Page 5 - DANCE Guide 2022

Christine Walsh AM
Author, Director and Examiner of Ballet Conservatoire classical ballet training and examination program.
WEBSITE:
www.acbaustralia.com.au
FOUNDER/DIRECTOR:
Christine Walsh AM
HISTORY
In 1991 former Australian Ballet ballerina Christine Walsh, AM, founded the school
of the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet (ACB), adapting the existing Russian eight-year Vaganova method to become a 12-year training and examination program for part-time students. Since its inception, the success of the school and its training program has led to teacher seminars, conventions, workshops, examination sessions, study tours, scholarships, job placements, ballet productions, international ballet galas and dance festivals.
Due to the international scope of the ACB training syllabus and to separate the identity of its school, the training program syllabus was renamed Ballet Conservatoire.
Ballet Conservatoire now has more than 400 member teachers in Australia and overseas.
STYLES/GENRE:
Russian Vaganova based method.
GRADING/MARKING SYSTEM
Certificate and a written report with graded results: Pass 50-59%, Pass Plus 60-69%, Commended 70-79%, Highly Commended 80-89% and Distinction 90% and above. Distinction students receive a medal and can be awarded a two-week study scholarship at ACB headquarters in Melbourne.
TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS
Teachers become provisionally qualified after completing ACB’s Teacher Training Seminar 1, which covers the Ballet Conservatoire syllabus levels from Pre- Primary to Level 4. After submitting students for exams successfully, the teacher receives full teacher registration and is eligible for Seminar 2 (encompassing Level 5 and Senior Level) and following this, Seminar 3 (Excellence).
COMPETITIONS/AWARDS
International dance festivals and awards, teacher seminars, workshops, master classes, galas, performance awards and study tours are held in different countries. Scholarships of up to $10,000 are awarded to promising students.
What is the purpose of exams/ assessments and why do you think they are beneficial?
Regular examination or assessment is a valuable and necessary tool in a student’s training as short-term goal to work towards and ultimately to achieve. It provides a yardstick for the students in relation to the reality of their current progress and long-term goals.
Additionally, for a teacher, this process is a gauge of their teaching skills due to the content in exam reports of the students will provide valuable information on the teacher’s ability to impart knowledge and for this be understood by the students. This is therefore an important tool for a teacher’s development – a teacher who is not continually learning will not be as effective in achieving steady and continuous progress in the students. This will be clear in the results of the students if examinations or assessments are undertaken on a regular and timely basis. However, this is dependent on the syllabus or examination program being based on a sound and knowledgeable philosophy of dance education where the students’ result will be truly representative of their standard and stage of training.
What drew you to this syllabus/ organisation?
I have always believed that a logical and carefully structured system of training is essential for ballet students to progress
consistently towards technically and artistically assured standards at every stage of their training years. The Russian Vaganova principles of classical ballet provide this, so having been trained by teachers in this method during my 20-year professional career in Europe and Australia, I decided there was a need to write a training and examination program based on the Vaganova method. This could then be taught in countries where children began their training at a very young age and were unlikely to undertake full time training until much older. It was logical to base the program on this method as most companies worldwide based their daily training class in the Russian style.
Therefore, I wrote the Ballet Conservatoire 12-year training and examination program starting from the final stage of technical training, being a professional dancer, then working backwards by breaking down advanced steps to gradually more simplified versions of these suitable for progressively younger students. I felt this was essential to ensure the logical technical progression for ballet students.
I have designed the Ballet Conservatoire to deliver realistic exam results (Distinction is 90% and above) so that students, parents and teachers can rely on a true appraisal of the student’s standard. I, along with over 400 teachers in 11 countries who teach my program, are very pleased with this logical and honest approach to ballet training.
Christine Walsh (front).
JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU | 55
BALLET CONSERVATOIRE