Newbury College is working with The Central School of Ballet. Spring 2015 sees the return of Central School of Ballet's renowned touring company Ballet Central to the Newbury Spring Festival at The Corn Exchange on Thursday 14th May. In advance of this popular performance, Central School of Ballet has been allocated funding by the Greenham Common Trust which has allowed them to offer workshops with local primary and secondary schools including Newbury College.
Last week Newbury College's Preforming Arts GCSE students were treated to a workshop from Central School of Ballet. The workshop required the students to work together and aimed to improve communications between pupils, enhancing their classroom relationship.
Performing Arts Lecturer k9ztge Gudino-Resendiz, who has been working with The Central School of Ballet to organise the workshops for College students, said "This is an exciting opportunity for the students to be part of a community project where not only dance skills are at play but their social, physical and intellectual abilities too".
Central runs a wide programme of outreach work to encourage and broaden participation in dance and are passionate about encouraging young people to adopt a more active and healthy lifestyle through dance.
"We are looking forward to bringing our Dancing Partners programme to schools in Newbury" said Central's Head of Widening Participation and Access, Debra Cougill, "Our workshops are accompanied by a pianist or percussionist therefore enriching the class and additionally offering participants the experience of hearing live music. The primary schools that we visit also receive Continuing Professional Development Training during which we aim to provide classroom teachers with the skills and the confidence to deliver dance as part of their PE curriculum and integrate it across the Curriculum".
Central School of Ballet has had a long standing relationship with the Corn Exchange Theatre in Newbury and Ballet Central, the school's graduate touring company, perform annually as part of the Spring Festival. Each year Central invites local schools to the Ballet Central afternoon dress rehearsal to observe their third year students perform. "This has proved invaluable to young people not only in giving them positive role models but in encouraging young people to think about their own pathways and progression routes into Higher Education" adds Debra.
The dress rehearsal and Q&A with members of the company also introduces children to the work of the Conservatoire of Dance and Drama (comprised of eight elite schools across the country who are specialists in their art form). "The Conservatoire are passionate about encouraging young people from as diverse backgrounds as possible across the country to consider the arts as a career path and they provide scholarships and bursaries to emerging talent who could not otherwise afford to do so." explains Debra.