About the Royal Academy of Dance
The Royal Academy of Dance is the largest international classical ballet education organization in the world. Examinations in classical ballet are for young children starting out in dance classes to the student aspiring to become a professional dancer. We have over 14,000 members spanning 77 countries and over 185,000 students undertake our examinations every year.
Through its core activities, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to improve their teaching skills, to pass on that knowledge to their students, supports its members and provides information and guidance to parents on classical ballet education.
The Academy aims to develop the highest possible standards of teaching. In the United States there is a nationwide network of registered and caring teachers. The Academy provides two distinct training pathways in classical ballet: the Graded and Vocational Graded programs. Teachers following the Royal Academy system encourage young people to achieve their personal best in the understanding, appreciation and performance of classical ballet. Whatever age or stage they may have reached, young people who study with an Academy teacher can be confident they will be taught according to safe teaching principles and are receiving the most comprehensive, well-structured and relevant program of classical ballet available.
Many RAD students have gone on to professional dance careers with major companies. Amanda McKerrow, principal dancer with American Ballet Theater in New York and the first American dancer to win the gold medal at the Russian Ballet Competition in Moscow, was RAD trained. Margot Fonteyn, prima ballerina with the Royal Ballet, London, England, and one of the most famous and revered ballerinas of the 20th century, was RAD trained. It can thus be seen that the RAD system can develop the skills necessary for success in the highly competitive field of professional dance.
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