Spotlight Exchange: An Interview with RAD’s Artistic Director Gerard Charles
Pointe, plié, tendu, these movements and terms belong to the vocabulary of ballet. Though the technique, repertoire and vocabulary of ballet is highly recognizable, the path to achieving this form can vary greatly. Ballet is like a language with different accents and idioms. And one of these streams within the ballet language can be found at The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), a dance education and training organisation. Here to teach us more about the wonderful world of the RAD in this exclusive Hong Kong Dance Magazine interview is Gerard Charles, the Artistic Director of the RAD. Let’s jeté in!
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how your previous experiences have led you to The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)?
I began dancing ballet at the age of 5. I was lucky enough to have an excellent local teacher who, by way of the Royal Ballet School, set me on a solid path towards a lifelong career in dance. I was able to gain wide ranging experiences by dancing professionally in Europe and North America and was fortunate enough to work with many highly gifted choreographers and teachers. When I started teaching, and rehearsing dancers in
ballets, I realised that was what I wanted to do after I retired from the stage. I became a ballet master for BalletMet Columbus and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and later became Artistic Director and Administrative Director of different professional ballet companies. I was always very interested in how the dancers I worked with started out, as their early training was clearly fundamental in establishing who they became. When the opportunity to work at the RAD came up I knew it was something that I wanted to be part of, to help contribute to encouraging our next generation of young dancers and giving them as strong a foundation as possible.
How has the RAD impacted and influenced the dance community?
It is hard to overestimate the impact that 100 years of teaching, in every corner of the world, has had on accessibility to the benefits of good ballet training and the dance world in general. There is more ballet in more countries today on account of the pioneering teachers who started schools in so many countries around the globe. Many of today’s dancers, artistic directors and choreographers began their dancing lives with local RAD teachers, some developing them all the way to their professional careers. Our five founding teachers came together from 5 different schools of thought to improve the state of dance teaching in England at that time.
In doing so they made people think differently about how to train dancers - a conversation we must keep going to this day as we learn, and ballet evolves.
We are responsible for providing access to students with a wide range of interests and abilities that is both challenging and also safe. As we become more aware of the benefits of dance for healthy living, our offerings are expanding to include non traditional ballet participants such as Silver Swans classes that are tailored to senior dancers.
How does the syllabus and examinations prepare students for the dance industry?
Our syllabus assures that dancers around the world are assessed in a uniform manner, on the same material, and to the same standards, no matter where they reside. Teaching students to achieve the skills to pass exams is the art of the local teacher working with the individuals in their charge. Participating in exams can help young dancers focus on understandable, age appropriate goals, and reaffirm their achievement of those goals. The RAD syllabus is ballet based and when taught correctly prepares a young dancer not only for proficiency in ballet dancing but for all types of dance movement. With stepped progress through the examination process, a student with appropriate commitment can follow a path that prepares them with the basic skills needed to be successful in a professional career. There is some danger that following a syllabus can lead to learning just to pass a test; therefore, it is our responsibility to keep in mind that the focus is to engage our students with the fundamentals of technique, artistry and the ideals of good ballet today. Such good work should be recognised with better exam results.
What types of careers have students under the RAD gone on to pursue?
We have a range of alumni who are now notable dancers, directors, teachers, choreographers (e.g. Ye Feifei who is a principal dancer at Hong Kong Ballet is a previous RAD Genee silver medallist). Of course, many ultimately pursue other careers. The benefits of learning to dance, the focus, achieving goals, learning to follow instruction while also having a degree of freedom to create, working as a team, finding something you are passionate about, are all important life skills you acquire, and are of undisputed benefit whatever you may do. Many people who go on to allied careers in the theatre, stage management, design, teaching, sports medicine, etc. but there are also many more who credit their success in all walks of life to their early ballet training.
What is the next step for the RAD and where do you hope this leads?
On the eve of our centenary this is a poignant moment to reflect on our past achievements, but also to look forwards to build upon those successes and move us forward. Our mission has always been to ensure the highest possible standards of ballet teaching and that will not change, and must always be reinforced. The centenary is just to open the door to the next 100 years in a world that is rapidly changing, and with ever increasing expectations for dancers. We must work with the needs of this next century in mind. I want the RAD to be a conduit for positive change in our ballet world and to increase the ability for every type of student to find a welcoming place to study. I intend to work so that our teachers value their membership for the services and the professional inspiration we are able to give them.
What words of wisdom can you share with other dance teachers out there?
You never know the impact you have on a student, either in the moment, or at a later time in their lives, but what you say and do can, and does, have a significant influence on that student. We can never be sure which student will actually make it to a successful career, but we are in a position to draw the best out of each student and give them the best start they can have. Every student is different and has different needs, so I will paraphrase Michelle Groves (RAD Director of Education) by saying that we should develop the person and not teach the subject.
What is your mission or dream regarding the future of dance education?
No matter how talented a teacher may be, the reality in a class is that only a certain percentage of the time can be given to any one student. I wish to see dance training grow beyond the instructor teaching the rules of a technique and providing all the answers - I would like us to be confident to encourage the student to be their own best teacher. The more involved a student is with understanding their realities, and that they are in control of how to improve, the more they will learn and adapt. I also want to underscore that we are teaching an expressive movement art form and that this must not be lost in a soulless march towards greater technical proficiency.
What advice do you have for young aspiring dancers who are interested in pursuing a professional dance career?
No matter how wonderful your school, or how naturally gifted you may be, your success will come from the work you put into your dancing. Listen to all the advice you receive, try it out, understand what you are trying to achieve, and if you have questions, ask them. There will be moments of challenge and times when success is not achieved, but what we learn from these moments and how we eventually overcome them build you up to make you stronger for the future. Perfection is an elusive ideal, but celebrate the successes along the way and keep the joy that is to be had from this beautiful art.
As dancers, we are all advocates of the power of movement. But it’s important to recognize the power of words and how they influence our journey in dance, whether it’s as a student, teacher, performer or writer. Gerard Charles not only inspires us with his movement and teaching philosophies, but also his words of perseverance, kindness and consideration. He reminds us that dance is but one piece in the bigger picture of our lives, but it is a piece that can have a fruitfully vibrant and artistic impact on our very being. From soutenus to soul, we want to give our deepest thanks to Gerard Charles and the Royal Academy of Dance!