| Fennell School of Dance follows the
Royal Academy of Dance syllabus which prepares
pupils for classical ballet examinations from
Pre-Primary through to Advanced II. The Royal
Academy of Dance syllabus and examinations are
internationally recognised, and accredited by the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in
England and The Council for Dance Education and
Training (CDET).
Please click on the links below for further
information:
The RAD pre-school dance curriculum is suitable
for both girls and boys aged 2 ½ to 5. The
curriculum has been developed with young children’s
intellectual, emotional and motor development taken
into consideration and is a child’s first informal
introduction to movement. It has been designed to
capture a child’s instinct to dance and move freely
developing those skills which will be so important
at a later age, a joy of movement.
The pre-school dance curriculum encourages:
- Spatial and self awareness.
- Expressiveness
- Confidence
- Sociability
- Listening skills
- Physical fitness
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The RAD syllabus for Pre-Primary to Primary is a
pupil’s first formal introduction to classical
ballet. These two classes again encourage a joy of
dance, fluidity and movement but with prescriptive
classical ballet steps which many of us will
recognise.
These include plies, sautés, skips, spring points
and many more. When the ballet teacher feels that
the pupil has learnt and can perform the set
exercises to a good standard they will perform these
pre learnt exercises in front of an examiner. In the
case of Pre-Primary in a presentation class with
their teacher and in Primary on their own in the
form of an examination for which they will receive a
certificate and report.
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The RAD syllabus for Grades One to Eight develop
and build upon those foundations learnt in Primary
and previous grades with the exercises becoming
increasingly challenging and longer in length.
During Grades One to Eight the class and examination
is split into 3 sections; Classical Ballet, Free
Movement and Character.
The Classical Ballet section is the foundation
for all other sections and the most important art of
class with pupils learning prescriptive ballet
technique.
The Free Movement section encourages pupils in
fluidity and natural movement and is most closely
linked with classical greek movement. This is a very
important section as often pupils forget ‘how to
move’ and use the space, especially during earlier
grades as many classical ballet exercises are based
on the spot focusing on specific technique.
The Character dance section is a theatrical
presentation of national dance using original ethnic
dance.
There are three styles - Hungarian, Russian and
Polish - and these were selected because of their
historic importance in the development of the
traditional full-length classical ballets.
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Intermediate Foundation – Intermediate –
Advanced I –
Advanced II
The Vocational Graded Syllabus is for those
students who wish to study ballet in greater depth
and pursue a professional dance career. All
examinations at this level must be taken in order
with students receiving at least a pass result to
progress to the next level. This is the first point
at which female students are introduced to pointe
work and having to perform a pointe work section in
their examination, which can be a very exciting time
for students buying, wearing an practising in their
first pair of pointe shoes.
Male students at this stage have their own,
specifically designed syllabus in order to develop
strength and ability to jump. The Vocational Graded
Syllabus is physically demanding and requires
dedication and focus however is very rewarding for
students and following a successful class and
subsequent examination gives the student a sense of
achievement.
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