School embraced the arts with help from the Royal Ballet and Opera

This fabulous showcase of creativity, which was largely choreographed by the children, was the culmination of a five-week ‘Create and Dance’ programme designed specifically for schools by the Royal Ballet and Opera.

This memorable experience was instigated by Year 2 teacher, Mrs Jacobs. With her combined love of dancing and a passion for delivering equitable life chances for children, she reached out to a local dance centre in Derby, Déda, to seek enrichment opportunities within the arts arena. Déda kindly facilitated a meeting with The Royal Ballet and Opera, initiating a collaboration that has provided a wealth of resources and experiences for staff and children to enjoy for years to come.

Mrs Jacobs explains, "Our children at Breadsall are curious and imaginative and we are always seeking ways to encourage a love of learning inside and outside the classroom. As a passionate dancer, I really wanted to explore the ways we could use performance and the arts within the curriculum, and also to provide the cultural capital and enrichment that every child deserves. Thanks to like-minded people within the education team at the Royal Ballet and Opera House, we were able to broaden our children’s horizons by introducing them to art forms that many of them hadn’t heard of, let alone experienced before.”

The ‘Create & Dance’ programme is delivered to schools through classroom-based learning and digital activities. It has been designed with teachers, for teachers, and therefore is relevant for cross-curricular work. As well as developing children's understanding of dance, its purpose is to stimulate imagination and creativity and help to support their social and emotional growth. With its introduction to famous plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, it also acts as a springboard for literacy. Importantly, every teacher can deliver these courses without any prior knowledge of dance at all. As Mrs Jacobs was only too keen to express:

“I was so impressed that even the most reluctant dancers amongst our staff team got so much out of the learning and actually had fun. Thanks to Vicki Busfield, who delivered our CPD in-house during our inset day and online, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Together, we explored the theory and practice of dance, and focused on the personality and physicality of the characters from selected ballets. We were also encouraged to explore methods for effectively engaging less confident or disengaged pupils in the process.”

Mrs Deans (Year 3) and Miss Hunter (Year 5) volunteered to take their learning to their children and conducted the dance programme over the following five weeks. Throughout the process, Vicki continued to support and observe their lessons to ensure the children were engaged and getting the most out of their learning.

As Vicki said:

"It has been an absolute joy to work with Breadsall Hill Top Primary School and to be part of their dance journey. I have been so impressed with the children and their teachers’ commitment to the process. Watching them work through our step-by-step guide and see them all gain such confidence to tap into their creativity as individuals and as a group, was a real privilege – it’s one of the best things about my job. and progression.

“It's really important that teachers know when to step back and let the children experiment and develop their own choreography. It’s then that they gain valuable experience. It is important for both educational learning and personal development for children to explore new concepts and navigate new experiences.

“By contributing their own ideas, the children can feel a sense of ownership and pride in their work. Working with them closely it’s evident that Breadsall Hill Top Primary School’s teachers are really keen to encourage all their children to fulfil their potential, discover new talents, and develop a love for learning in an environment where creativity can flourish and that’s just fantastic for the children they teach and for ‘the arts’ sector.”

Mrs Deans commented, "It has been an amazing opportunity to see the development in the children's collaborative skills and their love of movement and music. I am excited to be able to take this knowledge and experience forward, adapting dance into other areas of the curriculum within my teaching next academic year.

“By using Shakespeare as the basis for our dance, we were able to broaden the children's minds through this creative platform and expand their thinking in a way that challenges them whilst opening doors to new opportunities. The Royal Ballet and Opera is such a prestigious company, and through this high profile collaboration, our children were able to produce something that they were really proud to share with their whole school community.”

Miss Hunter commented, "Having never taught dance before, the thought of participating in the INSET day and trialling these lesson plans was initially quite daunting. However, this ‘hands-on’ experience has really changed my mind. I have gained confidence to use these new ideas not only in future PE lessons, but throughout the wider curriculum. I have a bank of ideas that I can now dip into as needed. Like me, some children were initially very reluctant to participate in our dance sessions. However, their confidence grew over the weeks, and they became better at supporting each other and working together. They even started to look forward to the sessions and they absolutely shone in their performance today."

The children were eager to comment about their experiences: "I enjoyed watching the ballet videos and seeing all the sword fighting parts of the dancing. I learned how to move and behave like different characters from Romeo and Juliet." Brayden (Year 3); "It was really fun. I love that we got to make up our own moves together instead of just being told what to do." Tamara (Year 5), “when we first started doing Romeo and Juliet, I was like, oh no, we have to do ballet. But it’s nothing like you would think it is – it's really fun. I've really enjoyed it, and I'm not even a dancing person, but I am sort of, now. I hurt my wrist and couldn’t perform today, so I was in charge of the music, pressing start and stop and giving them the cues. I was nervous, but knew the dances well, so I did ok" Zack (Year 5) "At the beginning of all this, I was quite nervous but this has improved my courage and then I just became excited to perform for the parents. Joining in the dance sessions has improved my physical skills and also made me look at ballet in a different way. Like, I didn't realise that you could tell an actual story through dance like Romeo and Juliet. I really loved the whole experience." Mcorley (Year 5).

Mrs Gyongyosi, Mcorley’s mother, was amazed how the experience has really helped Mcorley; “what a wonderful performance, you could see how much effort has gone in today. MCorley has really enjoyed himself. The opportunity to perform something new in front of others was a rare and valuable experience for him – it’s really boosted his confidence. He looked so engaged when he was performing. I’m so proud of him – they were all brilliant.”

Miss Williams, KS1 Assistant Headteacher, closed the performance with her own tribute to her staff and children;

"Wow, I am so impressed with all of the children who performed today. How wonderful that the Royal Ballet & Opera and Shakespeare have come to our school. Last term, our entire staff participated in a special training session, which luckily was not seen by an audience. On a serious note, their courage to do something differently really has sparked our wonderful journey of enrichment for our children and I want to thank them all for that. I’m thrilled to be integrating dance and drama more deeply into our schools' curriculum. We're so proud of all the hard work from both our teachers and the children. It takes a lot of courage, time and rehearsals, but it all came together, and it was a fabulous afternoon for everyone."

Hayley Ryan-Power, the Curriculum Manager and 'Create & Dance' Project Manager, commented, "The Royal Ballet and Opera aims to inspire creativity in children and young people across the country. We can only develop excellent CPD and resources with the support and expertise of teachers like Mrs Jacobs, Miss Hunter and Mrs Deans at Breadsall Hill Top. We are always keen to work with likeminded teachers, so do get in touch if you feel your school would like our support."