Awards for excellence 2018
We presented our annual awards for the highest exams marks during 2018.
We present the 'Vicki Paterson Awards for Excellence' annual awards to students who have gained the highest marks in their dance exams over the year. The award is named after former CSBS student Vicki Paterson who gained a perfect 100% for her RAD Grade 4 ballet exam as well as consistently scoring over 90% in all her dance examinations. Vicki went on to become a professional ballet dancer after graduating from full-time training and now runs a highly successful dance studio in Norfolk..
Junior Shield
Inredibly, the Junior Award for Excellence was presented jointly to THREE students! Abbie Garmany, Niamh MacDonald, and Alexandra Craib each gained 88% in their examinations.
- Abbie (13) gained 88% for her RAD Grade Three ballet exam in June when she also gained a Distinction for her Grade 3 Solo Performance Award! Abbie studies ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics and is also in both our Majors programme and Junior Elite dance team.
- Niamh (9) gained 88% for her Primary tap exam in March having gained a high Merit for her Primary ballet exam in November 2017. Niamh currently studies ballet, tap and musical theatre.
- Alexandra (7) gained her high score of 88% for her Primary tap exam in November... It was her first ever graded exam! She also studies tap, jazz and acrobatics and is preparing to sit her Primary ballet exam in the upcoming Spring session.
Senior Shield
The Senior Award for Excellence was presented jointly to Sarah Firth and Katy Morley.
- Sarah (15) gained 87% for her Grade 5 ballet exam, as well as 90% for her Grade 5 Solo Performance Award and 85% for her Grade 4 tap exam! She was also awarded tthe examiners commendation for acrobatics. Sarah studies ballet, jazz, tap and acrobatics, and is both a student in our Majors Programme and a member of our competitive dance team, Starshine Elite. Sarah also won the award in 2017. She was also awarded the overall progress trophy for Grangemouth branch 2018.
- Katy (17) gained 87% for her ISTD Grade 6 tap exam in March and is now preparing for her Grade 6 ballet exam. Katy studies jazz, ballet and tap at our Braes branch.
Katie Deacon Performance Award
The Katie Deacon Performance Award is a new annual trophy presented to the student who gains the highest mark for their Solo Performance Award. It is named after former student Katie who was a professional ballerina following her graduation, and is now a musical theatre performer working across the world and in the West End. This year, the award was presented to Jill Russell (9) for her outstanding score of 94% for her Grade 1 Solo Performance Award. Jill was also our 2018 Millennium Trophy winner and represented CSBS in the RAD Junior Awards; she was also awarded the overall progress trophy for our Queensferry branch 2018. She studies ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics and musical theatre and has successfully auditioned for our Majors programme this year.
Acrobatics - Examiners shield for most potential
We have created a new shield for acrobatics exams. Our acrobatics exams have written reports and not points so we asked the examiner to choose the students she felt had demonstrated the most potential in their examination. We then presented a Junior and Senior shield, as well as certificates of commendation. Many congratulations to our inaugural winners!
- Junior Shield: Miren McPaul (6 - First Steps)
- Junior certificates: Charlie Fleming (5 - First Steps), Sophie Cameron (9 - Bronze)
- Senior Shield: Jill Russell (8 - Silver level)
- Senior certificates: Sarah Firth (14 - British Award)
Many congratulations to the students for their effort and determination and to all of our 322 dance exam candidates who worked extremely hard to pass their dance exams last year. We had around 38% of graded candidates gain Distinction. Please have a look at our exam news and results:
Our 2019 Spring session of exams is only a few weeks away so our students and teachers are still working incredibly hard!