Royal Academy of Dance pays tribute to Frank Freeman with a new scholarship fund

Posted on October 24, 2012

On November 11, the Royal Academy of Dance is holding a “Celebrating Dance 2012” day for dance students in order to raise funds for the newly launched Frank Freeman Scholarship fund.

The day consists of two events. First, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, a master class led by The Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae, which will provide students with “the unique opportunity to experience McRae sharing his artistry and experience of dance”. The master class is open to students studying at Advanced 2 Level or the equivalent, and their teachers may either observe or participate. The class will be followed by a question and answer session for both students and teachers.

Second, and running in parallel with the master class from 11am to 3.45pm, is the London and Middlesex Senior Awards Day, a competition for 16 to 22 year olds currently studying or who have passed Advanced Foundation or above, or the equivalent. The competition will take place before a live audience, and candidates will be judged on their performance in class and in a variation by Lynn Wallis, artistic director of the RAD, and Gary Avis, principal character artist and ballet master with The Royal Ballet. The winner will be awarded £150 and the runner-up £50, to go towards RAD activities or materials.

Income from “Celebrating Dance 2012” will support the Frank Freeman Scholarship, in memory of the distinguished teacher and RAD devotee who died in 2011, which will give the opportunity for one boy from the London and Middlesex region to be awarded a week’s free tuition on an RAD summer school in London 2013. For further information or to apply to attend either event at “Celebrating Dance 2012”, click here or email LondonMiddlesexRAC@rad.org.uk

Pictured: Steven McRae, photograph by Johan Persson.

Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray is editor of Dancing Times. He studied at The Royal Ballet School, Leicester Polytechnic, and Wimbledon School of Art where he graduated with a BA Hons in Theatre Design. For 16 years he was a member of the curatorial department of the Theatre Museum, London, assisting on a number of dance-related exhibitions, and helping with the recreation of original designs for a number of The Royal Ballet’s productions including Danses concertantes, Daphnis and Chloë, and The Sleeping Beauty. He has also contributed to the Financial Times, written programme articles for The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and is co-author of the book Unleashing Britain: Theatre gets real 1955-64, published in 2005.