CSTD Exams 2020-2021 : Challenges To Make You Bloom!
Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing holds annual examinations for their many genres to students all over the world. Gigi Art of Dance has joined their exams for years, focusing on the Modern Jazz and Contemporary branch. Their standards do not relent, even during the relentless year that is 2020. And neither did our students’ commitment to bring their best performance to the exam.
Due to the suddenness of the pandemic, CSTD had to reschedule their exams which were originally scheduled to be held at the end of 2020. This change resulted in not only more time for the students to prepare, but also for GAOD’s team to prepare for a different format of the exam. 2020 had us held an online international exam for the first time, which was challenging in a lot of parts. Not only would our students have to perform to a camera instead of a live examiner who would be able to observe more clearly, our team would also have to ensure all the technical set-up are up to the standard.
The CSTD 2020 online international exams were finally held in January 2021 across multiple countries including Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Our students had practiced very hard, both online at home through Zoom and in person in the studio through very rigorous health protocols. Our technical team had been very thorough in preparing the exam and were on standby the whole team, ensuring the examination went through as smoothly as possible. Our students, on their part, did not let the changes of setting confuse them as they all pushed through with their learning and gave the exam their best efforts. Our combined efforts did not go to waste, as the CSTD organizers have commended us for the impeccable quality of our examination process.
From this exciting year, both our students and GAOD’s team have learned to be more resilient and prepared for changes in the future. 2021 will most probably have the same trajectory and our team will be ready to teach and assist in the upcoming exams. As registrations re-open for the 2021 CSTD International Exams, we invite you to join us in this exciting and challenging pursuit, whether you’re beginning your journey in dance or levelling up to the next grade. Let’s work together to achieve higher goals and international recognition in dance, because this year it’s our #TimeToBloom!