The event took place on September 30, 2019, at 155 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC, marking the first step of cooperation between the two organizations toward bringing diverse training courses in various dance subjects to students, alongside the current full-time Ballet programs already offered. Students will have the opportunity to be certified by international qualifications from the UK, which helps improve their national and international job prospects after graduation.
Founded in 1986, the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) is a training institution for actors and dancers from the Southern provinces, who have the potential to fulfill their dreams within the professional dance industry. As one of the two biggest dance training centers in Vietnam, generations of students graduating from the school have received numerous awards and contributed significantly to the development of dance in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and in the South in general.
With the desire to expand the school's diverse dance subjects for students (alongside the full-time ballet, contemporary and folk dance courses), the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) is cooperating with AMPA Education to integrate the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) syllabus into the school’s full-time curriculum.
In mid-September 2019, AMPA Education organized a short training course of Modern Jazz following the ISTD curriculum for 3rd year students at the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) to help improve their understanding of international dance standards as well as enhancing their expertise. This is one of the key activities that AMPA Education commits to deliver to the dance community through this unique partnership between the two organizations.
The ISTD international dance curriculum also provides dance students with an opportunity to approach safe dance practice in their art form.
At the signing ceremony, the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) and Asia Music & Performing Arts Education (AMPA Education) committed to provide dance students and teachers with access to international dance training standards. The main fields of collaboration are:
- Applying the ISTD international curriculum in the full-time curriculum of the school for the first time, providing teachers and students with the opportunity to approach and study about dance techniques with a focus on safety and creativity; thereby maximizing the ability of each individual within their area of expertise.
- Coordinating the promotion and organization of ISTD international dance examinations for teachers and students. For the first time, HCMC dance students will have the opportunity to graduate with both local diplomas and international qualifications from the UK. This not only helps enhance their job prospects for professional teaching, but also provides students with access to full-time dance training courses from other countries.
- AMPA Education will organize cost-free workshops and masterclasses for advanced level dancers which will be conducted by Vietnamese and international experts, for teachers and students at the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) in order to improve the professional teaching capacity, introduce an up-to-date dance syllabi and expand opportunities to exchange with domestic and foreign experts.
- The two organizations will promote the organization and expansion of art festivals, dance competitions, annual dance camps for the students and dance community in Ho Chi Minh City and nationwide.
Talking about the partnership with AMPA Education, Mr. Ha The Dung - Principal of the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) said: “We would like to thank AMPA Education for being our partner. What we are doing is bringing great values to our school. Our wish is to expand our activities and make more connections in the field of dance, and the support from AMPA Education is of great importance to our future direction and development. We always strive to offer more dance genres for the students to experience.
We are pleased that our students can experience the international curricula. This collaboration helps the school to enhance the standard of our students and teachers to an international level, which not only gives the students a chance to learn about other dance genres but also enables them to go further in their career. This is wonderful news for us. We have a passion to cooperate with like-minded organisations in order to share our vision and offer more training and career opportunities to our teachers and students."
Sharing about the goal of this cooperation, Ms. Pham Doan Ha My - Executive Director of AMPA Education said: “In the Southern region, the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH) is the only national dance institution that attracts talent nationwide. After strong discussions, the two organizations have agreed on a plan to design suitable programs for the training system of the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH). The school has enthusiastically accompanied AMPA Education recently to implement advanced dance courses for the students, with an open mind and desire to provide the best opportunities for students. We deeply appreciate the spirit of cooperation from the Managing Board of the Vocational Ballet School of Ho Chi Minh City (VBSH).”
“In the future, AMPA Education commits to support integrated and supplementary dance training courses to bring international, quality education to students and teachers. Through these beneficial programs, students will be able to improve their abilities and challenge themselves in high-level dance courses recognized by prestigious international dance councils in many countries around the world. This partnership has laid the first brick in cultivating generations of dance teachers who shall be capable of applying standard qualifications in teaching dance to Vietnamese children, as we believe dance is an integral piece of creative education.” said Ms. Teresal Hall – Dance Master Trainer – Director of Dance – AMPA Education.
