Valerie Adams - Royal Academy of Dance

Valerie Adams FRAD
Full Life Member
“I remember my Mother saying that
we had to have a very serious
discussion as to whether I was to
continue with Ballet…”
I started to dance at the age of 8 training at The Wessex School of Dancing in
Bournemouth, and after taking all 5 Grade examinations, took the Elementary exam when I
was aged 11. I remember my Mother saying that we had to have a very serious discussion as
to whether I was to continue with Ballet, as passing that examination had made me a
member of the RAD and she would have to pay a subscription fee of one guinea (£1.1s)
which she could not really afford. I pleaded with her to allow me to go on dancing. I took
the Intermediate at the age of 12 and the Advanced when I was 14.
In 1951 aged 15, I took the Solo Seal examination, which was held at Holland Park Avenue,
London. The examiners were Adeline Genee, Tamara Karsavina and Phyllis Bedells. Ruth
French took the class, and this was an experience I shall never forget and was so grateful to
be awarded the Solo Seal.
In the same year, my career took me to London to The Sadlers Wells School (now The
Royal Ballet School) and within 6 weeks I was performing with the company at The Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden and we toured America and Canada.
After some years, I decided teaching was what I really wanted to do and talked it over with
Dame Ninette de Valois. She offered to train me which was such a privilege.
I taught at the Royal Ballet School and was then invited by The Dutch Government to start
and run a ballet school at The Royal Conservatoire of Music at The Hague. The school was
to feed the three main ballet companies, which is did successfully. After 5 years of trying to
get permission from the director to hold RAD examinations there, they were finally granted.
However I left soon after, and they were not continued.
I then returned to the Royal Ballet School to teach and was coached by Winifred Edwards
on the Major Syllabus, prior to her retiring and handing over all her RAD classes to me.
When Dame Ninette was forming the Teachers’ Training Course, she asked me to be at her
side – later making me Director of the course in 1971. It was then necessary to give up
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teaching the RAD classes, except for the Solo Seal. Some years later on one occasion, I was
invited to be an Examiner for the Solo Seal.
I was asked to give classical classes to the Professional Course, and arranged enchainment’s
for scholarships. I also gave a lecture demonstration with Thomas McLelland Young on
’Relating Movement to Music’, using my students from the Royal Ballet School.
January 1983 certainly gave a thrill to all on the Teacher’s Training course, when Amanda
Davies won the Adeline Genee Gold medal. In 1993, I received my Fellowship of the RAD at
the Queen Elizabeth hall, which was a special occasion. In 1995, I retired from The Royal
Ballet School. This was a truly memorable day with Dame Ninette and many friends present,
including Lynn Wallis whom I had taught when she was a student at the school.
The following January, I was invited to teach the Classical class on stage at Sadlers Wells
Theatre for the Genee International Competition. That was an honour at the end of my
most amazing career. However, I was called back to the Royal Ballet School in 1998 to take
care of the Teachers Course, until it closed in 2000.
Royal Academy of Dance® is a Charity Registered in England and Wales No. 312826.
Life Member profiles are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced or published without express consent from the
Royal Academy of Dance®.