Woodbury Dance Studio is a ballet and contemporary dance studio, located in Woodbury, Exeter and formally run by Mary Griffiths, founder of the Hong Kong Ballet. Following Mary's recent retirement, the school is now run by Dorota Markham and Francesca Rowsell, former students of Mary's.
Woodbury Dance follows the grade and major examination system of the Royal Academy of Dancing. It also enters students for IDTA medal tests, Classical Awards 1 and 2 and for IDTA's very different vocational exams. Mary is an RAD and IDTA qualified teacher.
If your child Is under 4, they will normally join 'Start to Dance' class. This is a weekly half - hour class.
If your child is 4, 5 or 6 years old, they will be placed in the Pre-primary class and a 7 year old will usually join the Primary class. The Pre-primary Presentation Class is normally taken when the child is six years old; it takes the form of a normal ballet class taught by the normal teacher. Primary is the first 'proper' exam and it is taken when they are ready!
These classes provide a logical progression for students.
These classes are for teenagers and are available both to those who want to train more seriously as well as to those who only want to attend once a week. Adults are welcome to come to these (and to any other class if appropriate!)
If at the age of 10 or 11, your child wishes to train more seriously, they may follow the Major Course of Study. This means at least an additional 2 classes per week on top of their current grade level. The first course is RAD Intermediate Foundation, and the first of the compulsory exams is Intermediate, either in RAD or IDTA. The next levels are Advanced 1 and Advanced 2. Students can also take part in RAD Discovering Repertoire- a new syllabus teaching actual variations from famous ballets.
To prepare for the annual performance, now held in Sidmouth Manor Pavilion, the students attend a repertoire class which is in addition to the normal technique class. This is an opportunity for students to perform and learn exciting new choreogrpahy.
