The Ballet School of Colombo, making history in Sri Lanka
View(s):Colombo, August 7: The Ballet School of Colombo had its inaugural exams in the fields of Classical and Jazz Ballet with the affiliation of the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing. The Ballet School is the first Sri Lankan dance establishment to be selected as a member for the society. Thirty six students ranging from the ages of 5 to 34 participated in the exams making them the First batch of students to be qualified in the CSTD syllabus in Sri Lanka. A monumental and proud moment for us all. In “The Decade of Skills Development”, striving for new heights and achievements is key. These experiences not only mold the young minds, it also instills valuable traits such as confidence, physical fitness, health, creativity, discipline, drive to achieving goals, team work and self-awareness.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the learning landscape has changed dramatically. The need to implement and use digital technologies to improve learning is in the fore front and adapting to the changing times is a must. It is with this aim of a new technological learning trend that we practiced and conducted ballet lessons online and embraced a virtual classroom and exam method in which the examiners joined in from Australia online and our students connected from Sri Lanka. Proving to be both practical and safe given the current situation.
The Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing today occupies a unique position amongst the dance societies of the world, catering for all major forms of dance. With its origins dating back to 1933 with the formation of the National Examination System and the Victorian Society of Dancing Australia.
The Society is an authoritative examining body whose high standards are internationally respected. All grades of examinations for amateur and professional dancers are conducted under separate syllabi for:
- Classical Ballet
- Theatrical (Stage) Dance
- Tap Dance
- Modern Jazz
- Contemporary
With the CSTD syllabus, students can start with the Foundation level exams and progress to a Teachers Diploma in all offered dance disciplines and enjoy the opportunities of competing and participating in international dance festivals and programmes.
The Ballet School of Colombo, instituted in 2016 carries with it a right history of ballet in Sri Lanka. (Previously known as the Oosha Garten of Ballet pioneered by the late Kalasuri Oosha Saravanamuttu-Wijesinghe). With students ranging from the ages of 3+ all the way up to Advance classes with many popular programmes such as Adult Ballet for Beginners, Stretch and Tone and Acrobatics. With its affiliation to CSTD, The Ballet School plans to roll out many different dance styles with qualifications to pursue.
“Having this unique affiliation to an International Examination body, gives us the ability to further train our students to be on par with international standards and provide them with fantastic opportunities to not only take part in exams but also APCA and Global competitions that propel them to be the best they can be. Healthy competition is good motivation, especially during times like these where children and adults alike spend more time in front of computers and devices and slowly descend in to a sedentary lifestyle. We see a significant change in the students who did the exams this time. They are more confident, outspoken and active and is very receptive to improving themselves further” says the directors of The Ballet School Tara Cooke and Romina Gyi.
The Ballet School of Colombo will continue to train students for exams in the hopes of encouraging and motivating them to pursue this centuries old dance style that is practices the world over and celebrated for its precision technique and grace.