KS Dance has a long history of Competition Success at the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards.
At KS Dance alongside our Classical Ballet Curriculum our students also study the Cecchetti Method. This enables our students to take Classical Ballet Examinations at Major Level, which in turn means our students meet the criteria for the annual Cecchetti Classical Awards; Barbara Geoghegan Award and The Barbara Fewster Scholarship both hosted at the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadler’s Wells London.
This award is open to all and was created in 1988 to honour Barbara Geoghegan in recognition of her devotion to the promotion of the Cecchetti Method over many years.
The competition is an unset ballet class set at Intermediate to Advanced 1 level. A ballet barre has been delivered ahead of the competition starting and so class begins in front of the adjudicators and the audience members with the Cecchetti ‘first set of port de bras.
Dancers entered in the Barbara Fewster Scholarship, also take part in the class with the addition of performing a pre-rehearsed solo variation of their own choice from a classical ballet. Females must perform their solo variation on pointe.
Barbara Fewster became a founder member in 1946 of the newly formed Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet Company, known today as Birmingham Royal Ballet. After leaving the company Barbara Fewster became Principal of the Royal Ballet School and also around this time Cyril Beaumont awarded her an Honorary Fellowship of the Cecchetti Society.
Dancers who participated in both Awards this weekend from KS Dance were;
- Chloe Horton dancing Swanhilda’s variation from Coppelia Act 3
- Paige Curzon dancing Paquita
- Ella Matthews dancing Corsaire
- Elliot Adams dancing Bayadere
- Ben Newman dancing Paquita / Pas de Trois
- Connor Spiers dancing James Variation Act 2 La Sylphide
- Elysia Capewell dancing Blue Bird Variation
- Eleanor Breheny dancing Blue Bird Variation
- Hannah Gerrard dancing Pas de Trois
- Toby Johnson dancing Peasant Pas
- Gabby Langford taking part in class
- Ellie Pearson taking part in class.
Cecchetti Classical Competition Success
What a weekend it was. Our Dancers from both the Lower School and Upper School danced with such true professionalism and they really did give it their all. Miss Kate Simmons, Principal of KS Dance and Kate Simmons Dance and her entire staff are over the moon with the standard of dance achieved by all of our competitors that entered the Mabel Ryan, Barbara Fewster Scholarship and Barbara Geoghegan Awards on the 16th and 17th November 2019.
We are so proud of all of our dancers that took part in the Classical Awards 2019 in the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, London.
Go Team KS Dance!
KS Dance Successes
Barbara Fewster Scholarship Winner
Chloe Horton
Barbara Geoghegan Musicality Winner
Paige Curzon
Barbara Geoghegan Award Commendation
Elliot Adams
Kate Simmons Dance Successes
Mabel Ryan Middle Award Winner
Melissa Hughes
Mabel Ryan Senior Award Runner Up
Natasha Watmough
Mabel Ryan Senior Award Commendation
George Rushton
Congratulations to all on our Competition Success and let’s keep up this great work! We shall keep doing what we all love to do best and dance our way into the New Year, where our Allegrodance Touring Company will be performing for 3 weeks in 2020. Contact the office on 01925 837693 to hear more about our ticketed venues or keep checking our social media pages for updates on the college and lower school.
