National Ballet Academy of Amsterdam
The National Ballet Academy (NBA) of Amsterdam is the premier school for classical ballet in the Netherlands. It is a branch of the Academy of Theatre and Dance , which is itself a faculty of the Amsterdam University of the Arts.
History[1][edit]
The National Ballet Academy of the Netherlands started as an amateur school in 1968 run by ballet dancer Nel Roos. She offered the first full time ballet curriculum in the Netherlands and "delivered" dancers to the Dutch ballet companies through the establishment of a "selection class" of the best students. The academy successfully pleaded for an earlier start of the program, so that children could be admitted at an early age. A partnership was started with public schools in Amsterdam. As the Netherlands did not have it's own classical dance tradition, the Nel Roos Academy adopted the Russian Vaganova technique as its teaching method. The academy was officially renamed the National Ballet Academy in 1988, and the collaboration with the National Ballet was greatly strengthened. The National Ballet was also involved in the academy's recruitment policy and developed a training program for teachers, in which (ex-) dancers of the company are trained in teaching young ballet students.
Since 2014 the National Ballet Academy is led by dancer Jean-Yves Esquerre., who has started to seek more connections with dancers and dance institutions outside the Netherlands. Esquerre has opened the 'doors' for foreign students and has set up an intensive teaching and scouting program throughout the Netherlands and abroad. The school now works closely with other renowned international dance academies.
Artistic leaders since its founding[edit]
Erna Droog 1987-1991
Francis Sinceretti 1991-2001
Joanne Zimmerman 2001-2002
Simon de Mowbray 2002-2007
Vicki Summers 2007-2009
Hlif Svavarsdottir 2009-2010
Christopher Powney 2010-2014
Jean-Yves Esquerre 2014-present
The educational programme[2][edit]
The pre-NBA course[edit]
A two-year programme for children age 8 to 10 offering ballet and folk dance once or twice a week.
In pre-NBA 1 children receive a classical ballet lesson every Saturday and a world dance lesson in the building of the National Ballet Academy on the Agamemnonstraat in Amsterdam. Pre-NBA 2 (fourth grade primary school)
In pre-NBA 2, the schedule is expanded to twice a week. On Saturday morning there is a classical ballet class and world dance on the program. On Wednesday afternoon a classical ballet class and body conditioning. The lessons take place in the building of the National Ballet Academy on the Agamemnonstraat in Amsterdam. The course runs from September to February.
Children from pre-NBA 2 are not automatically admitted to National Ballet Academy. They must first follow an audition course to prepare them for the final audition. The children that get through the final audition are admitted to the first year of the National Ballet Academy.
The Preliminary Course[edit]
Children are a young as nine years old when they start the Preliminary Course of the National Ballet Academy, and if they are qualified they will stay for seven or eight years. The students follow a schedule in which normal schooling and ballet education are combined. The academy works together with two schools in Amsterdam: the Olympia School (primary education) and the Gerrit van der Veen College (secondary education).
During the NBA education the pupils receive a daily class of traditional dance technique. They also receive lessons in spitz technique (for the girls), jumping technique and strength training (for the boys), repertoire, pas de deux, caractère and modern dance. They also perform in performances of the Dutch National Ballet. The children are taught at the Agamemnonstraat facility during the first three years and then transfer to the College for Theater and Dance at the Jodenbreestraat.In the final year of the program, the last year of secondary education, most students audition for the Bachelor of Arts Programme of the National Ballet Academy.
Bachelor of Arts Programme [3][edit]
The students who are selected for the Bachelor of Arts Program focus fully on ballet for three years. They train every day to perfect their dance technique and will also follow classes in dance history, musical theory, anatomy and injury prevention. During the BA programme the dancers gain their first professional experience during a practical internship with one of the major dance ensembles in Holland or abroad. During the BA course the students will start to audition with ballet companies.
The National Ballet Academy of Amsterdam[edit]
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- ↑ "Geschiedenis - Academie voor Theater en Dans". Academie voor Theater en Dans (in Nederlands). 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ "dansopleiding". dansmagazine (in Nederlands). 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ "Danser worden?". Danser worden? | Nationale Opera & Ballet. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
