National

National Dance training is available to pupils who have passed Grade 2 standard in Classical Ballet. This prerequisite skill level is necessary because the training is rooted in classically derived movement vocabulary. Pupils' training is based on the Berkut method, as has been taught at the Royal Ballet School, London.

The course covers a wide range of different National dance styles, which include: Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Hungarian. The training is structured so that pupils practise barre and centre exercises as a foundation for learning extended choreographed sequences and dances.

Assessment of pupils' progress is facilitated through the National Freestyle Award examinations of the British Ballet Organization. National dances are an important feature within many traditional Classical Ballets. Learning National dancing is therefore regarded as an important extension of students' overall ballet training.