Dear Parents and Pupils,

Where has this year gone?  I cannot believe another academic year is over and everyone is a year older!  Lots to report as it has been a very busy term and there are some new things to look forward to in September.

Show

It is our intention to put on a show with the whole school from Primary upwards and we are currently looking at a few different venues.  We are aiming for the Easter term and are just waiting to find out my examining commitments during this time before finalising a date so please watch this space for further information.  We can, however, reveal that the show will be ‘Cinderella’ and we will be auditioning for main parts.  Each class will perform one dance and any child who wishes to be in the show can take part, however, it is not compulsory and will not affect your child’s training in any way if they choose not to be in it.

Congratulations

I am delighted to report that Elizabeth (Lizzie) has been successful in gaining a place as both a Junior Associate of the Royal Ballet School and a weekly Young Dancer at Elmhurst Ballet School and will begin classes in September in Birmingham.  She fought off fierce competition for the small number of places available on both these programmes and we are incredibly proud of her achievement.

Roisin, Innes and Daisy were all successful in being offered a further year’s training with Elmhurst Young Dancers which is a testament to their hard work each week.

Innes was successful in gaining a full-time place at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts to start in September but, unfortunately, was unable to gain funding in order to take up this offer.  This is a massive achievement and we hope she continues to blossom as she has over the last few years.

Katie, Flo and Roisin represented the school at the All-England regional finals and they all danced beautifully.  They have had a fantastic competition season, along with many other of the school’s pupils and we have won a good haul of medals this season.  I think the best was 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for our students in the senior ballet section at one festival – I can’t ask for more than that!

Abby, Esme and Jess all successfully passed their Advanced Foundation with 2 of them gaining a Merit. 

Emma, Claudia, Charlotte and Kate all gained a Merit in their Intermediate exam.

I am delighted to share the news that Innes, Esme and Katie all successfully auditioned for the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain for the 2019 season.  Pupils from all over the country took part in this audition for a small number of places and they will be dancing in performances at the end of August in Birmingham and at Sadler’s Wells in September.  This is a very exciting opportunity for them and we wish them all the best in rehearsals over the summer.

Finally, news just in that Roisin has successfully auditioned for Morea Performing Arts Associates and starts with them in September.

Examinations

It was quite a busy term with graded and vocational ballet, tap and modern exams being taken.  Hopefully, the results will reflect the effort put in by everyone. Our vocational pupils went to Newport for their exams – Anora and Katie took their Intermediate RAD ballet.  We had pupils from Westbury and Blackford taking ballet exams and Westbury pupils took Modern and Tap exams at Fishponds, including Katie, Jess, Issey and Meredith who took their Intermediate ISTD Modern.

We will be entering several classes this term for their RAD ballet exams – details to follow via e-mail if this affects your child.

New Classes

I am very excited to report that we are introducing contemporary to our timetable in September.  The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) have introduced an Intermediate Foundation syllabus and Miss Wooldridge and I will be attending a course over the summer in order to be fully prepared in September.  This is a brand-new development and we will be one of the first schools in Bristol to offer it.  We currently follow the ISTD Modern and Tap syllabuses and this will be an excellent class to go alongside this.  There are plans in place for other grades but, at the moment, this is the only level available. This class will be open to any Bristol Ballet Centre students, Grade 4 and above, and should there be any spare places available we will offer them outside the school.  This class will be held on a Saturday 1.45 – 2.45 pm and, if you are interested in your child joining this class please e-mail me at info@bristolballetcentre.so.uk  to sign up for your free trial. 

We are also starting a new Junior Modern and Tap class (from 5 years upwards) on Saturday morning 10.30 – 11.15 am which currently still has a few places available.  Again, please e-mail me if your son/daughter wishes to have a free trial in September.

Miscellaneous

Please note that we are not responsible for your child outside of their class time.  We have had several instances recently where pupils have been dropped off extremely early for their lessons and left on their own in the changing room – the building is open to the public and we cannot look after them in circumstances like this.  Please ensure that they leave the building quietly and quickly after lessons as I have had to go down several times and ask children to stop running around the corridors and screaming at full volume.  Please also note that the lounge is not to be used for changing – I have had lots of complaints from the church staff, particularly on a Saturday morning, and the Main Hall is not to be used as a recreation centre when no one else is in there.  Again, I have had complaints from the Church about this.

Sorry to moan but a good relationship with the Church is vital for us in order to continue running classes.
 

Facebook

If you are not already aware, the school has a Facebook page – Bristol Ballet Centre – where we share news, successes, important notices etc.  If you have not already liked this page, please do, and, equally, if you have any news to share please  e-mail me at info@bristolballetcentre.co.uk and I will happily post.

Summer School

We have just finished a lovely week at summer school.  Our ‘Aladdin’ theme went down a treat and we danced ballet, modern, lyrical, national, contemporary and Irish culminating in a showcase at the end of the week.  We were back to our usual venue of the Newman Hall which worked really well and allowed us to have our showing of work on the stage.

Next year’s dates for your diary are Monday 27th – Friday 31st July 2020.

Fees

As the invoices are worked out on a termly basis, please be aware they do vary in total from term to term.

Sorry to nag but please can I plead that you make a valid reference if paying fees on-line with the current invoice number and your child’s name as a reference as several people this term did not change from last term’s invoice number, making it very hard for my accountant to sort.  I had several very late payers this term so can I please remind you that any payments received after the 3rd week of term are subject to a late admin fee of 5%.  Unfortunately, there will be a rise in the fees from next term due to increased costs.  Invoices will follow shortly by e-mail.

Uniform

Miss Wooldridge and I have noticed that, in recent months, the standard of uniform has dropped throughout the school.  Many pupils are in the incorrect uniform, large numbers do not have character skirts or shoes, waistbands are often missing and hair is not in a correct bun with hairnet and pins.  We would most grateful if you could address these issues if they apply to your child.

School E-mail Address

I am still (over 2 years later) getting people telling me they have e-mailed me and I haven’t replied.  They then realise they have sent this to my old e-mail address which is no longer in use.  The only e-mail address for the school is info@bristolballetcentre.co.uk

Next term’s dates are:

Monday 9th September – Saturday 14th December 2019
Half term Monday 28th October – Sunday 3rd November

All that remains for me to say is that I hope you are having a very happy summer holiday, and me and my staff look forward to seeing you in September.

Best wishes,
Miss Sherman

Dear Parents and Pupils,

I know I say this every newsletter, but I cannot believe another term is over.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support and encouragement you have given me and my staff during this year. 
 

Timetable Changes

There have been several changes to the timetable this year as we have lots of pupils leaving to go on to dance schools or university and many moving up from Pre-school to Pre-primary.  Everyone affected should have received a new timetable at the beginning of June with their new class time highlighted.  Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have a problem with your new time as we will do our best to offer an alternative solution.

New Class

I am delighted to inform you that we will be starting a new tap and modern class for anyone Reception and upwards.  The class will be held on Thursday 4.00 – 4.45 pm with 20 minutes of each discipline and 5minutes to change shoes at a cost of £4.50.  Anyone who is interested is most welcome to attend a free trial lesson before committing and if any of you have friends who do not currently attend but you think might be interested please let them know as we have plenty of spaces available.

Also, you may not be aware that we hold an Open ballet class each week which is non-syllabus and suitable for anyone Grade 5 and above.  Pupils enjoy this class as there is no pressure to remember set work and often new steps are covered that may not occur in syllabus lessons.  This class is on a Monday evening so please do not hesitate to get in touch if you think it is something your daughter may be interested in.

New Adult Classes

For the last few Fridays of term we introduced a new adult ballet class which has proved to be very successful, low key, lots of fun and pay-as-you go at £6 per class.  It is held in the upstairs hall at Westbury 10.0 – 11.00 am and please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further information or wish to join the class. All levels are very welcome and classes will re-commence on Friday 7th September.  No pink tights required!

During this year I completed my Silver Swans training with the Royal Academy of Dance which is a training programme for the over 55’s.  I am hoping to start some separate Silver Swans classes suitable for all levels of mobility and ability.  These classes have such benefit for balance, strength, co-ordination and flexibility and have been proved to show huge improvements in these areas along with self-confidence, general increased well-being and a fantastic social activity to take part in.  Watch this space for more details.

New Bristol Ballet Centre Merchandise

For those who have not seen the notice board by the studio, I am delighted that we now have Bristol Ballet Centre merchandise available to purchase.  Choose from hoodies, zoodies, full zip sweatshirt (no hood) varsity jacket, onesies, shoe bag and joggers and have your name added to personalise at no extra cost.  All details either on the notice board or from your class teacher.  These items will be allowed to be worn in class within reason (ie not if they are very baggy, if weather conditions allow).

Elite Associate Show

Our Elite Associate Programme has continued to be a great success this year, with several guest teachers taking workshops. We are excited to have offered a number of places in our youngest level and look forward to these pupils joining our Elite Programme.  Congratulations to those who have moved up a level – keep working hard as the improvements are really starting to show.

I am delighted to announce that I have booked the Newman Hall, Westbury on Trym for an Elite Associate Show on Sunday16h December.  This will be a 1-off performance, showcasing the talents of our Associates.  Please come and support us and I guarantee a great night of dancing from our 3 Associate levels.  All information will follow in a separate letter to those it concerns.

Examinations

It was quite a busy term with graded and vocational ballet, tap and modern exams being taken.  Hopefully, the results will reflect the effort put in by everyone. Our vocational pupils went to Newport for their exams – Florence Clayton, Natasha Long, Roisin Maddock, Innes Oliver and Zara Wolfenden all took their Intermediate Foundation.  We had pupils from Westbury and Blackford taking ballet exams and, for the first time ever, Olivia Marriott and Emma Wolfenden took a Solo Performance Award exam.  These consist of performing 3 dances, 2 from the graded syllabus and 1 own choice.  Miss Wooldridge choreographed a lyrical for this and both girls thoroughly enjoyed their experience.  This is something we may include more in the future and my sincere thanks to these 2 girls for being our guinea pigs and we hope their results reflect their enthusiasm.

Congratulations

Abby Foster and Esme Hearn both gained Merit for their Intermediate ballet last term.  These were excellent marks and were very well deserved.

I am delighted to share the news that Innes Oliver successfully auditioned for National Youth Ballet for a second year.  Pupils from all over the country took part in this audition for a small number of places and they will be dancing in performances at the end of August in Birmingham and at Sadler’s Wells in September.  This is a very exciting opportunity for her and we wish her all the best in rehearsals over the summer.

Roisin Maddock and Innes Oliver have also been successful in becoming Associates at Elmhurst School for Dance and will begin weekly classes in September in Birmingham.  They fought off fierce competition for the small number of places available and we hope they enjoy these additional classes.

Emma Abel gained a massive 96 marks for her Grade 6 Modern exam and, after attending an Open Day for Morea Performing Arts, was offered a scholarship to their Summer School.  Emma has not been with the school long and, in the 6 months she has been with us, has already taken 3 exams.  We do hope her success is the start of much more to come.

Well done to all the above – some outstanding achievements!

Farewells

This summer we bid a very sad farewell to 2 of our outstanding students who have grown into mature young ladies and been an absolute pleasure to teach.  Both are off to further their dance careers.

Megan Jones has accepted a place with a scholarship to attend Ballet Theatre UK School.  She has developed into a beautiful classical dancer and has had many successes during her years with us, including a huge number of festival wins qualifying for All-England regional finals, 2 seasons with National Youth Ballet, an Associate of Elmhurst School for Dance and achieved distinction in her Advanced 1 RAD exam.  This school is a great choice for Meg as they do not have a set number of places and only offer those to pupils they believe to be worthy of them.  Ballet Theatre UK Company is attached to the school and, hopefully, Meg will have an opportunity to work with them during her 3-year training.

Holly Cooper accepted a place at Arts Educational Schools London where she will continue all-round training with a view to a career in musical theatre.  Holly has won literally hundreds of eisteddfods, qualified and danced at the All-England finals in London, danced a season with National Youth Ballet and is an all-round song and dance girl.  She leaves us with a high Merit for her Advanced 1 ballet and high Distinctions in her Intermediate Modern and Tap.  Arts Educational Schools are famous for their excellent training and many graduates are currently in the West End.

We wish them both all the very best at this exciting time in their careers and know they will keep us in touch with their progress.

Summer School

We had a fantastic Summer School this year – 3 days at the Methodist Church producing a brilliant showcase of all that was covered under ‘The Greatest Showman ’theme.  We did ballet, modern, singing, acro and even found time to decorate top hats.  Much fun was had by all, including the staff, and the audience seemed very impressed with everything that had been learned in such a small space of time.

Next year’s Summer School will be held at The Newman Hall – numbers depending – Monday 22nd – Friday 26th July so please put these dates in your diary now as it really is a fantastic fun-packed week.

It was a shame our Junior Summer School did not have enough takes this year but, hopefully, next year this will run.

Fees

As the invoices are worked out on a termly basis, please be aware they do vary in total from term to term.

Sorry to nag but please can I plead that you make a valid reference if paying fees on-line with the current invoice number and your child’s name as a reference as several people this term did not change from last term’s invoice number, making it very hard for my accountant to sort.  I had several very late payers this term so can I please remind you that any payments received after the 3rd week of term are subject to a late admin fee of 5%.  Unfortunately, there will be a slight rise in the fees from next term due to increased costs.  Invoices will follow shortly by e-mail.

Next term’s dates are:

Friday 7th September – Saturday 15th December 2018

Half term Monday 29th October – Sunday 4th November

 All that remains for me to say is that I hope you are have a very happy summer holiday, and me and my staff look forward to seeing you in September.

Best wishes,
Miss Sherman

Dear Parents and Pupils,

I do hope this newsletter finds you enjoying your summer break even though the weather is not the sunniest.  I’m afraid this term it will be quite lengthy as there seems to be lots to report.

Staff News
I am sorry to inform those of you who don’t know that Miss Saunders has now left to start a new ‘sensible’ career with Suzuki and will no longer be teaching for Bristol Ballet Centre.  I know she will be sorely missed but has promised to come back and visit, help at show time and will, hopefully, remain teaching at summer school each year.  We all wish her the very best in the future.

I am delighted to report that Mrs Bull has been selected from hundreds of applicants to train as an examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance.  This is a fantastic achievement and we wish her all success when she commences her training in October.

Timetable Changes
Unfortunately, due to Miss Saunders leaving and losing a lot of older students, who are off to university or dance college, we have had to make some quite major changes to the timetable.  A new timetable will be attached with this newsletter and I will e-mail individually those pupils whose classes have had to change day. I sincerely apologise to all those concerned but please believe we have spent hours trying to fit everything in with as few changes as possible.  I am sure you can appreciate it is nigh on impossible to keep everyone happy.

A note to those pupils who currently attend Intermediate Foundation and Intermediate Ballet, Pointework will now be included in your lesson time rather than separately afterwards.

New Classes
I am delighted to inform you that we will be starting a new tap and modern class for anyone Reception and upwards.  The class will be held on Saturday 10.15 – 11.00 am and anyone who is interested is most welcome to attend a free trial lesson before committing.  If any of you have friends who do not currently attend but you think might be interested please let them know as we have plenty of spaces available.  We also have a Pointework and Progressing Ballet Technique class on Tuesday 7.00 – 8.00 pm – some pupils will have tried bits of PBT with either myself or Miss Wooldridge and it is a fantastic way of enhancing ballet technique.  This class will be open to anyone Grade 6 and above at a cost of £5.00.  Please let me know if your daughter wishes to attend a free trial class.

As well as the above, we are also introducing a half-hour ‘Stretch’ class on Thursday 6.30 – 7.00 pm which is open to pupils aged 10 years and above at a cost of £3.35.  

Miss Wooldridge is now a fully qualified Acrobatic Arts teacher (Acro) and now teaches this at several dance schools around Bristol.  We would very much like to introduce this at Bristol Ballet Centre potentially, either on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday and think the best way to go about this would be to offer a free ‘taster session’ if enough people are interested.  Perhaps you could let me or your class teacher know if this is something you might be interested in and we can arrange a date as soon as possible.

We are very excited about these new ventures and do hope lots of you will give them a try.

Elite Associates 
Our Elite Associates had a great term with all of them working hard and I am delighted to be able to offer all of them places for next year. I shall also be offering a few places in all Elite levels to pupils we feel would benefit from this extra training.  All dates will be sent out this week for next term’s classes and we are planning an Elite Associate Show for the Spring term.

Examinations
It was quite a busy term with ballet, tap and modern exams being taken. I have not yet received any results but, hopefully, they will reflect the effort put in by everyone.  

Congratulations go to Anora Davies and Kate O’Shea who both passed their Intermediate Foundation with Merit and Jessica Long who passed her Intermediate with Merit last term.  Well done to these girls on their achievement.

Congratulations
We are so proud of Anna Griffiths who was with Bristol Ballet Centre for 15 years and successfully auditioned for a place at the very prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London where she will start 3 years of professional musical theatre training.

Also extremely successful in auditions were Madeleine Newington-Wise, who has been with us since she was 3 years old, and Amy Thompson who both gained places at several dance colleges but chose Bath Dance College to start their professional training in September.  We wish all 3 girls the very best of luck and look forward to hearing about their progress.

I am delighted to share the news that Megan Jones, Roisin Maddock and Innes Oliver successfully auditioned for National Youth Ballet.  Pupils from all over the country took part in this audition for a small number of places and they will be dancing in performances at the end of August in Birmingham and in a special Gala at Sadler’s Wells in September.  This is a very exciting opportunity for them and we wish them all the best in their rehearsals over the summer.

Megan Jones has also been successful in retaining her place as an Associate at Elmhurst School for Dance and will continue her weekly classes in September.  

Holly Cooper and Megan Jones competed at the All England Regional Finals where they both performed beautifully.  They were placed joint second in the lyrical section (both with an Honours mark) and they both gained Honours or Distinction with Special Commendation for all their other dances.  Holly also danced her Greek solo exceptionally well gaining second place with an Honours mark and won herself a much-coveted place in the All England National Finals in London where she competed last week and again gained an Honours Certificate.  A fantastic achievement for both girls at such a high-level competition.

Congratulations also to all the individual performers representing the school at competitions throughout the year.  So many successes, medals and trophies won and a real testament to all their hard work.

Well done to all the above – some outstanding achievements!

Summer School
We had a lovely week this year with our theme of ‘The Lion King’.  All the staff commented on how hard the children worked whilst enjoying themselves and how well they mixed with each other making new friends along the way.  This year’s Scholarship winners were Martha Isaac and Kate O’Shea who both win a half scholarship to next year’s summer school.

This year we started a choreography competition which was a great success and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  After much deliberation, the winners were Elena Bullock, Florence Clayton, Imogen Higton, Elsa James, Natasha Long, Emma Wolfenden and Zara Wolfenden who performed with enthusiasm, energy and a wide range of steps/styles that kept us highly entertained.  The runners-up were soloist Skye Caines, and the group with Harriet Eden, Ciara Maddock, Roisin Maddock and Innes Oliver.

As Bristol schools do not finish until the 24th July next year, in theory this means, Summer School would be 30th July – 3d August.  However, I know in the past, schools have ended up with 2 Inset days and we could have had the usual week, which next year would be 23rd – 27th July.  Next year, we hope to run a Junior Summer School, also the same week, so I would be most grateful for any feedback on which week you think would work best.

Uniform
We are introducing new leotards throughout all our ballet classes from September. These are a nicer shape and more modern material than current and have met with approval by those pupils who have tried them.  They are not the ones currently listed on the website which will be updated in due course.  If you are moving up to a new grade in September, the new leotard will apply to you immediately, and for those who are remaining in their current grade we ask that you replace with the new leotard when you outgrow your existing one.  All leotards will be purchased through the school with the colours as follows:

Grade 1 and 2 - Lavender, Grade 3 – Mulberry, Grade 4 – Teal, Grade 5 – Navy, Grade 6, 7 and 8 – Burgundy, Inter foundation and Inter - Royal Blue, Advanced 1 and 2 – Purple.

Please see your class teacher for help with sizing and ordering.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Whilst we are happy to act as assessors for this scheme and write the necessary report, we have had several pupils this term who have not asked us in advance and just presented us with a link.  We take our responsibilities very seriously and would ask that you approach your class teacher, who you wish to be your assessor, beforehand.  However, I must stress that most pupils are very polite and respectful and do this anyway.

Fees

Please Note:  From September no cheques can be accepted for any payment – unfortunately, the bank has significantly raised their charges on paying in cheques and it is no longer feasible to use this method of payment.  For now, term fees, exam fees and summer school can be paid by BACS or cash and all uniform payments will be cash only.  I am hoping to have a card reader in the very near future to allow me to take card payments.  I apologise for this inconvenience but do hope you understand it is a huge cost for a small business.

There will be a slight increase in fees this term as, unfortunately, the cost of hall hire has risen.  I have kept this to a minimum and 5p will be added to each class.

As the invoices are worked out on a termly basis, please be aware they do vary in total from term to term. 

Just a quick reminder of the sort code and account details for those of you who wish to continue paying on line: 30-94-80   02006491. Please can I ask that you use the valid invoice number and your child’s name as a reference as several people this term did not change from last term’s invoice number, making it very hard for my accountant to sort.  I had several very late payers this term so can I please remind you that any payments received after the 3rd week of term are subject to a late admin fee of 5%.  

Next term’s dates are:

Monday 4th September – Saturday 16th December 2017

Half term Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th October

All that remains for me to say is that I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer holiday and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Best wishes

Miss Sherman