On Sunday December 12 we celebrated our fourth set of ballet exams! Our dancers worked hard all year to pursue this amazing opportunity right here in our Woodstock dance studio. At Footprints we are proud to offer our ballet students examinations through the International Dance Acclaim syllabus.
International Dance Acclaim (IDA) was created by three thought leaders in the ballet industry. The goal of IDA was to set a standard in ballet education that was suitable for both pre-professional and recreational dancers through challenging but attainable and inspiring choreography in the set syllabi. The program was designed to have clear, attainable goals for the dancers while encouraging strong technique, artistry and musicality.
Our little Woodstock dance studio played Zoom-host to Rebecca Tsivkin, our examiner for the examinations as well as one of the original creators of the International Dance Acclaim syllabus. Miss Rebecca is a graduate and licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, and is an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).Rebecca was on the teaching faculty at American Academy of Ballet, where she was also the executive coordinator and international judge for the Performance Awards program under the direction of Mignon Furman. In addition, Rebecca was the Head Children’s Instructor at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, and has guest-taught across the United States and internationally. Miss Rebecca is also co-creator of Ballet Extensions NYC, and is currently on the teaching faculty and is the Early Childhood Programs Associate at Ballet Hispanico NYC.
With the craziness of the pandemic our dancers training has taken many forms over the past year. From strictly online classes, to hybrid and back to in-person lesson, our dancers have had to adapt and change their training habits to make their exam possible. Nevertheless, they performed with all of the grace and charm that makes them such excellent ballerinas. Our students were examined in various levels according to their abilities. Dancers performed their set syllabi as a group, in duets and individually throughout their exam.
Our dancers performed wonderfully and were successful in their examinations.
At Footprints we believe that it is so incredibly important to give our students opportunities to learn about the greater world of dance and to connect their experience in dance to their futures. Dance exams are an excellent way for students to not just gain greater technical training but to also give them skills to handle high pressure environments like job interviews and performance evaluations. For more information about our dance exam programs please visit our Exam Page or Contact Us.
