Royal Ballet School goes on-line

The Royal Ballet School (RBS) in London has launched a series of digital, on-demand dance classes, making its world-class training available to students all over the world.

Earlier this year, the RBS launched its on-line Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme, for the recreational dance sector, and Primary Steps on Demand, for primary schools. Then, in October, it launched Intensive Courses on Demand, a range of classes tailored at specific age groups. The first to be launched was for 11-13-year-olds; classes for 14-15-year-olds will be available in December, with more content being rolled out over the coming months.

Classes are taught by expert RBS teachers, including the School's Artistic Director, Christopher Powney, and include classical ballet classes; focus classes on specific elements of classical technique; character and contemporary classes; body conditioning and Pilates. There are also interviews with the School's artistic and healthcare teams. A quick glance at the website shows classes, for example, in such areas as "transference of weight" and "Polish court and folk dances", demonstrated at the School's headquarters by RBS students. 

The program is flexible and designed for home use. Classes can be bought individually or grouped as curated Intensive Courses. Users pay per class and receive lifetime ownership.

The School’s Head of Training and Access is Australian Mark Annear, who was a teacher at the Australian Ballet School from 1992 to 2001, where he was Head of Teacher Training and Access. He took up his post at the RBS in 2011.  

". . .With Intensive Courses on Demand, we are delighted we can now reach even more dance students globally with an opportunity to access high-quality dance education and experience what it’s like to attend one of the leading ballet schools in the world," he says.

For more information, just go here.