It’s not every day that our younger Glennie girls get the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s top ballet performers. For our Kindy, Prep, Year 1 and 2 students, the recent visit from two of Queensland Ballet’s Ballet’s Education Teacher Artists was a day to remember.
The morning commenced with our kindy girls and boys making their way across Herries Street, hand-in-hand, eager to find out what awaited them. For our youngest Glennie students, this adventure was their first time at the Manning Theatre, and for some, the first time in one of our Middle & Senior Years classrooms.
With the kindy train making its way across the hill, up the stairs, through the double doors, and into their first ballet lesson, the room was filled with sighs of excitement as they approached the floor to ceiling mirrors that stretch across the Manning Theatre wall.
With the Kindy staff taking their positions at the back of the hall, our two special guests kept the class entertained with a number of ballet games and exercises, giving our young ones some tips and pointers to spruik their interest.
As our Kindy class made way for the girls from Prep, the exercises and games got just a little bit more complex, with the girls being taught a handful of ballet positions, names as well as their own dance routine.
The workshops were aligned to the Australian Curriculum and they complemented the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom. In the workshops, movement concepts were introduced in a playful and creative way through the exploration of Queensland Ballet’s Peter and the Wolf, igniting imaginations and bringing the narrative to life.
For some of our girls, this wasn’t their first ballet class! and they made sure they took advantage of this opportunity to wear don their tutus and leotards.
Like Kindy before them, the lesson ended with a very special opportunity for the girls to ask questions and to see some of the real pointe shoes, tutu’s, and garments worn in Queensland Ballet’s performances.
The day ended with a group of our young Glennie ballerinas partaking in a ballet lesson conducted by Queensland Ballet. The girls all in their matching outfits spread out across the theatre and worked through poses and routines.
For many of our girls currently taking ballet classes, the opportunity to not only meet but to engage and learn from these consummate professionals, further fulled their passion and enthusiasm for this beautiful art form.
