At the invitation of the artistic director of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Powney, seventeen directors and CEOs from prestigious international ballet academies came together in London, from 28 September to 1 October, to talk about the future of ballet education.

At the aDvANCE conference, the directors – including, of course, Ernst Meisner – exchanged experiences and good practices, and discussed the demands made on ballet dancers both now and in the future, as well as the needs felt by current and new generations of ballet students. Or in other words, what is necessary and what might have to change in ballet education, so that pupils and students can develop in a pleasant and safe environment? And how can we – especially with regard to the youngest pupils – involve their parents as well? Ernst Meisner says, “The conference gave rise to many productive discussions and ideas. Until around ten years ago, there was no such exchange between the different academies, so I’m very happy that it now exists and that it will definitely be continued.”