Press Release:

RAD LAUNCHES NEW PRE-SCHOOL DANCE CURRICULUM
Tiny Tots With Twinkle Toes

To mark the launch of Dance To Your Own Tune an exciting new Pre-school Dance Curriculum, the Royal Academy of Dance are holding an open demonstration and teaching event at English National Ballet next weekend.

The curriculum supports the philosophy that movement underpins all learning and provides teachers with guidelines as to appropriate content and methodology congruent to the motor development of the young child.

Lynn Wallis, the Academy’s Artistic Director and head of the team responsible for designing the curriculum explains,

“At this age children literally are dancing to their own tune, they are exploring the capabilities of their own bodies, learning to move and learning through movement. Through movement children develop their bodies, their minds, their confidence and their ability to communicate and express. Young children are learning all the time and most of their learning is connected to movement.”

The Royal Academy of Dance is hosting a day-long programme of open, work-in-progress classes with pre-school children aged between 21/2 and 41/2 years of age. The classes will be based on the themes and guidelines within the curriculum and there will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.

Dance and Education Press are invited to attend a morning overview session starting at 11.30am – 12.30pm. Parents and teachers of the pre-school children participating will also be there and there will be photo opportunities.

Sunday, 8 February, 11.30am -12.30pm, English National Ballet, Markova House, 39 Jay Mews, Kensington, London SW7 2ES

Notes:

The Royal Academy of Dance is the world’s leading educator of classical ballet and is at the forefront of dance education. Their mission is to promote knowledge, understanding and practice of dance internationally.

The Pre-school Dance Curriculum, Dance To Your Own Tune is available from the Academy as a complete resource pack at the full retail price of £249.99. It contains the curriculum handbook, two CD’s and a DVD (available in both PAL & NTSC versions) showing footage of pre-school classes at each level. Dance To Your Own Tune is aimed at two age groups, Level 1: 21/2 - 31/2 and Level 2: 31/2 - 41/2 up to 5 years of age.

English National Ballet has kindly offered to host the launch event for the Royal Academy of Dance

Programme of Events:

Press Event
11.30am Introduction
11.45 – 12.15 Demonstration Class at Level 1
12.15 – 12.30 Questions & Photographs

2.00pm Introduction
2.30 – 3.15 Level 1 Class
Break
3.30 – 4.00 Theory into Practice, discussion
4.00 – 4.45 Level 2 Class
4.45 – 5.00 Questions

I attended the press launch of this new syllabus last Sunday at the English National Ballet's lovely head quarters.

The syllabus was presented by an enthusiastic and attentive group of 4 year olds who obviously delighted in the imaginative content this new work brings. The RAD are keen to stress that this movement syllabus is a means to ignite other creative senses with pre-schoolers and that by harnessing movement skills and a love of movement at an early stage, it can, as their research has shown, increase children's ability in other subject areas.

The example lesson shown was based around the theme of "The Sea". The content stimulated the children's imagination from the word go and encouraged maximum participation and concentration. The children were taken on a ride on a seagull, hopped around on hot sand, tip-toed round a rock pool and then showed their "good toes" by dipping them in the pool to cool off and they also went for a ride on a seahorse. By putting some of the traditional pre-ballet exercises into such a fun and relevant setting for the pre-schoolers really showed the worth of this syllabus in teaching children the joy of movement and free expression.

The children were constantly encouraged to mimic but also put forward their own movement ideas in relation to how different creatures move for example jellfish and mermaids, which also enabled them to see how movement can also be restricted to one part of the body, obviously excellent for developing body control.

The class also demonstrated how easy it would be for a teacher to start up a similar class. Simple props were used like lengths of fabrics, hoops and bean bags and although the RAD issue a CD of music and offer suggestions for how to theme the classes, most teachers could easily develop their own ideas and also use their own music.

The programme is packaged with a teaching manual offering ideas and methodolgy, a DVD showing sample classes and a CD with sample music. This syllabus really is an excellent well rounded introduction to dance for an eager to move age group. It is stimulating and challenging without being out of reach for this age group. It offers clearly defined goals and outcomes for all teachers and will definitely be an asset to pre-school dance teachers.

<small>[ 10 February 2004, 05:21 PM: Message edited by: Joanne ]</small>