HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will formally open new Royal Academy of Dance global headquarters on 10 March 2022
- HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance is set to formally open the new global headquarters of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), a world-leading dance education and training organisation, on 10 March 2022.
- Over 60,000 sq. ft headquarters will showcase the RAD’s exceptional dancing talent and expand on outreach and wellbeing initiatives for the local community.
- For more information visit: www.royalacademyofdance.org
- Images available to download here.
LONDON 3 March 2022: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will formally open the new Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) global headquarters on 10 March 2022. The Duchess has been the Vice-Patron of the RAD since 2020 and has previously participated in the RAD’s Silver Swans ballet classes for learners aged over 55, as part of her ongoing commitment to championing active aging.
Created as a new international home for dance, the £19.5m Battersea-based project enables the charity to realise the potential of the 60,000 sq. ft headquarters, and they are fundraising for the final, but crucial, £1.5 million to meet their target. In this new space, the RAD will expand on its 100-year commitment to high-quality dance education and will harness the transformational power of dance to reach more people, regardless of age, ability, or location.
Alongside enhanced education and training facilities for students and teachers, seven large dance studios, a café and a shop, the new building will be home to a long wished for 193-seat performance space to showcase the RAD’s exceptional dancing talent.
On display for the first time in its 100+ year history will be a fully accessible archive showcasing the RAD’s extraordinary collection of 75,000 artefacts, books, programmes, letters, relics and costumes, which can be viewed by appointment with the RAD’s archivist.
The Duchess will tour the new building, meet with students, watch diverse dance demonstrations, and learn about how the space will be used to expand on the RAD’s work in the local community through a network of outreach and wellbeing initiatives in partnership with Wandsworth Council.
Luke Rittner CBE, RAD Chief Executive said: “Her Majesty The Queen has been Patron of the RAD since 1953 and has honoured us with visits in 1974 and 1990. We are delighted that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, following her appointment as the Academy’s Vice-Patron in 2020, will on 10 March be formally opening the Academy’s global headquarters. It will be a historic day for the Royal Academy of Dance.
The new purpose-built global headquarters for the Royal Academy of Dance form part of Coda, a mixed-use development on York Road by Avanton.
-ENDS-
Media contacts:
For further information, images or interview requests please contact:
Kallaway PR
E: RAD@kallaway.com
T: +44 (0)7867 335 242
Images and film from the Royal Rota:
This event will be covered by the Royal Rota. To obtain, please contact your usual supplier of Royal images and broadcast footage.
Notes to Editors:
About the Royal Academy of Dance
Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is one of the most influential dance education and training organisations in the world with a strong global membership in 85 countries.
Established in 1920 to improve standards and re-invigorate dance training, the RAD helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students. There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the RAD and each year the examination syllabus is taught to thousands of young people worldwide, with around a quarter of a million pupils per year going on to take RAD exams.
-ENDS ALL-