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Frequently Asked Questions
We start children from 3 years old. Young kids of this age start in Tippitoes groups, where they do age-appropriate exercises, little dances, developmental games.
Not at all, we work with all children irrespective of their previous dance/ballet experience. Of course, we believe the earlier you start in this discipline, the better. However, we also appreciate that every child or teenager who wants to dance must make a start somewhere. The Vaganova technique is well suited to the beginner if they are willing to apply themselves to the training and work hard to progress.
Annual Registration Fee for 2023 is R535
Please contact our school administrator at dance@russianschoolofballet.com as this varies according to age, amount and variety of classes taken. Fill in the Free Assessment Form and we will get back to you with all the options and pricing.
Yes. There are extra fees to do the examinations, for costumes, theatrical performances and competition entries. These all vary accordingly.
No, for the assessment, your child can wear any comfortable stretchy clothes. Upon acceptance, you can buy the outfit, appropriate for their level.
No. Teachers are employed on a full-time basis. We only take permanent registrations for RSB. (Please see notice periods required in cancellation policy above)
For the very small 3-4 year olds, we allow moms to watch for a few classes (pre-Covid). But after that, it is better for children not to be distracted by parents and focus on the teacher alone. We organise regular Observation Weeks for 3-7 yrs old groups, when all parents are invited to join in the studio and observe the class, seeing the progress their kids aquired. These sessions happen every 4 months throughout the year.
Parents are invited to watch the classes a few times per year depending on the level, age group and teacher. You will be notified via email and the Team App.
Parents are invited to view the annual examination, which is a formal class specially prepared by the teacher and students for the examiner and parent audience.
We suspend all classes for Public holidays, except in some special cases, when dancers are getting ready for competitions, exams or busy with upcoming performance. In those instances we continue with rehersals and classes.
RSB only closes over Christmas and New Year for one month. We have students from various academic schools with different breaks. It is crucial for dancers to keep working through their school holidays if they can, to keep up their strength.
Yes. RSB does not give discounts for personal holidays. We have a catch-up policy where students can come to extra classes and make up those they have missed while on their holiday.
We encourage all our students to make use of our Catch-Up Policy. Students are welcome to join extra classes and make up those they have missed while they were sick or absent.
When a student is ill for an extended period or sustains an injury that does not permit them to participate over a period of time, a credit will be issued.
Usually, we suggest a class at one level below. This affords dancer to manage class nicely, without extreme difficulty, as well as polish their dance technique and progress in their development as a dancer.
You can book your child for a Make-up class online through Parent Portal. You can also check her for new invoices and payments records.
For all students 5 yrs and older, a one month written notice period is required to terminate a membership. For 3 and 4 year old students, no notice period is required. RSB membership is ongoing with Annual Auto-Renewal. This means, that a 1 (one) month’s notice period also applies to students not returning in the following academic year.
Yes, from the age of 5 (our Pre Ballet 1) students do exams once a year. To be eligible to take the exams a student needs to attend a minimum of 2 ballet technique classes a week for at least 6 months.
In Russian ballet school’s tradition, the annual examination is an exceptional occasion and is conducted like a theatrical performance done in the studio. The students and teacher demonstrate the work they have been training on throughout the year to the examiners and the parent audience. Students are assessed as individuals but also as part of a group.
Communication is vital to organise and run the school and we are trying to keep it structured albeit not always perfect. Please understand that different parents use different mediums and we have chosen the above as a way to ensure you are always in the know. Please first check these forums before you start calling the office or teachers.
Our WEBSITE has a lot of information for the public but also for parents.
The PARENT PORTAL can be reached via the website where you can access your statements and other essential documents like class or rehearsal schedules.
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER keeps you up to date with current events in the year.
TEAMAPP is used for notifying you of practical things that need your attention. We also use it to share more intimate and social studio news!
EMAIL is used to notify of practical things that need your attention.
FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM ???? These are public media channels we share interesting information that showcase the school, students, teachers, our partners and other aspects of our RSB community.
Unfortunately, we don’t have facilities for boarding.
Yes, we offer classes to pretty much all ages. We have a special class for adults beginners. Read more here.
Clothes for this class should be comfortable. It could be a traditional leotard and tights or a typical workout clothing: sweats, t-shirts, leggings. Whatever you choose to wear, make sure it is form-fitted, stretchy and allows for freedom of movement.
On feet: soft ballet slippers or socks.
The hair is preferably collected in a “bun” or “in the tail”, the hairstyle should emphasize your beautiful face and neckline.
Parents and students are welcome to approach their teacher or the Director Yana Auger and express their interest in competing. Each student is will be assessed and receive a suggestion on a solo, rehearsal schedule and upcoming possible competitions.
Students aged 7 yrs and up might receive an invitation to join our Competition Team, at the discretion of the teachers and Director. The dance numbers the competition team members are learning are usually very challenging, therefore the candidates selection process is strict.
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