Monday 19 January, 17:00 - 21:15 GMT (4 CPD hours)
Classical Indian Dance - NEW Grade 1-6 Bharatanatyam Exam formats with a particular focus on the NEW Theory Examination
Lecturer: Nina Rajarani

This course covers all the compulsory updates to each of our Bharatanatyam Grades 1–6 examinations, as well as covering the content and the structure of the New Theory examination. It is strongly recommended that all teachers participate in this course so that they receive essential examination information in readiness for the compulsory changes from 1 April 2026 onwards. It will also give teachers the chance to ask questions directly to our Lead examiner – Nina Rajarani MBE. 

This course is essential for all teachers entering candidates for examinations from 1 April 2026, onwards.

This online course will be recorded for teachers who are unable to attend, to access this course information after the 19 January 2026

The Classical Indian Dance Faculty has conducted a comprehensive review of our Grades to better meet the needs of our teachers and dancers, ensuring alignment with industry standards, and to achieve an appropriate balance between performance and theoretical elements across Grades 1 to 6. Therefore, modifications have been made to the File and Theory components in each grade, with key theoretical content being transferred out of the graded exams and into our new standalone Ofqual-regulated Level 3 Theory Examination, the overall structure of our examinations remain the same.

The new regulated Theory examination consolidates the theoretical content previously distributed throughout the grades into a single, stand-alone examination taken after Grade 5. The content features a Q & A approach (like current grades) to assess candidates' knowledge learnt throughout the grades.

While assessment methods have evolved, these changes do NOT affect teachers training programme and students learning, it is the examination assessment that is been modified to allow Grade students to focus more on performative material, ensuring students continue to be well-rounded dancers and artists with progressive knowledge. Therefore, teachers are expected to continue to deliver the full syllabus as per the technical specification with the examination criteria and duration remaining the same.

For further details, the new Grade Specification document, outlining all updates and assessment criteria, will be published in early January 2026.

For faculty questions, contact: classicalindian@istd.org

Times and dates

Please note that all course dates and times are stated in GMT. Courses will include time for breaks; however, the exact timing of this break may vary from course to course.

Closing dates

Bookings for this course close 4 days before it is due to take place. Therefore tickets may not always be available to purchase via the website. However, if you contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org we may be able to manually book you onto a course. For any delegates who attend on the day without prior payment, we reserve the right to apply a 10% surcharge onto the cost of the course. 

Course Prices

Members in South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam will need to email coursebookings@istd.org to obtain a discount code. Additional discounts are available for student teachers with provisional membership status. Please contact coursebookings@istd.org with your membership number for a discount code.

Course cancellations

Courses are subject to cancellation (up to 3 weeks in advance) if the minimum attendee numbers have not been reached. Therefore we strongly advise that all attendees book well in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Lecturers

In the instance of a change to availability, we may need to find an alternative lecturer (than the one originally scheduled) to lead a course. This will not affect the content covered in the course.

Attendance

All online courses must be attended live. We do not record our sessions for future viewing or purchasing, unless otherwise stated. 

CPD hours

All hours stated next to each course refer to the earned CPD hours. This will be reflected on each certificate of attendance that you will receive.

Waiting list 

If a course you wish to attend has sold out, please contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org to be added to the waiting list.

Further questions

If you have any further questions, please contact coursebookings@istd.org and a member of the CPD team will get back to you.

Booking conditions

All fees must be paid in full, with cleared funds, before bookings close for the course. Delegates will only be provided with zoom details and have access to online courses once payment has been made.

Each participant (irrespective of whether they are sharing a studio or device) is required to pay for their place on the course. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not pass on the zoom login details or allow anybody that has not booked, to join the course on any device.

Cancellations must be made via email to coursebookings@istd.org 

• For any cancellations made less than 10 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 50% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 7 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 75% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 4 days before the event, the ISTD will retain the total booking fee.

Under exceptional circumstances or where a doctor’s certificate is provided a full or partial refund may be given at the discretion of the Education and Training department.

In the event that delivery is affected by a local lockdown or any other force majeure, we will do our best to make alternative arrangements in order to ensure the course can go ahead. However, if this is not possible, delegates will be contacted and offered a refund or a credit note.

We cannot account for the strength of delegate internet connection and ask that each attendee check the connection before each course. In the case of loss of connection part-way through a course, refunds will not be given. Where possible, we may offer you an alternative course to attend. This will be at the discretion of the Director of Education.

Certificates of attendance will be sent to each delegate via email as a PDF document after the CPD event has taken place. The CPD hours on the certificate will reflect the time attended by the participant with time deducted for late arrival or early departure from the session.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing has the right to refuse bookings on the grounds of health and safety or if acceptance would contravene its Regulatory Authority Approval.

Course delegates are responsible for their own personal property and safety. Delegates must ensure that they follow the appropriate health and safety warnings, including:

• Ensuring the space is environmentally equipped and safe (i.e. proper lighting and adequate temperature).
• Having enough room to participate in the activity without there being any obvious risk of injury to the participant, to others, or risk of any damage to the surrounding property.
• Ensuring that the flooring in the room is appropriate for the activity to be undertaken.
• That no other adult is observing during the course without the prior knowledge and permission of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing reserves the right to record any online CPD for the purpose of further training.

Filming/photography/recording of any content displayed or discussed during the online class is not permitted by any delegate.

All work displayed is the intellectual property of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and appointed lecturers. Recording the lectures would be a breach of copyright and anyone found doing so may be removed from the session and future bookings.

Consent and release

ISTD is committed to the principle that the interests and welfare of participants taking part in dance activities is paramount. To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, ISTD needs your permission before we take any photography or video of you.

By acknowledging and agreeing to these terms, I consent to ISTD photographing or videoing me at this event. I can confirm that I have been made aware that these images or videos could be used in dance-related publications, the ISTD website, at future events, and broadcast on social media or video streaming services. I give the ISTD permission without a time limit to use this photography or video (including facial images) worldwide on any medium.

How we use your information
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will process your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy. Please refer to our privacy policy which can be found in full on our website.

Any concerns should be emailed to coursebookings@istd.org