Elmhurst School for Dance
Encyclopedia
Elmhurst School for Dance is one of the foremost classical ballet
schools in the United Kingdom
and is the official associate school of the Birmingham Royal Ballet
. First established in Camberley
, Surrey
, the school is the oldest established vocational dance school in the United Kingdom and relocated to purpose built premises in Edgbaston
, Birmingham
in 2004. The school offers specialist vocational training in Classical Ballet for students aged 11-19 years, with the ultimate aim of achieving employment in professional classical ballet.
The new £14 million building houses seven dedicated dance studios plus a dedicated theatre workspace in the school, plus on-site accommodation for 121 resident students, all of which are looked after by house staff. The new site was built on a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) green field site, adjacent to the Priory Hospital. It was designed by Weightman & Bullen Architects.
Elmhurst School for Dance also has a studio theatre with a seating capacity of 244 along with a full set of roof and boom lighting rigs, controlled by a Strand 520i. The studio and theatre space is comfort cooled. As the school has students living on site, it is covered by external CCTV and also internal cameras. In addition to this, access to the building is controlled by a touch card system; there is always someone on site providing great levels of security.
It was announced that Desmond Kelly was to take over as Artistic Director of Elmhurst from September 2008.
A brand new wireless system was installed school wide (Aruba Networks) and a new Palo Alto Firewall providing next generation protection.
In September 2010 Jessica Ward took over from Elaine Brook as Principal for Elmhurst.
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
schools in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and is the official associate school of the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the three major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet....
. First established in Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, the school is the oldest established vocational dance school in the United Kingdom and relocated to purpose built premises in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in 2004. The school offers specialist vocational training in Classical Ballet for students aged 11-19 years, with the ultimate aim of achieving employment in professional classical ballet.
The new £14 million building houses seven dedicated dance studios plus a dedicated theatre workspace in the school, plus on-site accommodation for 121 resident students, all of which are looked after by house staff. The new site was built on a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) green field site, adjacent to the Priory Hospital. It was designed by Weightman & Bullen Architects.
Elmhurst School for Dance also has a studio theatre with a seating capacity of 244 along with a full set of roof and boom lighting rigs, controlled by a Strand 520i. The studio and theatre space is comfort cooled. As the school has students living on site, it is covered by external CCTV and also internal cameras. In addition to this, access to the building is controlled by a touch card system; there is always someone on site providing great levels of security.
It was announced that Desmond Kelly was to take over as Artistic Director of Elmhurst from September 2008.
A brand new wireless system was installed school wide (Aruba Networks) and a new Palo Alto Firewall providing next generation protection.
In September 2010 Jessica Ward took over from Elaine Brook as Principal for Elmhurst.
Senior Management Team
- Principal - Jessica Ward
- Artistic Director - Desmond Kelly
- Director of Studies - Diane Moreton
- Finance Director - Diana Wardle
Alumni
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