Our established and experienced teachers offer dance to pupils aged between 3-18 years old from the internationally recognised dance syllabus from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). Their highly recognised work is utilised by more than 400,000 across the UK and internationally in 80 counties. This universal language of dance is what makes the medium such a joy to learn. RAD focus on classical ballet and has been recognised by the Royal Family for generations thanks to its excellence in tutorials and exams. Ballet isn’t the only dance style offered at Rendcomb College as we are pleased to provide lessons in the following genres:

• Modern

• Contemporary

• Dance Fitness

• Body Balance

• National Dance

• Progression Ballet Technique 

• Dance Diverse Mix

• Stretch and Tone

• Ponte Work

• Music and Movement

We believe in progression from an early age at the school and dance is an exciting and accessible subject for all to get involved with and see growth as they develop. This is encouraged through enrichment themed day such as Autumn Day, Katie Morag Day and Africa Day which inspires and educates pupils about different cultures. This is particularly poignant during our dance appreciation week which takes place in the summer term to celebrate and inform children about the different styles of dance around the world. Parents are actively involved with these performances and are invited to ‘watch days’ as an audience for their latest performances. 

 The importance of dance has certainly been noted by external groups and the positive impact it can have on children. The Royal Ballet School has launched a new programme for primary schools to access on-demand dance programmes in an effort to widen dance training for younger students. Whilst a recent article by On Stage said that “Competitive dance should be embraced as a team sport by parents and schools.”

It highlighted why dance plays a vital role as not just an area of performing arts but also as a sport too. Its benefits include: 

• Being an intensive cardio workout
• The co-ordination and staying in time to the beat of music takes as much concentration if not more than traditional sports
• When performed in pairs teamwork and trust is very important, and when two people or a group of dancers work hard together their talents and dynamic energy thrives for a performance not to be forgotten.

Rendcomb College also endorse the advantages of dance and is proud of its achievements in the field of the arts. Previous successes include being finalists in the Great Big British Dance Off (2018) and 2nd place at the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts in the ‘Primary School Groups’ category (2017 and 2018). This featured the submission of pupils entered for the solos, duets and groups categories, as well as a Silver trophy in the ‘own choreography duet’ category for 15-18 years in 2017. 

Our crowning achievement academically is that we has consistently achieved a 100% pass rate in the RAD ballet exams since 2004. These are taken bi-annually and the results are a true testament to the hard work of the teachers and pupils. 

Dance is a thriving subject at Rendcomb College and our state-of-the art facilities is a true hub to help each and every pupil achieve their full potential in the performing arts field.