Improvers Workshop: Preparing for Intermediate classes
Sunday 3 August 2025 at Acosta Dance Foundation in Woolwich
Date: Sunday 3 August 2025
Location: Acosta Dance Foundation, Artillery Square, Building 40, 1 Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, SE18 6BH (5 mins from Woolwich on the Elizabeth line)
Time: 3 - 5pm
Level: Beginner/Improver level students (minimum 12 months of ballet experience)
Price: £35
WHAT ARE OUR WORKSHOPS ABOUT:
Our Improvers workshops are designed to support adult students who are in that difficult predicament - too comfortable in Improvers classes and too lost in an Intermediate class! The leap from Improvr to Intermediate is huge, and without tailored and structured support, it’s hard for many adult ballet students to make the transition. We fully understand the struggle of being stuck between the two! Regular dance classes do not always provide the time or tailored support that enable us to fully understand and execute some of the harder and more intricate movements of ballet. Often we don't have enough time in a class to repeat exercises enough to memorise them and/or get the individual corrections that make all the difference. It is completely natural to feel somewhat unprepared for the next level, no matter how long we have attended classes. This workshops aims to help you bridge the gap!
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
We will begin with a full-length barre where we go through a comprehensive review of all key terminology and vocabulary as a refresher. We will begin to experiment with slightly faster or more complex barre combinations, however we will provide ample time for repetition and explanation. This is an opportunity to explore Intermediate level barre work at a slower pace and with more guidance.
In the centre, we will utilise the 'dancers box' - this is a method which allows dancers to understand alignment and direction changes in choreography. When levelling up your practice beyond beginner/improver level, many students find themselves lost because of confusion about where to face/travel in the centre. Whilst copying other students in the class is an option at beginner level, in Intermediate+ classes, the continual change in direction and alignments make this impossible. The terminology of the Dancers Box helps you to understand alignments as per most graded syllabi work (RAD, Vaganova, Cecchetti) and provides a numerical system to understand how to align yourself in relation to your space. This tool enables you to better follow verbal cues and to accurately and quickly memorise exercises which incorporate travelling sequences and changes in direction. It also facilitates the use of epaulment - helping to add more artistry and expressiveness to your dancing.
We will then explore several focal and linking steps that regularly feature in all Intermediate classes but not always in Beginners or Improvers ones. These common steps are integral to most general/Intermediate level choreography and variations. At the end of the workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn how to artistically piece these new movements together into longer routines and combinations, giving you an insight into the typical pace and format of an Intermediate class. This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to make sure you leave the studio with the tools and resources needed to go and take that next step!
This 2 hour workshop includes:
3 – 3:30: Arrive and warm up with a detailed ballet barre to help activate and engage our muscles, find our centre and work on our balance and coordination.
3:30 – 4.30pm: Centre work introducing you to the Dancers Box and key Intermediate steps which build on the foundational movements of Beginners ballet. These steps will challenge you with faster footwork, transfers of weight and travelling sequences
4.30 – 5pm We will then have an opportunity to practice combining our alignments and new steps to perform some longer sequences and more challenging choreography. This section will follow the format and pace of a typical centre work in an Intermediate level class.
WHO CAN ATTEND?
- This class is designed for dancers with a minimum of two years of ballet experience, confidence with all Beginner level ballet terminology and familiarity/experience with Improver level ballet work
- It is specifically catered for dancers wanting to move from to Intermediate level classes. We encourage students to have actively been attending our Improver level ballet classes before attending
- Intermediate students wanting to revisit basics - with a specific focus on alignment, traveling sequences and key focal steps
- You must be over 18 to participate in this workshop