Teacher Training Coordinator Lucy Scott reflects on how attending Inspire seminars elevated her teaching practice 

Lucy Scott is a Teacher Training Coordinator at The Royal Ballet School, a multidisciplinary dance teacher and a proud proponent for our Inspire seminars. She joined the School in 2023 as an Affiliate Programme coordinator, where she first learned about the Inspire seminars. She tried the series and realised that it was the perfect Continued Professional Development (CPD) addition to her teaching qualifications. 

Lucy discovered her passion for teaching while earning her degree in Musical Theatre from Bird College. Having struggled with hip surgery and ankle injuries during her training, she shifted her focus into safe teaching practices. 

‘I really enjoy studying ballet from a safety in dance perspective,’ she said. ‘After my hip injury, there was a lot of information I wanted to learn as a teacher to prevent injury in any of my students. I focused on my specific hip injury in my dissertation and how poor teaching practice could contribute to student injury.’ 

Lucy earned ballet, contemporary, modern and tap teaching qualifications from Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Now, she works with the School’s Teacher Training team to support fellow teachers wanting to reach their full potential. 

Lucy reflected on her experience of Inspire with us and shared the impact it has had on her career trajectory. 

Why did you decide to participate in Inspire? 

I was always looking for more CPD opportunities. Inspire was perfect because I had official teaching qualifications and could say I was a ballet teacher, but there was still so much more to explore. That is the great thing about Inspire – it is not about certification; it is about becoming a better ballet teacher. Every session, you focus on one aspect of teaching, and the goal is to improve how you teach. Everyone is there because they care about becoming better teachers. 

Who attends Inspire seminars? Are they all established teachers? 

The nice thing about taking individual seminars is that I met a different group of teachers in each session. Some teachers completed all six seminars in a week-long intensive, and others, like me, would drop in when we could. There were company dancers from The Royal Ballet, vocational teachers and recreational teachers who had taught for 50 years but felt they wanted to update their knowledge. Then, there were people my age who were still finding their feet and wanting to learn as much as possible. We were hugely different, but the nice thing is that the teacher training team structures Inspire so well. You can see how the exercises we do can be beneficial for a company dancer working every day but also for a child to do once a week. 

Inspire is not about throwing content at participants. It is about understanding exactly why we are doing what we are doing. As we say, it is not what we teach; it is how we teach. 

What were your biggest takeaways from the seminars you attended? 

I found the barre work seminar so fascinating because I learned ways of teaching that I had never thought about before. I learned how powerful some barre exercises are when you take them off the barre, or when you place your hand underneath the barre instead of holding it. It was about finding different ways to challenge a student at the barre, when some just see it as a warm-up. Barre is incredibly beneficial.  

I also remember Teacher Training Manager Sarah Daultry showing us that by understanding the anatomy of the hip joint and its movements, we can allow freedom within the joint as it moves. We did a simple exercise, and suddenly, my leg just felt like air. The seminar gave us a new way of thinking about things that many of us have been doing since we were young. You might go in and think you already know everything. Then, all it takes is one bit of information that gives you a much fresher perspective. This seminar greatly changed how I approach barre work. 

The pointe work seminar was also great because I teach little ones, and it was really helpful to hear from people who have experienced pointe work all the way to being a professional dancer. Knowing how to handle pointe shoes that are being used every single day is a whole other level, but stripping back to the criteria students need before they go on pointe is also very beneficial.  

Talking to other teachers is very helpful to hear their thoughts on practical things, like how to communicate with parents about their child’s pointe readiness. There are a lot of discussions, and you get to hear a lot of perspectives, including international ones, that you might not have heard before. 

Aside from the content, what were your favourite parts of the seminars? 

You have a full day to really get to know everyone, and there is always laughter. It is always a good vibe, and you get to move, which is really nice. I think as a teacher, there aren’t a lot of times when you can take a class yourself and get feedback, which is definitely a benefit. You also get motivated by the company dancers in the room. When else are you going to be in a class with a professional dancer?  

I met new teachers and reconnected with people I worked with in previous settings. It’s really nice to know that your paths intertwine as you work towards the same goal of becoming better teachers. It is nice to be around a high calibre of teachers who really care about their CPD. 

How has Inspire supported your career after attending? 

Inspire gave me a refresh, a new way of thinking about teaching. If you have come from a set syllabus of dance teaching qualifications, Inspire is focused on stripping everything back and thinking about what you actually want to achieve in your classes. Instead of thinking about required exercises to complete, you approach lesson planning with, ‘What do I want my students to improve on this week, and how can I achieve that with learning aims?’  

Now that I work on the Diploma of Dance Teaching, I see how Inspire sets the foundation of everything that you learn in the Diploma. You get insight into how our programmes run, our expectations and our teaching philosophy. We find that a lot of Inspire attendees will move on to complete the rest of our courses, like Enlighten webinars, the Affiliate Programme or the Diploma, because they like the way that they are learning.  

What advice would you give to a teacher considering attending an Inspire seminar or intensive? 

Inspire is an invaluable experience. You take away what you want from each seminar. There is a huge variety of approaches in the room, and everyone is there for their own reason. You can observe other attendees teaching each other, or you can try teaching yourself. You can contribute to discussions or just listen and learn. You will always learn something to improve your teaching, whether it is from a practical session, a presentation or a discussion.  

Learn more about Inspire and sign up for our next seminars in London, Helsinki and Singapore here.