How The Royal Ballet School’s Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme Widens Access to a High-Calibre Ballet Education
The Royal Ballet School created its Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme (ATAP) so recreational dance teachers everywhere can train their students in line with the School’s unique style, expertise, and ethos.
Teachers learn how to train their students beyond ballet steps and technique. They also learn how to cover ballet repertoire, appreciation, and choreography in their lessons. This way, students train beyond the technicalities of ballet, also developing their love for the art form.
Since the School launched the programme in 2022, 46 teachers have gained Affiliate status, and 29 are in training. These teachers come from 12 countries and teach the programme in a range of dance schools.
This year, two years after launching ATAP, the School invested even further in the programme by recruiting a high-profile lead ambassador and partnering with the Frederick Ashton Foundation to bring new repertoire to the training.
The Affiliate Programme’s New Lead Ambassador
In spring 2024, The Royal Ballet School announced that alumna Francesca Hayward would serve as ATAP’s Lead Ambassador. Hayward is a Principal of The Royal Ballet and is one of the world’s most celebrated ballerinas. She has captivated audiences in performances like Giselle, Like Water for Chocolate, Manon, The Dream, and Romeo and Juliet.
She began her journey with The Royal Ballet School’s Junior Associate programme in 2003 and went on to train at White Lodge and Upper School. She joined The Royal Ballet during the 2010/11 season, becoming a First Artist in 2013, Soloist in 2014, and First Soloist in 2015. She went on to become a Principal dancer in 2016.
Aside from being a visionary artist and performer, Hayward is dedicated to broadening children’s access to ballet. She is now working with The Royal Ballet School to extend the reach of ballet training that meets the art form’s changing needs.
An advocate for young dancers everywhere, Hayward is raising awareness of ATAP to children, parents, and teachers all over the globe. She is promoting the long-term benefits of a holistic dance education to encourage more children to pursue ballet and, by extension, preserve it as an art form.
Partnering With The Frederick Ashton Foundation
Also in 2024, The Royal Ballet School teamed up with the Frederick Ashton Foundation to show ATAP teachers how to train their students in Ashton repertoire. Dancers can now learn repertoire from The Dream, Les Rendezvous, and Les Patineurs in their assessment training.
The Frederick Ashton Foundation has adapted choreography from the three ballets to suit young dancers undergoing the formative years of their training. The adaptations will help these dancers engage their imaginations as they practise storytelling and theatricality.
Thanks to the partnership, ATAP teachers have access to written materials and resources through the School’s on-demand platform. These resources help them teach the repertoire and prepare dancers for assessments. They include videos of solos and repetiteurs from Frederick Ashton Foundation coaching students.
Ashton’s choreographic legacy has influenced The Royal Ballet School’s development as a centre of excellence in ballet training. Now, this legacy is taking a place at the forefront of the ATAP training.
Behind The Scenes of ATAP With Its Programme Managers
ATAP Managers Shaun Walters and Vanessa Donkin are passionate about helping dancers of all abilities hone their ballet technique. Walters has completed The Royal Ballet School’s Diploma of Dance Teaching. The School asked him to teach in the Associate programme, and he quickly garnered interest in his online Associate classes.
“I’ve gone through the ecosystem of the School, from training as a teacher myself to now training teachers,” he says
Meanwhile, Donkin is an alumna of the School who went on to qualify as a teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. She taught all over the world before opening her own dance school two decades ago.
“I have always adopted a creative approach and incorporated the appreciation of the art form into my classes,” she says. “I teach in the ATAP style, and my values align greatly with the programme.”
What Makes the Affiliate Training Programme Unique?
ATAP teachers don’t have to adhere to a rigid syllabus. Instead, they focus on four key topics:
- Ballet vocabulary
- Repertoire
- Creative practice
- Body awareness and conditioning
“The focus is on the pedagogy, how you teach, not so much what you teach,” Donkin says. This way, teachers can adapt the training to suit their students’ needs.
Unlike other programmes, each topic leads into a learning and assessment process at every level. While many dance exams are “product-focused solely,” ATAP focuses “on the process so students can also learn to love learning,” Walters explains.
Integrating The Affiliate Training With Other Dance Classes
While ATAP can work as a standalone programme, it can integrate with a dance organisation’s other sessions, such as Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) classes.
“Some Affiliate teachers have separate classes, RAD or other organisation syllabus classes, and ATAP classes. Other teachers may teach in the ATAP style across the board but then hold additional syllabus classes for children who want to undertake specific exams,” Donkin says.
Continual Professional Development in the Affiliate Programme
Continual professional development is a key element of ATAP. Teachers attend three professional development sessions each year. These sessions cover topics like relevant pedagogy, programme content and delivery guidance, assessment support, and business advice.
Teachers can also partake in online and in-person enrichment workshops from The Royal Ballet Companies.
On top of this, they can access:
- An online library with training videos, creative practice examples, and other resources
- Marketing tools
- Discount codes on training courses and merchandise
- Royal Ballet School and Royal Ballet events and performances
What’s more, the programme connects teachers with a like-minded community, who come together online and in subject-specific clinics.
“Being a teacher is often quite isolating. Having a network to share ideas and support each other is invaluable,” Donkin says.
Becoming An Affiliate Teacher
Royal Ballet School Affiliate teachers can deliver ATAP to students in their dance schools however suits them. They create and teach their own assessment material, film the assessments, and upload them to the School’s secure platform for moderation.
ATAP shows teachers how to support dancers at six training levels from age five upwards, covering movement and contextual studies.
Movement studies include:
- Generic movement skills
- Foundation movement skills
- Qualitative movement skills
- Ballet technique and vocabulary
Contextual studies include the study of:
- Choreography
- Repertoire
- Creative tasks
- Art form appreciation
Those who are interested in becoming Affiliate teachers can get a feel for the programme at one of the School’s Insight workshops and sign up to hear about applications opening.
For more information, download the Affiliate Training and Assessment Programme prospectus.
About The Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School enjoys a reputation as one of the world’s most acclaimed centres of ballet training. Committed to providing unparalleled dance education, its diverse suite of programmes prepares the next generation of leading dancers and choreographers. In addition to ATAP, the School’s offerings include its Associate Programme, Intensive Courses, International Scholars Programme, and sought-after full-time training.
