Visit to London Vocational Ballet School
LBC members were invited to visit the school, meet the students and observe classes.
Photo by ASH
London Vocational Ballet School
November 25th 2025
11 LBC members were delighted to attend an event at the London Vocational Ballet School in Shepherd’s Bush on Nov 25th. Early arrivals were treated to a one-to-one rehearsal of a Year 10 student’s solo for an upcoming competition. Encouragement for any student to gain performance practice was endorsed by the School’s Artistic Director, Louise Bennett, who had been Royal Ballet School trained and had danced with companies around Europe. Louise introduced the main programme for the afternoon beginning with a class, led by Megan Webster-Shaw, of a mix of enthusiastic Year 6 & 7 pupils who were all new recruits to the School in September. This ‘show class’ demonstrated some basic exercises but focused on the importance of ‘spotting’, vital for the execution of pirouettes and other ‘turns’.
We then followed a Year 10 & Year 11 pas de deux class led by Stephen Wicks and Georgina McDermott. Here it was explained how the transition from thinking about your own technique into responsibility for your partner was an important element in dancers’ training. The deep concentration on their faces was evident! The class included girls partnering girls and boys partnering boys so that everyone could better understand each other’s role - sometimes with hilarious results.
The School takes around 50 full-time students up to the age of 16. Louise explained that the LVBS curriculum includes music & singing, art & design as well as ballet, academic work and a BTEC in Performing Arts to ensure that students are well prepared for the future. To highlight this, the afternoon ended with a whole school chorus of Christmas songs due to be performed on Dec 5th. LBC members are invited to the concert which begins at 6.30. Doors open at 6pm (entrance through Door 2 at 58 Bulwer St, W12 8AP).
A huge thank you to all the staff and students for a most enjoyable and instructive afternoon. We wish them a very Happy Christmas.
Report by Krissie Poyser © The London Ballet Circle
