The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) opened its doors for Springboard to Success, a 100-year celebration of the RAD Scholarship Scheme (1925-1985).
Ballet lovers, former scholarship recipients, dancers and teachers gathered on September 18, to hear stories from the unique programme that helped shape the UK ballet landscape.
Arriving early, I was able to see a small but nostalgic exhibition which documented its launch and timeline. The scholarship scheme, which aimed to help dancers aged between 9 and 13, had supported more than 2,000 young dancers in their development by its completion.
Dancers who successfully auditioned were offered two free ballet lessons a week at centres around the UK, which ran parallel to their existing training.
The exhibition, held at the grand RAD headquarters in South London, which features seven studios, a library, and a studio theatre, served as a visual juxtaposition to the early black and white photos of the first scholars in small town halls on the wall, showing just how far the company has grown.
Eleanor Fitzpatrick, Archives and Records Manager at the RAD, and Barbara Brown, a former Newcastle scholar (1959 onwards), curated the exhibition.
At the event, RAD Artistic Director Alexander Campbell led a panel of former scholars, Wayne Sleep, Marguerite Porter, Marion Tait, Anita Young, Terry Hyde and Rebecca Holmes, who shared wistful, humorous, and inspiring stories.
A theme that emerged throughout the evening was that of community and how dance can shape and change lives, not only for those who perform professionally, but also for others who built successful careers through the transferable skills and dedication ballet taught them.
Holmes shared, “I think more than anything, it just broadened my eyes. It sort of opened up the world to me of what was expected if I wanted to become a dancer.”
Alongside the two classes, they often received performance experience.
Holmes continued, “And then of course coming down to London every Easter, my first time there, I was absolutely terrified. And you suddenly realise that your dream was the same as all these other people’s and that if you wanted to do it, you had to work very hard.”
Adamant that if she hadn’t been a scholar, she “wouldn’t have been prepared to be able to audition for The Royal Ballet School and go on to have a career as a professional dancer” all of the panel fondly spoke about how life-changing this opportunity was.
For Hyde and Sleep, it was their first recollection of dancing alongside other boys. Having been the only boys at their local schools.
Sleep, who wanted to be a ‘song and dance man,’ said ballet was initially off the cards, but after some persuading, he joined the scheme.
He added, “I had the RAD scholarship, which taught me pure classical movement, you know, a long way away from jazz, which was down and out. And I found it a science, and I loved doing it.”
Hyde echoed Sleep and said that the array of teachers and Easter courses helped him grow as a performer, and that he even got to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at a gala event.
Campbell perfectly linked together the stories from each panellist and highlighted how dance had clearly been an opportunity to broaden horizons and still is to this day.
Porter shared that at the age of nine, with only one ballet class a week under her belt, she was lucky that her teachers “saw something” in her and suggested auditioning for the RAD scholarship.
“I remember going to Leeds for the audition, barely able to dance really,” she said. “And I got through the audition and was then offered a scholarship to go to York with the glorious, magnificent and wonderful Louise Brown who not only educated me as a dancer but as a human. She had been in The Ziegfeld Follies, she had been a musical theatre star, a huge American star. And to land in Yorkshire and have this incredible opportunity to be taught by her was totally life-changing. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have been a dancer. I think I would probably have certainly given up.”
Young entered the scheme differently: “I took my grade five and received honours. The examiner starred my report, as they did in those days. So obviously she saw something in me, and she put my name forward to be a scholar.”
One comment that really stood out to me was when Young said, “I think this is a family, isn’t it?” and all the panellist nodded their heads.
“I think we’ve had great careers. We’ve had great lives. We’ve had amazing people in our lives. And we really appreciate it, you know.”
Also, how career longevity is rooted in not only being a great performer and technician but also being a nice person. “And this is why we’re still here today, because we’re grounded. We’re well and truly grounded.”
Tait also praised her teachers, but also her parents, praising that many dancers would echo, as without a supporting family and/or guardian, careers would not be made.
Tait shared, “My teacher suggested it, and it gave my parents great options. I could then stay at both my educational school and my local dancing school. There’s no way I’d have been prepared for an audition for The Royal Ballet School if I hadn’t been a scholar.”
In a full-circle moment, the evening came to a close with a performance from what the RAD calls modern scholars. Running onto the stage, a corps de ballet of female dancers, all aged between 10 and 13 years, danced the waltz from Act 1 of Giselle, a ballet that many of the panellists mentioned as an inspiration to them during the evening.
By Jamie Body of Dance Informa.
