Magical Ballet Class For Children

What is ballet without storytelling? What is movement without context?

This new series of albums brings four classic ballets to life for 3 to 8-year-old dancers by transporting them directly into their magical stories. The odd-numbered tracks on each album are optional ‘narration’ tracks (approx. 30/40 seconds each) which introduce the characters and summarise the story, and the even-numbered tracks are carefully chosen musical arrangements from the ballet, with tempos, structures and orchestrations appropriate for younger dancers.

Each album begins with a cardio warm-up, then weaves 8 simple ballet exercises (40 to 60 seconds each) into the storyline. This is followed by a ‘listening game’ where dancers are invited to respond individually to the different types of music they hear, and then an ‘imaginative sequence’ to which they can improvise or devise their own choreography. Throughout the class, children are encouraged to develop their storytelling skills through the use of mime, and by dancing as different characters from the story.

As well as making a self-contained 25/30-minute ballet class, each album can also be used in a performance context – the colourful and dynamic orchestral arrangements are captivating for dancers and audiences alike. As an alternative to using the pre-recorded voiceovers, scripts for each of the stories can be downloaded here and may be read over the underscore by teachers (or students) in class or in performance environments. The stories are all out of copyright – teachers are free to adapt the text and characters as they see fit for their students.

The current series is aimed at ballet teachers with a basic knowledge of how to construct ballet exercises appropriate to the music provided. A separate series for non-ballet-trained classroom teachers – with more prescriptive and descriptive voiceovers – is currently under development.

Devising these albums was a labour of love for me. As the father of a young dancer, I knew the impact these resources could have on their development as a musical, thoughtful and creative performer. My aim has been to create a joyful learning environment where children can fall in love with the essence, the magic and the history of ballet from the inside out. I hope you enjoy it!

All four albums are available in English and Italian, and further languages will follow. Please contact me if you’d like to narrate an album in your own language and you could do a day’s recording in London.

CREDITS

• Violin: Charlie Brown
• All other instruments and arrangements: Andrew Holdsworth
• English narration: Chloe Weeden
• Italian narration: Alice Tagliento
• Cover dancer (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty) – Anna Rose O’Sullivan
• Cover design by Sean Barnes www.ebsworth.com
• Other images licensed from Shutterstock
• Very special thanks to the following teachers – Clodagh Brady, Caroline Butler, Eva Perdiki, Karen Berry and Vanessa Donkin

English versions release dates:
Coppélia – OUT NOW
Sleeping Beauty – 05/05/25
Swan Lake – 01/09/25
Nutcracker – 27/10/25

Italian versions release dates:
Il Lago dei Cigni – 05/05/25
Coppelia – 12/05/25
La Bella Addormentata – 01/09/25
Schiaccianoci – 10/11/25