11 March 2026
Malcolm Hill-Close's tour began in Kuala Lumpur, where he visited four schools across the city. Each visit took place on a separate day, giving him the chance to meet different teachers, observe a wide range of work and ease into the rhythm of international examining.
From there, he travelled to Kota Kinabalu to assess another cohort of candidates before continuing on to Kuching in Sarawak for further examination sessions.
During his time in Malaysia, Malcolm also found a moment to explore the iconic Batu Caves, a highlight of the trip. “Visiting the Caves was a real highlight. It was such a memorable experience, and a lovely moment of reflection in the middle of a busy tour,” he says.
His final stop was Johor Bahru, where he worked with a teacher hosting their first independent ISTD exam session. "It felt special to be part of such an important milestone in their journey.” Malcolm reflects.
“What really stood out was how welcoming everyone was. It was my first time over there, and I felt very accepted. The teachers were all so warm and eager.”
Across the sessions, Malcolm found the overall standard strong, with dancers showing impressive performance quality. “A lot of them participate in competitions, so that sense of presentation really comes across,” he explains. He examined dancers of all ages, from young children to adults, each bringing their hard work to the day.
For ISTD teachers hoping to become examiners
Malcolm offers advice:
“Keep developing yourself. Continue with your qualifications and work towards your Fellowships, it deepens your understanding of your genre and helps you analyse work at a high level.”
He is also clear about the responsibility examiners carry:
“We’re ambassadors for the ISTD for our values, for our approach to inclusion. We walk into people’s businesses, so we have to help them grow resilient schools. Building rapport, being approachable, being professional… that’s vital.”
And finally, “If you want to become an examiner one day, keep working hard, and apply when positions are advertised. Even if you don’t get it the first time, the experience is valuable.
Looking Back
“It was a wonderful experience. There was a lot of travelling, but it was absolutely worth it. For my first examining tour outside of Europe, I met fantastic and dedicated teachers and saw some truly lovely dancing.”
