Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham and English National Ballet School in London, currently in lockdown, have united to share a message of hope and support in footage filmed by students dancing at home edited by BalletBoyz.
Jessica Wheeler, Principal of Elmhurst Ballet School, said, “the majority of our students live on site and they split busy days between academics and dance training. Many students have been with us for almost eight years through Lower and Upper Schools and, whilst they are used to being together with their year groups, we encourage individual learning too. This strength, with the school’s ethos Live Dance Learn sees them maintaining a level of training at home during a very different Easter break for us all...
“At Elmhurst, we are currently confirming the details of a virtual timetable for the summer term and, as all departments work on ways to sustain a level of dance training and schooling for our students, our friends and supporters can continue to look online to our web site and social media pages as we launch a COVID-19 interim social media campaign over the coming weeks.”
Viviana Durante, Director of Dance at English National Ballet School, said, “with our building in Chelsea closed for the foreseeable future and with 80% of our students coming from overseas, the School has moved online for the first time in its history.
“Our remote learning platform is constantly growing in order to provide support and teaching that matches as closely as possible the range of provision at the School, ensuring students stay fit, positive and engaged during this time. I am thrilled with the positive feedback from our students so far, and it has been wonderful to see them continue dancing during this time.”