Dance
Brighton College Dance School
History
The Brighton College Dance School was established twelve years ago, primarily to teach pupils ballet. There are now over one hundred pupils who take regular syllabus classes after school and at weekends and every year group across the three schools has the opportunity to take dance as part of Games or as an activity.
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Studio Facilities
Classes take place in one of the finest purpose built studios in the South East, situated in the Performing Arts Centre above the popular café de Paris. With a wooden sprung floor, ballet barres and mirrors, the studio offers an enviable professional environment in which the pupils can create dances and perfect their technique.
Teaching Faculty
There is an exceptionally well qualified teaching faculty which includes the Director of Dance, the Senior Ballet Teacher, an Imperial Society Modern and Tap teacher as well as a professional team of ten further part time specialists.
Disciplines
The four key disciplines studied are Classical Ballet, Modern dance, Jazz dance and Tap dance.
Ballet
Pupils study RAD Ballet from Pre-Reception Level through to Intermediate and Advanced Level. Each graded examination aims to improve the pupils' technical knowledge and understanding as well as develop the awareness of presentation and posture in performance. The pupils also study free movement and character dance as part of the syllabus class.
Modern Dance
The modern dance syllabus helps to develop both body co-ordination and a sense of rhythm and musicality. As each graded examination is achieved, pupils develop the limbering and floor work sections of the syllabus to help improve both strength and flexibility. Major syllabus work at Intermediate and Advanced level incorporates well known contemporary dance techniques such as Graham, Cunningham and Limon.
Tap Dance
The Imperial society Tap Dance syllabus helps to promote and develop strong tap technique with good posture and co-ordination and an understanding of both light and shade as well as rhythmic and dynamic variation. Class work is principally syllabus based but performance work covers a wide variety of musical styles and tap techniques.
Jazz Dance
A popular option for all abilities, the Jazz dance syllabus is performance based and fuses together a range of different Jazz dance styles from Street Dance and hip hop to stage jazz, rock and roll, lyrical jazz and modern. Jazz dance classes are high energy and excellent for strength and stamina as well as placement and co-ordination.
Performances and Presentations
Open Classes
Open classes take place at the end of the Michaelmas and Lent terms where pupils demonstrate in an informal and relaxed atmosphere, the work that they have studied and developed throughout the term. Parents and friends are warmly invited to attend.
College and Prep school Musicals
Brighton College dance school pupils contribute extensively to the extra curricular life of the school and many take leading roles in the College musical which takes place in the Michaelmas term and the Prep school musical which takes place in the Lent term. Past musicals have included Guys and Dolls, The Boyfriend, Threepenny Opera, 42ND Street, On the Town, Damn Yankees, The Wiz, Oliver, Grease, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Summer Holiday and Oklahoma.
Academic Dance Shows
There are two academic dance shows a year. The first in the Michaelmas term is primarily to showcase the technique and performance work of the GCSE, AS and A level pupils in both contemporary and classical dance. The performance takes place in Montague, the school's studio theatre, at the end of the first term.
The second academic performance is a choreographic platform where pupils present their solo and group choreographic work, as well as performing the set GCSE and A level technical studies. This performance takes place at the very beginning of the summer term, before the written examinations begin.
Annual Dance Show
The annual dance show takes place in The Great Hall and showcases the talents of all the pupils of the dance school. The production involves a wide diversity of dance styles from classical ballet and contemporary dance to street dance, musical theatre, and hip hop. It is great fun and one of the key performing arts highlights of the year.
Should you have any further questions related to the dance programme or concerning millenium or dance scholarships, please contact Michelle Clark, Director of Dance at mclark@brightoncollege.net
There are many performance opportunities and pupils participate in two GCSE and A level dance evenings per year presenting technical studies and group and solo examination work. These performances are studio productions, which take place in the intimate setting of the converted church at Montague Place.
GCSE pupils also perform in site-specific works during the summer term. Performances have taken place in and around the college café and in the school Chapel where influences from the architecture and religious iconography have been starting points for choreographic improvisation and set dance pieces.
AS and A level dance pupils perform annually at the Brighton College Speech day at The Dome as well as at Creative Writing Evenings and South East Dance Choreographic Platforms.
