TH E I NTE R N ATION A L VOICE OF TH E I M PE R I A L SOCI E T Y OF TE ACH E RS OF DA NCI NG THE INTERNATIONAL VOICE OF THE IMPERIAL SOCIET Y OF TEACHERS OF DANCING
Issue 496 • September – December 2022
F E AT U R I N G
SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE 496
Teaching and progression
Practical advice for members
Dance advocacy campaign
Our toolkit for dance to thrive
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Members welcome Headquarters 22/26 Paul Street, London EC2A 4QE + 44 (0)20 7377 1577 istd.org Chair Michael Elliott Executive team Chief Executive Ginny Brown GBrown@istd.org Director of Dance Liz Dale LDale@istd.org Director of Examinations Janne Karkkainen JKarkkainen@istd.org Director of Membership and Communications Gemma Matthews GMatthews@istd.org Director of Education Louise Molton LMolton@istd.org Interim Director of Finance and Operations Lesley Baliga LBaliga@istd.org Advertise in Dance magazine Email marketing@istd.org Tel + 44 (0)20 7377 1577 Cover photograph: ISTD mock exams Photo by Drew Tommins Design by Membership and Communications Department Printed by Gemini Print Unit A1 Dolphin Way Shoreham by Sea West Sussex BN43 6NZ © 2022 Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing exists to advance excellence in dance teaching and education. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered No. 00392978 England. Registered Charity No. 250397
“Teaching dance enables members to have a real impact on the lives of others.” Welcome to edition 496, which has a focus on dance teaching and progression. As I write, many teachers are enjoying a well-deserved break before preparing for what, we sincerely hope, will be the first disruption-free school year since 2018/19. As we emerge into the post-pandemic landscape, we are critically aware of the need to support our members to rebuild sustainable, resilient dance businesses. So that you, in turn, can provide as many people as possible with opportunities to experience the life-enhancing benefits of dancing. In this edition, we explore how teaching dance enables members to have a real impact on the lives of others. In his article about diversifying the talent pipeline (page 10) ISTD trustee, Sho Shibata outlines why it makes sound business sense for us all to work together to close the opportunity gap. And this idea is at the heart of our exciting, new national advocacy campaign. Turn to page 12 to read about all the ways we will be promoting the value of dancing and the importance of learning with an ISTD teacher and how you can get involved. There’s further inspiration from members who are already leading the way in broadening access (page 4) and developing their professional skills, supported by ISTD bursaries (page 16). Our examiners have thoroughly enjoyed returning to your schools to examine your pupils in person over the past few months. We know that the opportunity for students to share their learning and achievements with an ISTD examiner is a highlight of the school year. So, this edition is packed with tips on how to make the most of your exam day (page 22) and an introduction to our new lead examiners (page 18). Plus, lots of suggestions of shorter awards that can help to rebuild confidence and relight your students’ motivation to achieve and progress. With my warmest wishes for a restful holiday period and every success for the new school year. Ginny Brown Chief Executive Dance | Issue 496
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Regulars Membership matters 12 Helping our dance schools to thrive We introduce our national advocacy campaign and explain the steps we’re taking to help our members attract more people into the wonderful world of dance
News 18 Our new leads Introducing our lead examiners, assessors, and lecturers 24 Application for reasonable adjustments (ARA) News about our updated approach to reasonable adjustments in exams
International update 26 Teaching and progression across the globe Our five international representatives give their perspectives on teaching, examinations, and the importance of continuing professional development
Focus on 30 Cecchetti Classical Ballet How to help pupils fall in love with dance again, becoming an ADC, and a look back at the formation of the Cecchetti Society 100 years ago 34 Classical Greek Dance Hannah Connor, DDE student and BBC Young Dancer 2019 finalist, looks at the influence of Classical Greek dance on her journey 36 Classical Indian Dance Mansi Dabral Uniyal shares her experience of how training as a Kathak examiner has empowered her as a dance teacher
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Features 38 Contemporary Dance A look at the business and student benefits of our syllabus, and an inspirational story of dance against the odds 42 Disco, Freestyle, Rock n Roll and Street The value of advancing your teaching qualifications 44 Imperial Classical Ballet How the qualifications framework provided by our Society offers rewarding and satisfying career development, and celebrating difference with the Mushroom Theatre Company 48 Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence Dancesport Lead Examiner, Vernon Kemp, looks at how our exams help to fuel your students’ passion for dance, and we spoke to six dance teachers about their experiences of completing our Fellowship qualification 52 Modern Theatre Our examiners share their perspectives on the importance of CPD, keeping an open mind, and strategies for encouraging independent learning 54 National Dance Committee member and Lead Examiner, Heather Burns, looks at the pros and cons of different progression routes 56 Tap Dance Our members Alan Burkitt, Michael Lin and Evonnee Bentley-Holder talk about how their ISTD training has helped them progress into the profession
What's on 58 Highlights Updates on current events and what’s on in the industry 60 Join the conversation A look at what’s trending online
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Issue 496 | September – December 2022
PAGE 22
PAGE 16
Supporting members with exam days
Our funding opportunities
Helpful advice for teachers from lead examiners Alison Jenner and Vernon Kemp
Recipients talk about how ISTD funding has supported them
PAGE 10 PAGE 4
A process not a destination Nicola Rayner talks to ISTD teachers and consultants who share their advice on teaching dancers with physical or learning disabilities
Diversifying the talent pipeline Sho Shibata, ISTD Trustee and Executive Producer at Stopgap Dance Company, shares his perspective on how it makes business sense for us all to work together to close the opportunity gap Dance | Issue 496
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Feature
A process not a destination Nicola Rayner talks to ISTD teachers and consultants who share their advice on teaching dancers with physical or learning disabilities.
Right An icandance student dancing with his dance partners 4
The relationship is key to success What are the biggest lessons she’s learned in the two decades since? “The relationship is key to success,” she begins. “If families, dancers and team members feel understood and heard, this will build trust. This trust will enable you to reach beyond expectations and work with challenges as they arise. Believe that anything is possible,” she continues. “Value every dancer equally. Never stop learning – be open and inviting of ideas and opportunities – and remember inclusive practice is a
process not a destination. Allow the dance to unfold and be patient. Be open to change and respond creatively. Re-evaluate what you may view as a teacher as success and reassess expectations.” Everyone I speak to emphasises the importance of relationships. “It’s crucial to get to know your students as much as possible, before you even start teaching them if that’s an option,” says Imogen Aujla, a freelance dance psychology researcher, lecturer and coach at Dance in Mind, who worked on the ISTD’s inclusive dance project. “Find out about their needs – physical, emotional and communication – so that you can prepare your classes appropriately. This will allow you to prepare relevant visual, auditory or kinaesthetic resources that will help your students access the material. Involve your students, their parents or carers in this process and encourage them to feel confident to articulate their needs. Remember that you are the expert about dance, and your students are the experts about their bodies, needs and experiences.” Avoid making assumptions about expectations One theme that comes up a lot, says Imogen, is that of expectations. “Try not to make assumptions about what your disabled students may or may not be able to do,” she advises. “When we have expectations of people, our actions often end up helping people to fulfil them. So, for example, if we have low expectations of a student, we may not challenge them enough or give them constructive feedback, and as a result they fulfil our low expectations of them. This can be quite common when teachers are worried about challenging disabled students too much and potentially hurting them, or sometimes teachers avoid giving constructive feedback and may only ever praise a disabled student because they are worried about upsetting them. If teachers
NICKY KELVIN
Nicola Rayner Dance journalist and novelist
“The benefits of dance are universal, but they are especially powerful for young people with disabilities,” says Juliet Diener, CEO of icandance. “Dance offers opportunities to experience the wonder of creativity, the freedom of expression and the joy of social connection. It improves physical fitness, develops gross motor skills, relieves stress and anxiety, and encourages imagination. Dance offers those with disabilities an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings without words, and helps them to build friendships, grow in confidence and gain new skills.” A registered ISTD member since 1998 when she qualified as a Cecchetti Ballet teacher, Juliet now works with the ISTD as an inclusive dance specialist. In 2006 she founded icandance, a creative, therapeutic community that caters for the needs of children, young people and their families with lived experience of disabilities, and she has been creating opportunities and performances for dancers with various needs ever since. Juliet first started working with movement with children with disabilities when she did her master’s degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy 20 years ago. “This was when I first realised how powerful movement was, especially for individuals without language,” she says.
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Feature
A process not a destination ~ continued
NICKY KELVIN CHRIS DUCKWORTH
FIONA BAILEY
Above and top right icandance students Centre right A student of Amy Bastin Dance celebrating success
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If teachers find out as much about their students as they can, it will be easier for them to judge an appropriate level of challenge.
find out as much about their students as they can, it will be easier for them to judge an appropriate level of challenge, and whether a student can cope emotionally with constructive feedback.” It's OK to ask for help Amy Bastin, who runs a dance school in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, was mentored by Juliet in the Society’s inclusive dance project in 2018, in which ISTD teachers were matched with mentors who were specialists in inclusive dance. “As a self-confessed perfectionist and a teacher that likes to get it ‘right’, working on the ISTD project has really taught me to be openminded, not be afraid to ‘not know something’ and accept that it is OK to ask for help to understand every different student’s needs,” Amy says. She holds DDE qualifications with the ISTD in Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap and her school, Amy Bastin Dance, offers ISTD exams in Ballet, Modern Theatre, Tap and Jazz.
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CHRIS DUCKWORTH
“We pride ourselves on being an inclusive environment for anyone who wants to dance,” she notes. “We also offer a specialist inclusive class designed to help dancers with physical or learning disabilities be able to access the dance space, but students with disabilities are welcomed in all of our classes and we work hard to put in place any support to ensure all of our dancers have equal opportunities.” Overcoming obstacles What are the greatest obstacles to inclusive dance? “There are four main barriers,” begins Imogen. “The first are attitudinal barriers, which are often dictated by societal ideas about who can and cannot dance. Sometimes this is well-intentioned – for example, a parent may not send her disabled child to a dance class because she wants to protect her child from disappointment. These attitudinal barriers are often informed by aesthetic barriers. It has been noted by many authors and practitioners that the dance industry is overly focused on
aesthetic and physical factors rather than artistic ones. As a result, the industry is dominated by performers who are white, thin, and non-disabled. “The third barrier is training-related, which encompasses all the barriers to dance training that exist for young disabled people. This includes the lack of provision of progressive technical training that is truly inclusive, a lack of knowledge (and often confidence) among teachers and companies, and movement material that can exclude young disabled people. Finally, there are also logistic barriers such as transport, care and support needs, financial barriers and physical access.” “I think accessibility in dance classes in general has come a long way in recent years,” notes Kimberly Creak of the Première School of Dance in Stevenage, who is a graduate of the RAD’s BA (Hons) Ballet Education course, and holds her RAD licentiate, and ISTD DDE in Modern Theatre and Tap. She is soon to graduate from an MA in Professional Practice: Dance Technique Pedagogy. “There are so many
Above Students from Amy Bastin Dance showcasing their skills
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Feature
A process not a destination ~ continued
positive examples of inclusive dance works and projects in the Membership professional industry for young dancers to aspire to, and the dance Find out more about world is continually moving in the applications for reasonable right direction,” she adds, though adjustments on page 10. she makes the important distinction Discover more by visiting between accessibility and inclusion. our diversity and inclusion “In order to progress, there needs hub www.istd.org/discover/ to be more understanding of equity-diversity-and-inclusion this difference. A class or exam may be completely accessible, but that does not necessarily mean that it is inclusive. Unfortunately, there is still little acceptance in terms of inclusivity for dancers with a disability or additional need within the mainstream dance schools and dance associations that offer dance syllabi and examinations.” Breaking down barriers As for how barriers can be overcome, “being informed is key,” says Juliet, “and finding ways to have opportunities to think and talk together about differences, disabilities, dance and performance. Skill is crucial as I believe some barriers are purely due to misinformation, fear and lack of opportunity. These are easily overcome through open reflective discussion, opportunities to be together to think and share and to name any fears and vulnerabilities openly. “I believe supportive hubs and/or mentors would be helpful for teachers to be able to tap into on a regular basis so that accessibility and inclusive practice in dance can be an ongoing discussion,” she says. “I believe this will equip teachers in being able to manage inclusive practice with greater success. Inclusive practice is ever evolving and requires continued discussion and reflective practice.” Community and teamwork are essential ingredients for improving inclusivity. “As teachers, we are constantly wanting to learn and it is something we don’t receive a lot of training in,” says Amy. “Although I have no official qualifications in Special Educational Needs (SEN) work, I feel I have learnt so much about inclusive dance over the past nine years – and I am still learning every day in class. Whilst I am now much more confident in my work and my role in supporting students, I am very aware my staff look to me for guidance in certain situations and I think support, perhaps within the ISTD, with teachers like myself to whom other teachers could
turn and ask questions could be really beneficial.” “More investment in teacher training is needed,” agrees Imogen, “and I have also found that teachers working with disabled students can feel quite isolated and would really benefit from a network that supports them. But I’m encouraged by the number of initiatives in recent years that focus on improving access to progressive technical training. Continuing this work will help to address barriers to training and improve the visibility of disabled people in the industry, which will help to address attitudinal and aesthetic barriers.” Overcoming these barriers offers rich rewards. “I love seeing disabled dancers perform,” says Juliet. “I love to see how the audience is changed by the experience of witnessing dance with new insight and seeing each dancer own the stage as they soak up the applause.” The wins are “far too many to count”, agrees Kimberly. Imogen adds: “I want us to be working towards an industry where disabled people can access any level of training in any genre. And it’s totally possible: for example, in my research with the ISTD, I have seen young dancers with learning disabilities master several Ballroom and Latin dances; I have watched a young dancer with cerebral palsy learning jazz pirouettes. With the right support, teachers and dancers can work together to learn and progress.” Amy shares a cherished memory: “At Christmas we held an awards and presentation ceremony – as part of this I awarded a young gentleman, now in his early twenties, who has Down’s syndrome with the Senior Endeavour Award. He has been dancing with us for years, took part in the initial ISTD inclusive project with me, and won the award for his overall kindness, helpful nature towards his younger students and for setting such a wonderful example in both the Shining Stars and musical theatre class he attends. He was so overwhelmed to be receiving an award that I got the most massive hug and he burst into tears with delight – let’s just say his kind words and heartfelt genuine love for his dance made the whole room of over 100 parents cry. My heart almost popped! That’s why I do my job, because it’s more than a job.”
Community and teamwork are essential ingredients for improving inclusivity.
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Further information Imogen Aujla: www.danceinmind.org Amy Bastin: www.amybastindance.co.uk Kimberly Creak: www.premiereschoolofdance.co.uk Juliet Diener: www.icandance.org.uk
RACHEL CHERRY
Right Kimberly Creak and students
i
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Business
Diversifying the talent pipeline Sho Shibata shares his perspective on how it makes business sense for us all to work together to close the opportunity gap.
Sho Shibata ISTD Trustee and Executive Producer at Stopgap Dance Company
I believe that the ISTD and its members can play an important role in levelling the playing field.
We all know that participation in dance can improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing and help them develop social skills like teamwork. I believe this is a big part of why most of us are in this business. The academic evidence for the wellbeing benefits of dance continues to grow, but so too is the evidence of the considerable imbalance between who gets to participate. This should concern us all – it means that we are inadvertently making dance inaccessible to some people and thus are being selective about who gets to enjoy it and its benefits. If we all agree on the potential impact of our artform, why would we want to make participation exclusive? I believe that the ISTD and its members can play an important role in levelling the playing field. As well as being a trustee of the ISTD, I am the Executive Producer of the inclusive dance company Stopgap. The company is well known for nurturing disabled people in the community and turning them into internationally acclaimed professional dancers. I know from anecdotes and seeing the lack of diversity in some dance schools that the syllabi the teachers use and the environment we promote are exclusionary for many disabled people. The big motivator for me to join the board of the ISTD was to try to address this, and I am very excited by the changes we are exploring as a part of ISTD’s work towards equity, diversity and inclusion. I genuinely believe that it makes sense to engage disabled people in dance. First of all, the industry has been moving towards inclusion for a number of years. I was thrilled to find out that the disabled dancer Musa Motha is due to join Rambert this year,
and Maiya Leeke’s participation in BBC Young Dancer was another landmark. Stopgap is also seeing more and more casting agents from dance, opera, theatre and television connecting with us to get disabled performers into their projects. The demand has grown to the extent that we cannot service all the enquiries. If the profession is demanding better representation, then the ISTD and its members (the de facto suppliers of talent to the industry) should surely respond. Participation of disabled people makes sense from a business perspective too. Many local authorities give significant autonomy for disabled young people to spend their allocated funds on activities that they want to do, and many of their parents are looking to give their disabled children the same kind of opportunities as their non-disabled peers. Over the last decade or so, all kinds of consumers have been moving towards choosing to spend their money on businesses that are socially aware, and all kinds of companies are realigning to be inclusive and responsible to gain a competitive edge. The Purple Pound campaign says that the spending power of disabled people and their households is worth £274 billion per year to the UK market. There is help out there for you to access these income streams too. If you are so inclined to turn your school into a charity, you can access grants from local and national trusts and foundations to start your outreach work to disabled communities. Or how about working like a social enterprise? If you can demonstrate the need from underserved communities and use the growing evidence of the benefits of dance as
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CHRIS PARKES
partnership working with your local specialist companies with a track record of reaching out to your target groups would be a huge plus, especially if you can demonstrate your commitment to learning from the partnership to make your provision inclusive beyond the project. Using the Active Lives Survey, the Arts Council has also identified areas of low cultural engagement and grouped them into ‘Levelling Up Places’. If you are making an application from these areas or propose to do work there, you are more likely to receive funding. Businesses within and outside of arts and culture are very much moving towards inclusion, and it is important that we and our members are aware of this to remain relevant in the 21st century and thrive within it.
The Purple Pound campaign says that the spending power of disabled people and their households is worth £274 billion per year to the UK market. CHRIS PARKES
the answer to their problems, you will find many different ways to attract funding to kick start your inclusive group. Many businesses have used a move towards inclusivity as an astute business development trajectory to diversify income in the short and the long run. Dance schools and companies are not operating in a different landscape. In addition to my involvement with the ISTD and Stopgap, I am an Area Council member of Arts Council England in the southeast. Over the last few years, I supported the development of Let’s Create, the Arts Council’s new 10-year national strategy for cultural development. In a nutshell, Let’s Create aims to: nurture Creative People everywhere in the country to develop Cultural Communities, which leads to a Creative and Cultural Country that is happy, healthy, and productive. The strategy is built on the positive impact that arts participation can have on individuals and their communities. However, it also points out the serious inequality of opportunities. It evidences many incidences where people’s identity, background and postcode determine their ability to access the arts, and it sees this inequality as one of the reasons why the country as a whole is not happier, healthier and more productive. Arts Council England is one of the most open-minded Government Agencies for arts in the world, and it welcomes funding applications from charities, individual practitioners and producers as well as a wide range of unincorporated or noncharitable organisations. They are actively looking for opportunities to invest in projects that bring creativity to underserved communities. Proposing
Left and above Stopgap Dance Company’s youth dance classes Dance | Issue 496 11
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Membership matters
Helping our dance schools to thrive We introduce our national advocacy campaign and explain the steps we’re taking to help our members attract more people into the wonderful world of dance. It’s been a long road back to the studio for many of us.
Our national advocacy campaign launches in September to promote the value of dance for everyone.
After two turbulent years of lockdowns and constantly evolving restrictions, the opportunity to teach face to face again has made a welcome return. Despite the astounding resilience you’ve all demonstrated through the uncertainty of the pandemic, we recognise that many of our members are continuing to face challenges as we get back to a new form of normality. Following our strategic review in 2021, we’ve heard your concerns about the financial impact of Covid on the profession. We’re listening and have been busy developing a strategy and tools designed to support you and help your business to recover.
In our recent member survey, over 88% of you said you’d like to grow your business by attracting more people into dance. Many of you said you had seen a fall in student numbers since the pandemic, resulting in a decrease in the income you generate. As a result, attracting additional people into dance, or enticing former students to return, is of course a priority for many of you. As we move forward, we want to support you and provide you with the tools and advice you need to help your business grow and thrive. With this in mind, our much-anticipated national advocacy campaign will be launching in September 2022 to promote the value of dance for everyone, to demonstrate how it improves physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and to showcase the
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quality and professionalism of ISTD teachers. Inclusivity will run through the heart of the campaign as we attempt to break down barriers, reach out and engage schools, community groups and families in a new zest for dance – where everyone feels that they can join in. The campaign will provide you with essential marketing tools that will help you to rebuild and grow your business and feel supported by the ISTD in this exciting period of recovery.
1 Showcasing the value of dance
2 Use an ISTD teacher
We all know that dance can bring many benefits to people, from improving physical and mental wellbeing, to helping forge friendships, reducing loneliness, improving self-esteem and providing enjoyment for everyone. Now, more than ever, as we emerge from the pandemic, all these benefits have even greater value as we rebound and recover. Through our campaign, we want to showcase these benefits to encourage others to get involved. With your help, we will tell compelling stories about your students to demonstrate how dance has enhanced and changed lives through colourful, engaging case studies that can be promoted in the media, on social media and on your own social channels.
Key to the campaign is promoting the quality and expertise of ISTD teachers. It aims to drive people to the Find a Dance Teacher section of our website, which will promote the quality of our teachers and enable visitors to search by geographical area. If you haven’t already done so, please register your details or update your profile on Find a Dance Teacher at www.istd.org/my-istd before the campaign launches in September. It only takes a few minutes but will make all the difference to your ability to attract new students and achieve your growth plans in the months ahead.
Key to the campaign is promoting the quality and expertise of ISTD teachers.
Above Find a Dance Teacher website portal Dance | Issue 496 13
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Membership matters ~ continued
3 Providing you with materials to promote your business As part of the campaign, we’re developing a suite of marketing materials to help you promote your business and attract new students, and to help you form new partnerships with schools, clubs, and community organisations. We’ve produced marketing support guides that provide helpful tips on how best to promote your business, which will also help to improve your marketing skills and knowledge. You can download all the marketing support guides from the member area of our website: www. istd.org/my-istd/promote-your-business. These range from back-to-basics advice on building your brand, to social media marketing, and low-cost ideas to promote your business. And don’t worry, we’ve designed these guides to suit various levels of knowledge and experience, so everyone will be able to benefit from them; no previous experience is required. We’ve also developed a marketing toolkit comprising of a suite of professionally designed materials that you can use and adapt to promote your business. The toolkit includes posters, flyers, letters, and social media content that you can personalise with your own logo and business information. You can find all these resources on our website at: www.istd.org/my-istd/promote-your-business. You can also download your ‘Registered Member’ or ‘Approved Dance Centre’ logo from www.istd.org/ my-istd/promote-your-business to feature on your own marketing materials, which will promote the professionalism, prestige, and quality teaching you provide.
We hope you will work with us to promote the value of dance and to show how dance is accessible to everyone.
4 Breathing new life into dance While we know our campaign won’t immediately take away all the challenges faced by the dance profession, we hope these positive first steps will help you to rebuild sustainable, thriving businesses. We hope you will work with us to promote the value of dance and to show how dance is accessible to everyone, and we encourage you to take advantage of the new materials produced. We all know the benefits that dance can bring so let’s make more people across the world aware of dance and let them know how beneficial it is for all. For more details about the campaign, read the overview document on the members’ portal www.istd.org/my-istd/promote-your-business. 14 Dance | Issue 496
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Going live – it’s all about coordination! Our national campaign goes live in September. To make a big splash with the launch we made sure that the marketing toolkits were available from July, allowing you plenty of time to prepare your promotional material ready for our coordinated launch. Look out for more details about the launch date online and in our e-communications.
Getting involved in our national advocacy campaign July 2022
Above Five marketing support guides available at www.istd.org/my-istd/promote-your-business Top right Campaign overview document available to download for members
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Interviews
Our funding opportunities Broadening access One of last year’s Broadening Access to Dance Award recipients, Georgina Rombough, tells us about her plans for using the funding to support her work, as well as our Broadening Access for Children to Dance course. “I found out about the Society’s Broadening Access for Children to Dance course through the member newsletter. There were many great things that I took from it, which included working and teaching outside of the private sector, Anna Olejnicki outlining how, where and what to teach, as well as lesson planning, budgeting and funding. I enjoyed the inclusive practice session with Juliet Diener and Louise Hadfield, and their tips on how to create an enabling dance space. Stacey Greene showed us how to be authentic in dance practice, as well as remaining mindful and respectful of the cultures, race and demographics of the people you are teaching. The workshop
with Rachel Dawson gave us concrete examples of how to work creatively in a community dance setting, how to use a stimulus to inspire the process and how using the four fundamental elements of dance can enable greater creativity in the process and empower the dancer. “The information I gathered from this course was extensive and has already proven to be extremely helpful. A big take away was that all my dance training, certifications with ISTD, and teaching experience to this point enables me to teach outside of the private sector. It has helped me realise that, although the end goal in a community setting may be a little different to that of students working towards an exam, fundamentally the aim is the same: to move, to improve, to explore, to express. “Attending the course inspired me to apply for the Broadening Access to Dance Award. Creating a project like this and expanding my scope of practice had been on my mind even before the pandemic, but I felt lost and did not know how to begin expanding my work to a community setting. The course helped me see that I can be a ‘dance educator’, and embrace multiple settings, ages and abilities. It also gave me the confidence to believe in
If you have any area of focus that you are interested in, an age group you want to teach, or you simply want to expand your scope of teaching, this award can help.
Recipients talk about how ISTD funding has supported them. my own skill set and the motivation to move forward with my ideas. “The pandemic meant changes to my regular teaching position in the private sector, so this award is the catalyst for the next phase in my career. My funded project, Dance Connection, is to be a school-age dance programme that can be offered as part of the dance unit curriculum or as an after-school programme, on school premises or at a community centre. The programme will run for approximately 8–12 weeks, with the final week being a sharing of work created. “The programme will provide an opportunity for children to experience the art form of dance and its creative process, learning the fundamental elements of dance that can be found across all genres: action, dynamics, time, space and relationship. These elements will be explored as we discuss and respond to other art forms such as visual art, music, storytelling/ literature, and different dance genres. Dance Connection’s main ambition is to broaden access to dance for school-aged children. Through dance, children can improve the emotional connection to themselves and others, they can express feelings, tell and share their stories. Dance Connection hopes to develop an appreciation for dance as an art form and help all children find joy in movement. “I would absolutely recommend the award to others. If you have any area of focus that you are interested in, an age group you want to teach, or you simply want to expand the scope of your teaching, this funding opportunity can help. Just deciding to try for the award and going through the application process can help bring ideas to life and may bring you more work. And if nothing else, it will reinvigorate your passion for dance!”
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Phyllis Haylor Scholarship Martin Gould was awarded the prestigious Phyllis Haylor Scholarship in 2021. He tells us what it meant to receive the award and how it has supported his professional development. “After a year of restrictions and a dance school flattened by the pandemic, I was delighted to hear I had been awarded the Phyllis Haylor scholarship. For me it was a humbling accolade and surprise, especially as I came to dancing very late. “I originally trained as an engineer, but have also been a builder, schoolteacher, childminder and policeman amongst other things including some DIY TV presenting! I started Ballroom and Latin dancing as a hobby at the age of 50, and it really grew on me. After taking my medals and entering medallist competitions (not always successfully), I wondered if I could start a small local hobby class. “Despite some setbacks, I carried on. The classes grew and we, New Life Dance, ended up
running workshops, monthly dances and private lessons as well. “I first heard about the scholarship through my then professional teacher, and after completing my first Associate Ballroom exams with highly commended, I was able to enter the Phyllis Haylor Scholarship in 2018. I wasn’t successful at that time, but not to be discouraged, I was eligible to apply again in 2020 after completing another Associate qualification. I presented to the ISTD panel over Zoom during lockdown in early 2021, and some weeks later, was amazed to find out that I had been awarded this prestigious scholarship. I certainly couldn’t stop smiling that day! The £2,000 scholarship meant I could carry on training for my Licentiate exams when I had almost no income from my dance school.
The Scholarship has helped me take my training further during difficult times. My advice is to make the application because you could be the next recipient! “Since being interviewed by the panel for the Scholarship, I have been able to move forward with some of the things I talked about at that time. One was to
start training a new teacher, as I believe that what you get back is what you give. The second was working towards being an ISTD examiner, and although this will be a lot of hard work, I am a little closer to that goal, having recently passed two Licentiate exams with more to follow this year. Thirdly, as a North London school, we have recently entered pupils for several alternative rhythms dances, with great results and plan to add sequence dance exams in November this year. “It’s been hard work getting my dance school in Enfield, North London, back on track after the pandemic but it’s really paid off. The excellent training and guidance I’ve received thanks to funding from the scholarship meant I could confidently enter one of my pupils for their Silver Ballroom exam for the first time with great results, plus we could again run our own full exam day. “The Phyllis Haylor Scholarship has really helped me take my training further during difficult times. I am very grateful to the ISTD for giving me this award and to the professionals who have aided me with my training. My advice to other eligible candidates is to make the application, because you never know, you could be the next recipient.”
Project funding application dates Applications for the Sue Passmore Award and Broadening Access to Dance Award will next open at 12pm BST on Thursday 11 August 2022 and will close at 12pm GMT Tuesday 1 November 2022.
Phyllis Haylor Scholarship application dates The next round of applications will open 12pm GMT on 2 February 2023 and close 12pm GMT 23 March 2023. Eligibility for the 2023 Scholarship will be those who have passed a full Dancesport Associate qualification with Highly Commended between 1 Jan 2022–31 Dec 2022. Discover more about our funding opportunities at www.istd.org/discover/funding-bursaries-and-awards
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News
Our new leads Introducing our lead examiners, assessors and lecturers.
Lead examiners As part of our Dance Department strategy, the new roles of lead and deputy examiners were created in 2021 to ensure that we have the subject experts and robust procedures in place to safeguard standards in our examinations and to maintain those standards over time. The key responsibilities for the Lead Team members are to set and maintain standards of marking in their portfolio areas by supporting examiner progression and consistency of marking. They also advise the Dance, Examinations and Quality Assurance departments on the suitability of examiners post-standardisation and provide their faculty expertise and advice on standards-related initiatives, activities, and enquiries. Working closely and in tandem with examiners, committees and heads of faculty development, the lead and deputy examiners monitor the effectiveness of standardisation and marking processes and ensure that the mark schemes are applied consistently. They also provide consistent support mechanisms for examiners and nurture progression and professional development through the provision of oneto-one feedback during all standardisation training. Our lead examiner teams are highly valued examiners with significant prior experience in ISTD examinations and an in-depth faculty knowledge, excellent understanding of the syllabus, standards, and teaching in the relevant examinations, and a firm commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
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Insights from our lead examiners and deputies Key factors that contribute to good teaching “Being able to communicate, listen, adapt, and motivate all contribute to good teaching. Patience is also essential.” Helen Green “A good teacher is always an effective communicator but more importantly should be passionate about sharing their knowledge with everyone and admits they never stop learning.” Alison Jenner “There are many factors that contribute to effective teaching but essentially, all dance teachers must have the ‘eye’ to see the dancer’s execution of their work, how to impart any information that may improve the technical, musical or artistic skills and deliver this with encouragement to build confidence and trust. Also important is the ability to give purpose and the reasons why certain exercises or movements are necessary to develop the dancer’s demonstration and performance.” Lyn Richardson “A passion for the subject. Knowledge must be there but inspiration is vital.” Vivienne Saxton
Key factors that contribute to effective learning “The student’s willingness to learn, participate with enthusiasm, self-discipline and be a positive member of the class to enable a healthy working atmosphere and environment for all.” Lyn Richardson
Go to courses to take inspiration from lecturers and share ideas with other teachers. Vivienne Saxton
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Our lead examiners and deputies Cecchetti Classical Ballet
Imperial Classical Ballet
General graded exams, class exams, performance awards, Intermediate, and Intermediate Foundation Lead: Alison Jenner Deputies: Gillian Hurst and Sandra Powell Advanced 1 and 2, Advanced 1 and 2 Analysis, professional and higher professional (DDE, Associate, Associate Diploma, Licentiate, Fellowship), and Enrico Cecchetti Diploma Lead: Gillian Hurst
Class exams and general graded exams Lead: Vivienne Saxton Deputies: Joanne Evans and Linda Shipton Vocational graded exams Lead: Vivienne Saxton Deputies: Helen Steggles and Irela Strachan Professional and higher professional exams Lead: Vivienne Saxton Deputy: Alexandra Barnes
Classical Greek All Classical Greek dance qualifications Lead: Kay Ball
What do our lead examiners hope to achieve? “In my role as Lead Examiner, I hope to achieve respect from examiner colleagues and faculty members and to work in close collaboration with the ISTD in the faculty's best interest. Ultimately the role is to promote and oversee examination standards within the faculty. If I’m perceived as approachable, willing and able to support teachers and examiners in their roles then my position will be worthwhile.” Alison Jenner “I hope to build a high level of trust and confidence with all examiners to enable a healthy working relationship in all areas of examining; reach a common level of acceptance that the marking criteria is logical and understood when delivering standardisation tasks; be impartial when dealing with any enquiries and/or complaints from members regarding results and conduct, and support examiners and teachers.” Lyn Richardson “To make sure that all candidates have a good experience in the exam room and to ensure that marks are fair.” Vivienne Saxton
Post pandemic advice for teachers to keep motivated “Consider what it was that sparked your passion when you first started out on your teaching journey and see if you can re-kindle it.” Alison Jenner “Attend as many CPD courses as possible! Go to see (live or online) musical theatre shows, ballets and plays to re-ignite the reason why we went into teaching in the first instance. Never give up but try different angles and avenues and seek advice from other trusted teachers. Reach out! As teachers we should want to assist anyone in our profession.” Lyn Richardson
Classical Indian Dance – Bharatanatyam Primary and general graded exams Lead: Chitraleka Bolar Vocational graded exams, and professional and higher professional exams Lead: Nina Rajarani
Classical Indian Dance – Kathak All exams Lead: Sujata Banerjee
Contemporary Dance All contemporary dance qualifications Lead: Penny Meekings Deputies: Amanda Butcher and Irela Strachan
Dancesport All dancesport qualifications Lead: Vernon Kemp Deputies: Jill Bush and Yvonne Taylor Hill
Modern Theatre Primary, general graded exams, and jazz awards Lead: Lyn Richardson Deputies: Helen Green and Penny Meekings Vocational graded exams Lead: Lyn Richardson Deputies: Jackie Barnes and Linda Sweetzer Professional and higher professional exams Lead: Paddy Hurlings Deputy: Lyn Richardson
National Dance All national dance qualifications Leads: Heather Burns and Barbara Simons
Tap Dance Pre-Primary, Primary, general graded exams, and medal tests Lead: Paddy Hurlings Deputy: Pauline Ash Vocational graded exams and popular tap tests Lead: Nick French Deputies: Pauline Ash and Linda Sweetzer Professional and higher professional exams Lead: Heather Rees Deputy: Helen Green
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Lead assessors
Lead lecturers
The new role of Lead Assessor was introduced in 2021 as part of the strategy by our Quality Assurance team to ensure that we have the subject experts in place to safeguard standards in our assessments for the regulated teaching qualifications. The key responsibilities for the lead assessors are to set and maintain standards of marking for their respective units within the teaching qualification. They support our Quality Assurance team in monitoring the effectiveness of standardisation and marking processes and ensure that the mark schemes are applied consistently. As an important part of this activity, they also provide consistent support for assessors and nurture progression and professional development through the provision of one-to-one feedback during the standardisation training and assessment periods. We work with outstanding teams of practitioners with significant subject expertise and an excellent understanding of teaching qualifications, and a firm commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The role of Lead Lecturer is an exciting one for us at the ISTD and enables us to further focus on teaching and learning with experienced practitioners who are passionate about ISTD work. Lead lecturers work closely with their teaching teams to develop new courses and explore further teaching strategies to model best practice. Our Education and Training team is working with leads to embed new ideas for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and increase the portfolio of courses so that teachers can be inspired and prepared for the work they deliver in the dance studio. Our leads are responsible for planning the development of courses, training the teaching teams, aspiring to excellence, and modelling best practice in all areas of diversity and inclusion. We are delighted to be working with four outstanding practitioners in the first year who are working collaboratively with us to ensure that we continue to raise the standards of teaching and learning and offer the right CPD that is supportive for our teachers so that we continue to be creative and forward thinking.
Insights from one of our lead assessors Key factors that contribute to good tutoring “Building a relationship of collaboration with students through patience, listening, having a positive attitude, and a flexible approach that adapts to their needs and guides them into drawing their own conclusions.” Catherine Jameson Post pandemic advice for tutors to keep motivated “During the pandemic, we have re-invented many of the ways we teach, highlighting our capacity to adapt quickly and find new solutions, which, as we move forward, we must take with us and embrace openness to change.” Catherine Jameson
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Our lead assessors ISTD Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) Unit 1 – Preparing for Safe Teaching Practice ISTD collaboration with Safe in Dance International (SiDI) Unit 2 – Observing, Assisting and Teaching Practice Lead Assessor: Catherine Jameson Unit 3 – Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Intermediate Lead examiner teams Unit 4 – Dance Practice Lead examiner teams Unit 5 – Child Development Lead Assessor: Siobhan Mitchell
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Inclusivity is key for good teaching and learning. Insights from our lead lecturers Motivation for becoming a lead lecturer “I’ve always loved teaching teachers. Good teachers make better students! I’m passionate about imparting the technical details of tap to as many as possible, regionally, or internationally.” Alison Forrester “I have worked with the creator of the ISTD Contemporary Dance syllabi, Dr Ross McKim, in various roles over our years together. From training at Rambert School under his direction, to principal artist and rehearsal director in his company Moving Visions Dance Theatre. I have always felt lucky and humbled to work closely with someone so generous with their time and knowledge and with so much to share with the dance world. When the role of Lead Lecturer came up, it felt like a wonderful opportunity to grasp, to be able to continue sharing the legacy of the work and the experience I have gained through studying this for the last 20 years.” Sian Hopkins “A large part of my role is to work closely with our Education and Training team to create a suite of courses that will have consistency in their delivery. It is also my responsibility to train an outstanding teaching team and develop a broad spectrum of skills, particularly how to teach teachers how to teach. This goes beyond having an accurate knowledge of a syllabus, involving insight into how children, pupils and students all learn differently while exploring a range of effective teaching methods.” Tereza Theodoulou
This team of specialists will inspire and motivate our members. Tereza Theodoulou
Membership Turn to page 22 to read advice from our lead examiners, Alison Jenner and Vernon Kemp, about supporting members with exam days.
What do our lead lecturers hope to achieve? “To assist and support our teachers with as much detail and understanding as possible, which will enhance their knowledge in teaching our syllabi. Create a stronger tap team with a wider variety of exciting lectures to offer to teachers worldwide.” Alison Forrester “To continue exploring and ensuring best practice within the community of artists we get to work alongside. I would like to see that the more we invest in the opportunities we create for professional development, the more empowered teachers feel in what they can offer not only their students, but themselves and other colleagues.” Sian Hopkins “Inclusivity is key for good teaching and learning. Planning classes to include everyone so all dancers can access the learning, this includes race, gender and different abilities and learning styles, creating a safe and exciting environment which fosters kindness, positivity and celebrates achievement. I hope to increase awareness about inclusivity and good teaching practice to all Imperial Classical Ballet teachers. I also aim to create inspiring CPD courses that deliver what our members need, and where we can share ideas, thoughts, experiences, and friendship.” Jackie Styles “My hope would be to help our members develop the desire to dig deeper, to ask questions regarding the purpose of each exercise and how to get the best from each pupil. As a teacher, the desire to share knowledge and see the evidence of ‘lightbulb moments’ from my own students has been matched by the constant reward of knowing that, when delivering CPD courses, a teacher will take away new concepts and a new understanding back to their studio to share with their own pupils.” Tereza Theodoulou Post pandemic advice for teachers to keep motivated “Get into a dance class and do what you love face-to-face again. Feel the support of being back in the room with
dancers and teachers alike. Rediscover the community vibe we get from being able to discuss our problems together.” Alison Forrester “Personally, I have made an increased effort to encourage the joy of moving together. Facilitating an awareness of the effects we can have on each other, motivating individual development by progressing together.” Sian Hopkins “We know your course experience will ignite a new passion for you to share with your pupils. Do take advantage of courses the Society is offering. We have many that are free for all and if you cannot attend due to teaching or other commitments, you can watch the lecture in your own time by logging into the My ISTD section of our website. So many interesting subjects are covered that will give insight into matters related to teaching, safeguarding, and keeping up to date with developments in equity, diversity, and inclusion.” Tereza Theodoulou Key factors that contribute to good teaching and learning “I believe open communication of needs encourages a space where students can gain autonomy and ownership over the material, acknowledging that their choices matter.” Sian Hopkins
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Our lead lecturers Contemporary: Sian Hopkins Imperial Classical Ballet: Jackie Styles Modern Theatre: Tereza Theodoulou Tap: Alison Forrester
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On the cover
Supporting members with exam days Helpful advice for teachers from lead examiners Alison Jenner and Vernon Kemp.
Alison Jenner Lead Examiner, Cecchetti Classical Ballet
i Turn to page 24 to read about our updated approach to Applications for Reasonable Adjustments (ARA) in examinations.
Now that traditional (in-person) examinations are returning alongside remote examining, we hope it is timely to offer current guidance to teachers preparing for exam sessions. Preparation in all things is the key to success. Here are some thoughts as to how to best prepare for your next examination day, be it a ‘traditional’ in-person exam, ‘remote recorded’ or ‘remote live online’. Having applied for a session via Quest, our examinations team will notify you if your application has been approved and then process your application. Once an examiner has been allocated to your session, you will receive notification confirming the date(s) and the name of the examiner. For traditional exam sessions in the UK, the examiner’s contact details will be included. This is to enable you to approach the examiner directly via email or phone to discuss your provisional timetable, if you need to provide a snack or meal for the examiner, ascertain if there are any dietary or special needs and if necessary, assist with travel and accommodation arrangements. This dialogue regarding the logistics of your session and in particular the proposed start and end times is crucial. Ideally this should take place as you start planning your session and certainly before the final timetable is submitted. Where there are options within a genre to use a pianist or to use recorded/official CD music, it is helpful to advise the examiner which option you will be using, so that they can prepare accordingly prior to your session. For international ‘traditional’ exam sessions, all arrangements are made by our international exams team, so you do not need to contact the examiner. There is comprehensive examination guidance information available, both for ‘traditional’ and ‘remote’ examinations on the ISTD website, including valuable reference videos in the My ISTD members’ area. Much of the information in the ‘remote examination’ videos can be applied to examinations in all formats. It is highly recommended that you
regularly refer to and familiarise yourself with official ISTD guidance material, as procedures are regularly being reviewed and updated within all faculties. It remains good practice to refer to faculty syllabi and DVDs or to attend relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training on a regular basis to ensure that you are preparing your students with up-to-date requirements of syllabi and in particular accuracy of set exercises. Syllabus or instruction errors can have an impact on the outcome of students results and can easily be prevented. You can always ask for help or clarification on any syllabus aspect, on your faculty’s Facebook page or seek guidance via your Head of Faculty Development, who will direct your query to the appropriate person. Any other issues relating to examinations or specific candidates should be reported to the appropriate examinations department. For UK exams, please contact ukdanceteachers@istd.org and for international exams contact internationalteachers@ istd.org. Doing this can prevent examiners being put in a compromising position and issues can be dealt with appropriately in advance through the correct channels. Before the exam • We would recommend that you try to conduct and run a mock exam to the correct timetable times in the studio you will be using for the examination. This is particularly valuable for younger and anxious pupils if you’re hiring a different venue. • It is also beneficial if you are using a pianist who the students haven’t heard or worked with before, or someone new to operating the music system (theatre faculties teachers are not permitted to operate the sound system for their learners). • Prepare your learners by giving guidance on where to stand, where to put water bottles, changes of shoes, or props. Often information is provided in syllabi or in the genre syllabus outlines, which can be downloaded from the ISTD website, as to
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how the examination may run. This preparation can reduce the anxiety levels for candidates. • Check that sound equipment is working correctly and always try to have a backup on site. • Please ensure you have appropriate ventilation/ heating at your venue and open windows/provide fans/heaters as appropriate. As the pianist and examiner may be seated for many hours, they may require an additional heater/fan if possible. • Please provide adequate, comfortable seating for the examiner and a table of a compatible height, which should be large enough to accommodate the examiner’s paperwork plus a bell, a bottle/jug of water and a glass.
Vernon Kemp Lead Examiner, Dancesport
On exam day • When the examiner arrives, show them where the cloakroom facilities are and offer some refreshment before the day begins. • Try to keep your day running to the times stipulated on the timetable. • During official timetabled breaks, examiners should be left alone to complete their notes, and the pianist/music operator should leave the studio for the duration. At the end of exam day • Allow the examiner sufficient time to complete their marking before entering the room and preparing to close the venue. • Please be aware the examiner is not permitted to discuss or advise on the work of any of the candidates. Hopefully, these observations will be helpful and ensure that your exam day is successful and a positive experience for all involved. ISTD examiners look forward to visiting your schools again soon to help support you as you rebuild your businesses.
Above ISTD's London studio space available for examinations
Above all, as teachers you should try to enjoy the exam day and ensure it is a positive experience for your students. Remember, it is an opportunity for candidates to showcase their hard work and enjoy performing to an examiner. We strongly recommend that you carefully read and familiarise yourself with the syllabus before the exam day. On the exam day please consider where the examiner will be seated to ensure that they have a clear view of the candidates, and that they are free from cold drafts from doorways or air-conditioning, as examiners are seated for a considerable amount of time. Please contact your examiner as soon as you receive confirmation of your booking to discuss the start and end times of the day, plus any travel and accommodation arrangements, and whether a meal will be required. For international ‘traditional’ exam sessions, all arrangements are made by our international exams team, so you do not need to contact the examiner. Teachers should ensure that candidates are wearing suitable clothing and shoes and that their hair is appropriately styled if long in length. Please remember that presentation is an important part of training and performing. For Alternative Rhythms, Latin American, Modern Ballroom, Rock n Roll, and Sequence, it is always advisable to practice before the exam wearing any new exam wear to ensure nothing impedes dance movements.
ISTD examiners look forward to visiting your schools again soon to help support you as you rebuild your businesses. Dance | Issue 496 23
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Feature
Application for reasonable adjustments (ARA) News about our updated approach in exams.
We will review all applications for reasonable adjustments on a case-bycase basis and for each examination separately and independently.
i Documents are available at www.istd.org/ examinations/ qualityassurance/ policiesand-relateddocuments
We are committed to inclusivity in dance education and thus ensuring that the qualifications in our portfolio cater for all learners – supporting teachers and students to progress both their dancing and dance teaching careers. To further enhance our commitment, the Society undertook a research project in 2018 with the University of Bedfordshire, investigating accessibility to our syllabi for disabled students. One of the key strands of this work since the seminar event, Springboard, that took place in 2019, was to explore the accessibility of our practical dance examinations, and specifically our process for the Application of Reasonable Adjustments (ARA). To provide more context, the Equality Act 2010 requires the Society to make reasonable adjustments where students with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. A reasonable adjustment for a particular person will be unique to that individual and is guided by what the teacher identifies the student can do, rather than what they cannot. However, awarding organisations must review several factors when arriving at decisions about whether adjustments are ‘reasonable’ or not, and there must additionally be compliance with regulatory requirements, therefore the involvement of our highly experienced lead examining team (see page 16) throughout this process is essential. We aim to accommodate all requests and will work with teachers to do our best to achieve this. However, an adjustment may not be considered ‘reasonable’ if it significantly impacts timeframes, involves unreasonable costs or most importantly, affects the security or integrity of the assessment by impacting on the level of demand of the examination. Where we are unable to meet a specific request, the opportunity for the student to gain a Certificate of Participation may be available.
Whilst we recognise the inherent challenges in applying reasonable adjustments to our proficiency and mastery based practical dance examinations, the dance department and the lead examiner teams have been piloting our new approach during the past 18 months, whereby applications are made at the beginning of the learning journey rather than at the end. The main aim of the updated process is to provide transparency for teachers, students, and their parents about the requirements of the relevant syllabus and the related examination – and to come to mutual decisions about whether reasonable adjustments can be applied and are appropriate for each individual. We are pleased to announce that this work has now been completed and the updated process will be available from autumn 2022 onwards.
We are committed to inclusivity in dance education. We will review all applications for reasonable adjustments on a case-by-case basis and for each examination separately and independently. The teacher has a key role in this new process and discussions with us must begin as early as possible in the student’s training for a specific examination. This enables us to work together to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are properly approved in time to support the training leading up to the examination. We will soon be providing more information and guidance on this process, so keep an eye out for webinars over the coming months.
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International update
Teaching and progression across the globe Our five international representatives give their perspectives on teaching, examinations, and the importance of continuing professional development.
Australasia Jess Walker, our International Representative for Australasia, talks to her students and asks why they think teaching dance is much more than just a career. Anyone who teaches, no matter the subject, knows that ‘teacher’ is only just the beginning of the job description. Yes, as dance teachers we teach our students dance technique, musicality, artistry and a passion for dance, but we teach them life skills as well. Work ethic, dedication, teamwork and dealing with failures all spring to mind. Further to that, we become their mentors, supporting them through the hard times in their lives, cheering them on through their successes, both in and out of the studio. We create a space where students can escape reality, feel free to fully express themselves and for a duration of time, just be! We as teachers know this, but sometimes I don’t think we realise the full impact we have on our students. We could change the course of their lives with just a single comment, and we can reassure them that we believe that they can achieve their wildest dreams. Alex Reelick was so impacted by her teachers growing up, their influence created options and directed her life in a way that she feels she can now pay it forward to the next generation. "To me, being a dance teacher isn’t just about teaching dance. We become a strong, caring, supportive figure for each one of our students while they navigate the challenges that are thrown at them. Growing up, my teacher, Jess, was like my second mum. Whenever my own mum was away for work, or I just needed a person I could talk to, she was there for me… and still is! Along with my other teachers, Hillary Moulder and Lisa-Marie Hallam, Jess was someone 26 Dance | Issue 496
we could look up to and take inspiration from as women working in the performing arts industry. The way that these ladies taught us has absolutely influenced and shaped my friends and I into the young women that we’ve become. “It’s all about paying it forward. My teachers inspired and encouraged me both in and out of the studio and I’d like to think that I have been able to pass this on to the next generation of dancers.” Jacinta Kelly is new to teaching and is just starting her professional qualifications with the ISTD. She is at the precipice of deciding what her next chapter in life is and feels that the ISTD teaching qualifications are a real option. “My ISTD teachers have influenced my life greatly. They have been with me through all the highs and lows, supporting me every step of the way. I have found them to be so much more than just a ‘teacher’ to me. Yes, they help me to learn, grow and thrive in dance, but they are also part of my support network. Whenever I feel down or alone, they will always be there to listen and give me the advice and support I need. "By working together with my ISTD teachers, they have created a safe and loving environment in which I feel I can express myself openly, with no judgement. I know my opinions will be heard and respected. Most importantly, my teachers are my friends who I aspire to be like one day. They’ve influenced me to consider training through the ISTD to teach and inspire the next generation!" Teaching is such a rewarding career, every day is different, every class is different, and you can make such an impact on your students.
Teaching is such a rewarding career, every day is different, every class is different, and you can make such an impact on your students.
Left Junior teaching in South Africa
Africa and the Middle East Delia Sainsbury, International Representative for Africa and the Middle East, talks to several different teachers from South Africa and Bahrain, asking them how the ISTD allows their work to stretch globally. When I put this question to teachers, I received some very interesting responses. Top of the list in all replies was the fact that the ISTD has international status. It seems to be very important to have the weight of an international organisation behind you. Despite the difficulties and the possible transitioning to DDE, still in its embryonic stage here, the kudos of the Society is a big plus, enabling teachers to find posts in schools as well as private teaching. The teachers are really enjoying the online courses. The modern theatre courses, under the guidance of Tereza Theodoulou, have been particularly popular. In the past, it has been prohibitive for most South Africans to travel to the UK in order to partake in the courses but now, the online option is a massive advantage to all of us. We can now keep up! Leanne Van Breda, a very active teacher from Gauteng, believes the ISTD gives the teacher the chance “to educate the parents” that dance can be taken seriously and head towards a career, either in teaching or performing, or both. Leanne also states that she “loves the freedom the ISTD gives. The work is expressive, ever changing and evolving”. Leanne feels the teachers in South Africa are no longer “the underdog” but are really looked after and considered. Minette de Klerk from Durban is an ISTD modern theatre dance examiner. She began dancing at the age of five, training in ballet and Spanish dance. When she decided to open her own studio, Minette realised that she needed to expand her
genres of teaching and did her first course in modern dance with the doyenne of dance Patricia Crail. She further states that she loved the fact that original music was composed for much of the work. As we have progressed to playlists, like many of us, minette often refers to the originally composed music to reaffirm the ‘flavour’ of the exercise or sequence. Minette also echoes the fact that the flexible online option for examinations and courses have enabled the teachers in our region to stay abreast of the current work and keep us all moving forward. For South Africa, this has proved to be a big plus and taken the pressure off the bulk of the exam period. Saskia Cox Milne, Bahrain Ballet School “I have witnessed children grow in confidence and gain independence over the years I have been an ISTD teacher, as well as seeing them apply for international dance schools to be accepted. “I really like the flexibility that remote exams offer. Last year, during the throes of the pandemic, I had students travelling earlier that they had planned, as well as students in isolation. There was so much flexibility in the single students being able to take their exams before or after a set exam date. Having this flexibility means I can also have multiple sessions a year for those students who need slightly more time, whereas with physical exams I can’t. “I’m an ISTD teacher because I love teaching my students. There is always someone available to talk to about any queries I have via the online community groups. I am proud that I am one of the only teachers in Bahrain who teaches the ISTD curriculum and continues it in this part of the Middle East!”
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International update
North America Astrid Sherman, ISTD International Representative for North America, on teacher burnout and continued professional development (CPD) as a ‘magic pill’ for continued inspired teaching. Speaking from a place of my own professional practice and connections with fellow dance teachers over more than 25 years, I have noticed a common pattern in our teaching dance journeys. There comes a time in our careers when we might experience an increasing sense of failure or self-doubt, feel trapped, struggle with motivation or be constantly drained, present a more cynical and negative outlook, or have decreased satisfaction or sense of accomplishment. There can even be physical symptoms, like headaches and gastro-intestinal issues. These are all classic signs of teacher burnout. We know we are burnt-out when we feel unusually disengaged from our teaching, and physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Burnout risk factors include an unsatisfying or negative workplace environment or culture; a heavy workload or working long hours and struggling with work-life balance. We might feel we have little or no control over our work. Burnout develops progressively and insidiously. A less common ‘relative’ of burnout is ‘rust-out’. If burnout comes from overwhelming stress, rust-out stems from boredom, having no sense of purpose, monotony in routine, or from a general feeling of dissatisfaction with one’s career. With rust-out, we can feel chronically apathetic, disengaged, and stagnant. Burnout and rust-out sit at the opposite ends of the performance/stress curve. Both extremes can lead to a drop in our performance and in the worst cases, can develop into mental health issues like clinical depression, anxiety, or self-medication. Avoiding 'burn out' or 'rust out' I spoke with Dr Susan Tasker, a Clinical Counsellor and Dr Antonio Ocana, a Mental Health and Addiction Physician, regarding the neurobiology of both, and possible tools we teachers might access to avoid the pitfalls along our teaching paths. Dr Tasker noted that having too much work does not necessarily lead to burnout. “It’s the sense of overwhelm and not having control that does the damage” she says. “Many things at our studio workplace can feel out of our control. It could be our workload. It could be the expectations and demands placed on us by employers or employees, by parents and/or by students. It could be our studio/dance school environment and culture; perhaps caustically competitive or low in collegiality or non-supportive or misaligned with our values or needs. If we are not teaching in our own studio, there might be differences in standards being held at the studio to what our training and standards are, or having our ideas and input blocked by studio owners/directors.” Dr Tasker goes on to say, “To protect ourselves and to cope, we may disconnect emotionally. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s more like not being able to care anymore.” She points out the paradox that we often cope with burnout by working harder and making less time for family and friends. And she reminds us that we can be more vulnerable to burnout when demands
Left Dr Susan Tasker, based in British Columbia. Dr Tasker hosted our Membership Matters event on ‘Mental health and the risk of burnout when being a dance teacher' last year. Left Dr Antonio Ocana, based in Los Angeles
outside of work increase and take more emotional and physical energy than before, like sick children or caregiving for parents. If that is the problem, then what are the solutions? On tackling burnout or rust-out, both doctors mentioned that we do best when we prioritise self-care, build a support network, and to look to changing up our routines. The importance of self-esteem Dr Ocana, who works with people severe addictions, points out that to be able to engage in self-care we must address self-esteem: “No-one can care for themselves who does not value themselves.” He goes on to clarify: “Children are not born with low self-esteem. Self-esteem is taken from them, often unwittingly, by a parent, teacher, classmate, or sibling. Sometimes as children, when we are put down, we develop a negative view
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We need to fall in love with dance again and again. New and continued learning can do this.
Asia Chua Zjen Fong, our International Representative for Asia, on the importance of grading and exams. The first grading system started with William Farish in Harvard, 1646. Students were to receive grades for their work and an understanding of a particular subject or course. Nowadays, you’ll see the grading system everywhere, including, music, martial arts, academic institutions and of course, dance! As you know, the organisation also has its own grading system, which is the ISTD examination. It covers both student level and teachers’ level. Why do we need to grade ourselves, and why do we need to grade teachers? Grading makes it easier for a beginner dancer to learn, offering structure. Teachers are graded to ensure they meet certain qualities and benchmarks. Grading is important as it allows you to know what level you are currently training at. They allow our examiners to give you a review on your performance, and constructive criticism, showing you how to be the best you can be.
Europe Carole Ann Watson, International Representative for Europe, asks our European members how important CPD and remote exams are to them.
of ourselves.” The question is, he says “why as adults, do we not update our view of ourselves? If we did that, it could make the difference.” He reminds us to let the passion for our craft, and the pride in the gifts that we can bestow to our students, inspire our self-esteem. And then, to let that stand as evidence that we are worthy. “Now,” he says, “we can start talking about self-care.” New and continued learning Dr Tasker notes that like most things, the poison is in the dose and the cure is in the antidote. She tells us to ask ourselves about our workload. Is there variety in the scope of work? Do we have colleagues at or outside of our workplace? Do we remind ourselves of what it is or was about dance that we love or loved? “Perhaps,” she says, “the most professional, ethical, unselfish, and self-sustaining thing we can do as teachers is to make and take the time to re/fill our cups.” In her opinion, professional development opportunities (teachers, courses, trainers, workshops) are a lifeblood. Looking back at my own personal dance teaching journey, taking CPD and furthering my ISTD examinations injected a return to a healthier and more balanced place of ‘optimum stimulation’. I made time for my own progression and learning. This rekindled my creativity, satisfaction, ambition, and a motivation to continue to share. CPD was my self-care. I found a warm support network in the other teachers, with whom I could share and debate. We need to fall in love with dance again and again. New and continued learning can do this. It can help us rediscover everyday joys in dance, as well as how incredibly fulfilling it is to ourselves and how meaningful to our students being a dance teacher can be.
Continuing professional development (CPD) has always given the opportunity to refresh and broaden knowledge, consequently enhancing our teaching practice. Across Europe during the pandemic, the opportunity for CPD and examinations online, remote and live meant a new way of working, opening a new door for our international members. “An absolute lifeline!” a teacher from Ireland said, “it kept me balanced to have this support as I felt incredibly isolated during the pandemic.” “ISTD seminars are top notch. We should be very proud, and we are ever so grateful to the ISTD for this” – ISTD member, Greece “Exhaustive, stimulating and engaging” – ISTD member, Italy The opportunity to have courses in Greek and Italian has given a more inclusive opportunity to our non-English speakers and has been greatly appreciated. As well as being able to attend courses in their native languages, to be able to have the choice between live and remote examinations has given our European members more opportunities to involve their students, and consequently schools are able to present a more inclusive offer to their clients.
i CON TAC T Delia Sainsbury, Africa and the Middle East dsainsbury@istd.org Astrid Sherman, North America asherman@istd.org Jess Walker, Australasia jwalker@istd.org Carole Ann Watson, Europe cwatson@istd.org Chua Zjen Fong, Asia chua@istd.org
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Cecchetti Classical Ballet
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Philippa McMeechan Head of Faculty Development for Cecchetti Classical Ballet cecchetti@istd.org
Let’s embrace the wonderful range of examinations we have to offer all our pupils.
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Our Senior Certificate examinations However, it doesn’t stop there. I wholeheartedly recommend that you consider the Senior Certificate examinations as an alternative for older pupils for whom, perhaps, the vocational level Intermediate and Advanced examinations may be too challenging. The Senior Certificates are essentially a continuation of the Class/Standard examinations and are pitched at a level to follow on from Class Exam/Standard
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As a dance school owner and teacher, I understand and completely empathise with the challenges we have all faced over the last couple of years. We have had to embrace change overnight, but we have persevered and achieved. So now how do we rebuild? Taking my school as an example, when we resumed classes in person, I noticed a loss of stamina and physical facility amongst some of my pupils and I also noticed that some were struggling with concentration and retention of sequences. The result of this, for some pupils, has manifested itself in a loss of confidence, which has impacted on levels of performance and expression when dancing. So, how do we help those pupils to regain belief in their ability? How do we help them fall in love with dance again at the same time as rebuilding our businesses? I asked one of my senior classes recently, “who would like to consider taking an exam next term?” One girl currently taking her A-levels said, “oh no, that’s too much extra stress.” What a shame for a girl who has danced from the age of three, to see ‘pressure’ before her love for dance. So, I found myself asking how do I continue to encourage and support these pupils, who will take all the wonderful transferable skills and competencies that dance has
Our performance awards Following the ‘Relight the fire’ section in issue 495 of Dance magazine, I wanted to continue this theme and highlight, firstly, the wonderful Cecchetti Faculty Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold Star performance awards. These exams are short in duration, and they are designed to promote performance and enjoyment of dance. The set work is not lengthy, consisting of a Port De Bras, one or two Allegro enchaînments (depending on the level) improvisation and a dance choregraphed by the teacher, which may include props. All of this could perhaps be taught alongside the work in a grade/standard class, potentially using the same dance in some cases (refer to respective exam syllabi for details regarding dances). This way, you are providing opportunities for all your pupils to progress and achieve, to regain their confidence and to take an exam without perhaps committing to the time and focus needed for some of the other examinations. If you prefer an examiner to come to you, rather than holding a ‘remote’ session, these exams are also a good way of making up minimum fees for a session.
6. The work is beautifully choreographed and, in terms of marking, it is a 50/50 split between technique and performance. If your school is anything like mine, you will have a significant number of pupils who are not going to go on to vocational dance schools for whom the Senior Certificate examinations may be a very useful offering. So, let’s embrace the wonderful range of examinations we have to offer all our pupils, whether their focus is recreational or vocational. Let’s help them renew their love of dance and rebuild their confidence, whilst rebuilding our businesses. One of my pupils recently described learning the Medal/ Senior Certificate work as a “breath of fresh air.” Why not give them a try? Please do contact us at cecchetti@istd.org if we can assist with any further information.
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Our Head of Faculty Development, Philippa McMeechan, shares her perspective on how to help pupils fall in love with dance again.
taught them, into further education and ultimately into their chosen careers?
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Cecchetti Classical Ballet ~ continued
Becoming an ISTD Approved Dance Centre (ADC) Christine Axon, Cecchetti teacher and examiner, has recently passed the approval process for a new Cecchetti ADC in Bolton. Once upon a time, in another life when I was looking for my first teaching job, I was interviewed for the Inner London Education Authority’s teaching pool. “State your teaching experience,” said the interviewer, who appeared to think it was hilarious that it comprised of teaching ballet, tap and modern theatre in Bolton – at this point he mocked my broad northern vowels! What has this to do with becoming an ADC? Well, it is precisely because I want to offer the opportunity to young teachers to pass their DDE examinations and become teachers of Cecchetti Ballet in Bolton, that I applied to have the Frances Bleasdale School of Dancing (FBSD) approved as a centre for their training. Cecchetti influences As a young dancer, I was taught by my mother Jean Axon, and my aunt, Brenda Elliott. The school had taught the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus until the 1950s. Its founding principal, Frances Bleasdale, was a former Bluebell Girl and dancer at the Paris Lido. She admired the Cecchetti method and asked Pat Hardy to give courses at the school to help it to convert. By the time Jean and Brenda took over and I was learning to take my first steps in dance, we had made the transition. I remember them organising courses with Wendy Everest, Margaret Marsh, and Nora Roche in the Aspen Hall in the 1960s – their small top floor studio was too small to accommodate the number of interested dancers! Their attitude was that no one was too much of a luminary to invite to coach their students. Even small children could have an hour dedicated to learning the Cecchetti method from one of these wonderful teachers. Having decided to go to university – I was led to believe that I was too
tall to be a ballet dancer – I completed a BA Hons in English and Drama and a PGCE. I taught in comprehensive schools in London and Lancashire for 11 years, all the while teaching dance part-time, until the birth of my children. Cecchetti Summer School at Lilleshall Hall in Shropshire was a huge influence on me during this period, as a dancer and teacher. There were so many inspirational international teachers, Brenda Hamlyn, Richard Glasstone, Raymond Lukens, Franco Devita, Rosemarie Floyd, Laura Wilson, Sheila Kennedy, Anita Young to name a few – I could go on, apologies to those I haven’t mentioned! It was an amazing opportunity for a part time, hundred percent committed student like myself, to be a full time dancer for a week – and I loved it.
I hope more teachers in the regions will think of becoming an ADC.
Here I met Mary Jane Duckworth and Gillian Dawson who led by example in many a class. I gained my Associate at Lilleshall, followed by my Licentiate both of which I studied with Brenda Elliott. Also, a huge influence was Joan Hewson, who I met at an ‘open class’ at Pineapple Dance Studios while on an escape from my day job. I soon realised that the class was firmly run on Cecchetti principles and many a Cecchetti Adage or Allegro exercise would creep in unannounced. I studied with Joan at her studio in Queensgate Place Mews, and on moving back home, with Kate Simmons in Warrington to take Advanced 2 and later Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. How fantastic to find such a knowledgeable and encouraging teacher nearby. Both exams were huge mental obstacles to me – but I passed them and a couple of years later took my Fellowship with the invaluable help of Eileen Langman. Mrs Duckworth was one of several senior examiners (later including Viccy Chappell, Juliet Locks and Gillian Hurst) who came to Bolton to give many wonderful Cecchetti courses and helped me as the new principal of FBSD in the 1990s with advice and encouragement. She and Daphne Cooper are responsible for my becoming an examiner after the birth of my two daughters. I remember ‘sitting in’ with them and Gillian Dawson with respect and gratitude for the training they gave me. I have been a
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Cecchetti examiner since 1996, and thoroughly enjoy visiting schools in the UK and abroad. Probably because of their influence, I ended up running Cecchetti Summer School at Elmhurst from 2012 to 2019 with Linda Isaacs, hoping to create the same kind of ‘buzz’ around Cecchetti ballet I had experienced. I was also honoured to be an ISTD Cecchetti Committee member from 2009 to 2015. The benefits of our DDE qualification FBSD originally became an ADC in 2005. Before that time, I entered students for Associate on a fairly regular basis. However, when the qualification became FDI and CDE with a multitude of modules, it was my feeling that it wouldn’t be possible to continue training teachers in the time available before they left to go to university or full-time training. So, with a heavy heart, I did not renew the application when time came to do so. I am delighted that the new DDE qualification is so much more approachable for young students between GCSE and A-Level, or for local teachers who already have a school and would like to change to the Cecchetti method. It can be difficult for them to juggle their families, teaching jobs and other responsibilities with going to classes further afield, so a local ADC is very helpful for them. One of the few upsides to the pandemic had to be the usefulness and value of online teaching. I now have three Welsh students joining our DDE classes online, in addition to the four in the studio. I hope more teachers in the regions will think of becoming an ADC. It isn’t as daunting a prospect for students to qualify at DDE level as it once was. As for the actual application, there are policies on all sorts of issues, from social media to safeguarding, to be drafted but helpful templates exist online. Photographs of your studio and changing facilities are easy to send digitally and your CV is a requisite. Increasing the number of ADCs should hopefully increase the number of Cecchetti teachers passing on our wonderful method in the future. After all, as my chequered path shows, not everyone gets to go to vocational school but there may be many who would love to qualify and pursue a career in dance teaching if we give them the opportunity. Above left Christine Axon teaching class
Cecchetti Society history In its centenary year, committee member Julie Cronshaw looks at the formation of the Cecchetti Society in the UK. When Diaghilev wanted his company the Ballets Russes to tour in 1909, he hired Maestro Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928) for the dual roles of ballet master and mime artist. Cecchetti toured and then went to London where he set up his own school in 1918. Diaghilev had brought together many great artists to the Ballets Russes, which revolutionised ballet as an art form. Cecchetti's presence in the Diaghilev company was very important. He was the link between the past
Above Maestro Enrico Cecchetti
Above Cyril Beaumont
and the present, contributing to the birth of modern classical ballet. In London after 1918, students flocked to work with the Maestro and in 1922 his method was transcribed by Stanislas Idzikowsky, one of Cecchetti’s Polish pupils and art historian Cyril Beaumont, into a book called A Manual of Classical Theatrical Dancing. Cyril Beaumont, writer, ballet historian and critic, recorded in his Memoir of the Maestro: “For the present there is none worthy to assume the mantle of Cecchetti. He was one of those great artists who appear not once in a generation but only at rare intervals in the world’s history of the theatre.” The Cecchetti Centre in London was founded in 1983 by Richard Glasstone, as a tribute to Nora Roche who taught the Cecchetti method at the Royal Ballet School for over a quarter of a century. When Cecchetti retired from his studio in London his work was handed down through his disciple, Margaret Craske, to a whole generation of British artists. It was at the instigation of Cyril Beaumont, that the Cecchetti Society was founded in 1922, to preserve and promote the work of ‘the Maestro’. The first committee comprised such luminaries as Cyril Beaumont himself, Margaret Craske, Jane Forrestier, Molly Lake, Derra de Moroda, Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois. Maestro Cecchetti was President and Madame Cecchetti was Vice President. In 1923 when Cecchetti moved back to Italy, Cyril Beaumont was elected Chair of the Cecchetti Society, a post he held until his death in 1976. In 1924 the Cecchetti Society was incorporated with the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers (now the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing). Following Cyril Beaumont, the position of Chair was held by: Diana Barker 1976–1990; Mary Jane Duckworth 1990–1999; Linda Pilkington 1999–2005; Elisabeth Swan 2005–2014; Catherine Hutchon 2014–2020. The Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty is also very honoured to have the support of esteemed patrons, currently Dame Monica Mason DBE, Sir David Bintley KBE, Lesley Collier CBE and Kevin O’Hare CBE. To read more about our history, visit www.istd.org Dance | Issue 496 33
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Classical Greek Dance
Tip top training Hannah Connor, DDE student and BBC Young Dancer 2019 finalist, looks at the influence of Classical Greek dance on her journey as a freelance dance artist, teacher, and choreographer. Stepping into my first dance class at the age of four, encouraged by a family where music, dance, and art have always been present, I was unaware of how my weekly classes would become the building blocks to a fulfilling life and career with dance at the forefront. I was lucky enough as a young student to be introduced to an array of dance techniques through the ISTD syllabi, which all contributed to my technique and approach. The most pivotal technique for me is Classical Greek – a style that works with a challenging range of dynamic capabilities, drawing on technical strength to find balance within the body as well as facilitating freedom for creative interpretation. Studying contemporary dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2016, I was introduced to a more holistic outlook on movement, which allowed a deeper awareness of the mind and body connection. Through the research of various contemporary approaches such as Alexander, Release, Cunningham, and Graham techniques, I realised that my background in Classical Greek had many correlations with what I was now studying. Apart from the clear parallels regarding technical movements and alignment, I found that Classical Greek had provided the foundations of awareness for my use of breath, and balance in the mind and body, and delivered a pathway to a more natural way of moving, – all topics that I have continued to research in my Master’s degree and individual creative practice concerning mindfulness and dance.
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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National classicalgreek@istd.org
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The ISTD Classical Greek syllabus encouraged me to develop skills of musical understanding, improvisation, and creativity, providing versatility as a well-rounded artist. Athletic and Pyrrhic work challenged physicality, strength, and power to build elevation and dynamism. Lyrical styles gave way to the use of breath, flow, and continuity of movement whilst Tragic work explored a more mature internal expression through the body. From a young age, you gain knowledge in phrasing and musical interpretation, which I think is crucial in building students’ confidence to find their artistic preferences and allow creativity to flourish.
As a choreographer, I can work collaboratively with musicians and other artists to compose work with good background knowledge stemming from my experience of working with live musicians in exams and cultivating my interpretive skills through rhythmic and choreographic set exercises. Classical Greek sets itself apart from other dance styles as it has such a broad range of repertoire, drawn from the origins of the movement, mythology and the literature of 5th century Greece and its relevance to the modern world. As I continue the everyday pursuit of developing myself as an artist, teacher, and creator, I am constantly inspired by the teachers who provided me with the supportive environment to build the foundations of my dance technique and allowed me to realise my full potential. The achievements of my career so far, including being a BBC Young Dancer 2019 Contemporary Category finalist and performing with Phoenix Dance Theatre as an apprentice dancer, all stemmed from having structure and variety within my training facilitated by ISTD grade work. One of my most important realisations is that I have the drive and commitment to pass on this passion and knowledge to the next generation. As I work towards my DDE in Classical Greek, Modern, and Tap alongside lecturing at universities, colleges, and dance schools I feel it is my responsibility to encourage and influence the next generation of budding artists. Knowing that I could potentially lead a student on a journey that allows them to feel fulfilled in what they do, as my teachers did for me, is a reward for all my hard work in itself. By following a career in dance, supported by the correct training and structure such as ISTD syllabi, you can gain much more than the ability to dance. You acquire crucial knowledge and skills that will aid personal development, help you make lifelong friends and mentors, and most importantly figure out your purpose as an artist in this world.
Re-light the fire Kay Ball, Lead Examiner for Classical Greek, recommends our Classical Greek medal test examinations to help re-ignite students’ passion for dance. The Classical Greek medal test examinations, which encourage children to observe the world around them, are ideal for children who love to dance and let their imaginations run away with them. Sometimes known as performance awards, these syllabi are geared to a candidate’s own personality, performance, and theatrical projection, and provide an opportunity to be expressive and creative, interpreting a variety of subjects while learning about characters from Greek mythology. Whilst technical proficiency is important, the mark scheme is heavily weighted towards theatre, musicality, creativity and development of expression.
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Classical Indian Dance
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Lisa Harrison-Jones Head of Faculty Development for Modern Theatre and Classical Indian classicalindian@istd.org
Inspiration and progression Mansi Dabral Uniyal shares her experience of how training as a Kathak examiner has empowered her as a dance teacher. “A successful teacher is an excellent student.” That’s the motto of my life. I started teaching at a young age while completing Post Diploma in Kathak at Sangeet Bharati, New Delhi, India while assisting my guru in teaching all the junior classes. After teaching for five years at this coveted institute, I moved to England in 2007 and continued my passion for teaching and performing. A turning point came in 2013 when I received my provisional membership from the ISTD. A journey of learning and self-discovery started as a teacher as well as a dancer and choreographer, gaining a deeper insight into the syllabus through the progression of the grades. To me, the Society epitomises excellence in providing structured learning to students, with ample opportunities and training offered to teachers, with a fantastic medium for teachers to become future examiners. The training as an examiner has enabled me to be more aware, skilful, and creative in my teaching methodologies, empowering me as a dance teacher. Through the examiner training process and observations, the supporting documents for those sessions have provided an excellent tool to understand examiner marking systems and techniques required to conduct examinations. With clear-cut, in depth knowledge, positive tips, shared thought processes and best practice from
these experienced senior examiners. I appreciate the responsibility of a good examiner needing crucial traits of thorough syllabus knowledge, sharp memory, time management, neutral behavior, and positive professional conduct, which the training process has allowed me to hone. It has also given me the ability to dissect each segment of the syllabus, devising various creative exercises whilst understanding the vital nuances of compositions. I am blessed and fortunate to have examiner training under Sujata Banerjee and Sushma Mehta, who both carry a plethora of experience and knowledge and have been very supportive and encouraging to my training, clearing any of my doubts and allowing my progression as an ISTD Kathak examiner.
The training as an examiner has enabled me to be more aware, skilful, and creative in my teaching methodologies empowering me as a dance teacher.
i Mansi Dabral Uniyal is a London based Kathak teacher choreographer and dancer, who received the exceptional achievement award from the Mayor of Ealing. Mansi trained in Kathak for 13 years at Kathak Kendra (the National Institute of Kathak Dance) in New Delhi, India, and trained under renowned gurus such as the late Smt. Reba Vidyarthi and Shri Krishan Mohan Misra. Mansi went on to achieve a National Scholarship from the Government of India and in 2005 was chosen to be the youngest Cultural Ambassador of India selected by ICCR to teach Kathak. Mansi is now the Kathak lecturer at Morley College, London, and was one of the artists on the Artist Mentor Initiative organised by DanceXchange. Her dance film Rhythm is Life was selected for U-Dance 2022 and showcased at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance under Arts Council funding DYCP, mentored by Balbir Singh, Mansi performed an exploration of movement vocabulary with Kathak and Cello; Kanyaa the Daughter, which was showcased at Kala Sangam, Bradford in May 2022.
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Contemporary Dance
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Michaela Stannard Head of Projects and Strategic Events mstannard@istd.org
Contemporary benefits James Bradley, an ISTD dance teacher based in South Africa, looks at the business and student benefits of our Contemporary dance syllabus. I have been teaching the contemporary syllabus for three years now. We launched it as soon as the Intermediate Foundation was available. With the growing popularity of the contemporary genre in the dance industry, it has been a major draw in attracting new students as well as amongst our current student body. It has been particularly popular amongst our drama majors who are seeking dance training outside of the more classical forms to better their dance technique. Speaking to our dance majors, they have expressed that, although there is plenty of technique to apply, the thing they enjoy the most is the movement quality behind the contemporary work. Whether it was done intentionally or not, there is a significant overlap between the ISTD modern and contemporary syllabi, and the breakdown and progressions in the contemporary have helped understanding and application in the modern, such as contractions, tilts, floorwork, or creating distance in walks. The contemporary syllabus allows students with different levels of dance to train at the same time, as they work through technique and understanding how their body moves. Another beneficial concept is the structured improvisation. This improvisation allows for creative
exploration in a more structured and guided environment and helps those students intimidated by creating from scratch. Initially the Intermediate Foundation seemed quite formal and techniquebased, with limited freedom of movement. However, having now learnt, and started teaching the next two grades, it has become very clear the importance of understanding and the application of techniques and concepts established in the first grade. One of the ideas I love the most, and which is prevalent in Intermediate and Advanced 1, is the concept of constantly moving. It’s been very interesting getting students to sustain and move through a line as opposed to stop, hold, and move on. This has migrated into their performance and demonstration of choreography, especially when it requires a more fluid and organic feel. I also love that it introduces several new concepts in movement, such as hip initiation in spirals, hip initiating in throws. In the Intermediate syllabus, the focus on walks has very much helped with the use and understanding of pushing through the feet to gain bigger strides, power in elevation and greater ease in travelling across the dance space. Students learning the syllabus have enjoyed the fact that they have learnt new techniques that have helped them understand that contemporary is a technique on its own and not just a ‘loose modern’ or ‘ballet without structure’. Thanks to shows like So You Think You Can Dance; the popularity of contemporary has exploded. Most dance companies and even musicals now require contemporary experience, and it counts in your favour in many an audition. The launch of the contemporary syllabus means that a mainly ISTD trained dancer can now be even more rounded and versatile in their abilities and ready for any dance genre thrown at them in various situations. Now that I know the Advanced 1,
it has changed how I teach the first two grades as I understand the progressions and layering. The contemporary syllabus has been beautifully constructed and right now culminates in a visually stunning, technically challenging and rewarding Advanced 1 syllabus.
The launch of the Contemporary syllabus means that a mainly ISTD trained dancer can now be even more rounded and versatile in their abilities and ready for any dance genre thrown at them.
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Contemporary Dance ~ continued
Dance against the odds Glenn Graham didn’t grow up surrounded by dance but his interest was kindled when he gained a BTEC in popular music. He explains how he went on to study at Rambert under Dr Ross McKim and is now working in the profession. After leaving school at 16, I studied a three-year BTEC National Diploma in Popular Music at college. In the final year, we had an assignment to compose music for a scene from Star Trek, an advert, and Swansong by Christopher Bruce. I’m from a marginalised area and had little access to dance or dance culture, but when I saw Swansong I immediately knew I wanted to dance. I enquired at the college and found that they offered a one night a week course in dance, which I joined. The group went on a trip to see Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at a local theatre, and from beginning to end I was mesmerised, which solidified the notion that I wanted to be a dancer. After the show, I waited at stage door for Matthew and told him that I was going to dance for him one day. In a close by bar, I bumped into one of the dancers and asked “how do I get to do what you do?”. He told me I needed to go to Rambert, so I went back to college, sent off my application and was invited to audition for the school. At the audition, the men and women were asked to do different things in the ballet class, and I explained that I didn’t know the steps that we were being asked to perform. The teacher told me not to worry as there would be some movement phrases from the corner, which happened to be Ross McKim’s Lunge Lean and Lunge Run exercises. The audition had been my first ever trip to London and I went back up to Nottingham feeling deflated
and that I hadn’t got anything right. Despite this, I soon got a letter telling me that I’d been accepted onto the course at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance and it was the
When you audition for companies, they want you to be grounded, to cover space, to be strong and present. Every company I’ve danced for has required those skills, so the training was very beneficial for supporting my career. best thing that ever happened to me! The training at Rambert was 50% ballet and 50% contemporary, which prepared me to dance all sorts of choreography, be it Forsythe, Mats Ek or Jiri Kylian. In Ross’ class, we gradually built up a repertoire of movement. Repetition was key while layering more on to the work with each year of the course. As the class progressed, though the technique was quite muscular, there was a freedom in the movement, which really allowed me
to relate to it and find myself as a dancer. The technique is very much about the use of the pelvis and the back, how you can use this to shift through space, travelling and using the floor. When you audition for companies, they want you to be grounded, to cover space, to be strong and present. Every company I’ve danced for has required those skills, so the training was very beneficial for supporting my career. It built the foundations anatomically, physically, and mentally, of who I am today, giving me some hope to succeed in what is a very challenging industry. It ultimately allowed me to become a versatile dancer and have a long and fruitful career. Ross has a very calm demeanour and only speaks when he needs to, but when he does speak, he gives you some true pearls of wisdom. For example, because I started dancing late, I always felt like I needed to throw lots of energy at everything. Towards the end of my training Ross said to me, “there always has to be calm within the storm,” and it’s true. As a dancer, you must be able to not let the audience know that you’re having a physical struggle with certain choreography. When I left Rambert I danced the Swan in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, and dancing the lead in that show after only four years of dancing was mind boggling; I constantly came back to thinking “there always has to be calm within the storm”. Another thing I’ve carried with me is the use of expansion. I always try and incorporate the ‘circle method’ in my class – we are dancing inside a bubble and really trying to reach beyond. All of Ross’s movement is about expanding in the space and this has been important when I’ve been performing on stage to 3,000 people, making sure that my performance is reaching the people at the top of the second circle. Young dancers of today can benefit from a syllabus that encapsulates Ross’ method. The simplicity of Ross’ work enables dancers to find themselves in the movement, track their progress and experience how their body can move inside the work. Mastering the use of the spine, shift of the pelvis and use of the floor enables dancers to tackle different styles. Ross’ class gives dancers a solid grounding to approach things
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Right Glenn Graham
like Release, Ballet, Cunningham, Graham, Horton and Hofesh style. The rigour and regime of Ross’s method gives dancers a resilience and robustness that they need to survive in an ever-changing industry. I’ve danced for six companies, and worked with about 20 different choreographers, so from my perspective, I believe that Ross’ method lays the foundations for successful and versatile career.
Membership
ISTD Contemporary Dance Syllabus Our Contemporary Dance Syllabus was created by Dr Ross McKim. The syllabus aims to introduce students to the fundamentals of contemporary dance technique and performance by approaching different movement themes at each level, specially created solos and the inclusion of structured improvisation to enable students to explore, develop and create their own movement vocabulary. We have developed three levels of the syllabus: Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced 1. Discover more at www. istd.org/dance/dance-genres/ contemporary
i Glenn Graham is Resident Director, Associate Artist and Principal Dancer for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventure’s. Born in Nottingham, Glenn started his professional training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Glenn's teaching credits include Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Rambert School, Shoreditch Youth Dance Company, New College Nottingham, The Place, London summer intensives and Company 12 of which he became Patron in 2012. Dance | Issue 496 41
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Disco, Freestyle, Rock n Roll and Street
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Amanda Tapp Head of Faculty Development for Disco, Freestyle, Rock’n’Roll and Street dfr@istd.org
The value of advancing your teaching qualifications Do you love your chosen vocation, inspiring and nurturing dancers of all ages, and the community you create? We are so engrossed in the here and now in our daily teaching that we rarely think about where we may see ourselves in the future. There are a few questions to consider: • What type of teacher am I? What is my USP (unique selling point, or unique selling proposition)? • Where do I want to be in 5, 10 and even 15 years with my business? • How can I be the best teacher that I can be, so that my dancers receive the best training? Having a USP ensures that you are a specialist in your field and having this, means that you are better than your competition. Knowing the right way to position yourself and your offering can mean the difference between standing out and blending in. Your first USP is that you are a member of the ISTD and can proudly display the mark of quality ISTD logos on all your advertising and branding. Others could include your commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and
the fact that you offer examinations and competitions in Street Dance, Disco/ Freestyle and Rock n Roll. It is worth making a list of the things that you offer over and above your competition. Sometimes, Having an Associate qualification may not quite be enough to stand out. This brings us onto our next question. What are your aspirations and where do you see yourself in the future? To move forward and grow your business, focusing on the future from time to time will be of immense benefit. Gaining new qualifications and attending CPD is probably the best way to do this. Positioning yourself as an expert in your field will mean that you are valued and can charge more for your services. So, let us look at the career pathway that a teacher can take in the dancesport genres and what this will mean to your professional development. Genres: Disco/Freestyle, Rock n Roll, Street Dance, Country and Western Student Teacher – the first step over the threshold into a professional career. At this stage you will learn the basics of your chosen genres, gain an understanding of Safe Dance Practice and learn the requirements of the lower grade syllabus. Associate – the first teaching qualification you will gain. Once you have passed this qualification, you are able to teach your chosen genres and will have gained a thorough knowledge into the expectations of the syllabus up to, and including, Silver level. At this level, you are eligible to become a member of the ISTD, enter students for examinations
and attend CPD courses, which will ensure you are always up to date on the latest information and trends. Licentiate – a higher teaching qualification. At this level you are studying a more detailed approach to Safe Dance Practice, including muscular strength and endurance and nutrition and exploring in more depth how to develop and improve flexibility at all levels. You will also be able to challenge your choreography, understand how to approach technical steps and movements and work further towards quality medallist routines up to and including Gold level. You will also be able to train Student Teachers and Associates, apply to be an ISTD Adjudicator and a DFR committee member. Fellowship – the highest teaching qualification and a real aspiration. You will further continue your studies into Safe Dance Practice and have an in-depth knowledge of how the body works, as well as how we can use this knowledge to improve our pupil’s performance. You will be choreographing to a high level and researching recent trends in your chosen genre. At this level, you can apply to be an examiner and travel all over the world. You can also coach professionals to become Licentiates. If you would like to find out more about how you can improve your qualifications, or to enquire about Dancesport CPD, please email: dfr@istd.org
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Imperial Classical Ballet
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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National imperialballet@istd.org
Making a difference in education ISTD teacher Nadine Brenton looks at how the qualifications framework provided by our Society offers rewarding and satisfying career development. I was fortunate enough to have Chichester College as my local further education centre. Irela Strachan had introduced the ISTD DDI and DDE into the dance department’s portfolio of qualifications. She guided me through these qualifications and, in fact, my whole ISTD journey. I combined studying on the Level 4 Higher National Certificate with my ISTD studies, passing the Diploma in Dance Instruction (DDI) followed by the Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) in Imperial Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap. This not only equipped me with a professional dance teaching qualification, but it also provided the foundations of a structured pathway to qualify as a teacher in the public sector. I began the ISTD Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy (DDP), graduating in February 2018, also gaining Licentiate status in Imperial Classical Ballet. Through this, I updated my knowledge of the ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet syllabus, whilst also expanding my knowledge of pedagogy, learning how to become a better teacher no matter what the subject. Since graduating I feel I have a broader knowledge of the ballet genre and of dance pedagogy and a new-found confidence. I recommend the DDP if you have the ambition to progress from teaching in the private sector to teaching in the public sector. I chose this pathway because it allowed me to apply for QTLS enabling me to work in secondary
schools or FE colleges. I now work as Subject Leader for Dance in a secondary school in Hertfordshire, preparing students for examinations at both GCSE and A-Level. Although my route to becoming a teacher in a secondary school may have been a different pathway to most, I believe the ISTD teaching qualifications have given me the tools to teach students who have had a diverse range of training opportunities and experience. Some of my students have progressed through ISTD graded examinations; however, the majority have less experience, having been introduced to dance through after school clubs. I have found many ways to introduce the ISTD ballet syllabus into my students’
I recommend the DDP if you have the ambition to progress from teaching in the private sector to teaching in the public sector.
timetables including Intermediate training for my A-Level group, who are currently considering their next step. Some want to audition for professional dance training establishments and understand that taking regular ballet classes will improve their prospects. They appreciate the value of taking exams because it gives them a goal to work towards, as well as extra UCAS points. My current Level 2 cohort are studying Bourne’s Swan Lake and are expected to perform repertoire as part of their ballet assessment. As a mixed ability group, some find this challenging, and I have used my knowledge of the ISTD ICB grades to implement a progressive training system to develop their technique. Some of my students face financial restrictions so are not able to attend private dance classes. Including ISTD training in course delivery gives all students an equal opportunity to achieve high grades in their GCSE and A-Level exams. Giving students these opportunities has impacted positively on their lives, especially their mental health. Dance is a feel-good subject, one through which we can explore and express our emotions. I believe as a teacher I am making a difference in education by helping to provide equal opportunities for my students and by building their self-belief and confidence, instilling in these young people an ambition to succeed. Above Nadine Brenton teaching a class Dance | Issue 496 45
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Imperial Classical Ballet ~ continued
Celebrating difference ISTD teacher Penni Bubb shares her experiences of including children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in dance and urges us to do the same. I hold an old-fashioned Associate qualification (AISTD) which I updated to a DDI (Diploma in Dance Instruction) a few years ago, and I now run an inclusive theatre school called The Mushroom Theatre Company, based in Rayleigh, Essex. Twenty years ago, with a young family, I was working part-time teaching GCSE Dance and running clubs in secondary schools. One of my remits was
to deliver some workshops in the local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school across the road. I had no idea what I was going to do with these disabled children, or how I was going to give them a meaningful and productive session, so I asked them for their help. I admitted that this was all new to me and suggested to the students that we work together to create something, requesting that they tell me if I was being unrealistic, or not realistic enough. We worked on a piece in partnership with my non-disabled students and there was a defining moment for me, when we lifted a young man out of his wheelchair high up into the air. The reaction from him and the carers was so profound that I realised that these children were not being given the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that what we were doing was unusual and special, and from that moment I knew that when I
started my own school, I wanted it to be an inclusive environment, somewhere that dance and the wider performing arts could be enjoyed by everyone.
Out of the 117 cast members in our annual show 34% had SEND. Two years later, that idea was born in an old mushroom shed on a farm, hence the name Mushroom Theatre Company. It soon became obvious that our building was not suitable in the long term, and we realised that every theatre we performed in was unable to cater for our wheelchair users. Doors were too narrow, there
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were lots of steps and no disabled toilets backstage. It seemed that disabled people were allowed to watch a show but there was no place for them on the actual stage. We formed a charity, Equal People Performing Arts (registered charity number 1116649) and started fundraising for a building where everyone could enjoy the social and therapeutic benefits of the performing arts. After 10 years we moved into our beautiful fully accessible studios and studio theatre in Rayleigh.
Being an inclusive school has not ‘diluted’ the work but instead it’s enhanced it. We started offering examination work a few years after we formed. We have entered many SEND students but would really value an adaptable syllabus for our wheelchair users. I know you are probably wondering how this works in practice, and the answer is the ‘Buddy’ system we have set up. Older students ‘help’ the SEND children to access all the activities, making sure they understand and helping them manage their behaviour. This has a two-fold effect: the disabled students receive peer attention and friendship, which is often denied to them, and the non-disabled ‘Buddy’ receives non-judgmental friendship, which boosts their self-esteem, in this target driven, over tested world they live in. It’s a win-win situation. Not all our students do or want to take examinations, or even perform in shows, but they all love music and movement and expressing themselves in this way. I’m not suggesting it’s easy to work in this way; it’s been difficult on occasions. People want to pigeonhole us when in fact we are just a performing arts school for everyone. At the time of writing we have just performed our annual show and out of
the 117 cast members 34% had SEND. We believe in the power of being involved in dance and the performing arts to help people. Our standard of training is very high, and some of our students have gone on to have careers in the industry. In other words, being an inclusive school has not ‘diluted’ the work but instead it’s enhanced it. Our students go off into the world with an attitude of acceptance and empathy, a sense of self-value born from being useful and accepted by others. Going forward, we hope to continue using the performing arts to enrich and enhance people’s lives. We are providers of short breaks for disabled children and
it starts with grass roots organisations such as ours. If I had to give advice, and I don’t proclaim to have all the answers, I would say, don’t be afraid, be accepting. Think of what these children can achieve, rather than what they can’t. They are not a lower ability, just a different one. Achieve technique if it's appropriate, but the main thing is to embrace the essence of dance, which is the reason we all started in the first place. There you will find the magic and the joy!
Don’t be afraid, be accepting.
holiday activity workshops for children on benefits-based free school meals. In our opinion, money should not be a barrier to being able to dance. There is so much more that can be done to make the dance world accessible to everyone and
Some of the quotes from parents include: “She’s been given the chance to be treated as an equal.” “She has been able to be pushed in potential and learn from her peers.” “To learn determination, and with practice and hard work anything is achievable if you are given the opportunity to succeed.” “When you hear less ‘bless ‘em’ and more ‘Wow!’ you know something is truly magical. When you want real inclusivity and not a tick box exercise, there is only one place to look and that’s the Mushroom Theatre Company."
All photos Students of Mushroom Theatre Company Dance | Issue 496 47
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Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence
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Malcolm Hill Head of Faculty Development for Latin American, Ballroom, Sequence latin@istd.org, ballroom@istd.org and sequence@istd.org
Relight the fire Dancesport Lead Examiner Vernon Kemp looks at how our exams help to fuel your students’ passion for dance. Why do exams? Examinations and competitions give teachers, students, and parents a framework for measuring achievement and progress as well as creating tangible goals. In learning any skill there are bound to be highs and lows and sometimes a plateau that can seem difficult to get off! Teachers are often aware of the difficulty of getting new students but in my opinion, keeping the students that are already in your school is of vital importance. It is my experience that teachers who are training pupils towards exams, whether in group classes or individual lessons, have a higher retention rate than those who do not. What other benefits are there? Often examination sessions and the students’ results can be used to generate publicity (bearing in mind any data protection). This could be on social media, your website, or in the local newspaper and can help in attracting other students to your classes. Adult pupils rarely volunteer or request to take an exam (unless they have already attended a school where exams were taken). Children will be keen if their friends have already completed it, or sometimes the parents think it’s a good idea. It can be a hard sell, especially if you don’t have a history of this type of work within your studio. With group classes that are run as a course the examination can be an inclusive part at the end of the course that all participants take. This might be for adult beginners in Ballroom/Latin, for example, or it could be a summer school course for children in a genre that is new to them such as Salsa or Country Western Line Dance. Schools and teachers vary greatly and therefore the need to include examination work in your teaching can be important for a number of reasons. Some schools enter pupils for Medallist competitions, so taking a qualifying examination is compulsory.
These schools are normally well geared to the examination system and will have clear paths of progression for the various levels of students within their classes. What about classes that are of a more social nature, where the teacher feels enjoyment is the priority? Well, firstly enjoyment is important at every level of training, and I am not sure that having a stronger technical or artistic basis to the teaching should exclude this. Having said that, there is a whole system of examinations below Bronze that are very suitable for all types of dancers. Some are age related, such as Under 6 or Under 8, others are not, such as Social Dance Tests and Pre-Bronze dance tests. All these examinations can be taken at four different levels so that the student can see the progress they are making.
It is my experience that teachers who are training pupils towards exams have a higher retention rate than those who do not. Which level of examination to start at? Unless there is considerable previous experience, I always suggest starting at Social Dance Test 1 (or Under 6/Under 8) and doing as many levels at each grade as is suitable. I have heard this referred to as holding back a student. I view it from a different perspective. I aim to get the best quality from my students regardless of level, and the enjoyment of good quality dance and an appreciation of it within
us as dancers is something that has to be learnt. I consider it a basic truth that everybody doing an examination wants to succeed. Creating the habit of this by entering the most suitable level of test will help grow confidence and diminish stress in the most nervous of candidates. This is so important as you move forward through the various examinations. The jump from Bronze to Silver and Silver to Gold for example is greater than the difference in levels at the lower end of the system. If the candidate gets to these levels without the necessary consolidation of learning, then it is obvious that stress will result for teacher, student, and examiner. In Ballroom and Latin, we aim to cover all the dances in the genre from the lowest level. Good use of one dance tests makes this possible.
i Turn to page 21 to read Vernon Kemp’s advice about supporting members with exam days. And turn to page 16 to find out more about our lead examiners, assessors, and lecturers. Amateur Teaching Scheme (ATS) The Amateur Teaching Scheme (ATS) is aimed at current amateur competitors who wish to teach but still compete in Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence competitions. Those who join our ATS will be able to continue to teach under the supervision of their registered ISTD member mentor – you will need to register your ISTD mentor at the same time as joining the scheme. This scheme is to safeguard both teachers and students. Your mentor will supervise your progression and training towards your assessment, which we encourage to be completed with two years of registering for the ATS. Find out more today at www. istd.org/amateur-teaching-scheme
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Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Sequence ~ continued
Focus on Fellowship We spoke to six dance teachers about their experiences of completing our Fellowship qualification Chi Kong Tsang and Laura Wai Han Lee in Hong Kong We are Fellows of Latin American, Modern Ballroom and Viennese Waltz. Our Fellowship training has provided us with a solid foundation of dance knowledge and skills. ISTD Fellowship is a world class qualification and a major consideration for parents choosing a dance centre for their children. We were inspired by our dance teacher, Lawrence Chan (ISTD Examiner), to train for our Fellowships and we would recommend others to do the same. We suggested that one of our students, Katie Suet Kei Wong, should go for her ISTD Latin American Associate after attaining her Gold-Star Medal for Latin American and in 2021, she successfully acquired her Latin American Associate with Highly Commended. We are pleased that she has committed to going through this professional pathway to pursue Fellowship without any hesitation. We took the full examinations (rather than modular) as we considered that, for us, the gains would be more profound. If we were to suggest any changes, we think that adding a session of teaching process assessment would be beneficial, which could be a short video recording of about 20 minutes showing how a class is conducted. Examiners’ feedback is also invaluable. ‘ISTD Fellow’ is not merely a title. It represents a unique commitment to continuous improvement. So, this is not an end; it is a new beginning for us to go further. We operate a dance studio named ‘Dancing Bee’ in Hong Kong where we have entered students for ISTD medal examinations for years. We very much hope that our students will go on to acquire ISTD professional qualifications. The more ISTD professionals in Hong Kong, the greater recognition it would be.
Suzanne Hancock in Ferndown, Dorset Achieving my Fellowship Ballroom has boosted my confidence as, although I am a confident teacher with 40 years’ experience with my own school alongside my sister, studying again helped me keep on top of the technique and gave me a sense of achievement. I have gone through many stages of dance, from a child taking exams and entering the medallist system to entering Open and Medallist competitions, to then partnering my own pupils. My family has flown the nest, my circumstances changed, and I knew it was time for me to continue my journey. I love to judge competitions and have always wanted to be an examiner, so this has spurred me on.
I feel proud to be able to tell people I am a Fellow of the ISTD. It has given me confidence knowing I have achieved it. If you have ambitions to go further in your dance journey, then I recommend the Fellowship. I took mine just before the pandemic, whilst dancing wasn’t happening, so I felt as though it was a wasted journey for a while, but things are finally getting back on track now. The most challenging was relearning for an exam. The confidence in front of my pupils I have was rather different to standing in front of colleagues. However, working with another teacher and testing one another in the same situation was very helpful. Making time in the working day was my biggest challenge but I set a weekly timetable to study and planned an intensive course away, which worked perfectly. I decided to do the full examination as I did not feel I had the time to work through the dances individually with running my classes and I would have
given up. I do not like exams, and to go into the exam room too many times would probably have put me off! I do know others that enjoyed spending more time doing the modular scheme. It seems to depend on everyone’s circumstances. I probably would have tried taking more time off besides my one week away on an intensive course and then coming back and taking the exam three weeks later. It’s scary to think the whole thing happened in a few short months, from opening the book to taking the exam. However, having an exam date gave me the focus I needed. I feel proud to be able to tell people I am a Fellow of the ISTD. It has given me confidence knowing I have achieved it. I would like to work towards my Fellowship Latin and gain Sequence qualifications in the hope that, now things are getting back to normal, I can continue my journey to judge more in the future.
Joan Lee in London I received my Fellowship in Modern Ballroom in 2019. Currently, I am working on my Fellowship in Latin American. I have already passed my first exam with three of the dances as part of the modular exams. Training for Fellowship exams is a rewarding experience. It helped me maintain focus on dance theory and dance techniques. I am very happy to pass on my experience to my students during group classes as well as individual tuition. Dancing brings joy to my life. Professional training helped me to better appreciate the technique and theory of Ballroom and Latin. I like to share my experience with my students. Moving forward, my training to Fellowship level is a natural choice.
I would recommend Fellowship training to any like-minded colleagues and friends.
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Professional training is a long journey full of enjoyments and challenges. Fellowship training is the hardest and most rewarding experience in my journey as a ISTD qualified teacher and I would recommend it to any like-minded colleagues and friends. I find dance theory is the most challenging as it is not as tangible as dance techniques. I often find myself spending extra time to work on dance theory and I find it is very helpful to work on understanding of theory instead of memorisation. Utilising dance theory in my day-to-day teaching also helps to better understanding the basics as well as the applications. I have taken the modular approach both for my Ballroom and Latin dances for my Fellowship exams because it suits my current workload better. Looking back, I find the content coverage and the length of exam matched up very well. Some of the exam questions took longer to answer but I am fortunate to have a wonderful teacher who is so friendly and strict for my Fellowship professional training. Overall, I am happy with the exam process as it is. I look forward to completing ISTD full Fellowship in both Modern Ballroom and Latin American. This helps me to better share my passion for dance with my students and friends.
Charles Chan in London I am training for the Fellowship in Modern Ballroom and aiming to take the exam this year. The training has given me a framework and target to study the whole syllabus and improve my dancing, which in turn is giving me more confidence and conviction in my teaching. The knowledge and ability have made my teaching even more enjoyable. I found the process of training for the earlier exams, the Associate and Licentiate, very useful and instructive in the development of my teaching career. I feel that taking on the full syllabus to reach the highest level is the natural and logical step forward.
I would recommend the training to all the teachers who are serious about their development. The challenge for me does not lie so much on the training for the exam but the fact that I took up dancing rather late in life. My body has a lot of ‘catching up’ to do in terms of dancing and I have been working hard to overcome that with the help of my coaches. As per the previous exams, I am taking the full examination. I find studying and practising all the dances together more stimulating and beneficial to me.
After my previous life as a dental surgeon for over two decades, it is good to show that there can be more than one successful career in any of us. I cannot think of anything I would change about the process. There was one major challenge in the shape of the pandemic, which has so far delayed my taking the exam for two years, but there was not much we could have done about that! Achieving the highest teaching qualification will mark a high point in my transformation from amateur enthusiast to experienced professional. It will also prove to myself, and anyone who is thinking about it, that someone can change their life if they set their mind on it. After my previous life as a dental surgeon for over two decades, it is good to show that there can be more than one successful career in any of us. My immediate plan after this will be training for the Latin American Fellowship, and further expanding my teaching portfolio.
Joanne Blackshaw in Chelmsford, Essex I passed my Modern Ballroom Fellowship in January with a Highly Commended result and am now in training for my Latin American Fellowship. My training has expanded my knowledge
in all areas in and out of the syllabus, and I aspire to become an examiner, which requires me to complete my fellowships. I would, of course, recommend others to train for their Fellowship, though it does take a lot of dedication and time to train and self-study, so you must be completely devoted to your dancing. Finding the time to do the training that suited me best was difficult in my busy schedule. I have three dancing daughters, two of whom need me as a taxi to ferry them around to their own lessons and competitions. My own extremely busy teaching schedule, which I adore, as well as being a wife and mother and doing the ordinary things in life, like supermarket runs, is a lot to take on! I would often find myself studying at 1am You must try and keep motivated and give yourself goals to try and achieve things by otherwise it will never happen. I did the Modern Ballroom exam in the modular way due to my own time for studying, but in hindsight it took me longer particularly with the pandemic causing disruption. I may consider doing the Latin American exam as either the full exam or just split two, then three modules together. We shall see how it goes. If I could change one thing about the process, it would be to suggest that the Society considers a price reduction or bursary for people to take the exam, as it is expensive, and some financial aid would certainly encourage more people to consider embarking on it.
My goal is to become a multi-faculty examiner. I am very proud of myself for achieving the highest accolade possible. I always promised my dance teacher from my childhood days that I would do this, and I am determined to complete my fellowships in all genres that I teach. After the Latin American examination, I plan to study for also the Sequence and DFR fellowships. My goal is to become a multi-faculty examiner.
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Modern Theatre Living with change Lead Examiner Penny Meekings shares her perspective on the importance of continuing professional development and keeping an open mind. Experiential guidance, and our core teaching principles that have formulated our teaching styles, will of course support the very framework of our teaching profession. Research that helps us to be efficient, effective and deliver with enthusiasm, is plentiful and easy to access. But how much of that material will support the post pandemic and ‘living with change’ considerations? We have adapted in order to survive. Some of us have learned new skills beyond what we thought we were capable of. The delivery of remote teaching is hardly a new concept, but the wider teaching profession had no alternative but to absorb and embrace it. Now that we are back in the studio, what can we take from this new learning and how should we be approaching
the generations of students who will all have been affected differently by the lockdown experience? The students who have returned to the studios will not be the same characters that were catapulted into lockdown back in March 2020. Experiences from their growth, maturity, physicality, and psychological immersion will have affected the returning dancers. We need to get to know them all over again and indeed we would also have been changed. As dance teachers we need to be even more observant, vigilant, and offer open pathways for communication at all levels. Dance is even more necessary as an activity that supports society. Sociability, cognitive and physical coordination, mental and physical health, endeavour and achievement, the list goes on. It is therefore important to evaluate our teaching styles, whatever stage of experience we are at. New teachers to the profession should look at the adaptations that were implemented to ensure continuation of the teacher training course, weigh up the positive attributes within the situation, such as meeting other professionals without geographic boundaries. We can continue to learn from different cultures, which will support our inclusivity in the studio. We can develop a wider range of teaching skills, resources, locations and personnel with whom we work and interact. We can provide some stability, structure, progressive
and sensitive teaching of dance to our students and the wider community. The first step towards this regeneration is recognition. Consider our new world. Adapt our teaching to the students’ new needs. Add topics that through your experience would be valuable to explore, educate the students and increase the gravity of your expertise. I would urge new teachers to combine those skills learned in training and fly with them. Keep an open dialogue with industry professionals. Provide enough recognisable structure to your class to be safe and provide a secure environment whilst looking at how to adapt grow and develop to continue to immerse yourself in the three E’s. Teaching with: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Enthusiasm.
I would urge new teachers to combine those skills learned in training and fly with them.
52 Dance | Issue 496
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Lisa Harrison-Jones Head of Faculty Development for Modern Theatre and Classical Indian modern@istd.org
The art of not knowing ISTD Examiner Valerie Jones shares her strategies for encouraging independent learning. I recently heard a politician describe his experience on the BBC Question Time programme as “staring into the vast abyss of my ignorance.” I recognised this train of thought as I recalled a recent lecture where I was asked a question to which I did not know the answer. My response to that delegate was the result of many years of what many people would define as Continuous Professional Development (CPD). I prefer the terminology Lifelong Learning (LLL) and, like many in our profession, it is the passion for dance and an interest in the subject that has driven the desire to learn as much as possible about all aspects of this art form. Developing curiosity The key words here are ‘interest’ and ‘all aspects’, both of which spring from curiosity, a personality trait that all children have and one that should be encouraged from a very early age. I was never given an answer. I was always directed to the Children’s Encyclopedia Britannica, or the library (no internet back then) and this skill set of actively seeking knowledge became the foundation of my LLL in dance. I took on responsibility for my own learning and I encourage this approach to all my students. “What can I get out of this teacher?” Rather than “What can this teacher get out of me?” Corrections are opportunities to improve and what one cannot do is far more interesting than what is achievable and a further opportunity to learn. Once the mindset of independent learning is established, the opportunities are everywhere, and nothing is ever
wasted. The inner artistic landscape of any great musician, actor, writer or singer and their methodologies are all concerned with artistic expression. For example, hearing a musician talk about the spaces between musical notes led me to understand the importance of stillness on a much deeper level. Likewise, business studies and understanding the legal and financial consequences of what we do are essential for avoiding stressful situations which can detract from our artistic development.
Once the mindset of independent learning is established the opportunities are everywhere. Lifelong learning Injury and rehabilitation can also be opportunities to learn. I have a physiotherapist who is a mentor. It was an injury that led me to Pilates as a young dancer. As well as studio work, I was advised to take a new class where Alan Herdman and Maryon Lane combined Pilates as an effective approach to ballet technique. Over 30 years, and another injury later, this led me to retrain as a Pilates teacher and formulate the Pilates Dance Technique sessions I teach today. Of course, at the time I had no idea that this experience would be crucial to my later career, I was just interested in what I could get out of this methodology. The opportunities to study for a degree or diploma have never been so abundant. Gaining a degree broadened my mindset. I met interesting and
wonderful people from outside my usual dance circle, and having a degree gave me the opportunity to teach within a university environment – another unexpected plus. Teaching can be a lonely profession. The hours are unsociable and demanding. Attending courses is a way of meeting other teachers. Shared experiences and ideas offer reassurance and possible solutions, and the lectures themselves will inspire light bulb moments and give you confidence. LLL becomes addictive. As I write this, I am studying for a further Pilates qualification, and I also have the programmes of ISTD courses up on my screen. There is an extensive list of those I wish to attend, and now all I must do is whittle them down to suit the constraints of finances and time. I hope to see you there. My answer to the delegate who asked me the unanswerable, I have no idea, but I look forward to finding out and letting you know!
Read more online Dance teacher Mia Okorafor shares her reflections on DDE training, from being a professional dancer for over 20 years, to starting a family and training in lockdown for her DDE qualifications. You can read today at www.istd.org/news Dance | Issue 496 53
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Focus On
National Dance Opportunites for progression Committee member and Lead Examiner Heather Burns looks at the pros and cons of different progression routes. I hope my description of the teaching opportunities that have come my way throughout my career may be helpful to up and coming teachers, and illustrate the varying ways you can teach dance and progress into different avenues. When we are passionate about dance, we can sometimes overlook our schoolwork, but I was always glad I had stayed on to take A-levels before going to Northern Ballet School. I always knew I wanted to teach, and on graduating, was fortunate to gain my first teaching post in Jersey in a school that covered the ISTD genres of modern, tap, Imperial classical ballet and classical Greek; and I introduced national. I thought I had learnt everything about teaching at college through gaining my Associate qualifications, but that really was just the beginning! The hands-on guidance from Principal Valerie Guy (see our feature on Valerie on page 22 of Dance Issue #493) was so beneficial to me for continuing my learning, so make sure that wherever you gain teaching experience, you are comfortable with the other staff in order to learn and build confidence. Examiners who visited Jersey gave invaluable advice and guidance 54 Dance | Issue 496
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Pippa Cobbing Head of Faculty Development for Imperial Classical Ballet, Greek and National national@istd.org
National dance ties in with the National Curriculum in mainstream educational settings for children to build cross-curricular knowledge about countries around the world. about progressing to Associate Diploma and Licentiate qualifications. “You never stop learning,” I can still hear Miss Rycroft saying and, “we all learn from each other!” On returning to the UK to embark on building my own school, I worked part time on the new course at Preston College introducing national dance. After two years I was appointed Head of Dance, a role which I was passionate about along with my teaching team. We gave opportunity to anyone who had the ability and passion to pursue their dream in training as a teacher or performer. The demands of such a role are intense. In this position, along with my dedicated team, we helped create and build all levels of ISTD courses and developed and wrote the degree programme. This course was invaluable for students who wanted to access a full-time course, and as Preston College was a Further Education College, students were eligible for public funding. Within this educational establishment I had the opportunity of gaining my Cert Ed which, when I left Preston College after over 20 years, enabled me to begin delivering dance within mainstream schools, sharing the benefits of dance education with children who might not otherwise have had that opportunity. I still work in primary schools, teaching the dance element of Physical Education within the National Curriculum and signposting children on to private dance schools or after school club sessions. The type of student who attends my small, Approved Dance Centre (ADC) is different from those who want to study full time at college. Often, they are trying to upgrade their qualifications alongside a job and/or teaching and smaller ADCs can accommodate these student teachers and adults, opening flexible windows of opportunity for anyone to access training and achieve their required qualifications.
National dance has been my go-to genre in all these settings and establishments as the structure of national, working in groups and partners, has many advantages. For example, it can be used for ice breakers at the start of class, in choreography and as a means of learning the traditions of all other dance genres, as well as tying in with the National Curriculum in mainstream educational settings for children to build cross-curricular knowledge about countries around the world through the medium of dance. Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and wisdom of, to name but a few: Miss Crail, Miss Dixon-Philip, Miss Harrison, Mr Harrold, Miss Rycroft, and Miss Sargent. Even though it is very fulfilling, dance teaching can be at times a lonely profession, so make sure you build up a network of contacts who you can approach to discuss anything. Covid has, in many ways, made our lives harder but focusing on the positives of teaching and accessing CPD on Zoom means you can study from wherever you are in the world. Take advantage of this and embrace any CPD courses you can. Your teaching qualifications and experience can lead you into completing the relevant professional examinations and tutoring on DDE courses to eventually become an examiner. Examining is the fulfilment of all your years of training, bringing with it a sense of pride and satisfaction in helping and guiding others to achieve their best in dance. Good luck with your training. The result of teaching dance is always well worth the hard work.
Relight the fire If you are thinking of introducing national dance into your school, why not consider folk dance studies or medal tests? National is a brilliant genre to help build confidence in children by working in partners and groups, and the use of different rhythms and patterns helps with choreography. Folk dance studies can easily be taught at the end of a ballet class or modern class as there is so much flexibility in how you can deliver and assess them. The children love doing their projects, and this ties in well with the countries they are studying at school. If you are a school that enters festivals, the medal tests are an ideal way of utilising your choreographed national solo along with the set medal test solo, with levels at junior and senior level, from bronze to gold star.
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Left and above National dance bronze, silver and gold medals Dance | Issue 496 55
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Focus On
Tap Dance
A syllabus for success In keeping with our teaching and progression theme for this issue we asked some of our members how their ISTD training has helped them progress into the profession.
First, we hear from Michael Lin, one of our international members who, after Anything Goes, is now appearing in Billy Elliot. Next, we hear from Evonnee Bentley-Holder, currently appearing in Crazy for You, who gives us her perspective on studying our DDE qualification. Lastly, we hear from Alan Burkitt on how his training has not only helped with his performing career but also how this has progressed into choreography and teaching.
Above Michael Lin in Anything Goes
56 Dance | Issue 496
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Jason Di Mascio Head of Faculty Development for Tap tap@istd.org
Alan Burkitt I began my ISTD training age six and continued this through my entire youth and into a performing arts college. I have been lucky enough to have been taught by some of the most knowledgeable and inspiring teachers in the UK who all teach from the ISTD syllabus in both modern and classical genres. This groundwork has prepared me for a career in theatre and television both performing and choreographing for the past 18 years. Ultimately, I put this down to the detailed technique that is honed as you progress through the grades and the development of style and ease that works hand in hand with this. From a tap perspective the ISTD grade work and competitions put such emphasis on the detail of the footwork, the correct use of the ankle, the tone, the attention to the rhythmic quality. I believe it is this attention to detail that has ultimately landed me so much of my performing career in tap shows. Often in auditions choreographers like to hear auditionees perform one at a time and a cappella as you can really tell who possesses the correct technical ability that is so often required in a ‘period’ style show such as 42nd Street or Top Hat. When I audition for dancers in my shows – yes, I am looking for that undeniable star quality – but this must be layered on a strong foundation of technique. Often you do not have long to rehearse, so I need to know that my dancers have the correct tools I can then mould and develop whilst concentrating on the creative direction of the piece. The ISTD also promotes the use of ‘naturalism’ through dance. An audience wants to witness a performer on stage who exudes grace and an ease of movement. When I am not performing or choreographing a show, I teach at many of the UK’s top vocational performing arts schools. This love of teaching and nurturing a new generation of performers stems from my upbringing within the ISTD and the methods of teaching and developing a particular student’s talent.
Michael Lin I first began learning tap whilst growing up in Hong Kong. My mother (Mandy Petty, an ISTD Fellow and Examiner for Modern Theatre and Tap), was my first teacher and through the ISTD syllabus, she instilled in me the rhythm, technique, style and discipline of the art form, based on her own experience as a student and teacher of the ISTD work. Every year, I would take my exam in Hong Kong and the progressive system provided me with a structured development and an international standardisation. Using some of the Advanced 2 syllabus material, I auditioned for a place on the Pre-Professional programme at Tap City and trained with some of the great tap masters. Without the sound technical base that the ISTD provided me, this opportunity may not have been so accessible Through attendance at tap festivals in New York, Taiwan and Hong Kong and my subsequent vocational training, my tap technique and style has evolved and ranges from rhythm tap through to theatre tap, performing in West End shows such as Anything Goes at the Barbican Centre and White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre.
Evonnee Bentley-Holder I studied for my teaching qualification in tap whilst training at college, six years ago. Learning the new ISTD tap syllabus at this time was insightful and helpful in checking and reconfirming the foundations of tap and sharpening my technique that would in turn help me to teach others. Since then, I have gone on to perform professionally in television, film and theatre. I am currently appearing in Crazy for You at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Having the knowledge of ISTD tap has also allowed me to teach confidently both syllabus and free work intermittently since graduating which has been extremely rewarding.
Having the knowledge of ISTD tap has allowed me to teach confidently.
I strongly recommend the ISTD tap syllabus to anyone wishing to become a tap dancer – it worked for me! The ISTD syllabus is designed to ensure continual development through a progressive system. It’s reviewed regularly to ensure that the material is up to date with the current trends and demands of the industry, whilst acknowledging the culture of the art form. The ISTD tap syllabus was instrumental in my early training in Hong Kong and prepared me for an international career in Musical Theatre and Dance. I strongly recommend it for anyone wishing to become a tap dancer – it worked for me!
Read more online On our website, Kenn Burke, Artistic Director of Dance at Dance School of Scotland, shares his tips on how we can achieve fair access, equality and inclusion in the industry. You can read today at www.istd.org/news Dance | Issue 496 57
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Calendar
What’s on Dates for your diary We are maintaining our programme of online events, exams and courses in line with government guidelines. The most up-to-date information is on www.istd.org/events
Our events Sep–Dec 2022 Check www.istd.org/events for the most up-to-date information on all our events.
Invest in your CPD To book contact coursebookings@istd.org Exploring creative dance for use in schools and communities 04 Sep 09:30–16:30 London studio
Bursaries Examination Access Bursary Fund 01 Sep Applications open Phyllis Haylor Scholarship 2 Feb ‘23 Applications open 23 Mar ‘23 Applications close Teachers Bursary Scheme Applications open in early 2023. Exact dates will be announced on our website.
Membership Matters – monthly talk with guest speaker: Lucy McCrudden
Tap Fest
22 Sep 10:00–11:00 Online, free for members
17 Oct Online booking closes
Imperial Classical Ballet grades 4 and 5 refresher course
09 Aug Online booking opens 09 Nov Preston College, Fulwood Campus, Preston PR2 8UR.
23 Sep 15:00–18:15 Online, with Spanish translation
Tap workshops from industry experts in the morning and the 2022 Tap Bursary Selection Event in the afternoon.
Imperial Classical Ballet grade 6 refresher course with variation
For UK members workshops and entries to the Tap Bursary will take place live.
30 Sep 15:00–18:15 Online, with Spanish translation
Participants can chose to attend either the workshops or the Tap Bursary Event or both.
Imperial Classical Ballet Intermediate refresher course with variation 14 Oct 15:00–18:15 Online, with Spanish translation
International members are invited to provide video submissions for the 2022 Tap Bursary online. For any queries please contact tap@istd.org
Graduation Ceremony 2022 27–28 Oct Royal Geographical Society in London Celebrating those who have gained a full ISTD teaching qualification in 2020, 2021 and 2022. www.istd.org/teach/graduation
58 Dance | Issue 496
What’s on in the industry Sue Passmore and Broadening Access to Dance awards Are you a Society member who is passionate about providing opportunities for people to engage in dance? Do you have a new project idea, or have you already started a project that you would like to develop, which broadens access to dance? If the answer is ‘yes’, you could receive up to £2,000 by applying for these funding initiatives.
Always online Uskees: Black Haine performance Blackhaine, an artist from Lancashire in the NorthWest of England, describes the way he moves as a ‘physical, sensation-based thing’. Watch this fluid, minute long performance for Uskees clothing if you’re in need of some exhilarating creative inspiration. Watch time: Approx 1 min Watch here: www.bit.ly/Blackhaine Move Like a Man: a short film by Bunny Kinney Why do we think of certain movements as masculine? In this short directed by Bunny Kinney, dancers were briefed to ‘move like a man’ to a particular music track, with the idea that we can be playful with the term ‘masculinity’, whatever our given gender. Watch time: Approx 3 mins Watch here: www.bit.ly/Movelikeaman
11 Aug Applications open 01 Nov Applications close
Above Turn to page 16 to find out more Above Screenshot from He Loved Him Madly
If you have any area of focus that you are interested in, an age group you want to teach, or you simply want to expand your scope of teaching, this award can help. Georgina Rombough (Broadening Access to Dance Award recipient)
Improvisation to Miles Davis’ He Loved Him Madly by Thomasin Gulgec and DJ from Corali Dance Company Corali, a leader in dance created by artists with a learning disability, and Thick & Tight, an award-winning dance theatre company who create a mix of dance, mime, theatre and drag, came together in 2020 with Excellent Together, where a dancer from both organisations collaborates. Watch two dancers at Wayne McGregor Studios share a moving connection in this short. Watch time: Approx 12 mins Watch here: www.bit.ly/Helovedhimmadly Dance | Issue 496 59
What’s trending online
Join the conversation on social media
Bringing you some of our recent highlights. Get involved and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. @istddance #TeachDance
Pride month June saw us celebrate the LGBTQIA+ dance community with our blog feature on iconic historical dance figure Josephine Baker. Remember to visit our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hub on our website for ideas on how to make your teaching more inclusive. www.istd.org/edihub
BBC Young Dancer 2022 We were so excited to see two ISTD trained young dancers make it through to the finals of BBC Young Dancer 2022. Congratulations again to Kai Scanlan, and to Adhya Shastry who went on to win the competition.
National Tap Dance Day Coinciding with the birthday of one of the most revered black tap dancers, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, 25 May was a celebration of all things tap. We loved seeing your videos of the ‘Shim-Sham’ the national anthem of tap across the globe.
Bursaries and funding
Your stories Don’t forget to tag us in all your posts, videos, reels and more – we love to see our global teachers and students learning, dancing, and celebrating exam results. #ISTDDance #TeachDance #ISTDExams 60 Dance | Issue 496
We opened our teacher training bursaries once again, giving those starting out on their teaching journey an opportunity to gain financial support. Keep an eye on our website for new funding opportunities opening in August. www.istd.org/ bursaries-and-funding
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