Ballet at Darling Harbour

The RAD takes Ballet to the People at Sydney's Darling Harbour Pop-Up Event | Saturday 29 September 9am-12pm The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Australia is transforming the picturesque Darling Harbour into a dance space this spring as part of a special Pop-Up event in Sydney.

On Saturday 29 September the RAD will take the dance floor outside, giving the public a taste of new initiatives currently being rolled out across Australia, and the chance to have a go themselves! From ballet demonstrations for over 55s, to performances from young RAD dancers, and open ballet classes just for boys, there will be something to inspire everyone to dance.

The event will be the official launch of Silver Swans ballet classes created specifically for the over-55s and taught exclusively by Silver Swans Licensed Teachers. Designed for mature dancers, these classes help improve mobility, posture, coordination and energy levels and, most importantly, impart the sense of wellbeing that dance brings.

The Silver Swans will be in action at the pop up to inspire the older generation to get moving!

[caption id="attachment_25080" align="alignright" width="219"] Photo WinkiPop Media[/caption] Also on display will be the Academy’s latest classical ballet programme Discovering Repertoire. This is an exciting new performance inspired programme, which gives students the opportunity to dance the steps they recognise to music they know and love from six popular ballets including Coppélia, Giselle , Paquita , The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Adult and young students from local dance schools including The Ballet Class in Rose Bay and Alegria Studios in Woolloomooloo, will perform selected variations.

Enjoy a live professional pas de deux coaching session with Bronte Kelly (ex Royal New Zealand Ballet) and Mitchell Rayner (ex The Australian Ballet) who are currently students on our Professional Dancers' Postgraduate Teaching Certificate (PDPTC) programme. There will also be opportunity to watch the professionals in action. Former Principal Dancer at The Australian Ballet and RAD’s Male Dance Ambassador Matthew Lawrence will be encouraging budding ballet boys with an open ballet class to help promote their Project B boys initiative that aims to widen access to dance for boys and to encourage them to take up ballet.

National Director of Royal Academy of Dance Australia Bronwyn Watkins said “ With so many exciting developments in our dance teacher and student training programmes rolling out this year, we decided it was time to take the dance floor to the general public. Dance enthusiasts can learn in more ways than ever before with the RAD - no matter their age, gender or previous experience. With SilverSwans, Discovering Repertoire, Project B and the PDPTC we are so proud to be sharing our professional standards at the forefront of dance education and look forward to opening up the dance floor to everyone. ”