A First Class Honours graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance.
I graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with First Class Honours in Dance Education. The varied BA (Hons) Dance Education programme not only equips graduates with the anatomical, musical and pedagogical knowledge and understanding to teach dance, but also engages with philosophical, professional and practical issues in the fields of dance and dance education.
The Royal Academy of Dance is one of the world’s most influential institutions for dance education and dance teacher training. Founded by an international group of dancers and dance teachers in 1920 to improve the standard of dance teaching in the United Kingdom, the organisation now operates in more than 80 countries. Its classical ballet examination syllabus is taught worldwide, with around 250,000 candidates taking exams each year. Beyond this, an ever-increasing programme of outreach work takes dance into diverse communities, while the Faculty of Education develops knowledge that informs and inspires dance enthusiasts all over the world.
After acquiring a broad perspective on dance education across all contexts, I explored dance in the community, dance for older learners and dance in higher education. This afforded me insight into the wider benefits of dance participation and has enhanced my teaching practice by empowering me as a reflective and empathetic professional. Furthermore, examining these topics has enriched my awareness of the irreplaceable role of the arts, and specifically dance, in lifelong education.
In other modules, I focused on ballet. This enabled me to delve into the relationship between music and mime, refining my appreciation of Romantic era ballets and facilitating new ways to use the music as an educational resource in the studio. Concentrating on ballet also made the most of my expertise by allowing me to discuss familiar ballet companies in relation to relevant historical, political, economic, artistic and educational circumstances.
Completing my dissertation, titled Meet Me at the Barre: Community in the Ballet Class, combined my skills as a researcher, interviewer and writer with my passion as a dancer and teacher. Inspired by my own experience of ballet classes, I investigated the role of the ballet teacher in making the most of the sense of community that the ballet class can provide.
I was awarded a scholarship by the Faculty of Education in 2016 and was one of just fifteen students to graduate from the BA (Hons) Dance Education programme in 2017. Studying Dance Education with the Royal Academy of Dance has certainly reaffirmed to me just how much zeal I have for learning, improving, performing and watching dance. Without a doubt, sharing dance with others through both my writing and teaching is something I take great pride in and feel privileged to do.
Teaching is an art. A tried-and-tested approach will not necessarily work for every learner and people participate in dance classes for all sorts of reasons. My teaching ethos is therefore based on an ambition to help everyone in my classes to recognise their own strengths and progress positively.
The Royal Academy of Dance often uses the tagline “Learn. Teach. Dance.” in its marketing materials and I think this is an excellent motto to live by. I will continue to seek knowledge, share ideas and seize every chance to dance. Now possessing a comprehensive knowledge of dance and education, in addition to experience teaching individuals of all ages, I aspire to inspire the dancers and audiences of the future!
Georgina has a well-honed ability for communicating dance on the page – making the movement live and capturing detail.
Seeing her ideas, writing style and knowledge grow during the completion of her degree was inspiring. It’s always lovely to work with someone who absorbs feedback, challenges ideas and pushes boundaries.
Libby Costello
Programme Manager and Senior Lecturer, Royal Academy of Dance
