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Welcome to Kate Simmons Dance

Kate Simmons Dance is one of the UK’s most respected Dance Schools, based in Woolston, Warrington, Cheshire (with easy access to the cities of Manchester and Liverpool). Kate Simmons Dance offers a wide variety of dance classes for all ages in a safe caring environment which include Classical Ballet, ISTD Modern, Tap Dance and Commercial Street Dance.

The students are given the opportunity to progress their learning and development through dance examinations which are quality assured by the ISTD and also the wonderful experience to perform in annual productions, held in theatre venues near to the school.

The school prides itself on its standards of teaching in all genres and encourages the dance students to be front and centre of their training enabling them to realise their true potential.

If your require further information about our dance classes and/or wish to join this thriving dance school, please contact us by email or telephone on 01925 837693 to speak to one of our qualified teachers.

Pre-School Ballet

Classes start at the age of 3yrs. The class is a ballet structure with expressive musical movement incorporated with the steps. A lot of basic co-ordination is learnt here and taught in nursery rhyme form.

We encourage our budding dancers to explore their own ability to move and develop their confidence levels through dance, music and singing.

This class brings so much joy and laughter to the children and is taught in a warm and friendly environment with fully qualified dance teachers.

After a year to eighteen months the children are usually ready to attend a more structured class and will be ready for Primary Ballet Class where they will be able to work towards their first ballet exam. The children will learn the Cecchetti Primary Ballet Syllabus.

Join us now in this positive way of learning not just dance and musicality, but also watch your son or daughter blossom in confidence and also in life’s most important social skills.

 Development

Students displaying certain qualities and natural talent as well as dedication, are prime candidates to be invited to attend the Graduate Ballet Classes.

This involves an extra class per week predominantly ballet class consisting of unset steps (enchaînements). These classes take the form of technical development, artistry improvisation, Spanish dance or Contemporary dance.

The Junior Graduates age range between 8-12 years working at Grade 4 – 6 level and Senior Graduates are aged 13-16 years working at major level. These students must be successful at our annual auditions to dance in the Graduate Class and are usually already dancing 2 ballet classes, 1 modern and 1 tap class per week.

When the students have passed their grade 6 Exam, they are then able to move on to the major syllabus and senior work, starting with Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced I and Advanced II (all major syllabus grades follow the Cecchetti method).

ISTD Dance Exams

Dance exams begin at Primary level up to Grade 5. Major examinations follow on from Grade 6, Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 in Ballet, Tap and Modern Dance.

Performance Opportunities

Students of Kate Simmons Dance, dance an annual production. This provides young students the opportunity to perform on stage in a theatre. It is valuable experience for children and Kate Simmons Dance believes that it is an important aspect of their development.

It enables our younger students to grasp a sense of where their training is leading them. Kate Simmons Dance also participates in dance competitions for students, such as the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards, Star Tap Awards and Janet Cram Awards in Modern.

All students from Grades 3 in dance and above, have the opportunity to create their own work in either classical dance, modern dance, tap dance or any chosen dance genre they enjoy. The children then enjoy the opportunity to perform on stage in the theatre at our Annual Choreographic Competition, part of our Vocational College’s Prize Giving and Graduation Ceremony.