New Zealand School of Dance - the official school of the Royal New Zealand Ballet

The New Zealand School of Dance has been named as the official school of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, now the official school of the company. In December a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Royal New Zealand Ballet company and the New Zealand School of Dance, committing renewed energy to the relationship between the two national arts organisations, a fantastic benefit for the school. There are a number of initiatives benefitting from the sharing of resources and the crossover between the company and the school, but perhaps none greater than the nurturing of the NZSD students and helping them realise their dreams by such close proximity with the company. Having professional dancers at the students' disposal effectively will provide a constant source of inspiration and aspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue9RXSHq4B4 In fact, the New Zealand School of Dance was founded in 1967 to train dancers for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Despite changes in the school's course structure, programmes and direction in the following years, the professional association between the school and professional company has remained strong. This recent move now indicates even greater collaboration as the school approaches its 50th anniversary in 2017. The close ties between the school and the company show direct correlation between the huge number of dancers who have trained at the school and who have joined the company, and the document signing reflects the original manifesto of the New Zealand School of Dance. The aspiration both the organisations' administration shares is to present young New Zealanders with a legitimate career path in the arts through entry to the school and consequently into the company in future years. For the organisation, the primary wish is to see more New Zealanders remain in the country and shape the national dance culture.