How the Enlighten Webinar Series Extends Learning at the Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School offers a wide range of professional development opportunities for dance educators through its Enlighten webinar series. These sessions provide insights into the School’s training principles and cover current topics in dance science, pedagogy, and school management. Designed for teachers worldwide, the series complements other programmes by delivering accessible, research-informed content that educators can integrate into their own practice.
Each Enlighten webinar offered by the Royal Ballet School focuses on a distinct subject relevant to modern ballet instruction. Topics include anatomical alignment, range of motion, nutrition, and managing dance institutions. Delivered by the School’s healthcare and training experts, the webinars present actionable knowledge grounded in the latest evidence. Sessions typically last an hour and are scheduled throughout the academic year to accommodate a global audience.
One of the most attended sessions in the series is “The Healthy Dancer: Understanding Flexibility.” Led by Emma Porter, the School’s Training and Access Healthcare Lead, this webinar explores the relationship between physical development and safe stretching practices. Porter explains how growth and hormonal changes affect joint mobility and provides strategies that teachers can apply in age-appropriate training. The Royal Ballet School uses this research to ensure its own students train within healthy parameters that minimise injury risk.
Another popular session, “Postural Alignment with the Franklin Method,” is delivered by Sarah Daultry, Teacher Training Manager at the Royal Ballet School. This webinar introduces educators to a kinaesthetic approach that blends movement, imagery, and anatomy. Participants gain a deeper understanding of body mechanics and how to help students enhance stability and balance. These methods support the School’s long-standing emphasis on conscious, efficient movement and contribute to the refinement of its System of Training.
The Royal Ballet School also addresses business-related challenges in the Enlighten series. In “Maximising Your Dance School’s Potential,” Senior Teacher Training Manager Karen Berry discusses leadership strategies and operational planning. The session covers topics such as budgeting, staff development, and creating sustainable school models. By offering this content, the School equips educators not only to teach effectively but also to build thriving institutions that reflect professional standards.
An advanced addition to the series, “The Healthy Dancer: Understanding RED-S in Dance,” focuses on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a condition relevant to young dancers experiencing intense physical demands. The Royal Ballet School presents the latest research on early signs of RED-S and offers guidance on supporting students at risk. This session aligns with the School’s broader efforts to promote wellness and awareness among both students and educators.
The Enlighten webinars are also intended to inspire participation in the School’s Inspire seminars, which offer more extensive in-person or online professional development. Together, these programmes create an ongoing dialogue between the Royal Ballet School and dance educators around the world. The content is presented in formats that support continuing education and help teachers meet professional development requirements in their respective countries.
Each session in the Enlighten series includes a Q&A segment, allowing participants to engage directly with presenters. The Royal Ballet School values this interaction, viewing it as a two-way exchange of knowledge and experience. Educators often provide feedback that contributes to future webinar topics, ensuring the content remains responsive to the evolving needs of the dance education community.
Educators who attend these webinars frequently report improvements in their teaching confidence, anatomical awareness, and student engagement. The Royal Ballet School tracks participation metrics and outcomes to continually assess the programme’s effectiveness. By doing so, it sustains a feedback loop that reinforces high-quality delivery and ensures practical application of its principles.
The Royal Ballet School’s Enlighten series reflects its broader commitment to advancing global ballet education. By sharing its research, methodologies, and insights with dance teachers worldwide, the School not only elevates instruction standards but also reinforces its leadership role in shaping the next generation of artists.