordable price. The first group of classes, aimed at children aged 11 to 13, will be available to buy online from Friday, Oct. 28 2022, with further content arriving over the coming months.

The School has made major strides in the digital teaching space in the last year. Earlier in 2022, the School launched its Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme for recreational dance teachers, and Primary Steps On Demand, a new online programme for primary schools. Now, Intensive Courses On Demand will make the School’s high-quality dance training available to an even wider global audience, with more dance students than ever before able to experience training with The Royal Ballet School.

Intensive Courses On Demand for Three Age Groups

The Royal Ballet School’s Intensive Courses On Demand will offer a range of online educational videos and practical classes. Users can purchase these individually or in bundles for a whole, curated course experience. Alongside insightful interviews, talks, and question-and-answer sessions with the School’s Artistic and Healthcare staff, the On Demand service will offer tailored classes for separate developmental age groups. These groups align with the age groups taught in the School’s full-time training programme:

• Age 11 to 13
• Age 14 to 15
• Age 16+

Benefits of Intensive Courses On Demand

Intensive Courses On Demand represents the best in classical ballet knowledge, expertise, and experience from The Royal Ballet School. To ensure the highest-quality experience for young dancers everywhere, the School has implemented feedback from a user test group and its student community into the programme’s development, filming the classes in-house with the School’s Artistic and content teams.

There are many benefits to Intensive Courses On Demand.

• Cost-effective: Videos start from £5 each, with dance classes from as little as £10.
• Flexible: Once purchased, the user has lifetime access to the class and can view this anywhere, on any device.
• Home-use friendly: Designed with the home environment in mind, the classes are suitable for smaller spaces, without the need for specialist equipment.
• Rich and varied content: Classes cover classical ballet, character and contemporary dance, body conditioning, and Pilates. Plus, focus classes highlight elements of classical technique.
• Expert instruction: Royal Ballet School instructors teach the classes, including the School’s Artistic Director, current Artistic faculty, and guest tutors.

World-Class Training From Royal Ballet School Teachers

Intensive Courses On Demand will offer classes from knowledgeable Royal Ballet School teachers who have personal experience performing with some of the world’s top dance companies. These include:

• José Carayol, Artistic Manager of the Foundation Programme and a former professional dancer and ballet master.
• Ricardo Cervera, an Upper School ballet teacher, formerly First Soloist and Ballet Master at The Royal Ballet.
• Belinda Hatley, Artistic Manager of the Development Programme and a former First Soloist at The Royal Ballet.
• Valeri Hristov, a White Lodge ballet teacher and a former First Soloist with The Royal Ballet.
• Daria Klimentova, an Upper School ballet teacher and former Soloist at English National Ballet and National Theatre Ballet Company in Prague.
• Liane McRae, a ballet and Scottish teacher at White Lodge and a former dancer with London City Ballet, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
• Leire Ortueta, a Pilates teacher who has danced as a Soloist at The Royal Ballet and with George Piper Dance, otherwise known as The Ballet Boyz.
• Kate Swainston, a character teacher at White Lodge and a former Soloist with the Johann Strauss Company.

Who Intensive Courses On Demand Classes Are for

While all Intensive Courses On Demand classes are non-selective, meaning anyone can buy them, they’re not suitable for total ballet beginners. To get the most from these classes, students should be studying a syllabus that a classical dance awarding body has approved.

The Royal Ballet School has designed the classes to supplement and enhance any training a student is currently taking. Therefore, the classes are ideal as a refresher resource, helping bridge the gap between a student’s training breaks. Alternatively, young dancers can follow the digital training alongside regular training to take their dancing up a notch.

By experiencing varied dance and teaching styles, students will enjoy increasing their versatility and confidence as a performer, refining their ballet technique and mastering new skills, and gaining a better understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

Young dancers taking part in the online classes will also gain priceless insight into life as a Royal Ballet School student and the qualities that the School’s teachers prize in their dancers, such as musicality, artistry, and self-expression.

Class Content and Release Dates

The Royal Ballet School is staggering the release of the online classes over the next few months:

• Classes for 11-to-13-year-olds will launch on Friday, October 28, 2022
• Classes for 14-to-15-year-olds will launch on in December 2022
• Classes for those aged 16+ will launch in early 2023.

Each release will include five new, age-appropriate videos: two ballet classes, two focus classes, and one class in another discipline, like character or contemporary.

The Royal Ballet School has already revealed the course content for students aged 11 to 13. The five classes are:

• Developing movement, dynamics, and self-confidence — a 60-minute ballet class exploring how awareness of the body and the understanding of movement dynamics can help students develop their confidence and performance style.
• Transference of weight — a 60-minute ballet class providing specially crafted, non-gendered exercises to help students develop accurate placement to aid weight transfer.
• Introduction to pointe work — a 30-minute focus class offering valuable information about preparing and wearing pointe shoes; how to stand on pointe correctly; and how to perform rises, relevés, and échappés on pointe.
• The basic elements of posture — a 30-minute focus class providing an overview of the basic elements of postural alignment, helping students bring awareness to their placement in static and dynamic movements.
• Polish court and folk dance — a 45-minute class guiding students through elements of character dances derived from Polish court and folk dance traditions.

From the start of December, students aged 14 to 15 can expect longer, in-depth classes covering subjects like foot articulation and co-ordination and mastering the transference of weight, momentum, and breath to fuel movement.

Videos currently available to purchase include Pilates classes, a talk on nutrition for dancers, and a conversation with the School’s Artistic Director Christopher Powney.

Discover The Royal Ballet School’s Intensive Courses On Demand.

About The Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School is a world-renowned centre for classical ballet education with a mission to nurture and train exceptional young dancers for futures with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and other pre-eminent UK and international companies. For generations, the School has produced internationally acclaimed dancers and choreographers like Margot Fonteyn, Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Anya Linden, David Bintley, Kenneth MacMillan, and Darcey Bussell. More recent graduates, such as Marcelino Sambé, Matthew Ball, Steven McRae, Brandon Lawrence, Delia Mathews, Marianela Nuñez, and Edward Watson, are now stepping into the spotlight and bringing their unique talents to audiences worldwide.

The Royal Ballet School admissions process disregards academic ability or personal situation, solely evaluating a young dancer’s talent and potential in classical ballet. On average, 88% of students depend on financial support to attend full-time training.

The School continually works to inspire future generations of ballet stars by widening access to its unique style of teaching. Its substantial Training and Access Programme provides resources for dance teachers and students, primary schools, and the general public.