This week’s dance teacher news starts with the Fonteyn medallists, then looks ahead to a big week for ballroom and Latin in Blackpool. We’ve also pulled out what teachers say about the Strictly rush of adult beginners, the latest push for dance in schools, two training chances for your keenest students and some syllabus courses for your diary.
The Fonteyn 2026 medallists
The RAD has announced the medallists of The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2026 after the final at the London Coliseum on Sunday 8 November. The Genée Gold went to Erin Alarie, 17, from Canada, and silver to Tsz Ho Ting, 18, of Berlin State Ballet School. The two bronze medals went to Chi Kok Ip, 18, of Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, and Siena Murphy, 17, from the UK, of English National Ballet School. Chelsea Humm won the Audience Choice Award, Gonzalo Toledo the Musicality Award, and Erin Alarie also took the Dancer’s Own Choreographic Award.
71 candidates from 19 countries took part. Finalists danced a classical repertoire variation, their own choreography and a variation by Sir Frederick Ashton, coached during the week at RAD headquarters.
Why it matters for your classes: separate awards for musicality and for the dancers’ own choreography show that artistry counts alongside technique. With older ballet students, try setting a short solo of their own to a piece of music you choose, then talk about phrasing before you talk about steps.
Blackpool week for ballroom and Latin
The British National Championships run from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Juvenile and junior couples dance on the Saturday afternoon and early evening, and the British National Solo Championships follow on Sunday 22 November. First round times are now on the festival’s page. The same Saturday, 21 November, Strictly Come Dancing has its Blackpool Special from the Tower Ballroom at 6.35pm on BBC One.
Why it matters for your classes: it’s the easiest week of the year to get children talking about ballroom. The solo championships are worth mentioning to students who don’t have a regular partner, and our ballroom lesson planning guide will help you turn the excitement into a structured class.
The Strictly rush: what teachers say about adult beginners
Strictly is now past its halfway point, and a survey of 100 UK dance teachers by Insure4Sport in October found that 92% see more enquiries and bookings from adult beginners while the show is on air. Teachers named ankles (76%) and feet and toes (66%) as the areas most often injured in adult beginners, and 72% said the wrong footwear is a common cause. 62% said at least three quarters of adult beginners arrive without warming up. The waltz was rated the least demanding dance, with samba, quickstep and jive among the toughest.
Why it matters for your classes: put clear footwear advice in your welcome message (no grippy trainers on wooden floors), build the warm-up into the class rather than leaving it to students, and start new adults on gentler dances before the fast ones.
The push for dance in schools
On 10 November the Arts and Minds campaign delivered an open letter to the Department for Education, signed by around 10,000 people including Dame Arlene Phillips. One Dance UK has backed the call for more curriculum time, funding and specialist teachers, ahead of the new national curriculum. It quotes Teacher Tapp research finding that just 7% of school leaders felt able to increase curriculum time for the arts. Separately, Arts Council England says it will hold roundtables and webinars on its private dance schools research, though no dates are out yet. Our summary of that research covers what it found.
Why it matters for your classes: if school timetables stay squeezed, after-school clubs and local dance schools fill the gap. It’s a good time to offer a taster session to a nearby primary.
Training chances for your keenest students
Trinity Laban’s Centre for Advanced Training has a free audition on Saturday 21 November in London for dancers aged 12 to 17, with a limited number of places starting in January 2027. Training runs on Saturdays in contemporary, hip hop, ballet and choreography, and Department for Education bursaries are available based on family income. Further ahead, Aurelius Ballet opens in the East Midlands in September 2027, offering supplementary classical training for ages 9 to 18 alongside their usual dance school, with auditions planned for February 2027.
Why it matters for your classes: supplementary schemes like these work alongside your classes rather than replacing them. Mention them to families early, as bursary forms take time.
Courses for your diary
- Tuesday 17 November, online: the RAD’s How your RAD membership can help grow your dance business (members free, non-members £15).
- Sunday 22 November, Southampton: the ISTD’s Tap Dance New Advanced 1 course (day 1), covering drills, timesteps and a technical sequence from the new syllabus. Day 2 follows on 10 January.
- Sunday 6 December, online and at ISTD HQ: Intermediate Modern revision to free music (part 2).
- Friday 11 December, online: the RAD’s Under-fuelling in Dance: Awareness for Teachers (members free, non-members £15).
- Friday 15 January 2027, Swindon: Swindon Dance’s professional development day on teaching work, funding, safeguarding and wellbeing (£55).
Why it matters for your classes: syllabus updates are far easier to bring in gradually when you’ve seen them taught, so book early, as courses can be cancelled three weeks out if numbers are low.
This week’s tip
Turn Blackpool week into homework. Ask older students to watch one couple, from the Nationals or from Strictly, and bring back three things they noticed about timing, posture or how the couple used the floor. It gets them watching like dancers rather than fans, and gives you a ready-made warm-up chat for the following week.
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