Tag Archives: Susie Crow

Susie will be resuming teaching from Thursday 2nd February, with a normal schedule of ballet classes at various levels through till the end of March. These classes will continue to be hybrid so can be attended either in person or online; please email susiecrow@gmail.com if you require a Zoom invitation or have any queries. Pointework will continue to be offered for those attending in person classes on Thursdays and Saturdays. Check the classes page for further details…

Thursday 2nd February: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 4th February: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 6th February: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 9th February: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 11th February: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 13th February: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 16th February: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 18th February: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 20th February: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 23rd February: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 25th February: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 27th February: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 2nd March: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 4th March: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 6th March: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 9th March: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 11th March: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 13th March: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 16th March: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 18th March: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 20th March: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 23rd March: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Saturday 25th March: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointework

Monday 27th March: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 30th March: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointework

Looking forward to seeing you in class!

Susie

Summer 2022 guest teachers at URC

October 24, 2022

Well into autumn, I belatedly reflect back on an eventful summer of teaching. Now that classes in person at URC have re-established themselves post pandemic, and we are all working to regain some of what was lost during the lengthy lockdown, it seemed a good time to invite some guests teachers to bring fresh knowledge and perspectives.

First up Oxford physio Tamsin Hughes, who this year has been coming regularly to BiSS Monday evening classes. Tamsin initially trained locally in Oxford with Mary Colegrove, Michelle Rose and Penny Cullerne-Bown, before completing ISTD teacher training at Bedford and a year at London Studio Centre. Later retraining as a physiotherapist at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, combined with her sound and graceful dancing skills, has given her real expertise and understanding of the physical needs of dancers. With warm weather providing an opportunity to work on flexibility, I asked whether she could give some advice and examples of safe stretches, so that people could have a repertoire to choose from according to their bodily needs. We did a joint Saturday session on 11^th June; I taught a warming barre, and then handed over to Tamsin to go through some basic stretches, explaining their mechanics and purpose. This proved immensely enlightening and valuable; following some general advice it became a surgery where people were able to ask her for specific help in addressing their individual needs. Much food for thought and constructive action to support the dancing – thank you Tamsin!

A month later on 2^nd July Alessandra Masoero came to teach a two hour class. Alessandra trained in ballet and contemporary dance at Teatro Nuovo in Turin with Carla Perotti and Renata Justino, later performing and choreographing. In the early 1990s she moved to London where she continued to study ballet with Anna du Boisson, Mark Silver and Roger Tully. She qualified as a professional ballet teacher at the Royal Academy of Dance, studying with Holly Price. She teaches popular adult ballet classes in Notting Hill, but also is a guest teacher for other schools in Italy and London, and recently with the Viviana Durante Company. Alessandra has recently begun to study with Anya Grinsted whose work is inspired by legendary teacher Audrey de Vos; so our class began with some of the de Vos conditioning exercises designed to access the dance from within the body in a relaxed way, finding the centre and feeling the weight in gentle rhythmic movement. A great starting point for a highly enjoyable ballet class that blossomed into flowing dancing, encouraged by Alessandra’s empathetic warmth and enthusiasm.

Our final guest was my longstanding friend and colleague Jennifer Jackson. Jennifer danced as a soloist with the Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet and Aterballetto in Italy, choreographing works for both Royal Ballet companies. Together we were founders of the small-scale ballet company Dance Advance, and later the Ballet Independents’ Group (BIG), leading courses, programming discussions and undertaking choreographic research. Jennifer was later a lecturer in the Dance Department at University of Surrey, taught choreography at the Royal Ballet Upper School, and recently successfully directed Images Ballet Company for London Studio Centre. She is also the editor of Ballet: The Essential Guide to Technique and Creative Practice, a wonderful collection of expert and informative chapters by leading practitioners. You can read Maggie Watson’s review of this essential reading here.

Jennifer studied over years with veteran ballet teacher Roger Tully, and her class was informed by his enlightening approach, whereby dancers can bring out their own dancing through developing their understanding of ballet’s fundamental movement principles; such as en dehors (outward) and en dedans (inward) movement, the notion of the central aplomb or plumb line, and the oppositions within the body which generate the spirals of épaulement and turning, enabling balance and releasing movement. A slow start awakened those attending to these vital concepts, and informed a sequence of beautiful and thought-provoking enchaînements. A wonderful way to finish our series of August classes and inspire those attending with fresh insights and aspirations.

Hoping to invite more guests in the coming months, watch this space…

Susie

September and October ballet classes at URC

September 12, 2022

I hope that you have had a lovely summer…

I have just resumed teaching for the autumn term period. See below for a schedule for BiSS adult ballet classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced level at URC, the United Reformed Church Hall, 294A Banbury Road, Summertown (opposite South Parade and Radio Oxford), Oxford OX2 7ED, continuing through to 17th October.

These classes continue to be hybrid, offering the option to attend either in person or online. Please email susiecrow@gmail.com if you would like to receive Zoom invitations. As Covid may still be out there, and particularly as we head into autumn, please do email or text me to book in advance if you wish to attend in person, and let me know if you need to cancel. We will be keeping a window or two open for ventilation, so once it gets colder please come prepared to wrap up warmly in class if necessary.

Pointe work sessions will be offered for those attending classes in person on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Despite inflation, payment for BiSS URC classes will remain the same this term: £10 for in person attendance, with the loyalty card so that your 10th class is free, £7 for online attendance, and £5 for pointe work. You are welcome to pay by cash, cheque or by bank transfer online; contact me for bank details.

Looking forward to seeing you in class,

Susie

Monday 12th September: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 15th September: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 17th September: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 19th September: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 22nd September: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 24th September: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 26th September: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 29th September: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 1st October: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 3rd October: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 6th October: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 8th October: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 10th October: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 13th October: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 15th October: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 17th October: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.54-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 20th October: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

August ballet classes at URC

August 1, 2022

I hope that you have been able to enjoy the glorious weather, and survived the intense heat…

I will be offering some Intermediate and Advanced ballet classes at URC during August, so see below for a schedule for the next three weeks. These will continue as hybrid classes that can be attended either in person or online; please email me at susiecrow@gmail.com to book in advance if you wish to attend in person, to let me know if you need to cancel, and to request the relevant Zoom invitations if you wish to attend classes online. Pointe work will be offered for those attending in person on Thursdays and Saturdays. Please note timing change – as there are no beginners’ classes at the moment Saturday classes during August will start at 11.00am, not 11.45am; also whatever your online calendar may say, Monday classes will start as always at 5.45pm.

Guest teacher alert – I am delighted to welcome my longstanding colleague Jennifer Jackson to teach for us on Saturday 20th August. A former soloist with the Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, Jennifer is an accomplished choreographer and wise teacher, and has successfully directed Images Ballet Company for London Studio Centre. She also recently edited Ballet: the Essential Guide to Technique and Creative Practice – read Maggie Watson’s review here.

Jennifer will teach class and pointe work. Not to be missed!

Prices remain the same at £10 for in person attendance and £7 for online, pointe work at £5, and payment can be either in cash on the day or online by bank transfer. If paying online please label your payment with the class code to help me keep track. I am very aware that some people paid in advance for classes that were cancelled because of my covid; the payment for any classes missed can be carried forward towards classes in this batch.

I will then be taking a break for other projects over the last week of August and beginning of September, and plan to resume teaching for the autumn term on the normal schedule from Thursday 8th September.

For alternative days and offers of special summer classes this coming month check out Ségolène Tarte’s current offer of Tuesday classes at URC and online here:

Also Penny Cullerne-Bown of East Oxford School of Ballet will be offering some classes over the holiday period; for further information contact her on: pcb@eastoxballet.co.uk

Looking forward to seeing you in class,

Susie

Ballet classes at URC till end of May 2022

April 19, 2022

2 Comments

See below for a schedule for BiSS classes up to the end of May. I am resuming teaching after the Easter break from Thursday 21st April. However I will be taking a holiday break at the beginning of May, from 3rd to 11th, so please note and put in your diaries that there will be no classes on Thursday 5th May, Saturday 7th May and Monday 9th May. Please note too that whatever your online calendar says, the Monday Intermediate class starts at 5.45pm, and the Saturday Inter/Adv class starts at 11.45am!

These classes will continue to be hybrid, offering the option to attend either in person or online. It seems as though Covid is still very much out there, so we will be continuing with some precautions (see below); numbers may remain a bit limited, so please do email or text me to book in advance if you wish to attend in person, and let me know if you need to cancel. And please email me at susiecrow@gmail.com to request the relevant Zoom invitations if you wish to attend classes online. As before, pointe work classes are available to those attending the class before in person.

Payment for BiSS URC classes remains the same: £10 per class for in person attendance, with the loyalty card so that your 10th class is free, and £7 for online attendance. Pointe work sessions remain at £5.

Thursday 21^st April: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 23^rd April: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 25^th April: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 28^th April: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 30^th April: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 2^nd May: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 12^th May: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 14^th May: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced

Monday 16^th May: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 19^th May: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 21^st May: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced

Monday 23^rd May: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 26^th May: 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe work

Saturday 28^th May: 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe work

Monday 30^th May: 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Covid precautions:
If you plan to attend a class in person you may wish to take a Lateral Flow Test beforehand for your own peace of mind, and for that of others attending. However given that tests now need to be paid for, I shall quite understand if you do not.
Obviously if you are experiencing symptoms or have a positive test result you should not attend; you are as always very welcome to do the class online instead if you feel up to it. Please do let me know so that I can if necessary inform others.
Personally I would find it difficult to do class in a mask, but if you would feel more at ease doing so, please feel free to wear one. I will teach without a mask for clearer communication especially with those online, so please let me know if you would prefer that I keep my distance when giving individual feedback. We will continue to keep windows/doors open for better ventilation, so do come prepared with layers to keep you warm, hopefully not so necessary this term. And please as much as possible maintain a prudent distance from others in the class. View physical distancing as a useful exercise in spatial awareness!

Looking forward to seeing you in class,

Susie

Ballet classes for September 2021 at URC

September 8, 2021

Following a summer of trying things out I am resuming a full schedule of ballet classes in person at United Reformed Church Hall (URC) this September, including Adult Beginnners, Intermediate and Advanced classes, with optional pointe work for experienced dancers. See below for the full list of classes up to and including 25th September. I will be taking a few days break at the end of September (week commencing Monday 27th) but then resume regular classes from Monday 4th October.

Please note the following small changes resulting from precautions against Covid19:

The Monday adult beginners’ class will now start at 4.00pm instead of 4.15pm, to allow a little more time for changing groups before the next class. The Saturday Intermediate/Advanced class will now start at 11.45am for the same reason.

For the time being I am keeping in-person class numbers a bit reduced in the interests of being able to maintain a little more social distance, thus maximum 11 plus teacher makes 12. Classes will be hybrid which people can attend either in person or online via Zoom, to give people a choice, and to enable more people to do class.

Those who wish to attend in person should drop me an email or text to book their attendance for the classes they want to do; but there is no need to book in advance if you are attending online. However if you wish to attend on line, email me to let me know the classes you are interested in, so that I can send you the relevant Zoom invitations.

If by any chance you cannot attend a class you have booked please let me know so that I could offer the place to someone else. If you have already paid, your payment will be carried forward to cover a future class.

The price for attending in person has reverted to the former £10 per class; the previous loyalty card scheme will be running, whereby your 10th class is free. You can pay in cash, by cheque, or online. For those attending online the price remains at £7.

Please note, I am currently having some problems with sending email to BTInternet addresses; I would be very grateful if you could inform your provider that I am a trusted sender and not spam!

Monday 6^th September 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 9^th September 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe Work

Saturday 11^th September 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe Work

Monday 13^th September 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 16^th September 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe Work

Saturday 18^th September 10.00-11.15am Adult Beginners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe Work

Monday 20^th September 4.00-5.15pm Adult Beginners, 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate

Thursday 23^rd September 10.00-11.30am Advanced, 11.45am-12.30pm Pointe Work

Saturday 25^th September 10.00-11.15am Adult Begnners, 11.45am-1.15pm Intermediate/Advanced, 1.30-2.15pm Pointe Work

I hope this makes sense… please email with any queries.
Looking forward to receiving your bookings, and to seeing you back in class either in the Hall or on screen!
Susie

Ballet classes resuming at URC – schedule for July 2021

July 5, 2021

Delighted to announce the gradual resuming of live ballet classes at the reopened United Reformed Church Hall (URC) this summer…
Following a couple of successful trial classes in the Hall, here is a schedule of Ballet in Small Spaces classes going forward for July. These are all at Intermediate to Advanced level, and are hybrid classes that can be attended either in person or online. I am reverting to the days and times of classes before the pandemic – please read carefully and put in your diary. Please note that there will be no Monday class on 12th July because of the DANSOX Summer School.

Monday 5th July: 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate
Thursday 8th July: 10.00-11.30am Advanced
Thursday 15th July: 10.00-11.30am Advanced
Saturday 17th July: 11.30-1.00pm Intermediate/Advanced
Monday 19th July: 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate
Thursday 22nd July: 10.00-11.30am Advanced
Saturday 24th July: 11.30-1.00pm Intermediate/Advanced
Monday 26th July: 5.45-7.15pm Intermediate
Thursday 29th July: 10.00-11.30am Advanced

Because of Covid safety protocols and the need to maintain some social distancing, there is currently a limit of 9 people who can attend in person; so those attending the Hall will need to register in advance; please contact me at susiecrow@gmail.com to specify the dates you would like to attend. Once you have registered, if for any reason it turns out that you cannot attend, please let me know soonest so that your place could be taken by someone else. For online attendance please email me to receive a Zoom invitation.

The cost for attending in person will revert to the pre-pandemic price of £10 per class, but online attendance will continue to cost £7. The BiSS loyalty card scheme whereby those attending in person and paying £10 per class get their 10th class free will be resumed.

I plan to take a brief break in the first week of August, but then to continue offering classes, to allow us to make the most of finally being able to dance back in a studio rather than at home, and also of summer weather, given that we will need to keep windows open for maximum ventilation! In order to be able to schedule viably for August it would be really helpful if people could let me know whether they are interested in continuing to take class over what is normally a holiday period. I am also thinking of resuming additional pointe work sessions after Thursday and Saturday morning classes; so please let me know if these might be of interest. I hope that it may also be possible to invite a couple of guest teachers over this summer period.

Looking forward to seeing you in class, either online or in person!

Susie

BiSS online ballet classes for April and May ’21

April 19, 2021

I hope you have had an enjoyable Easter break and are enjoying the spring sunshine…
I have now scheduled the next batch of BiSS ballet classes, and will be resuming teaching from Thursday 22nd April. Classes will be continuing online via Zoom for the coming term as the URC remains closed; I am in touch with them about what may be necessary to enable them to open again safely, and will keep you posted of any developments.

I am issuing invitations to the following:

Thursday morning Advanced classes starting on 22nd April 10.00-11.30am

Monday Intermediate classes starting on 26th April 5.30-7.00pm

Adult beginners classes starting on Saturday 24th April 10.00-11.15am

If you would like to receive an invitation for any of these classes and have not already received one please email me. The price remains the same at £7 per class; you are welcome to pay for a batch of classes rather than singly if that is more convenient. If you are having any issues over payment or affordability please do contact me.

If Zoom is not your thing, why not check out the series “Enchainement of the day” on the Ballet in Small Spaces YouTube channel here, which provide you with a daily enchainement to work on in your own time and at your own pace. For less experienced dancers wishing to maintain their practice at home in their own time there is also film of last summer’s adult beginners’ class with full explanation and demonstration, available by private link for £25; please contact me for details.

Looking forward to seeing you back in class soon!
Susie

Ballet classes from January 2021

December 29, 2020