EXAMINATIONS 

It is strongly advised that parents encourage children to demonstrate what they have been doing in class each week so that this will develop into a regular practice.  Practice at home with or without music, helps to strengthen and loosen the body, allowing improvement and progress that enable each child to derive more enjoyment from his/her dancing.

UP TO GRADE 2

If parents wish, children can be entered for school examinations.

GRADE 3 AND ABOVE

School or Royal Academy examinations can now be taken depending on how much practice has been done during the previous years.

The standard of the RAD is so high it is impossible to cover the entire syllabus while working on jazz examinations and show dances. Children aiming for the RAD examination must therefore attend two ballet classes each week.

Remembering the work taught from week to week is difficult for most children and cannot be done when classes are missed.  Missing classes often results in children being embarrassed and wishing not to return. (Just ask a friend for help should your child miss a class or forget his/her work but please don't worry about it.)  

Please ensure that your child has a current syllabus.  Practice music can be borrowed from teachers. 

UNIFORM FOR BALLET EXAMINATIONS

FRENCH DANCE TERMS

 

Pliés	To bend both    knees	Changement	Change feet
Demi	Half	Echappes	Escape feet
Tendus	Stretch	Entrechat	Beat back front
Battements	Beating	Entrechat quatre	Four Beats
Glisses	Glide	Fermé	Closed
En Croix	In the shape of a cross	Ouvert	Open
Epaulements	Use of shoulders	Ports de bras	Carriage of the arms
Grand battements	Large Beats	Demi bras	Half arms
Fondus	Bend or melt	Bras bas	Low arms
Grands	Large	Attitude	Pos. in dance
A terre	On the ground	Arabesque	Pos. in dance
Devant	In front	Petit  développé	Small développé
Derrière	Behind	Sautés	Jumps
Dégagé	Point	Soubresaut	Jumps in third
A la seconde	In second position	Pirouettes	To turn
Développés	To unfold	En dehors	Outwards
Retires	To with draw	En dedans	Inwards
Ronds de jambe	Circle the leg	Pas de bourrée en arrière	Running steps backward
Enchainements	Steps joined together	Pas de bourrée en avant	Running steps forward
Demi détournés	Half a turn	Pas de bourrée under	Running steps, behind side front
Emboites	Dove tailing	Pas de bourrée over	Running steps, front side behind
Balances de côté	To balance to the side	Pas de bourrée cour	Small running steps
Jetés	To throw your weight from one foot to the other	Chassé passé	Slide past foot
Pas de chat	Step of the cat	Chasses	Slide
Demi détournés	Half a turn	Pose temps lève	Step and hop
En l'air	In the air	Pose	Step
De côté	To the side	En face	Face to face
Relevés	To withdraw	En ouvert	An open Pos.
Passé	To pass	En croise	In the shape of a cross
En avant	Forward	Rotation	Rotate the leg in the hip.
En arrière	Backward	Fouette d'adage	Turn the body away from the leg
Over & under	To the front To the back	Assemble soutenus	Gather the feet together and turn
Assembles over	Gather together.  Swish with the back foot and finish with it in front	Petit retire	Small withdrawing movement
Assembles under	Gather together.  Swish with the front foot and finish with it at the back	Frappés	To strike or knock
Glissades over	Gliding step. Start with the back foot and finish with it in front	Glissades  under	Gliding step. Start with the front foot and finish with it in back
Glissades devant	Gliding step. Start with the front foot and finish with it in front	Glissades derrière	Gliding step. Start with the back foot and finish with it at the back