Information

The Hadland School

offers classes to children in ballet, modern theatre, tap, drama and singing as well as adult classes in tap. Classes take place after school on Monday – Thursday evenings, and all day Saturday.

Lesley Hadland (A.I.S.T.D. Dip.) is responsible for all the dance classes,. The Hadland School of Dance and Drama offers classes for 3 year olds to adults. The youngest students imaginatively explore ballet through simple exercises, stories, songs and improvisation. Adults enjoy a very popular tap classes challenging the brain and exercising muscles. All classes are accompanied by experienced and versatile pianists. The focus of the teacher is the class, not selecting appropriate music tracks; thus developing an appreciation of music as well as dance.

In September Miss Hadland welcomed Mrs. Elizabeth Hardy MA Hons (Edin), MA (RADA) to head the drama department. Mrs. Hardy is an experienced teacher of English and Drama, with a specialist interest in Shakespeare. She has worked in a variety of educational contexts with students of all ages. Her “Rough Magic” workshops have been enthusiastically received with their emphasis on playfulness, creativity and confidence building, and the use of texts as stimuli for individual and flexible dramatic interpretation.

It is to be remembered that ballet training is a slow process. There are no rules which dictate that at a certain age a child must be at a certain level. Ballet places demands not only on the body but also on the maturity and mental capacity of all dancers at every level. A teacher’s role is to ensure that the children are ready to cope with the work they may be undertaking to their best possible ability.