Celebrated British Ballet Dancer, Brenda Last OBE To Teach Online For The First Time

After more than 50 years of teaching in studios around the world, Brenda Last OBE, a former Principal of Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in London (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), will deliver her first-ever online masterclass this October.

Miss Last created this masterclass because, in her words, "I saw the poster of Cleo Nordi in the foyer at bbodance on the front of The Dancer magazine and thought, that ties in well to a film I have of her coaching me on the 'Pizzicato' Solo from Sylvia. I thought I could teach that to a Royal Ballet dancer in the bbodance studio and then we can Zoom the class out to the world. We have to look to the past to make the future better!"

The theme of the masterclass is passing on Ballet Repertoire through one-on-one tuition. Miss Last will coach Royal Ballet Soloist, Isabella Gasparini, in the 'Pizzicato' Solo that she learned early in her career from Cleo Nordi, a Pavlova Company Soloist. Unusual for the time, Miss Last's coaching with Miss Nordi was partially captured on film. After 50 years of teaching, Miss Last is once again on the forefront of technology used in dance, but this time on a much wider scale.

The masterclass will be live-streamed in a COVID-secure manner, with minimum staff, from the headquarters of bbodance, a 90-year-old international dance awarding organisation of whom Miss Last is Patron.

The masterclass is open to all dance students, teachers, and lovers of the art form and will be especially interesting to students of Dance and Ballet History.

A celebrated British soubrette and a pillar of the bbodance community for more than 60 years, Miss Last has inspired countless students and instilled in them a lifelong love of dance. Miss Gasparini will be joining her with the kind permission of The Royal Ballet Director, Kevin O'Hare.

The masterclass will be accompanied on the piano by Miss Last's husband, musician Stephen Lade.

The launch of this masterclass comes shortly after bbodance's recent announcement that, to support its students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has moved its tuition completely online for the first time in its 90-year history.

The offering includes a full week of intensive online classes during half term.

bbodance celebrated its 90th anniversary this spring, also in an online format

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