Wexford School of Ballet and Modern Dance has now been successfully running since 1965. Many of its past students have written their own success stories, dancing professionally in London and abroad and setting up their own dance schools in Ireland and beyond. The School now comprises of three centres. Our own private studios in Wexford town are used for examinations and training. The Waterfront Swimming Pools two studios host our Enniscorthy classes and St. Mary’s Youth Centre is home to our students in New Ross. Running three centres takes an amount of work and care so we are well staffed with four fully qualified Royal Academy Ballet teachers and Imperial Society Modern teachers (both societies are recognised worldwide), and students are trained to take examinations in both genres. Also on our staff, we have an award winning vocal coach, who from her own experience can train students from classical technique to the world of stage. We are also affiliated with the "Discovering Drama" school, all students take LAMDA examinations and have an end of year drama performance.

We train Ballet, Modern, Tap, Jazz and Hip-Hop. The students also do examinations in RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern. The School has always prided itself with a high standard and that is very obvious in our examination results and performances, getting the highest exam results in both Majors and Grade examinations in Ireland. Three to four sessions of exams are organised annually.

Performances include an end of year "Summer Show" (end of June) in the Dun Mhuire Theatre. Then we run our annual "Summer School", which comprises of 4 days in our Wexford Studios, and a final day of rehearsal and performance.

Our most prestigious event is "The Nutcracker Suite", staged biannually in the O'Reilly Theatre in the Wexford Opera House in December. Allways a sell out event, this is a magical experience for both the students and the audience, as it is the quintessential magic that is Christmas.

Students also have the opportunity to perform with the Wexford Pantomime Society and the Oyster Lane Theatre Group, and multiple fundraising events throughout the year.

Mission

Our mission at WSBMD is to provide professional dance instruction and instill an appreciation for the art of.  We will encourage students of all ages and skill levels to excel to their fullest potential while having fun.

Ballet

Ballet is the most demanding type of dance.  All other forms of dance benefit from its precise execution of movement and artistic interpretation.  These classes will help the young dancer develop balance, timing, strength, and creative expression.   Students will also establish a foundation of proper form that will help prevent injury and establish the confidence necessary to move forward to other forms of dance.  Required attire includes pink ballet shoes, pink tights, and navy or pink leotard.  Ballet skirt and ballet sweaters are optional

Pointe

This class is offered to students who have had ballet training and have developed the strength that is required to move forward into pointe training. Placement in this class will be made at the discretion of the ballet director and faculty.  Required attire includes pink pointe shoes, pink tights, and black or pink leotard. 

Tap

Tap is the discipline that teaches dancers to use their feet as a rhythm instrument.  Students in this class will learn fancy footwork that helps to develop agility, musicality, and stylized movement.  Also included are the basic exercises, time steps, and tap combinations that make tapping so much fun.  Required attire includes black tap shoes, black lycra tights, and a leotard in any colour. 

Jazz/Hip-Hop

Jazz places emphasis on contemporary technique, rhythm, and style.  All classes begin with a warm-up using isolations, bending, and stretching exercises,  followed by dance combinations of turns, kicks, leaps, and jumps.  Younger jazz students will learn basic acrobatics.  As students progress, more advanced combinations and different styles of jazz, such as modern dance and hip-hop, will be introduced.  Required attire includes black jazz shoes, black lycra tights, and a red or purple leotard.