New to ballet?
Our friendly guide will hopefully tell you everything you need to know as a new ballet parent!
We hope to answer many of the questions you may have about classes, exams and competitions, and give you some practical advice, such as how to sew on ballet shoe elastics and how to do buns. Let’s go!
The basics – Ballet shoes
Ballet shoes should fit the feet snugly with no growing room. As the shoes are worn they soften and stretch which allows for growing feet. It is important to check ballet shoes regularly as the toes must lie flat in the shoes and not be bunched up. Shoes will need to be replaced fairly frequently, and new shoes are always required for exams and shows. It is very important to sew ballet shoe elastics on correctly so they allow the correct use of the foot and the shoes stay on.
Step 1 – You will need; your new ballet shoes, the elastic provided with the shoe (or elastic from a haberdashery shop), light coloured thread, a safety pin and for part of it, your child!
Step 2 – Fold down the back of the shoe and put a small pencil mark each side inside the shoe
Step 3 – Sew the elastic to one side of the shoe where the mark is. Take care not to sew down the drawstring which is inside the channel around the top of the shoe.
Step 4 – Put your child’s foot into the shoe. Pull the elastic across their foot so it is snug. Pin the elastic to the other side of the shoe.
Step 4 – Sew the second end of the elastic to the shoe where you have pinned it.
Around the upper edge of the shoes is a drawstring cord. This should be pulled firmly and tied in a bow to ensure a good fit. The ends should be tucked into the shoes out of sight. Pupils can choose leather or satin shoes; shoes can be bought from Miss Powell or Miss Cheneler before and after classes.
See the ‘Uniform’ section in ‘Classes and Information’ for more details of leotards, cross overs, shoes and ballet socks. Plus uniform for boys.
Hair
Hair should always be in a bun for class. This is so strands of hair don’t come across the face as a distraction and that ponytails don’t swing around during turns or jumps. You will need hair elastic to make a tight ponytail, hair nets (rather than bun nets), hair grips and kerbi grips if all the hair doesn’t go into a ponytail easily. Here is a quick instructional video to help you out.
What happens in a ballet class?
Before the age of 7, classes are full of a variety of exercises. Some are to develop the building blocks of technique such as plies (knee bends), tendues (stretching the leg and ‘pointing’ the toes), sautes and echappes (jumps) as well as travelling steps like skipping and galloping. Children will have fun using their imagination acting out scenarios as Princes and Princesses, pretending to be butteflies or seeing what they can find in a toy shop. They will also start to develop their listening skills; both to the teacher and to the music, clapping out rhythms and listening to the qualities of the music.
At about 7 years old, pupils start to work towards their Grade 1 exam and classes take on a more traditional format. They will start at the barre, practicing the exercises which form the foundations of what will be achieved in the centre (without the barre). About one third of the class will be spent at the barre, safely warming up the body, stretching the muscles, developing balance and limbering the legs for flexibility. In the centre pupils work through port de bras (graceful arm patterns), centre practice (exercises from the barre repeated in the centre), adage (sustained balances on one leg and smooth transitions of weight), pirouettes (turns on two feet and then on one leg), and allegro – which starts with small warm up jumps and then progresses to large leaps and travelling steps around the room. For exams and competitions a dance will be practiced which will include many of the steps recently learnt, and might give a chance for mime as well as expressive performance. Classes at every age finish with a curtsey or bow to the teacher.
Exams
The Cecchetti Method syllabus has two sets of exams; Grade exams and Class exams. The Grade exams stretch up into the higher qualifications of Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate and the Advanced 1 and 2 vocational qualifications. Children can be prepared for and entered into the whole set of exams at the Sandra Powell School of Dancing. Pupils will work towards exams in their classes and take an exam approximately once an academic year. There is an exam fee to pay. An exam day will be organised and children will be allocated a time for the exam.
In Class exams (Pre-Primary, Primary and the Standards) children dance in small groups wearing numbers to identify them. The teacher accompanies them into the exam and responds to the examiner to direct the exam. In Grade exams pupils enter in pairs and the exercises must be danced from memory with no prompts. Please make sure you arrive at the hall in plenty of time for your exam. This gives time to make sure hair and uniform are especially neat and to warm up before going into the exam. The examiner will be a Cecchetti teacher from another part of the country. The results of the exam will come through in approximately one month. Exams can be added to academic school records and the vocational exams give UCAS points. Pupils receive scores for different sections and an overall score which is graded as; Distinction 80-100 marks, Merit 60-79 marks and Pass 40-59 marks. The Sandra Powell School of Dancing has a 100% success rate in exams.
Competitions
There are three competitions open to pupils to participate in from the age of 7 years. The Southern Area Award is open to the dancers in this area. It is held in The Barn Theatre, Shoreham at the end of March each year. In the Junior Award (aged 7 but under 9 years) competitors perform a solo dance on stage which is adjudicated by a Senior Cecchetti Faculty member for technical and artistic excellence. A winner and runner ups are selected and a performance award is given for the enjoyment of dance.
In the older age groups pupils show a set of exercises in small groups on stage followed by a solo dance. The Lower Middle Award is for aged 9 but under 11 years, the Upper Middle aged 11 but under 14 years and the Seniors aged 14 but under 17 years. In these sections there is also a winner and runner-ups as well as a winner of a performance award. Sandra Powell’s pupils enter this competition every year with consistent success rates. The work for the competition will be practiced in class in the term leading up to the competition. There is a small fee for entry and pupils will need a non-uniform leotard, smart socks or tights and new shoes to perform in.
The second competition is the national Mabel Ryan Award, held in London at the end of November each year. There are five sections to enter; the Cecchetti Children’s Award (pass of 70% or above at Grade 2, and aged under 10), the Mabel Ryan Lower Junior (pass of 70% or more in Grade 2 or 3 and aged under 13), the Junior Award (gained a pass at Grade 4 and under 13 years), the Middle Award (gained a pass at Grade 5 and aged 13 and under 15 years), the Senior Award (gained a pass at Grade 6 and aged 15 and under 17 years). As at the Southern Award pupils show exercises in small groups and then perform a solo dance. They are judged for their technical and artistic excellence and the Vacani Award is given for performance qualities.
The third competition run by the Cecchetti Society, is the Choreographic Competition. Children choreograph their own dances to music they choose themselves. You can enter individually, in pairs or groups. Entry is in the February before the competition at the beginning of March each year. The entry categories are; Junior – aged 7 to 11 years, Middle – aged 11 to 14 years, Senior – aged 14 to 18 years.
Shows
There are opportunities to participate in performances. Further details will be shared with parents for each event as they come up.