Autumn Term 2026:
Thursday 3rd September – Wednesday 2nd December 2026
Additional Classes, Exams and annual Nutcracker Workshop:
Ballet exams for some students:
Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November
Nutcracker Workshop (minimum age 9/Grade 2) Thursday 3rd – Wednesday 9th December 2026:
After school and Saturday morning, exact days and times TBC
4th and 5th July 2026 Summer Performances: Essential Grace
Highgate Ballet School celebrated a milestone 30th Anniversary with three performances over the weekend of 4th and 5th July 2026 at the Arundel Centre, Channing School, Highgate, N6.
Thank you to our backstage crew of volunteers and to our special guest performers: Madeline Squire, former soloist with Scottish Ballet and now Guest Soloist and Freelance Choreographer, who performed her own piece ‘Echo Echo’, Elsa Pountney who performed the White Swan Pas de Deux with Kaiden de’Souza-Spencer, formerly of the Rambert School and to ex-pupils who performed variations from the repertoire: Tilda Marriage Massey, who has completed her second year at Rambert and Micah Wei, who has completed his first year at Tring Park for the Performing Arts.
Associate Programmes 2026-27:
Jess McDonough and Marlie Bethel, Royal Ballet School Senior Associates, Sophie Ollier English National Ballet School Associates and Cecchetti Scholars, Alexi Mutasa Ballet Black Associates and Cecchetti Associates, Emilia Williams Cecchetti Scholars,
Dolly Duffy, Georgia Forsyth, Lily El Mir, Vivienne Scott-Bryan, Melissa Cagler and Chloe Forsyth, Cecchetti Associates
Frances Webber and Aya Morgenstern, CAT at The Place, and Maisie Chamberlain, Molly Proctor and Nia Hearn, LSC Associates
Well done to you all!
Goodbye and Good Luck!
To Isla, Lara, Mia and Rebecca who have been dancing at HBS since they were very small. They have finished ‘A’ Levels and are off to university. We loved watching you in the Silver Fairies variation at the school performances and wish you well for the future!
Cecchetti goes viral! YouTubers Jordan and Eden of Ballet Reign take classes at Highgate Ballet School in October 2025
…and they survived Advanced 2 Cecchetti to make a video of their experience!
Watch the Vlog here: https://youtu.be/XdjxnlT_WuU?si=wXUVb3RrzP9GjjOO
Cecchetti met Bournonville again in the studio a few days later at the Scuola di Hamlyn Florence and Almadanza, Bologna for two workshops taught by Julie Cronshaw and Danish trained, Bournonville dancer, teacher and researcher, Peter Brandenhoff. The Ballet Reign team joined the workshops and compiled a documentary length video of their experience.
Here is the link: https://youtu.be/Q5nHWXTMuzg?si=2DPOKr59OhQJDanh
Cecchetti meets Bournonville in the studio at Hamlyn Florence, October 2025
After the workshop in Florence at the historic Hamlyn studio, where Ballet’s Secret Code was filmed in 2015, the students posed for a group photo.
Thank you so much to Alessandra Alberti, Elisa Corsini and Nicoletta Santoro who helped organise the event, and to Marina Korableva who accompanied the classes.
Cecchetti meets Bournonville in the studio at Almadanza, Bologna, October 2025
Group photo taken after the Bologna workshop.
A huge thank you to Pier Paolo Gobbo, director of Almadanza at Bologna, for hosting the second workshop ‘Bournonville meets Cecchetti’ on Tuesday 27th October 2025 and for organising the publicity and social media marketing for both Italian workshop events!
Thank you also to Katharine Kanter of the Auguste Vestris Society for supporting both events, providing translations and research assistance!
Look out for an extensive report on Cecchetti meets Bournonville in the Studio, October 2025 on http://www.thececchetticonnection.com/,
Coming soon!
Nutcracker and Other Suite Things Christmas Performance, 10th December 2025
Thirty five Highgate Ballet School students ages 8 to 18 took part in our annual, seasonal charity workshop and performance in the lovely chapel space at the URC and raised over £700 for CAWs, the Winter homeless shelter. Photos of the event are on the school’s Facebook page. A huge thank you to Valerie Borg, Pamela Tinker, Ros Halpern and all of the backstage volunteers who helped make the evening such a success!
Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards 2nd November 2025: Mabel Ryan Competition Success
Congratulations to all the HBS dancers who took part in this year’s Cecchetti Classical Ballet Awards which took place at Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham on Sunday 2nd November: Lily El Mir, Taia Goehring, Melissa Caglar, Emmy Williams, Frances Webber, Eleonora Colista, Alexi Mutasa, Sophie Ollier, Marlie Bethel, Bella Lundgaard and Jess McDonough. Well done indeed to Alexi, Marlie, Melissa and Sophie for gaining Commendations in their sections, to Lily for winning the Runner Up in the Lower Junior Award and to Jess for winning the Senior Mabel Ryan Award! Look out for photos from the day on our Facebook page!
Vocational School destinations and Associate Programmes 2025-26
Congratulations
Tilda Marriage Massey Rambert School, Micah Wei Tring Park School of the Performing Arts, on Scholarship, Emily Licis, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Vivienne Karawan Young Dancers Academy, Year 6.
Marlie Bethel and Emily Licis, National Youth Ballet.
Jess McDonough and Marlie Bethel Central School of Ballet Associates, Sophie Ollier English National Ballet School Associates and Cecchetti Associates, Alexi Mutasa Ballet Black Associates and Cecchetti Senior Associates, Georgia Forsyth, Lily El Mir, Vivienne Scott-Bryan, Melissa Caglar, Chloe Forsyth, Eleonora Colista and Emmy Williams, Cecchetti Associates
Frances Webber CAT at The Place
Exam Success
Congratulations to all the dancers who took their ballet exams in March 2025! Everyone passed with Merit or Distinction! Well done in particular to the vocational exam candidates Eva Aziz Picardet who gained Distinction and Isla Jones who gained Merit in Cecchetti Intermediate and to candidates Bella Lundgaard and Jess Mcdonough who both gained Distinction in Cecchetti Intermediate Foundation.
In older News….
Nutcracker and other Suite Things 2024 Performance at the Highgate URC raises £900 for charity!
On Wednesday 11th December 2024 more than 50 HBS dancers ages 7-18 took part in our our popular pre-Christmas performance in the chapel space at the URC. The church was seasonally decorated and before the show the audience enjoyed a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie. The performance is an annual event on the HBS calendar. Minister Jonathan Abernethy Barkley opened the show with a charity address calling all to support the annual winter weekend shelter at the URC, which is organised by C4Ws, churches in Camden providing winter shelters for the homeless.This year we raised £906.44 in donations for the charity. Thank you to everyone to helped backstage!
More Congratulations 2024-2025
Cecchetti Advanced 1 exam: Emily Licis Distinction and Abigail Price Merit
Cecchetti Intermediate Exam: Micah Wei Distinction, Lara Cohen, Mia Skovsende and Rebecca Marinelli Merit
Well done to Alexi Mutasa, Eleonora Colista, Frances Webber, Marlie Bethel and Sophie Ollier who took part in the annual Cecchetti Children’s Awards this year which took place on Sunday 17th November 2024 at Central School of Ballet in SE1. Eleonora and Alexi gained Commendations in the Lower Junior and Junior Sections.
Associates Programmes: Jess McGillion Tring Park Classical Ballet Academy