Cecchetti Port de Bras

Cecchetti Port de Bras ~ YouTube Link

Lecturer: Diane van Schoor, South Africa

In celebration of the Cecchetti Centenary, Diane van Schoor will present a lecture demonstration on Port de Bras with Brandon Lawrence, Principal dancer of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

DIANE VAN SCHOOR FISTD [CB] FRSA, Enrico Cecchetti Diploma

Born in South Africa, Diane van Schoor was trained by Jennifer Louw, later the University of Cape Town Ballet School [Director Dulcie Howes], and danced professionally for CAPAB Ballet [Director David Poole].  She founded her School of Classical Ballet and held a lectureship in Movement Studies in the Dramatic Arts Faculty, University of Stellenbosch.  Past Artistic Director of The Cecchetti Society of Southern Africa, she holds The Enrico Cecchetti Mabel Ryan Medal, Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, and Fellowships of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing London [ISTD] and Royal Society for the Arts.  She is the recipient of the Cecchetti Dedication Award 2000, for services to Ballet in South Africa, and in 2011 was awarded The Enrico Cecchetti Gold Medal by the ISTD, a lifetime achievement award in recognition of her promotion of classical ballet around the world.

She is a Trustee of the Cecchetti Society Trust in the UK, a Trustee of the Ballet Benevolent Fund in Cape Town, an ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 6, 7, and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and she is currently serving as Artistic Advisor to Alberta Ballet School in Canada.

Diane frequently presents papers at international conferences and has acted as subject consultant for various dance publications. She is an Honorary Committee Member of the Wayne State University for Fine and Performing Arts USA, Honorary Member of The Cecchetti Council of America, Founding Member of Cecchetti International, and an Advisory Panel member for the Margaret Saul Scholarship in Canada.  She has taught at many of the world’s leading schools and companies including The Royal Ballet and both Upper and Lower Schools, The Paris Opera Ballet School, The Vaganova Academy, The National Ballet School of Canada, Royal Winnipeg and Alberta Ballet companies, and their Schools in Canada, Cleveland Ballet, New English Ballet Theatre, the Bartholin Seminars in Copenhagen, The Banff Centre, Cape Town City Ballet and in Sweden, China, and Japan.

In 1997 Diane was invited by Dennis Nahat, Director of Cleveland Ballet to establish a co-venture school for the company in San Jose, California.

In 2000 Diane joined the artistic staff of The Royal Ballet School [Director Gailene Stock CBE AM].  She taught Graduates at White Lodge, 2^nd Year Diploma at the Upper School, choreographed for the Royal Opera House Main Stage for the Royal Ballet School’s annual performances and for the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain.  She is the former Ballet Principal of The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge, a post she held from 2004 to 2014.

Diane taught the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma work to a selection of dancers from The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet and acted as Artistic Director of the heritage legacy film project for the Cecchetti Society Trust in the UK. The DVD was released by Opus Arte Naxos in the UK and Japan in July 2019. She is a freelance master teacher, coach, and examiner, teaching and consulting internationally.

Biog DvS 2022