RAD Australia has new teaching qualification

In response to a growing need for second career prospects for professional dancers, the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) recently announced a new and exciting programme for professional dancers wishing to prepare for a career in teaching right here in Australia. For more than 40 years the RAD’s Professional Dancers’ Teaching Certificate has been bringing the Academy’s worldwide teaching qualification to dancers across the globe from its base in the UK and in Europe but this is the first time the course will be offered in the southern hemisphere.

The Professional Dancers’ Postgraduate Teaching Certificate (PDPTC) is the latest addition to the RAD’s portfolio of programmes to be rolled out from its Australian base. Designed specifically for the needs of professional dancers who are considering a career in teaching, the Australian launch follows the programme’s success in Berlin, which was delivered in collaboration with the Berlin State Ballet.

RAD Australia National Director Bronwyn Watkins said, “I am delighted that RAD Australia can now offer this opportunity to our professional dancers. With the calibre of their training and skills combined, professional dancers have been an asset to our teaching membership since the RAD began and this new qualification allows them to professionally transition to teaching whilst still actively dancing in company life – preparing for the next phase of their dance journey.”

Graduate and professional dancer Felicity Hader who studied the PDPTC in Europe said, “After a rewarding career as a principal artist and choreographer in Europe, I found I enjoyed teaching and coaching. As a child I had always enjoyed my RAD grade work and regularly received Honours marks in my exams, which gave me great motivation.”

Hader continued, “It was wonderful to be able to study by correspondence at the same time as being able to perform full-time for my last year of performances and I thoroughly enjoyed the Intensive Study Period. I learnt so much during this course and this has and will continue to enrich me forever for performing, choreography and teaching.”

The PDPTC is a one-year part-time programme, combining distance learning with an onsite intensive study period held in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Starting in July, this flexible programme of study accommodates dancers’ rehearsal, performance and work schedules or teaching commitments, and provides a secure platform for a career in teaching.

The programme begins with an onsite induction seminar, followed by a period of distance learning. For four weeks in January, students attend an Intensive Study Period in Sydney over the summer break.

The Intensive Study Period comprises practical sessions, lectures, seminars, discussion groups and tutorials. Students also undertake a teaching placement in a dance school or teaching context of their choice, supported by a Mentor and Practical Teaching Supervisor.

Those successfully completing the PDPTC will be eligible to become Registered Teachers of the RAD, and will benefit from the exclusive right to enter candidates for RAD examinations as well as becoming part of a highly respected international community of dance professionals.

For more information about RAD Australia, visit www.rad.org.au.

Photo by Tim Cross.