Cecchetti Classical Ballet - Mabel Ryan Awards 2025

We are delighted to announce that the Mabel Ryan Awards will take place on 2 November 2025 at the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham.

Entry categories and criteria

ALL AGES ARE TAKEN AS AT 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025

LOWER JUNIOR MABEL RYAN

· Maximum age 12 yrs

· The competitor must have passed Standard 2, Grade 2, Standard 3 or Grade 3 (but no higher) in the Cecchetti Method with a minimum mark of 70%

· A competitor who has won the Lower Junior Award may not enter again.

JUNIOR MABEL RYAN AWARD

· Maximum age 13 yrs

· The competitor must have passed Standard 4 or Grade 4 in the Cecchetti Method.

· A competitor who has won the Junior Award may not enter again.

MIDDLE MABEL RYAN AWARD

· Maximum age 14yrs

· The competitor must have passed Standard 5 or Grade 5 in the Cecchetti Method.

· A competitor who has won the Middle Award may not enter again.

SENIOR MABEL RYAN AWARD

· Maximum age 17yrs

· The competitor must have passed Standard 6 or Grade 6 in the Cecchetti Method. The work will be set and judged at INTERMEDIATE LEVEL.

· Candidates have a choice of some of the elements of the work that they show - refer to confirmation email which will be sent automatically on receipt of your entry

· A competitor who has won the Senior Award may not enter again.

Rules common to all awards

1. Competitors must be studying with an ISTD Cecchetti member in the UK and must be entered by the Principal of that School.

2. Competitors currently attending full time vocational schools may not enter for the Mabel Ryan awards.

3. Competitors may hold a higher examination than that stated as necessary for the Junior, Middle and Senior Mabel Ryan Awards. Competitors in the Lower Junior section may not have passed an examination higher than stated.

4. The official pianist will play for the dances in all the Awards.

5. All entries must be submitted by the teacher and not the parent/guardian. Receipt for acknowledgement of entry will be emailed to the teacher and not to the parents.

6. Clothing regulations: Lower Junior - tank style leotard (with or without ruche), one plain colour, no embellishments. Junior, Middle & Senior - plain leotard with spaghetti straps or tank style (no crossed straps, lace, frills, embellishments)

7. Competitors shall agree to abide by ALL the rules laid down for the competition and shall accept the Adjudicator’s decision as final. Personal feedback will not be given.

Adjudication

Winners will be announced on the day.

Uniform guidelines

Either:

• Lower Junior award: a plain, tank style, leotard of the candidates choice (sleeveless, no cross straps, no patterned or lacy fabric or sparkling adornments).

• Junior, Middle and Senior awards: a plain leotard of the candidates choice (sleeveless, no cross straps, no patterned or lacy fabric or sparkling adornments).

• Ballet tights and shoes in skin tone or pink.

• Ballet tights and shoe colour should match.

• Ballet shoes must have elastics NOT ribbons.

• Long hair should be neatly dressed for ballet with no ribbons or adornments of any sort.

• Short hair should be suitably dressed for ballet, away from the face, with optional use of plain hair band, the same colour as the leotard.

Or:

• All awards: A plain leotard of the candidates choice.

• Plain ballet tights in a dark colour e.g. black, navy, burgundy etc.

• Black or white socks with black or white ballet shoes.

• Hair should be neatly dressed for ballet, and long hair tied back.

All

• No jewellery or body ornaments are permitted for any award.

• Makeup is not permitted in the Lower Junior or Junior awards.

• Where possible, a coloured leotard is preferred as opposed to black or white.

• Please note that nothing must be added to the feet to enhance the shape and size of the instep.

Teachers Pack - Set work, dances and music

A free teachers pack is available to view from 29 July containing the work to be taught at the event. this includes:

• Set work notes
• Set dance videos
• Dance music

The full teachers pack is available to download once the entry fee has been paid.

Competition T-Shirt

Competitors may choose to purchase a competition t-shirt. Sizing information and design to follow.

Audience Tickets

Audience tickets are available to purchase per category or for all categories, allowing access to the whole day. Tickets will be issued in the form of wristbands which can be collected on the day. We recommend buying audience tickets in advance.

Competitors who are already taking part in the awards are invited to watch other categories.

• Audience Ticket - Lower Junior category only - £17.00
• Audience Ticket - Junior category only- £17.00
• Audience Ticket - Middle category only - £17.00
• Audience Ticket - Senior category only - £17.00
• Audience Ticket - All categories - £47.00

Terms & Conditions

• Competitors must be studying with an ISTD Cecchetti member and must be entered by the Principal of that School.
• Competitors currently attending full-time vocational schools may not enter for the Mabel Ryan Awards.
• Competitors holding a higher examination than that stated as necessary for the Junior, Middle and Senior Mabel Ryan Awards are not debarred entry for that reason.
• The official pianist will play for the dances in all the Awards.
• All entries to be submitted by the teacher and not by the parents/guardian. Receipt for acknowledgment of entry will be emailed to the teacher by way of an automatic confirmation email.
• Teachers and competitors shall agree to abide by ALL the rules laid down for the competition and shall accept the Adjudicator's decision as final. No individual feedback will be given.
• Anyone competing in this event does so at their own risk and parents/carers will be asked to confirm their child is fit to participate. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will not accept any responsibility for any injury.
• Principals & Teachers – Please ensure all teachers involved in preparing pupils for the competition, are fully aware of and understand the competition rules. The integrity of the teacher is relied upon to ensure that the rules are followed by all participants to enable the smooth running of the event.
• Set work and dances are the property of the ISTD and must not be used, copied or replicated for any other use.
• We regret that, once purchased, tickets for both competitors and audience members are non-refundable.
• Upon submission of your application on your competitor’s behalf you are agreeing to the criteria set above and that you agree to adhere to Terms & Conditions.

The competition relies on a certain number of entries being received. If insufficient entries are received the competition may not be able viable and in this case entry fees will be returned. Competitors must be made aware of this in advance. If the competition cannot take place teachers will be advised by email by Tuesday 30 September. In this case, competition fees will be refunded to teachers to return to their pupils.