Babies (Pre-School) Dance Class
Class Details:
Saturday Mornings
1000hrs till 1100hrs
Righead United Reform Church Hall
This is a class for pre-school children both boys and girls which introduces them to dancing. As well as being a great form of exercise and developing coordination it also helps gain skills which will help them settle at school such as socialising and routine. As this class is located close to the town centre it also gives parents the opportunity of an hour on a Saturday morning to do some shopping or have a peaceful coffee break.
The children learn Ballet, Tap, Freestyle and Modern dance forms following the BATD (British Association of Dance Teachers) curriculum and working towards gaining their Starlight Awards across the disciplines. They will also take part in the School’s Dance Display which is held annually at the East Kilbride Theatre. Once they start school they will progress to the Junior dance classes.
Junior (Primary 1-6) Dance Classes
Class Details:
Saturday Mornings 1100hrs till 1230hrs (Jnr. 1, 2, 3 & 4)
Righead United Reform Church Hall
Tuesday Evenings 1630hrs till 1800hrs (Jnr. 1, 2 & 3)
Alistair McCoist Complex
Thursday Evenings 1700hrs till 1900hrs (Jnr. 4)
Righead United Reform Church Hall
These classes help to build on the skills developed in the Babies group and develop new skills for those who join at this later stage. The children will progress through the BATD curriculum for ballet, tap, modern dance styles and can expect to achieve medals up to the Silver or Gold level by the time they move on to the Senior dance classes. They will begin with pre-bronze and work through bronze, silver and gold levels in each discipline, gaining medals on completion of each BATD examination. They will also take part in the annual dance display. The children are split into different groups as a rough guide Junior 1 (primary 1-2), Junior 2 (primary 2-3), Junior 3 (primary 3-4), Junior 4 (Primary 4-5-6). This is only a rough guide as the children are sometimes moved up to a higher group due to their dance experience and which medals they have achieved already. There are two choices of class times that children in this age group can attend as can be seen below. These groups are important as children develop friendships with their own pier group a number of which in the past have continued on into adulthood.
Senior (P7 to Senior 4) Dance Classes
Class Details:
Thursday Evenings 1700hrs till 1900hrs (Snr. 1)
Thursday Evenings 1900hrs till 2030hrs (Snr. 2)
Thursday Evenings 1930hrs till 2115hrs (Snr. 3)
Righead United Reform Church Hall
These classes further develop the skills learnt in the earlier groups and follow the BATD curriculum through the Gold, Blue Riband, 1st Award, 2nd Award and 3rd Award in all disciplines. The Seniors are split into groups Senior 1 (Primary 7 – Senior 1), Senior 2 (Senior 2-3), Senior 3 (Senior 3-4) again this is a rough guide as it is dependent on dance experience as well as age. These classes take pupils through the difficult teenage years and it provides a great opportunity for making friends from outside of the usual school set whilst learning new skills and exercising in a fun and safe environment.
The Associates (Senior 5 to Young Adult) Dance Classes
Class Details:
Thursday Evenings 2030hrs till 2200hrs
Righead United Reform Church Hall
By the time pupils enter this group they are at the end stage of their school education and the dance classes are a good opportunity to get away from the books for a couple of hours but still do something constructive. It also provides an opportunity to mix with older pupils who have moved on to College, University or work who have been through this pressurised time of exams and can offer reassurance. This group do not take further dance examinations but tend to do mainly dance show work as they have mostly completed the BATD curriculum.
Some of the Associates who have the time plus express an interest help out with the younger groups and also contribute towards some the choreography of the show dances for the display. The whole of this group play a key role in the schools dance display and thoroughly enjoy their time on stage.
Adult Dance Classes
Class Details:
Wednesday Evenings 1900hrs till 2000hrs
Giffnock Tennis Club
This group is made up of more mature adults who have not necessarily danced before. It started with a few of the mums of the pupils in other classes who wanted to learn to tap dance. Other adults have now joined the class and it now provides the opportunity of learning some ballet as well as tap. This is a fun and friendly class which is a social occasion as well as a fabulous form of exercise and if you so desire you can even achieve some of the BATD medals.
Classical Ballet Dance Classes
Class Details:
Wednesday Evenings 1600hrs till 1700hrs (Pre-Primary)
Wednesday Evenings 1700hrs till 1800hrs (Grade 1)
Wednesday Evenings 1800hrs till 1900hrs (Grade 2)
Giffnock Tennis Club
Tuesday Evenings 1800hrs till 1900hrs (Grade 5)
Alistair McCoist Complex
As Ballet is the building block of most dance styles the dance school is delighted to offer classes in classical ballet. The classes work their way through the BATD approved grading system and include in the higher grades point work. If pupils do want to pursue a professional career in dance or study dance on leaving school they will require some formal Ballet training. Currently classes are provided mostly to pupils who are senior school age group or above however a Junior Classical Ballet class may be developed in the near future. If you are interested in a Junior class please contact the school on the email address/telephone number provided.
The Reason we do BATD Examinations
Exams are provided through an externally recognised examination association the BATD (British Association of Dance Teachers) and are recognised by CDET (Council of Dance Education & Training) an organisation which ensures high quality dance training, providing the dance industry with a benchmark of quality assurance. The school follows a specific dance syllabus and the awards gained by pupils are fully recognised by colleges and universities. So if anyone is thinking of a career in Dance or entry into a college to study dance following this syllabus and learning classical ballet will be a distinct advantage.
