Founded almost 100 years ago, The Royal Ballet School has produced generations of iconic dancers, including Margot Fonteyn and Darcey Bussell.

Although places on The Royal Ballet School’s full-time training course in London are highly coveted, the School believes that creative dance education should be accessible to all.

To broaden access to dance education, The Royal Ballet School launched the Primary Steps Programme in 2006. Through this programme, primary school children in England and Wales can discover the joy of ballet in their local area.

Raising The Barre for Dance Education

The advantages of teaching children dance are well understood, with research demonstrating its many physiological and psychological benefits. The Royal Ballet School understands that dance is an essential tool that can enrich children’s well-being and curriculum learning.

By extension, the Primary Steps Programme has introduced thousands of primary school students to ballet. Primary Steps nurtures children’s talents through after-school classes and performance opportunities.

The programme also helps participants and their families discover further dance pathways. Primary Steps connects young dancers to local and national dance infrastructure. Graduates of the programme have pursued pre-vocational and vocational studies at:

The Royal Ballet School, London.

Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham.

Moorland International Ballet Academy, Clitheroe.

The Lowry, Salford.

The Place, London.

Swindon Dance.

Dance4, Nottingham.

DanceEast, Ipswich.

Primary Steps acts as a springboard for many talented students who wish to pursue formal dance training. But the programme also offers children a fun space to explore the art form and socialise. Primary Steps graduates note that the programme helped them make new friends and grow in confidence.

Creative Ballet Education for Students in Years 3 to 6

The Primary Steps Programme caters to children aged 7 to 11 (school Years 3 to 6). Students at participating schools benefit from the programme’s two parts: autumn term workshops and weekly after-school classes.

1. Autumn Term Workshops

Primary Steps runs a continuing professional development (CPD) day for Year 3 teachers in the autumn term of the academic year. This CPD day takes place at The Royal Ballet School. In addition, the teachers’ students take part in five creative ballet workshops. Led by specialist instructors, the autumn workshops can contribute to Arts Award Discover.

Participating schools then receive:

Five creative ballet workshops for all Year 3 children.

CPD and resource materials to support further dance classes.

An interactive ballet training demonstration with Royal Ballet School students.

2. Weekly After-School Classes

Selected Year 3 students from participating schools go on to attend weekly creative ballet classes. The classes take place at a local host secondary school and are an ideal medium for Arts Award Explore. Students can attend classes up to the age of 11.

For a small fee, participants receive:

Weekly creative dance classes. Taught by Royal Ballet School teachers, the classes also feature live musical accompaniment.

Dance shoes and uniform.

Chances to see Royal Ballet School students training and performances from professional dancers.

Trips to local and regional dance companies.

Opportunities to perform at The Royal Ballet School and locally.

Making Dance Accessible in England and Wales

The Primary Steps Programme allows children in England and Wales to access a high-quality dance education in their local area. The programme partners with national dance agencies and secondary schools to target regions of economic, social, and cultural diversity.

Funded in part by the Department for Education, the programme operates in 34 primary schools (28 in England and 6 in Wales) and 6 centres in Blackpool, Bury St Edmunds, Cardiff, Dagenham, Mansfield, and Swindon.

1. Blackpool

Primary Steps works with Highfurlong School, The Lowry, and the following primary schools in Blackpool:

Revoe Learning Academy.

Boundary Primary School.

Anchorsholme Academy.

Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary.

Layton Primary.

2. Bury St Edmunds

Primary Steps works with DanceEast, King Edward VI School, and the following primary schools in Bury St Edmunds:

Hardwick Primary.

Guildhall Feoffment Community Primary.

Sexton’s Manor Primary.

Tollgate Primary.

Westgate Community Primary.

Howard Community Primary.

3. Cardiff

Primary Steps works with Rubicon Dance and the following primary schools in Cardiff:

● Ysgol Glan Morfa.

Moorland Primary.

Adamsdown Primary.

Tredegarville C.W. Primary.

Baden Powell Primary.

Stacey Primary.

4. Dagenham

Primary Steps works with Trinity Laban, The Place, Dagenham Park Church of England School, and the following primary schools in Dagenham:

William Ford Church of England Junior.

Beam County Primary.

John Perry Primary.

Godwin Primary.

Marsh Green Primary.

5. Mansfield

Primary Steps works with Dance4, Manor Academy, and the following primary schools in Mansfield:

Forest Town Primary.

Birklands Primary.

Farmilo Primary.

The Flying High Academy — Ladybrook.

Heatherley Primary.

Peafield Lane Academy.

Northfield Primary.

6. Swindon

Primary Steps works with Swindon Dance and the following primary schools in Swindon:

Lainesmead Primary.

Tregoze Primary.

Lawn Primary.

Mountford Manor Primary.

Lethbridge Primary.

Primary Steps on Demand

To expand the scope of the Primary Steps Programme beyond England and Wales, The Royal Ballet School now offers Primary Steps on Demand. Primary Steps on Demand offers primary schools worldwide a complete dance programme from the experienced Royal Ballet School team.

The flexible, online programme is available through the School’s video-on-demand platform. Primary Steps on Demand is available from £3 per student, and teachers don’t need any dance teaching experience to implement the programme.

The programme includes:

Video classes covering cross-curricular themes and core concepts of movement in ballet.

Movement guides, such as warm-ups and cool-downs.

Lesson plans and tutorials for teachers.

Resources for students.

CPD webinars and live virtual workshops.

Almost 20 Years of Primary Steps

For almost two decades, Primary Steps has increased accessibility to creative dance education in the UK. Alongside its workshops and classes, the programme provides opportunities to experience dance creation and performance. It also connects students and their families to regional dance infrastructure.

By leveraging The Royal Ballet School’s unique resources and expertise, Primary Steps also supports dance teaching in participating schools.

Through the Primary Steps Programme, The Royal Ballet School demonstrates the impact of creative dance on curriculum enrichment and learning through movement. Children who take part in the programme can enjoy enhanced health, well-being, and academic and social skills. Some may even become the world’s next ballet stars.

Learn more about The Royal Ballet School’s Primary Steps Programme.

About The Royal Ballet School

Established in 1926, The Royal Ballet School is one of the world’s most prestigious dance schools. Former students include Anya Linden, Kenneth MacMillan, Lauren Cuthbertson, and Christopher Wheeldon.

Full-time students train in London for up to eight years. They pursue their dance and academic studies with support from the pastoral team and Healthy Dancer Programme. Many graduates go on to work at The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and top global dance companies.

It takes ballet dancers years of training and dedication to hone their craft and perfect their performance skills. As a result, a career as a professional ballet dancer can come with considerable physical and psychological demands.

As one of the world’s foremost centres of classical ballet training excellence, The Royal Ballet School in London thoroughly prepares its students for careers in dance. The School produces healthy, resilient young dancers and invests in its students’ long-term health through the Healthy Dancer Programme.

The future of classical ballet healthcare

Students of The Royal Ballet School undertake extensive physical training alongside their academic studies. These young artistic athletes work hard to develop their natural talent for classical ballet and other dance styles, such as character and contemporary.

The Healthy Dancer Programme underpins all training students experience at the School. The goal of this programme is to strengthen the whole dancer, encompassing their physical, mental, and emotional health. This holistic approach to healthcare helps students realise their full artistic potential and prepares them for successful careers in classical ballet.

A dedicated team of 20 healthcare professionals manages the programme, supporting and educating students from the age of 11. This team includes:

Physiotherapists.

Rehabilitation ballet instructors.

Strength and conditioning coaches.

Sports physicians.

Pilates instructors.

Performance nutritionists.

Medical practitioners.

A clinical psychologist, who is also the School’s mental health and safeguarding lead.

Counsellors, who look after students’ psychological well-being and support their training with a focus on performance psychology.

The healthcare team works closely with the School’s academic, artistic, and pastoral staff to create the highest-quality care for every student. The innovative healthcare programme is pioneering in its use of a holistic approach to training dancers.

Leveraging science and data for personalised healthcare

The Healthy Dancer Programme teaches students to understand their bodies and minds, empowering dancers to play a leading role in their well-being.As such, The Royal Ballet School has developed a wellness app for students to record and monitor their daily health. Students can input data on factors like hydration, training load, quality of sleep, and anxiety levels. This data feeds into a database, called Smartabase, that builds a unique profile for every student.

Students also undergo screening exercises each term, and this information contributes to each young dancer’s Smartabase profile. In addition, the health screening allows the healthcare team to create custom conditioning programmes to support each student in their training.

The healthcare teams at The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet also track data through Smartabase. This means the three organisations can collaborate and share research. The collective Smartabase data creates a body of research that informs the School’s artistic programme and provides insights for the wider dance community.

On top of this, the School works with leading sports science institutions at Queen Mary University of London and St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

The Royal Ballet School hopes this cutting-edge research will illuminate the unique healthcare challenges dancers face and allow the School to offer its students the best possible support.

Meeting the growing demands of a classical ballet career

Leticia Dias, an artist at The Royal Ballet and a former Royal Ballet School student, says psychological support is one of the most important aspects of healthcare for ballet dancers. “It’s nice to know that someone is there if you want to speak to them.”

Matthew Ball is another former Royal Ballet School student who is now a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet. He explains that it’s always “quite a shock to the system” for a dancer to experience an injury. Psychological support is as important as physical rehabilitation when injuries occur.

Ball adds that, while it’s important to preserve ballet’s rich tradition and culture, the demands of the discipline are always evolving. The Healthy Dancer Programme puts these changing requirements at the heart of its work.

“Some people have been trained in a certain way, so they’re not used to seeing dancers work in a parallel position or train with weights,” Ball says. “But that’s necessary for what we’re putting our bodies through.”

Pushing the boundaries of healthcare for the next generation

The Royal Ballet School hopes that the Healthy Dancer Programme will ultimately influence and advance the training of young dancers all over the world.

Kevin O’Hare, the director of The Royal Ballet, has expressed his delight at what the Healthy Dancer Programme means for graduates of the School who might join the dance company.

O’Haire explained that these “wonderfully informed dancers” can expect “a really strong career because they know from the beginning what it takes to be a professional dancer.”

He added: “That informed knowledge is what will keep their career going for many years to come.”

About The Royal Ballet School

For almost 100 years, The Royal Ballet School has nurtured, educated, and trained exceptional young dancers for careers with leading dance companies like The Royal Ballet. Some of the School’s most famous alumni include Margot Fonteyn, Kenneth MacMillan, Darcey Bussell, and Matthew Ball.

The School’s admissions process evaluates only a dancer’s talent and potential in classical ballet. Currently, an average of 88% of students receive financial support to attend the School.

Full-time training with the School can last up to eight years and comprises four programmes:

Foundation Programme (White Lodge), for students aged 11–14. This is the first stage of a student’s training journey.

Development Programme (White Lodge), for students aged 14–16. This builds on the classical ballet training from the Foundation Programme.

Vocational Programme (Upper School), for students aged 16–18. Students with the potential to progress to a career in classical ballet at the highest level pursue this programme.

Pre-Professional Programme (Upper School), for students aged 18–19. This final year of training focuses on professional repertoire and preparing for entry into professional careers. The Pre-Professional Programme includes work experience opportunities with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.

The School gives students extensive training in classical ballet (plus various other dance styles) and academic studies that span a broad curriculum. A comprehensive healthcare programme and robust pastoral support ensure young dancers are healthy and happy.