STUDENTS COURSES
MASTERCLASSES
Masterclasses held in the UK, including at the Royal Opera House, and various locations abroad.
COACHING WEEKS
Exclusive and nurturing retreats for small groups of young dancers aged between 12 and 16, held at my private studio in the Cadiz province, Spain. Accommodation available within the beautiful finca gardens.
These coaching weeks focus on building confidence and drawing out natural dance quality and musicality, in a very safe and supportive environment. Sunshine, ballet and beach.....a perfect combination!
I first founded The Wells Ballet Courses nineteen years ago, for young aspiring students, with a faculty comprised of my colleagues from The Royal Ballet. These went on to be held at Sadlers Wells and the Royal Opera House, becoming one of the highlights in the dance calendar, attracting the top dancers and teachers in the country such as Darcey Bussell and Marianela Nunez. Former pupils include Francesca Hayward, Yasmine Naghdi, Anna Rose O´Sullivan and Melissa Hamilton, all now dancing with The Royal Ballet.
Ballet students´ training is so intense these days, from such a tender age, and there is such huge, relentless pressure on the young dancers - the very reason they started dancing can sometimes get lost under the stress of exams, performances and competitions. So in 2012 we decided we needed to break the mould, and do something completely different. In amongst the rigours of a dancer´s training, there comes a time when one needs to take a step back, and look at things in a different light, in order to be able to grow to the next level as a dancer.
The idea of the Ballet Bubble began when a small, select ( and slightly adventurous!) group of students travelled to Dar Danse, Morocco, to step off the world, leaving all the pressure of the dance world behind, to rediscover what it is they really loved about dancing. The combination of sea views from the barre, a camel passing by during centre practise, and the chance to dance on the beach at sunset, was a winning one, and we spent many happy summers re-igniting the joy of dance for many promising young dancers, in the most idyllic of environments.
These nurturing retreats seemed to fill a much-needed gap and, expanding on that idea, I am delighted to now be able to offer EXCLUSIVE COACHING WEEKS here at our family Finca, in the Cadiz province of Spain. The sunshine, sea and pool will still feature - though we can´t promise camels! These retreats are aimed at young dancers wanting to develop their performance skills, and build confidence in a very supportive, and positive environment.
Francesca is Founder and Director of
Wells Ballet Courses; prestigious courses for aspiring ballet students, with Royal Ballet faculty.