FVAD Syllabus

Fraser Valley Academy of Dance offers a specialized syllabus incorporating the British Royal Ballet style with Cecchetti, Vaganova and Royal Academy of Dance, as well as Rambert Grades Contemporary and ISTD Modern Theatre Dance syllabi.

Fraser Valley Academy of Dance – FVAD Syllabus

Fraser Valley Academy of Dance has developed its own syllabus which incorporates the RAD syllabus, but expands greatly on that book-based syllabus training to include the more advanced techniques taught by former professional dancers at the Vaganova Academy and Royal Ballet Schools.

Since first experiencing the Bolshoi Ballet performing the original production of Spartacus with Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekatarina Maximova on stage in London in the early 1970’s, Mr. Carney has held the Russian technique in very high esteem.  While his training at the Royal Ballet School with former dancers of the Royal Ballet provided the exceptional training required for his professional career that would span two decades touring the world, he never forgot the impression of the dramatic Russian style, technique and artistry.

As with the Royal Ballet Company and School today, which hire both British-trained and Russian-trained dancers and teachers, Mr. Carney believes that the marriage of the British Royal Ballet style with the Russian Vaganova method offers the strongest form of classical ballet training in strength, technique, movement and artistry.  It is this union of traditional, classical methods that is the basis for the Fraser Valley Academy of Dance Syllabus.

The results speak for themselves as our students are accepted every year into prestigious Pre-Professional and Post-Secondary Training Programs in Dance and Performing Arts schools around the world – receiving over 115 invitations to ballet company schools and performing arts colleges!  Read our Student Achievements page for further details.

Vaganova Syllabus

Originally developed by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Mme. Agrippina Vaganova over one hundred years ago, the internationally renowned Vaganova Syllabus fuses the romantic style of the French ballet and dramatic soulfulness of the Russian character with the athletic virtuosity that characterizes the Italian school.  This notated and progressive training program has produced some of the best dancers in the world including Anna Pavlova, Natalia Makarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolph Nureyev, choreographer George Balanchine, and professional dancers found in almost every company in the world. 

The Vaganova method is designed to involve the whole body in every movement, with equal attention paid to the upper body, legs and feet, thus increasing consciousness of the body, and creating a harmony of movement and greater expressive range.  The syllabus emphasizes the development of both technical proficiency and individual artistry, with a complete range of expression that comes out of proper placement and a strong classical dance foundation.

Students at Vaganova-based schools are expected to take daily courses in ballet as well as character (folk) dance, modern dance, calisthenics/strengthening, and study dance history, music, and language.  At Vaganova-based pre-professional schools, students also take courses in choreography and pedagogy.  Unlike other classical ballet school syllabi, these two subjects allow Vaganova-trained students of all abilities to go on to become both choreographers and well-trained teachers.

Royal Academy of Dance – RAD Syllabus

The Royal Academy of Dance ( RAD – pronounced “R. A. D.” not “Rad” ) is one of the world’s most influential dance education organisations.  Founded in 1920, its intention was to set standards for teachers within the UK, ensuring a consistent approach in training particularly for teachers who had not been professional dancers.  Today, the RAD has a presence in 83 countries, with 36 offices, over 14,000 members worldwide, and more than a quarter of a million students are being examined on RAD syllabi.