Aims for our students

Be who you are

Rambert Grades is a syllabus open to anyone, whatever stage of your dance journey you are on. It doesn’t matter to us what you look like, how your hair is done, what clothes or brands you have on, where you come from, or even whether or not you want to be a dancer in the future. We don’t mind some mess, or questions, or play, or working things out on the way. We know that learning how to dance is more than about doing the right steps, and we want to help you to find and express confidence in who you are.

If you don’t see anyone else who looks like you, or talks like you, or acts like you on dance stages or in dance companies, we want to help you be the first.

If you’ve never been in a class before but dancing and moving makes you feel alive, we know that feeling and want to help you explore it. If you feel there is anything holding you back from getting involved, talk to us because we want to help.

This is about discovery

We often think that learning your grades means it has to be hard work. It has to be no fun, lots of rules, and no room for individuality. Not with Rambert Grades; we want you to be able to express who you are at every level of your training. Dance is a process of discovery - about yourself, about each other, and about who we are. We seek to equip teachers and young dancers with the technique, terms, confidence, and ability to go on this journey in the following ways.

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of safe contemporary technique

  2. Draw on their body’s natural movement and individual style

  3. Show sensitivity to and connection with the audience and other dancers

  4. Demonstrate presence born of confidence in body and mind

  5. Demonstrate an ability to respond creatively to stimuli and express ideas through movement

 Our Ethos

The ethos that surrounds and informs all aspects of Rambert Grades is grounded in the belief that the nurturing and support for the development of the individual’s voice is the bedrock of our work. The creative content of our syllabus is absolutely geared to open interpretation. Interpretation that is informed by the individual student’s own understanding of the world, fed by their questions, heritage and personal experience. We strive to enable the emergence of the idiosyncratic. It has been at the root of the Rambert culture since the beginning. The performance area of our offer, which periodically changes so as to allow for a variety of creative voices and approaches to be represented, also demands personal interpretation rather than reproduction. Just as it is with the Rambert School and Company, Rambert Grades celebrates and embraces the skills and understanding that each person brings to their performance of the material. Finally, we see the technical area of Rambert Grades as a structure that comes alive through the input of each individual who takes the material, embodies it and makes it their own. This is reflected in our pedagogical process and assessment criteria where the essential message is about balancing training, celebrating individuality, creative spirit and interpretation. Rambert Grades works with the whole person encouraging and supporting creative skills, independence and self-belief.

Syllabus Structure

Dancers get more out of our training system because it delivers the best technical training, knowledge and understanding as well as creativity, creation, self-reflection and personal responsibility. The Syllabus is structured around three pillars:

Technique:

  • A selection of set exercises from course content

  • Technical ability demonstrated through the Performance component

Performance:

  • Performance skills displayed during Technical component

  • Performance of solo performance phrase, set by Rambert Grades

Creative:

  • Response to a stimulus in collaboration with a group (2 or more)

  • Improvisation skills demonstrated through the technical and performance components


Helen Shute, Chief Executive/Executive Producer of Rambert said:

“We wanted to give daring and brilliant young people around the world an accredited dance grades syllabus that recognises their creativity and individuality. This is what makes the Rambert dancers special and exceptional dance artists and we believe the same about all the young people studying dance around the world. The future of dance must be diverse and with this grades syllabus we want to celebrate young people of every different background as they move through the grades and receive rightful recognition for their achievements.”

Amanda Britton, Principal and Artistic Director of Rambert School said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to be launching Rambert Grades, a landmark collaboration between Rambert School and Rambert, who together share almost 100 years of Rambert heritage. Rambert Grades are inclusive and accessible, encouraging creative skills and independence: in true Rambert spirit each individual student's voice is recognised and celebrated.”

Ray Oudkerk, Chair of Rambert Grades said:

“Rambert has been a source of inspiration throughout my twenty-five years of teaching dance and for Rambert Grades to launch in the centenary year of Rambert School really does bring home the historic nature of this joint venture. The combined experience, expertise and innovation of Rambert and Rambert School enables Rambert Grades to train, develop and support dance teachers in delivering a contemporary dance training programme of the very highest quality.

 I’m most excited about the opportunity Rambert Grades offers all young people, and in ensuring their diverse experiences and individuality are intrinsically valued in Rambert Grades.”