Joanna Wright School of Ballet student Kristen Stockenstrom, 15, recently scooped was recently awarded the Eastern Cape Ceccheti Intermediate Award during her vocational examination.
StockenstromKristen had only been training for seven months in the Ceccheti method.
“This vocational exam is set out so as to develop a candidate’s expertise towards becoming either a professional dancer or a dance teacher.
“A high standard of technique is expected at this level, as compared with the graded examinations, and dancers must attend at least four lessons a week.
“With this additional workload, one promotes the dancer’s self-motivation, focus and the work ethos that is expected at professional level,” the school’s owner said Joanna Wright said.
“I am so grateful for this award. I have pushed myself to the limits and was determined to do my absolute best for it. I could never have done it without all the love, support and hard work from Mrs Wright,” Kristen said.
Wright said she was is thrilled very happy for Kristen as she had as she worked extremely hard.
“Her being selected as winner of the Eastern Cape Cecchetti Intermediate award is well-deserved recognition of this commitment.
“Apart from the fact that at vocational level the work is more technically demanding, these examinations also have a much longer syllabus for the students to both learn and then practise repeatedly so that they can demonstrate all exercises at the high standard expected.
It can be rather overwhelming at times,” Wright said.
Kristen took seven months to prepare for this particular examination, dancing not only during weekday classes but also over weekends and school holidays.
“I believe that these provincial awards are valuable recognition of the many hours of hard training that goes into preparing for ballet exams at the vocational level.
“They are only awarded if the standard is high enough, so this makes Kristen’s award all the more meaningful and inspires other younger dancers to aim towards the same heights,” said Wright said.
The Joanna Wright School of Ballet has been running in East London since 1985, with many young
“Over the years of being both principal and teacher, many young aspirant dancers having trained with Wright in the have trained with me in the classical Cecchetti method. ,” she said.
