Cranleigh Dance & Theatre Arts is a School of around 200 pupils which runs after normal school hours on Monday to Friday at the St. Nicolas Church Rooms, Church Lane, Cranleigh.
Pupils take classes in Ballet, Modern and Tap at Grade and Major level and regularly enter examinations set by the Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (I.S.T.D.). Children can start Ballet at three, Tap and Modern Dance at five. We run classes at various age and ability levels in Jazz, Musical Theatre and Singing. There are Adult Tap classes for both Beginners and Advanced.
The School produces Dance and Musical Performances at local theatres and has hosted workshops run by performers from London’s West End. There are Choreography Showcases for students to show their own work and our School year ends with Prize Giving and the Senior Leavers’ Dinner.
We entertain at local events, fetes and festivals and the School has taken part in Gala Evenings to raise money for local charities. We have also taken dancers to perform at local Nursing and Old People’s Homes. We hold our own charity fund-raising events.
Students have successfully auditioned to dance with National Youth Ballet, English Youth Ballet, London Children’s Ballet, Surrey Youth Ballet and the Surrey County Youth Dance Company. Some of our students have appeared in local professional productions and pantomimes as well as Yvonne Arnaud Youth Group productions.
Our pupils have been Junior and Middle Saturday Associates of the Royal Ballet School and have also attended Easter and Summer Schools there. Students have been accepted onto the Saturday associate programme at Laban, one of the government funded Centres for Advanced Dance Training. Some of our students have taken part in competitive Dance Festivals and past students have been successful in reaching the semi-finals of the All England Dance Competition. Pupils have been successful in reaching the finals of the Royal Academy of Dance South East Awards Day.
Students have left CDTA to continue their training at full-time Vocational Dance Colleges such as Bird College, Italia Conti, Elmhurst Ballet School, Laine Theatre Arts, London Studio Centre, Performers College, the Royal Academy of Dance and The Centre. Students have also left us to study for Dance Degrees at University and past pupils are now pursuing teaching careers and performing in the West End and around the world.
Cranleigh Dance & Theatre Arts strives to communicate a love of dance to all its students and encourages them to enjoy and appreciate the art of dance. We encourage pupils to develop self-discipline and self-motivation together with a sense of pride in their own achievements and in the achievements of other pupils and of the School.
The School aims to work in an open and co-operative way with pupils and their families and to foster and respect each student’s independence. We also recognise and respect the uniqueness, dignity and potential of every student and offer appropriate guidance for further progress. The School is geared to helping each child towards achieving their full potential; not only those students who wish to make their careers in the field of dance or the theatre but also those who wish simply to enjoy their once a week class.
Dance helps children develop physical fitness and important personal qualities:
Our teaching staff work hard to see that these qualities are fostered.
We value each child in our care and aim to provide a secure and happy atmosphere where each child feels accepted. Every child learns at a different rate and our teaching staff respect this. They use their expertise and experience to make the most of each child’s potential by encouragement, praise, discussion and good example. We believe that children benefit most when parents and the School work together in mutual trust and respect. We will contact parents if we have a query; we hope you will talk to us about matters that concern you or your child.
Examinations are strongly encouraged in the School but are not compulsory. We feel they provide a focus, challenge and sense of purpose and achievement for the children. They are held throughout the year and selection is made at the discretion of the Principal and teachers. Attendance at additional classes and some practice at home is expected before an examination; we hope you will take an interest and encourage your children in this.
Teaching staff hold professional dance teaching qualifications and undertake an on-going programme of training and development in order to maintain and improve their effectiveness. They are registered with the appropriate Dance Examination Boards. They normally undergo formal voluntary enhanced DBS checks before joining Cranleigh Dance & Theatre Arts and usually hold First Aid certificates. Both the School and its regular teaching staff hold Public Liability insurance. The Council for Dance Education and Training has published guidelines for the safety and well-being of everyone involved, which the School endorses.
Whilst the children are in their class, their safety and welfare is our responsibility. We want to be sure that their safety continues as they are delivered and collected by parents. To help achieve this, we have devised some guidelines, which we ask parents to follow. These appear on the website and are printed on the back of each term’s invoice.
Similarly, we have rules about food and drink and about the behaviour of pupils outside classes and these are published in the same way. In short, we expect all students to behave in a responsible manner and to respect others; we ask senior students to reflect on the responsibility they have as role models for the younger pupils. The appropriate school uniform should be worn for classes and pupils should always be neatly groomed.
Tuition fees are payable at the beginning of each term. Invoices are sent out during the first week of term and payment should be made by the end of the second week of term. A £30 deposit is payable when you accept our offer of a place at the School. This will be counted towards your first term’s fees. New students are then not invoiced until the third week of term to give them a chance to be sure that they are happy with the class they have chosen.
We provide an option of paying half the amount each half-term for bills over £185. If necessary, reminders are sent out at half-term and may carry a £20 late payment administration charge. Please give one half-term’s notice of terminating a class or leaving the School otherwise a half-term’s fees will be charged.
We are unable to accept pupils from another Dance School unless proper notice has been given to that School. Cranleigh Dance & Theatre Arts pupils must obtain permission from the Principal before taking dance classes elsewhere and before taking part in any external dance performances.
Please contact the Principal, Jasmine Lomanto, if you have any questions or would like to discuss the options for your child.
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