Royal Academy Of Dance

Graded Examination Syllabus

The Graded syllabus consists of three different components; classical, free movement and character dance.

Classical
The Classical work is the foundation and the most important part of the Graded Syllabi.

Free Movement
The free movement section incorporates movements in common with other dance styles such as natural movement, contemporary based dance and Greek dance.

Character Dance
Character dance is the theatrical presentation of national dance using original ethnic dance and music which has been freely adapted for the theatre. There are three styles - Hungarian, Russian and Polish - and these were selected because of their historic importance in the development of the traditional full-length classical ballets.

Entry Requirements
Pupils will be offered entry to exams at the appropriate time for their age and skills.

Exam Dress
Pupils have to wear an exam uniform for these exams. Hair has to be neat and tidy and if the hair is long enough it should be put into a bun. Ponytails are not acceptable.

For Pre-Primary and Primary Ballet the girls have to wear pink cotton lycra leotard, pink voile skirt, pink ballet socks and snug fitting pink leather ballet shoes. Split sole ballet shoes are not permissible. The boys have to wear white T-Shirt and navy blue or black shorts, black plain ankle socks and  black leather ballet shoes.

For Grades 1 to 5 the girls have to wear sleeveless plum or navy ruched leotard, pink ankle socks for grade 1 and pink ballet tights for grade 2 and over and snug fitting pink leather ballet shoes. They will also require black or navy character skirts and black canvas character shoes for the character work.  The boys have to wear either a close fitting white cotton lycra T-shirt and black shorts or a white leotard and black footless leggings and black leather ballet shoes. For the character work the boys change into black character shoes or boots.

Most items can be purchased from The Dance Bank