Theatre Peckham’s Academy is delighted to partner with Central School of Ballet to improve pathways into professional ballet training for diverse young students.

The partnership offers professional development for TP Academy’s dance teachers as well as widens access to ballet for the Academy’s students. Last year, the Academy’s ballet and tap faculty members visited Central School of Ballet, where they had the opportunity to upskill by observing Junior and Senior ballet classes, attending meetings, and embarking on training opportunities. By investing in the quality of our teachers through high-quality training, we hope that dance attainment amongst young people and progression into professional dance training will subsequently increase.

Furthermore, Central School of Ballet is working  in partnership with TP to offer a few TP Academy students scholarships to access relevant additional training opportunities. Selected students were invited to watch Central School of Ballet’s showcases, which proved to be an inspirational experience for the Academy’s aspiring dancers as well as an invaluable opportunity to attend ballet performances at the theatre.

Theatre Peckham and Central School of Ballet believe that representation in the arts is essential to the development and inspiration of the next generation of artists. We are confident that this partnership will support the growth of our students into the arts and widen access by breaking down barriers to participation. This year, we hope to build even stronger connections between Theatre Peckham and Central School of Ballet to create a world in the arts where every child feels represented, seen, and heard.

About Central School of Ballet

Central School of Ballet is a world-class centre for professional dance training based in the South Bank arts community in London’s Southwark. Central offers vocational degree courses in dance at undergraduate and postgraduate level, all validated by the University of Kent. At Central’s new premises named after the school’s Royal Patron, The Countess of Wessex Studios, Central is a busy hub for the dance industry. They provide professional training degree courses for those aiming for a career in dance, a thriving Junior School with after school ballet classes during term time, and an Associate Programme for young people aspiring toward professional dance training. A range of adult dance classes in the evenings and on Sundays provides everyone with the chance to improve general fitness and wellbeing. 

Central School of Ballet is committed to addressing issues of under-representation in ballet and Higher Education. Their widening participation partnership with Theatre Peckham is part of a long-term strategy to ensure there is equity of opportunity for talented dancers to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education. We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate and support the next generation of dancers to achieve this.