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It was with slight hesitation that I booked myself on the Imperial Ballet Course at ISTD2 Dance Studios; after such an exhausting year I wondered how I would cope?
I felt nervous about so many things! Would I be able to pilé without my knees giving way? Would I be able to grasp the work? Would I fit in? How wrong I was to worry like that?
The beginning of the course concentrated on the class examinations (which I had never studied or taught previous to the course). Our tutor, Miss Sammi Dennard, taught the work so thoroughly and with such clarity that I immediately felt confident with the work. I found that as a class we were all at ease with both the work and each other. Miss Dennard even found time to bring in some of her wonderful children to give us a highly informative and inspiring demonstration of the work.
We then continued with revision of the graded and major examinations with Miss Helen Steggles and Miss Heather Fish. The classes, which were small, provided a lovely environment in which all teaching points and methodology were discussed at length. The knowledge from not only the tutors but from the rest of the delegates was both informative and inspiring. A great but tiring time was had by all.
So what was the best thing about the summer course? In one word – everything! I started the week feeling as we all do at the end of a term: very tired and quite disillusioned, but as they say ‘what a difference a week makes’.
I feel inspired and knowledgeable and cannot wait to jeté and sissonne back to my dance school to teach all the work I have learnt. Thank you to all the lecturers for their invaluable help and to the ISTD for running such a great course.
See you all in London for the ballet course next year – I can’t wait.
Julie Lovewell, Northern Academy of Performing Arts |
