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News and features index



News items
What's happening at BRB

Features

 David Bintley on 2008's Claras
November 14, 2008
 Welcome to the jungle
October 22, 2008
 David Bintley on the story of Sylvia
October 22, 2009
 David Bintley on his Sylvia reworking
October 22, 2008
 Robert Parker on Enigma Variations
October 22, 2008
 Wolfgang Stollwitzer interview
October 5, 2008
 The Beasts within
October 4, 2008
 Lei Zhao
September 6, 2008
 Kristen McGarrity
September 6, 2008
 Behind the scenes: Department for Learning
August 18, 2008
 New faces look back
July 14, 2008
 Birmingham Royal Ballet on Classic FM
July 8, 2008
 Notes on Petrushka (full version)
July 4, 2008
 The history of Le Baiser de la fée
July 4, 2008
 Notes on Card Game
July 4, 2008
 Jonathan Payn on BBC Radio York, Spring 2008
June 18, 2008
 Ambra Vallo on Giselle
June 13, 2008
 Desmond Kelly
June 6, 2008
 The Fairy's Kiss
May 13, 2008
 The history of Card Game
May 10, 2008
 Petrushka
May 9, 2008
 Stravinsky: the real deal
May 3, 2008
 Your personal profile
April 22, 2008
 Behind-the-scenes: wardrobe
April 2, 2008
 South-West tour notes
March 20, 2008
 2008-09 season
March 20, 2008
 North-East tour notes
March 19, 2008
 Anniek Soobroy
March 10, 2008
 Céline Gittens
March 7, 2008
 The light fantastic
February 12, 2008
 Dominic Antonucci
February 11, 2008
 Japan 2008 desktop wallpaper
January 11, 2008
 Behind the scenes: Diana Childs
December 7, 2007
 Fantasy and Reality
December 1, 2007
 An Entertainment of Genius
December 1, 2007
 Beauty and the Beast
November 19, 2007
 Stravinsky autumn 2008
September 19, 2007
 Angela Paul
October 9, 2007
 All that jazz
October 8, 2007
 Cardiff2008
October 5, 2007
 Enjoy Strictly dancing?
October 3, 2007
 New arrivals 2007
September 24, 2007
 Tyrone Singleton
September 21, 2007
 Edward II
August 10, 2007
 Strictly dancing
August 10, 2007
 Take Five costume rehearsals
June 22, 2007
 Mary Goodhew: the making of a dancer
June 12, 2007
 Michael O'Hare
June 1, 2007
 200708 Season
March 28, 2007
 Carl Davis interview
February 7, 2007
 Pas de deux - Stravinsky and Balanchine
January 29, 2007
 Ballet Hoo! aftershow interviews
October 7, 2006
 The Acrobat and the Ringmaster
April 20, 2006
 Transaction Charges
July 14, 2006

 
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Read BRB's current press releases

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Discussion forum
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Behind the scenes: Department for Learning



Part one



Pearl Chesterman is Director for Learning at Birmingham Royal Ballet, heading the team responsible for all of the Company's education and outreach work.

The department has seen some huge changes over the past few years, which Pearl is proud to have been part of. 'The general trend in arts organisations was to leave the title "education" behind and move towards "learning"', says Pearl. 'This was due to the increasing work with groups and communities outside the formal education sector; "education" felt restricted to schools' work only.

'After much discussion the department became the Department FOR learning, because we're here to facilitate other people's learning, whereas OF, implied we were imposing something on somebody else - "we're going to make you learn what we want you to learn!"'

This ethos of enabling access is integral to the department. As Pearl talks about the projects that they have run recently, it quickly becomes obvious that there is a strong sense of collaboration with the schools and groups with which they work, rather than simply being brought in to conduct ballet workshops.

'We can just teach ballet,' says Pearl, 'but often we don't go into schools and teach ballet because that can be a turn off for some children and young people right from the beginning, but we use the themes from a ballet to work on dance and movement and develop stories. So we're using what the Company does as a focus, but however the school or the group want to work, we can develop something around that.

'Although we have ideas of what we can do, many of the projects are bespoke because we work with the teachers or the group leaders to see what's best for them. Learning is very much a two-way process for us, because we learn from them as well as hopefully enabling them to learn too.

'We're increasing our work in communities, and through Birmingham City Council's Arts Champion scheme some of our work is particularly focussed on groups in Selly Oak. We work there with different age groups; a senior citizens' group recently had a talk with our wardrobe department and then went on to make the costumes for children from a play scheme who created their own production of Swan Lake. It brought two generations together and gave everybody an insight into more of the work of Birmingham Royal Ballet. That was really rewarding to work on.

'I don't know if everyone's focussing on what Learning is and what the word means, but when we were deciding on a new name for the department we thought a lot about the exact meaning of the word and how it informed the way we worked.

'There are two main definitions of Learning:
1. The art of gaining knowledge.
2. Any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of an experience.

'We liked both of those. We liked the change in attitude towards focussing on the direct experience of those who take part in our projects, which very much happened in the case of Ballet Hoo!'

Again, while it was obvious that Ballet Hoo! benefited the young participants immensely, the Company itself was able to learn from the experience.

'It not only changed the young people, it changed the thoughts and attitudes of many people in the Company,' says Pearl. 'I think it opened the eyes of many, many people to what the department can do, and the amount of work that goes on, and to the effect that it has on people.

'That's why I'm really keen that through the careers or Arts Awards work, and any future projects we do, that as many people in the Company are involved. It does give you a buzz and it does make you reassess what your job is, why you do it, and how, because you've got a new view of what you're doing. It's that two-way learning process!

'It's good when everyone has that buzz, rather than us just saying "yeah, we do all this important work" and looking a bit worthy over in the corner!'

Click here to read the second half of this article.

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Behind the scenes: Department for Learning

Part one



Pearl Chesterman is Director for Learning at Birmingham Royal Ballet, heading the team responsible for all of the Company's education and outreach work.

The department has seen some huge changes over the past few years, which Pearl is proud to have been part of. 'The general trend in arts organisations was to leave the title "education" behind and move towards "learning"', says Pearl. 'This was due to the increasing work with groups and communities outside the formal education sector; "education" felt restricted to schools' work only.

'After much discussion the department became the Department FOR learning, because we're here to facilitate other people's learning, whereas OF, implied we were imposing something on somebody else - "we're going to make you learn what we want you to learn!"'

This ethos of enabling access is integral to the department. As Pearl talks about the projects that they have run recently, it quickly becomes obvious that there is a strong sense of collaboration with the schools and groups with which they work, rather than simply being brought in to conduct ballet workshops.

'We can just teach ballet,' says Pearl, 'but often we don't go into schools and teach ballet because that can be a turn off for some children and young people right from the beginning, but we use the themes from a ballet to work on dance and movement and develop stories. So we're using what the Company does as a focus, but however the school or the group want to work, we can develop something around that.

'Although we have ideas of what we can do, many of the projects are bespoke because we work with the teachers or the group leaders to see what's best for them. Learning is very much a two-way process for us, because we learn from them as well as hopefully enabling them to learn too.

'We're increasing our work in communities, and through Birmingham City Council's Arts Champion scheme some of our work is particularly focussed on groups in Selly Oak. We work there with different age groups; a senior citizens' group recently had a talk with our wardrobe department and then went on to make the costumes for children from a play scheme who created their own production of Swan Lake. It brought two generations together and gave everybody an insight into more of the work of Birmingham Royal Ballet. That was really rewarding to work on.

'I don't know if everyone's focussing on what Learning is and what the word means, but when we were deciding on a new name for the department we thought a lot about the exact meaning of the word and how it informed the way we worked.

'There are two main definitions of Learning:
1. The art of gaining knowledge.
2. Any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of an experience.

'We liked both of those. We liked the change in attitude towards focussing on the direct experience of those who take part in our projects, which very much happened in the case of Ballet Hoo!'

Again, while it was obvious that Ballet Hoo! benefited the young participants immensely, the Company itself was able to learn from the experience.

'It not only changed the young people, it changed the thoughts and attitudes of many people in the Company,' says Pearl. 'I think it opened the eyes of many, many people to what the department can do, and the amount of work that goes on, and to the effect that it has on people.

'That's why I'm really keen that through the careers or Arts Awards work, and any future projects we do, that as many people in the Company are involved. It does give you a buzz and it does make you reassess what your job is, why you do it, and how, because you've got a new view of what you're doing. It's that two-way learning process!

'It's good when everyone has that buzz, rather than us just saying "yeah, we do all this important work" and looking a bit worthy over in the corner!'

Click here to read the second half of this article.