IADMS London 2003   [back to the Category]

The pursuit of excellence....   [read the french version]

Author :   Janet Briggs MSc, MCSP, SRP London

The pursuit of excellence – Additional training for 11 year olds at the Royal Ballet School, London


Janet Briggs MSc, MCSP, SRP
The Royal Ballet School, London, UK

It has long been acknowledged that ballet training alone is not sufficient to prepare a dancer for a career as a professional. Training to improve strength, stamina, speed of movement, suppleness, as well as good dynamic stability can all help enhance a dancers general fitness. This will reduce injuries and prolong a career. As students enter a vocational school, there is a shift from ‘recreational’ to ‘serious’ dancing. This would seem to be a good time to begin to introduce additional training. This presentation will demonstrate the “additional training” for 11 year olds at the Royal Ballet School. Here the students have a two hour ballet class, five days a week, the first half an hour being devoted to exercises. Three of the half hour sessions each week are used for ‘conditioning’ exercises:- dynamic core stability, foot exercises, arm exercises and for proprioception. The other two sessions are devoted to a ‘bounce and stretch’ programme. This incorporates applied plyometrics and stretches, both ballet specific and those for injury prevention. Equipment is kept to a minimum, mats and resistance bands for ‘conditioning’ – hoops, 1kg medicine balls and mats for the ‘bounce and stretch’. The programme is now in its second year and will be in its third year by October 2003. The presentation will detail how and why the programme began and will include a video showing some of the exercises. In conclusion a summary will be given describing the beneficial results achieved so far, and feedback from teachers.