After five months of lockdown and remote learning, Elmhurst Ballet School, which has close links to Birmingham Royal Ballet, is to reopen to students and staff at its Edgbaston, Birmingham home.
A week into the 2020–21 academic year, new procedures are being implemented and continue to evolve as staff and almost 200 UK and international students return to Elmhurst.
Jessica Wheeler, Principal of Elmhurst Ballet School, said, “we are so happy to see our school community come back to life. The incredible team have become masters of Zoom but you can’t beat interacting with people in person. In light of COVID-19 and the impact it has on mental and physical health, we have made numerous changes to the way we deliver our world class training and education. At the end of week one, we can already see students and staff have hit the ground running and some level of normality has returned to the school.”
Over the coming weeks the school is going back to basics as students regain their strength, reacquaint themselves with the finer details of the classical ballet technique and work in large studio spaces after months of dancing in bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms. Thanks to online classes during lockdown, academic staff are not far behind where they should be in their schemes of work, and the curriculum will be adjusted accordingly to ensure any gaps in students’ learning are continually addressed.