Students wishing to participate in Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) ballet exams can learn the ballet syllabus from Pre-Primary to Grade 8 and some students will have the opportunity to work their way through the Vocational level syllabus from Intermediate Foundation to Advanced 2.
The RAD syllabus is devised to progress in difficulty as students move up the levels, completion of one level does not mean that students will be automatically be ready to complete the next level the following year. As the exams are progressively being marked harder we want to provide the best opportunity for students to build confidence through learning ballet and therefore offer class awards and performance awards for students not yet ready to participate in an exam.
Pre-Primary and Primary ballet students learn the RAD syllabus as a foundation and building block for future exams and have the opportunity to participate in an internal presentation.
Grade 1 – 8 ballet students will learn the syllabus through 2 weekly ballet classes and a week-long intensive in the June/July school holidays. It is also recommended that students studying these levels participate in another dance style such as jazz or contemporary or supplement their classes with conditioning classes. Students Grade 4 and up are recommended to participate in a pointe-specific conditioning classes to help with pointe readiness. Students participating in class awards and exams will do so in August of each year. For further information, please see our ballet class policy.
Vocational exams: While all of our students studying a graded level are encouraged to study the vocational syllabus the reality is that only some students will be able to participate in an exam of this level. Vocational exams are designed for students looking for a professional dance career as a dancer or teacher. Please contact the office if you wish to talk further about vocational exam requirements.
Brighton Dance Academy is one of the leading RAD ballet schools in Melbourne and prides itself on the caliber of our professional teachers.
Students learning classical ballet through the RAD syllabus are required to attend compulsory classes, please read our ballet policy for more information