At the end of 2005, the Central School of Ballet announced the appointment of their new Director, Bruce Sansom. The former Royal Ballet Principal officially took up his post on January 9th, 2006 when the school commenced its spring term. Sansom’s highly esteemed performance career, his international teaching experience and astute business sense were all considered invaluable assets for the future of Central school.
Bruce Sansom began his dance training at the chipper and tender age of four; “I started at a local dance school when I was almost 4-years old with no idea that this was the start of a career path …I just really enjoyed moving to music.”
The first ballet works Sansom saw must have made a deep impression. Sansom recalls, “It was either Rudolph Nureyev’s production of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet or Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal Gardee. “ And interestingly, Bruce Sansom went on to dance the role of Colas in La Fille for the rest of his dance career.
Sansom explains, “Dancing the role of Colas, the leading man in La Fille mal Gardee, for my school performance, then in my first year in the company and then right through until my retirement has to have been a constant highlight for me. Also, my farewell performance when I exited making a debut as Manon’s brother, Lescaut, in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet Manon. To go out on a debut is a real thrill…no previous or future performance to compare it to.”
Lady Sieff, Chairwoman of Central’s Board of Governors speaking of Sansom’s appointment said, “This is a wonderful time for Bruce to be joining us. Now that the school is so well placed as an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, offering a BA Honours degree validated by the University of Kent…Bruce is the right person to be leading Central School of Ballet as it embarks on this new and exciting journey…”
Bruce Sansom responded with commensurate enthusiasm, “I am delighted to be joining Central School of Ballet. My personal belief in how best to prepare young adults for professional dance careers aligns perfectly with the original reason for the school’s foundation. Central’s uncompromising commitment to provide the highest level of training, extending well beyond the ballet studio, is absolutely right for the ever changing dance world that future generations of dancers will be entering.”
Questioned about Central’s role as a training institution with a particular ethos Sansom responded; “We aim to provide students with a full range of experiences so that they are fully prepared for a career that might cover a wide range of employment outcomes across the dance sector, and beyond. It is important for students to experience and recognise how dance is constantly evolving, with more sharing of styles within the various prescribed training methods.”
“Today’s dancers have a very different, often more complex career path than a traditional career of two decades ago. While this might mean that it can be less secure, it also allows for a much greater range of experiences. The journey can be more exciting and varied…and we aim to prepare students for this new, 21st Century approach,” Sansom added.
Sansom himself was trained at The Royal Ballet School. Asked about the teachers and performance figures that inspired him Sansom replied; “Too numerous to begin to list them. However, one who made me believe in myself was Erik Bruhn. He was a guest teacher during my final year at the Royal Ballet School. He had no prior knowledge of my abilities, took me as I was, made me feel that I was on the right path and provided me with a huge amount of support and encouragement.”
Bruce Sansom subsequently joined the Royal Ballet Company in 1982 and was promoted to Principal in 1987. His repertory at the Royal Ballet included all the major leads in the classical repertoire along with specially created roles by Sir Kenneth Macmillan, David Bintley, Ashley Page, Christopher Wheeldon, Richard Alston and Siobhan Davies. Sansom’s career also included guest appearances with the San Francisco Ballet, the Australian Ballet, Hamburg Ballet and the Scottish Ballet.
In 2000 Sansom concluded his dancing career and spent two years in America studying Arts Management and Arts Administration. On his return to the UK he fulfilled a one-year contract as Head of Development for the Rambert Dance Company. Since then he has presented and directed; An Evening of British Ballet, worked as an international guest teacher, an independent arts producer and made regular contributions to Dance Now magazine. Amongst other duties he is a trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance and the Cecchetti Society Trust.
Central School of Ballet
The Central School of Ballet was founded by Ann Stannard and the late Christopher Gable more than 20 years ago. In that time Central has become one of the UK’s leading centres for dance training. Stannard and Gable established the ethos of the school and the integrity of the training. At the heart of CSB is the belief that talented, dedicated young people should have access to the highest quality of training, whatever their economic, social or cultural background.
Talking about the specifics of a Central training, Sansom explained ; “We work very closely on providing a lot of very structured feedback right across their training. At the same time, students are expected to be responsible for setting their artistic and physical targets based on their own and their teachers’ expectations.”
Central Ballet School is committed to training and education of the highest standard and has recently formalised its affiliation to the Conservatoire of Dance and Drama. This enables Central to fund places for all EU students. Central has enabled hundreds of talented students to take up successful careers in the dance profession; and has one of the highest rates of employment for graduating students. Asked to describe what makes for a great dancer, Bruce Sansom offered the following thoughts; “Artistry, ability, discipline, clear focus…(and)…
a realistic sense of your own abilities.”
The challenges facing emerging dancers now in the UK/EU are very different from the challenges facing Sansom’s generation of graduates; Sansom agreed; “A very different set of employment opportunities than existed 20 years ago. This can work in their favour as well as appear to be more precarious. There are fewer long-term contracts but more short-term ones allowing for a potentially more challenging and stimulating career.”
CSB boasts an outstanding faculty of staff who work to fulfil the individual potential of every student. The dance teachers bring their expertise and passion for dance, consolidated by successful international performing and teaching careers. All Central staff honour the school’s holistic approach to training that secures its excellent reputation.
Sansom commented that he felt “perfectly aligned” pedagogically with Central’s approach to training; “Central School of Ballet enables students to learn their craft from every angle. Everything the students do works towards that same goal. Therefore, you don’t learn about dance just in the ballet studio taking a classical or contemporary lesson- but you engage with the art form on every level and perspective; inside and outside of the studio.”
Central School of Ballet has recently launched a £3.5 million Development Appeal to raise funds to provide improved facilities including; a theatre for in-house productions, a Health Centre to support the students during their training, and a Knowledge Centre to enhance the provision of academic studies. Support for the project has already been secured, and the fundraising campaign is well under way. Generous supporters of the Appeal include, Gillian Lynne CBE, Irek Mukhamedov OBE and Adam Cooper. CSB believes that a donation to the Appeal is an investment in the future of dance.
And what about the future of dance at Central ? As the new Director of Central, what is Bruce Sansom’s vision and his hopes for the school over the next five years ?
“To train dancer-artists who are fully prepared for an exciting, diverse range of opportunities and whose skills the dance sector recognises and appreciates. To help students realise their own strengths and to enable them to understand that not achieving something is as beneficial a learning experience as succeeding in it. Dancers denigrate themselves too easily, looking to the negative before enjoying the positive. Oh, to change that! ”
New and exciting leadership is the life-blood of any institution and within arts training institutions it is essential. Arts leaders with a capacity to intuit and understand current artistic and cultural shifts play a vital role in assisting their students to fulfil their potential and to develop successful careers. Their inspirational leadership and approach to their pedagogical work can make a real and lasting difference not only to emerging artists but ultimately, to the art form itself.
www.centralschoolballet.co.uk
For further information about Central School of Ballet please contact Naomi Watson at CSB; email marketing@csbschool.co.uk.
