News, Performances and Charity Events
Festival Showcase 2024
April 2024
We are looking forward to our Festival Showcase on Sunday 28th April 2024.
This is set to be a fabulous presentation of all of our festival groups, as well as a selection of other festival numbers. It will be a great opportunity to invite friends and family who may not get a chance to attend
festivals to see all that the children have been working so hard on.
Spring Term ISTD Exam Success
April 2024
A HUGE well done to ALL our students who recently took their ISTD Tap and Modern exams.
26 Distinctions & 3 Merits!!
A special mention to our over 90 club
Grade 1 Modern -
Indigo - 93%
Carolina - 93%
Grade 1 Tap -
Genevieve - 90%
Grade 2 Modern -
Genevieve - 92%
Eden - 91%
Grade 6 Tap -
Evie - 90%
Advanced 1 Modern -
Millie - 90%
Eva -90%
WELL DONE TO ALL!
Thank you to our amazing Modern and Tap teachers, Miss Charlotte & Miss Amanda for your incredible teaching and dedication to our students.
Audition Success
March 2024
A big congratulations to Millie who has been awarded a place at English National Ballet School to start in September.
Your dedication and determination is an inspiration to us all and we are all so excited for you to start this incredible new chapter! We are so proud of you Millie!
School Show
13th - 15th April 2023
We are excited that our bi-annual School Show is fast approaching. The Main Show - Together We Dance will be performed on 13th, 14th & 15th April and our youngest students will perform in Step by Step on Saturday, 15th April in the afternoon. Students taking part are already hard at work in rehearsals!
All England Dance Centenary Gala
December 2022
We are delighted to receive the news in December that our dance "The Sailor's Hornpipe" has been chosen by Dame Arlene Phillips to dance at the AED Centenary Gala at the London Coliseum in April.
We are thrilled that 36 of our students will have the opportunity to dance at this prestigious event.
Autumn Term 2022 Newsletter
Northern Ballet's Nutcracker
September 2022
We are delighted that once again Northern Ballet has chosen several children from our school to take part in their well loved ballet The Nutcracker when they come to the New Victoria Theatre, Woking from 10th - 12th November. We wish Rose, Annabelle, Scarlett, Siena, Ella, Lucy, Elena, Niamh, Charlotte P, Akili, Sasha, Evelyn, Ellen, Evie, Jersey, Anna, Jiah, Rowden, Peter, Harry, Eloise, Charlotte K, Maddie, Amelie & Ava the best of luck with their rehearsals and of course the shows themselves and hope many of you will come to watch,. We know from previous shows that it is a fabulous production!
Baby Ballet Bunnies
August 2022
Our new Baby Ballet Bunnies sessions start on September 8th with Miss Jade. The interactive classes for children & parents are a gentle relaxed way to introduce music, singing and movement, using techniques to stimulate children's imagination & senses. They help to boost children's confidence, improve coordination & balance and explore their own self-expression, whilst developing friendships for children & parents with others in the class. The classes are held at Mayford Village Hall and the Arbor Centre in Pyrford on a Thursday and there are separate classes tailored for Movers and Non-Movers (from approx 6 months).
All England dance Finals 2022
Congratulations to all our dancers who reached the finals of the prestigious competition.
Some of our dancers below deserve particular mention:
Natalie - Young Ballet Dancer of the Year
Jiah
Molly Lake Award for Musicality
Rose - 2nd for her Musical Theatre Solo
Millie - Urdang Summer School Scholarship
The Dee Roberts Awards
December 2021
Congratulations to the 2021 award winners!
Dee Dee Roberts - Helena Vinall
Wendy Thomas - Rowden Jenkins
Mark Leitch - Melissa Masefield
Laila Hancock - Rose Butler
Stage Award - Eva Henderson
Tim Lewis Show Award - Alice Pople
Summer Term 2022 Newsletter
Summer Term 2021 Newsletter
The Dee Roberts Awards
November 2020
We were not able to hold our usual evening showcase & celebrations due to Covid restrictions. However, a small socially distanced presentation was held with the children whom Miss Sue had chosen for the awards before she passed away. As Miss Sue had requested, Cedric presented the cups, certificates & prizes. The Dee Roberts award went to Alice Pople, the Mark Leitch award to Christina Spanellis, the Wendy Thomas and Stage awards were jointly shared by Lily Hardiman & Millie Tones and the Lalia Hancock award was given to Jessica Noble . Many congratulations to all the deserving winners!
Miss Sue
October 2020
We were all devastated to learn that our beloved Principal, the wonderful and inspirational Miss Sue passed away on Sunday, 18th October 2020. Words can't express how much we will miss her. We are heartbroken, but her school will continue and the teachers are all determined to carry on her legacy exactly as she would have wanted, sharing the joy of dance with so many.
Thank you to the Heathrow Community Fund
October 2020
The school has been extremely fortunate to receive a grant of £2,500 from the Heathrow Community Trust to purchase six new ballet barres. The donation has come through a scheme specially designed to support airport staff who volunteer in their community. Debbie, who as many of your know works at Heathrow T5 applied for the grant on behalf of the school. The new barres will greatly contribute to the training of the students & are portable so we can move them between studios and even take them to the theatre. We are extremely grateful for this very generous donation from the Heathrow Community Trust.
Congratulations to our alumni!
September 2020
Congratulations to Erin King and Kate Hester, two of our alumni students, who are both beginning new steps in their ballet careers. Erin will be joining the Northern Ballet Graduate Programme in Leeds this September and Kate will be starting her first professional ballet contract in Bulgaria! We are incredibly proud of them both and wish them both great successes in the future.
Congratulations to our 2020 leavers!
September 2020
Huge congratulations to Emma Coates and Clara Ngo, who will be furthering their ballet training at new schools this September. Emma will begin at the English National Ballet School and Clara will start at Central School of Ballet. Also congratulations to Emily Dougans, who will begin studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge University in October. We wish them all the best of luck for the future and will miss all three girls greatly!
Congratulations to Daisy!
August 2020
A massive well done to Daisy Robins, aged 12, who has been awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School’s White Lodge Summer Intensive in 2021. During lockdown, Daisy attended the Royal Ballet School’s Online Summer Intensive Course, where her talent was noticed.
Summer Term 2020 Newsletter
Dancing For A Dream
November 2019
Our intermediate classical ballet group was asked to perform at a fundraising gala at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking. This was in aid of local boy, Dexter Summerscales Heard, nephew of our former pupil and principal ballerina Laurretta Summerscales.
All England Competition Success
July 2019
Our school has had a fantastic year competing in the All England Dance Competition! Many groups, solos and duets made it to the national finals. All of our students danced brilliantly and were a credit to the school. Several medals were awarded for solos, duets, trios and groups. Well done everyone for all your hard work!
Fellowship of the RAD
July 2019
Miss Sue, the principal of the school, was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Dance, their highest honour, from Dame Darcey Bussell DBE. This award is given to RAD members in recognition of a long period of outstanding service to the RAD and to the art of ballet.
RAD Dance Challenge Winners
June 2019
Six pupils participated in the Vocational Graded RAD Dance Challenge, with two of our pupils winning awards. Emma Coates, age 15, won the Level 2 (RAD Advanced 1) award and Millie Tones, age 11, won the Level 1 (RAD Intermediate) award.
Dancing with the Northern Ballet
November 2018
Eighteen girls and three boys were selected to perform in the Northern Ballet's Nutcracker this Christmas at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. They were given the roles of party children, attendants and mice. All thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
Old Elms Day
June 2018
Students of SRSOB, accompanied by Miss Sue, travelled to Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham to take a ballet class and perform. The event was to celebrate the achievements of Elmhurst alumni, our very own Miss Sue, one of the names on this impressive list.
Ced's Bed
April 2018
The school raised £12,000 for the Royal Surrey Hospital ICT Unit to buy a new hospital bed. A few of our children accompanied Miss Sue's husband, Ced, in thanks for the amazing care they provided him with throughout his illness in 2017.
Youth America Grand Prix
December 2017
Huge congratulations to Sarah Trinder!
Sarah was awarded 3rd place at the Youth America Grand Prix Semi-Final (senior women's category) in Barcelona. This secured her a place at the YAGP Final in New York, where she was also awarded short-term scholarships for the Royal Ballet School, John Cranko Schule and Ballettschule Theater Basel. Click here to watch Sarah's solos from Barcelona.
Dance Proms
November 2017
Our senior ballet group, Tchaikovsky, was selected to perform at the Royal Albert Hall's Dance Proms. This is the fifth year one of our dances has been selected!
Capezio Shop Window
October 2017
A selection of lucky pupils travelled up to Capezio's flagship store in Covent Garden to dance for passers-by to promote Dance Proms.
Dancing with the Mariinsky Ballet
August 2017
Seven of our pupils were chosen to perform with the world-famous Mariinsky Ballet Company at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Move It
March 2017
Our ballet group performed to Tchaikovsky at the world's largest dance event at Excel, London.
RAD Pop up
July 2016, 2017, 2018
Pupils from ages 7-17 danced at several of the RAD Pop-up performances throughout the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Modelling for Freed
April 2014
Four pupils were asked by Freed of London to be featured in a video promoting pointe shoes. To watch the video, click here.
Dancing with the Bolshoi
August 2013
Ten of our pupils, aged 11-15, were lucky enough to perform in the Bolshoi Ballet's La Bayadère and Sleeping Beauty this summer at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Invitation to the Ballet
April 2012
La Fille mal Gardée, Graduation Ball and Swan Lake
18th - 21st April 2012 at the Rhoda McGaw theatre, Woking.
To download the show programme click here (776 KB)
Donating to the Northern Ballet
October 2010
Every show, we donate £1,000 to a charity of our choice. Here is Miss Sue with David Nixon (OBE) and First Soloist
(and ex-pupil) Hannah Bateman
at Northern Ballet's performance of Swan Lake.
Darcey Bussell Dancewear Shoot
December 2009
Thirteen of our pupils modelled for Darcey Bussell's new dancewear line.