Pre-Juniors Movement Workshop at Blackfriars Primary School

RCS dance tutor Suzanne Shanks recently delivered taster workshops in creative movement to 150 young people at Blackfriars Primary School in the Gorbals.  

Group of young people sitting on an assembly floor stretching their toes.

Suzanne said: ‘Highlights of the day were being able to see so many boys doing well…there’s a little bit of a barrier in the West of Scotland – the attitude of ‘boys don’t dance’ still very much exists, so it was so lovely to see them relax and enjoy parts of the class. I had several boys put their hand up to demonstrate exercises like skipping and the musicality tasks.  It was so great to see.’   

One teacher commented, ‘The session was good for [pupils’] mindfulness, breathing, balance and core’ and one of the young people said, ‘We practised our hand co-ordination, and it was very hard, but I kept practising it at home actually, and now I can do it!’ and another pupil told us, ‘I like that we got to dance freestyle and do whatever we wanted to!’ 

We are now inviting a number of pupils and their family to further taster workshops at Wallace Studios and hopefully can offer Transitions places at Pre Juniors! Well done to everyone who got involved!

Term One Performance Trips

Our Term One compulsory activity kicks off over the coming weeks with two exciting performance trips.

A heeled shoe on a table surrounded by fairy lights.

Firstly, we will be taking our pre-Juniors students to see Cinderella.  We can’t wait to see RCS acting students performing panto again in the building and sharing the experience with our youngest students.

For all other students not yet in their year of application, we have been working with the Edinburgh International Festival and dance company Akram Khan, to share their award-winning performance Chotto Xenos.   The performance has been specifically designed for young audiences and there will be three screenings to make sure that everyone can come along, followed by a thought-provoking activity to get the best out of the experience.

Transitions Mini Open Day: Dance

Transitions Mini Open Day: Dance

When: Sat 3 April, 2pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Who:  Open Access for those aged 7 – 15 interested in dance –  we are however especially keen to welcome people who are Transitions or WACI eligible.

Transitions are delighted to be offering two free taster workshops for young people keen on Dance:

The Ballet session is for 7 to 11-year-olds – this will be a fun movement class that will include elements of ballet and creative dance. There will be a focus on musicality and free movement which will allow our young people to explore dancing in their own expressive and creative way. No experience is necessary to participate in this online session, it would suit any young person with an interest in dance.

The Contemporary Dance session is for 12 to 15-year-olds – this workshop is all about expressing emotion through organic movements and unrestricted ideas. Incorporating elements of all styles of dance, Contemporary is an exciting fusion that allows students to work through powerful and emotional routines. This session will cover a range of techniques, including Cunningham and Release, making for an exciting and varied taster session.

Watch our short video below about Transitions for Pre-Juniors:

Book now: Click here to take you to the booking form.