February 3, 2014
About Us
About The Potten End Ballet School
Welcome to The Potten End Ballet School where we specialise in teaching just ballet of the highest quality to children from two and three-quarter years old all the way through their childhood and teenage years right up to eighteen years old!
And where we also specialise in teaching inspiring Adult Ballet classes to all ages and abilities including “Silver Swans” (please see the Adult Page).
Our Lower School Ballet Classes for our youngest children are taught by Maria Hardcastle and her classes are full of Imagination and Magical fun to capture the young children’s own imagination but all with a sound Royal Academy of Dance technique in the background. Maria might take the children on an imaginary “Pirate Ship” one week or into an imaginary “Fairy Land” the next! – the children adore her introduction into the world of Ballet!
Maria is an highly qualified and experienced teacher having graduated from London Studio Centre with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Dance and has a Graduate Diploma in Dance Teaching. Maria is also concurrently The Dance Course Leader at West Herts College.
When our Ballet Pupils are ready to move up to Grade One (about seven yrs old) then Juliet Tschaikowsky (the Principal) takes on the role of teaching all the classes in The Upper School. Juliet is passionate about inspiring our students with wonderful music and choreography and aims to bring a new dimension to every class, sometimes creating a dance specifically for an individual pupil in mind. We aim to inspire with Juliet’s Russian training and to pass on a sound Royal Academy of Dance technique.
We offer plenty of exciting opportunities to perform in productions at The Potten End Ballet School. Our pupils have recently been lucky enough to perform at Watford Palace Theatre, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre and Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Here are some examples of productions Juliet has choreographed for our students in The Upper School – “Born To Dance”, “Balletic Variations”, “The Degas Painting”, “Hooray For Hollywood”. We have recently been working on “Les Sylphides” with our senior students.
“As a parent watching through the glass doors, I love seeing the children being transported into the exciting and magical world Juliet conjurs up”! Frannie Verney-Kershaw.
Juliet Tschaikowsky trained at Tring Park School for The Performing Arts, Elmhurst School for Dance and Rosella Hightower’s Dance Studio in Cannes, France.
After working professionally as a dancer and choreographer Juliet set up ballet schools in France, Germany and Australia and then founded The Potten End Ballet School in 1995. “I have taught many pupils all the way through their childhood from 3 to 18yrs and I am proud to say several of my past pupils are now forging careers in the Theatre!
Juliet comes from a family involved in the arts with several generations of musicians and composers, her grandfather worked with Diaghilev in the legendary Ballet Russes.
So if you are interested in The Potten End Ballet School please contact Juliet. You will be warmly welcomed into the studio, invited to watch classes and offered a trial lesson so you or your children can experience our magical world of ballet.
Classes are taught in a beautiful studio with wooden sprung floors, wall barres and large portable mirrors. There are comfortable changing and waiting areas and a large free car park and Parents are welcomed at The Potten End Ballet School to sit in and watch their children’s classes – Juliet and Maria look forward to hearing from you!
