Hours of dance - upper school courses

[Jishui123]

Can anyone advise me how many hours of actual dance per week (as oppose to academic studies) upper school students have at Tring, Hammond, Laines, Ballet West, Rambert and KS Dance? Thanks!

[sarahw]

Can't help you but good question!!

[Harwel]

Tring:

Set classes everyone attends run in the afternoon from 1.30 till 6.15/6.30. This is ballet, contemporary, jazz, Rep, PDD, point, strength, Pilates. Morning classes also run which the 6th formers do which work around the academic studies they may or may not have, the students put their own morning program together. They will be all forms of dance as the afternoon but a mixed range of students from 6.1 to 6.3. My son also fits sessions at the gym in the morning around formal lessons. I believe morning sessions run from 9 till 12.30. There will also be evening rehearsals called for show/choreography showcases at busy times.

[2dancersmum]

Hammond - school day runs from 9am to between 6 and 7pm generally.

First year is a joint year for dance and musical theatre strands. 2 A levels are optional - 4.5 hours a week for each subject so 9 hours of academics. There is about 3-4 hours a week of singing and drama too in the first year. The rest is dance with a strong bias towards ballet.  Students who don't do A levels do either pilates or Zumba or both and can study for teaching qualifications in pilates.

Years two and three have separate strands for dance or musical theatre students and they are taught separately, apart from for tap where all years are put in classes according to level. Dance students drop to 1 class a week I believe for singing and acting and increased hours of dance. I don't know the exact split for MT students, just that they do very little contemporary or ballet as their dance is more focused on jazz.  Extra hours as required for rehearsals.

In addition if students wish to take syllabus classes in ballet, jazz or tap, these are held before or after school.

 

This is how it was for my DD who graduated in 2015.

[Miracle]

My DD is in 2nd year classical focus at Northern Ballet School. She dances from 8.30am ( including warm up) to 5/6pm Monday to Friday. It is all Ballet except 1 class of Contemporary,1 of jazz and 1 of singing( so only 3 hours none ballet a week)The students often stay after 6 doing student led practice. Not sure about jazz focus students.

[Jishui123]

Many thanks for all your replies on these. Can anyone shed any light on the other school?

[All4dancers]

It's hard to comment on Ballet West as the timetable changes each week and varies according to assessments, rehearsals and coaching for exams or competitions and it also therefore varies between students. For my dd, the day begins at 8.30 with a ballet class and has in the past not finished until 8.30 at night, but she has had breaks in between.

Edited January 8, 2017 by All4dancers

[sugarinko]

Can anybody tell me what coaching is?

[Marianne]

Coaching usually means a one-to-one lesson or rehearsal for a particular role/repertoire.

[sugarinko]

Marianne,

Thank you!

[Guest]

Also, some schools e.g. Rambert give their students Saturday and Sunday off. Others e.g. Ballet West run classes on Saturday mornings.

[All4dancers]

Ballet West also sometimes holds rehearsals for performances/competitions on Sundays.

[Guest]

Ballet West also sometimes holds rehearsals for performances/competitions on Sundays.

Yes I have heard that. Think my dd will find it "interesting" juggling this with her new domestic duties lol

[BadBallerina]

RCS don't do a Saturday class but Central do

[Canary]

A typical week at KS Dance for both the Classical and Dancer Courses includes. Ballet, Pas de Deux, Solos Repertoire and coaching, alongside Contemporary and Jazz classes. Other genre include Tap, Spanish and Commercial Theatre/Muscial Theatre. There is also a focus on fitness/strength and conditioning and Dancer health.

During one week Dancing Hours per day can range between 5 to 8 hours, 5 days a week with Advance Cecchetti classes also run on Saturdays. A typical weekday starts with a compulsory warm up at 8 30am and will finish at either 4 30pm or 6pm. During performance terms these time will vary depending on rehearsals and tours. After the first year, dancers alter their timetable so they spend more time on the genre they want to concentrate on.

Dancers obtaining their teachers qualifications have the school on site with children taking their evening classes after school so they may stay later.