Janet Lomas School of Dancing | Ballet & Tap Dance Classes

ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet Exam Results

20/1/2019

Congratulations to students in the children's school who took their ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet examinations in December 2018.

100% Distinctions were achieved – we are now just waiting to receive the exact number marks.

Bury Times Review of the Year 2018

6/1/2019

This week our Silver Swans were chosen to appear in the Bury Times Review of the Year 2018 – what a lovely surprise in the new year.

Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker

2/1/2019

It was lovely receiving photos of our past student, now studying at Elmhurst Ballet School, in the professional production of Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall.

This is his second year in the production, as he was also cast in Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker while still a student at our school last year.

A reflection on 2018...

30/12/2018

We hope all our pupils and their families had a very Merry Christmas, and we send everyone our very best wishes for the New Year. As we celebrate our school's 40th Anniversary in 2018, we look back on the year and some of its incredible highlights:

Children's School

Earlier this year, a student (whom we had trained from a beginner) was successfully offered a place and began full-time training at Elmhurst Ballet School (in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet), Birmingham, with a scholarship. He had only started ballet a little over two years ago. He was also offered a place at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, Hertfordshire, with a scholarship and was on the wait list for the Royal Ballet School's White Lodge. He has also been accepted on the Royal Ballet School's White Lodge summer school in 2019.
Two students were offered places as Elmhurst School for Ballet (in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet) Junior Associates, alongside other students who were offered places to continue for another year. This brings it to a total of seven students offered places on this scheme in the last four years.
One of our Senior students was re-accepted on the Moorland International Ballet Academy's Intermediate Enhancement Programme for a second year.
Two past students, currently studying at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and Elmhurst Ballet School were cast in English National Ballet's Nutcracker at the London Coliseum, and Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall, London. It is the second year that both the students have been cast in The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall and London Coliseum. Last year, one of these castings was while he was still a student at our school.
Finalists at the annual ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet Junior Awards, held in Milton Keynes, with one student achieving 3rd place out of 71 entrants from the UK and abroad.
Finalists at the annual ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet Senior Awards held in Sidcup, Kent. One student achieved a Class Commendation (one of only two awarded), and another achieved the Joan Watts Cup for Musicality out of 69 entrants.
Two students were awarded the status of ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet Scholars for the year 2018/19. They were then invited to attend a day of training at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey with the ISTD.
Success at the UK Dance Class Championships in Liverpool, Bradford, Preston and Sheffield, with multiple medal, trophy and 1st place winners. These competitions are in front of a panel of adjudicators with sometimes over 70 entrants in an age group.
100% Distinctions for all ISTD examinations. The highest mark of the year was 98/100 achieved by a nine-year-old student for her Grade 3 ballet exam.
Multiple students were featured in professional photo shoots for Dancewear Central, appearing on their website and in their catalogues. Our students feature alongside dancers from the Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and English National Ballet.
We hosted a day of three in-house workshops with Michael Berkin (ex Royal Ballet School) based on the ballet of Sleeping Beauty.
Students also attended summer schools at Moorland International Ballet Academy, Ballet Intensive Days at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, and ISTD Nurturing Talented Young Dancers day.

Silver Swans®

Now running five classes a week, with over 75 Silver Swans attending.
Filmed with Dame Darcey Bussell at our dancing school for her BBC documentary, Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness. The documentary was widely advertised with photographs of our Silver Swans appearing in The Telegraph and the Radio Times. After our appearance, we received a letter from the House of Commons congratulating us on our performance in the programme.
Filmed with BBC North West for their lunchtime and evening bulletin. A social media video was then created, which has now had over 1 million views worldwide. At the end of the year, they shared the video again as one of their favourites of 2018.
We welcomed Matthew Cunningham and Madeleine Ohman from the Royal Academy of Dance Headquarters in London to our dancing school to observe our Silver Swans classes and discuss future developments.
Hosted a Silver Swans class for the Royal Voluntary Service's First Time for Everything scheme, sponsored by Prudential. This was featured on That's Manchester TV and BBC Radio Manchester's Drive time show.
Hosted an event for Silver Sunday UK.
Appeared on BBC Radio Manchester's Breakfast show, live with Inzy Rashid and Chelsea Norris.
A photoshoot and interviews by Mercury Press, appearing in The Times, The Daily Express, MSN (UK and abroad), and news sources in China, Asia and America.
Our Silver Swans were Day 4 in the Royal Academy for Dance's RADvent calendar on Facebook. We were also featured in their RAD e-newsletter sent to members throughout the world.
Took part in Manchester's Festival of Ageing events, including the opening at Manchester Library, Bury launch in Bury Millgate Shopping Centre, our own Silver Swans event, and the finale, with performances by our Silver Swans at the Midland Hotel.
Featured multiple times in the Bury Times, Bolton News and related news outlets.
A Silver Swan successfully auditioned and was cast in balletLORENT's Rumpelstiltskin production at The Lowry, Salford.
Multiple Silver Swans were cast in Matthew Bourne's New Adventure's Cinderella: A Museum Adventure production at Imperial War Museum North.
Trips to watch Birmingham Royal Ballet's La Fille Mal Gardée at The Lowry (with exclusive behind the scenes talk for our Silver Swans), Ballet:Masterworks at the Bridgewater Hall, and the Royal Ballet's Swan Lake live stream from the Royal Opera House
Interviews with our Silver Swans were featured in Dancewear Central's latest catalogue and blog.
Enjoyed a fantastic Summer party and Christmas party. The raffle at both of these events raised £218.63 and £244.05 for Greenmount Wild Bird Hospital

It has been an amazing year for both the children's school and Silver Swans® and we look forward to returning to classes on Saturday 5th January 2019.

The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall

28/12/2018

We loved receiving this photo of our past student back again for his second year at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Now in his first year at Elmhurst Ballet School, he has arrived in London for his technical and dress rehearsal for Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker.

He was first cast in this production last year after being chosen from hundreds of children throughout the UK, while still a student at our school. He was re-cast in the production within a few weeks of starting in Year 7 at Elmhurst Ballet School.

The production is on at the Royal Albert Hall from Friday 28th December to Monday 31st December.

Hope you have a fantastic time once again!

UPDATE: Congratulations as he has also been accepted on the prestigious Royal Ballet School's White Lodge Summer School 2019!

A letter from the House of Commons

27/12/2018

A lovely end to a fantastic year for our Silver Swans as we received a letter from the House of Commons. The letter, from Bury North MP, James Frith, congratulates all our Silver Swans on their appearance in the recent BBC documentary Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness.

It was a lovely surprise with some very kind words about our Silver Swans.

1 Million Views!

27/12/2018

In May 2018, we filmed with BBC North West and appeared on their lunchtime and evening bulletin. Afterwards, a short video was put on their social media channel.

It's been amazing to watch the different countries it has been shared in, and just before Christmas the video had reached 1 million views!

The video has also had 13,000 likes and 17,000 shares.

Silver Swans® Christmas Party

27/12/2018

On Sunday 16th December, the Silver Swans enjoyed a Christmas Party at Blackford Bridge Church. Great food, dancing and even a Christmas quiz!

At the Christmas Party, we held a Raffle and Tombola, and raised an amazing £244.05 for Greenmount Wild Bird Hospital.

Our Silver Swans® in the media

5/12/2018

It was an honour for our school to appear as Day 4 in the Royal Academy of Dance's RADvent calendar on Facebook. The RAD have also created a news article on their website about our filming with Dame Darcey Bussell for her latest BBC documentary: Royal Academy of Dance News

We were thrilled to be featured in the Royal Academy of Dance's December e-newsletter sent to their teachers and members throughout the world.

On Thursday 6th December, we are on the front page, and also page 3 of the Bury Times.

Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness

1/12/2018

On Saturday 1st December our Silver Swans class was featured as part of BBC Two's new documentary, Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness.

You can watch it back here on BBC iPlayer: Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness

We have also added a special page to our school website with behind-the-scenes photos from the day: Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness documentary

<<Previous

ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet Exam Results

Bury Times Review of the Year 2018

Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker

A reflection on 2018...

The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall

A letter from the House of Commons

1 Million Views!

Silver Swans® Christmas Party

Our Silver Swans® in the media

Darcey Bussell: Dancing to Happiness

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