| The Royal Academy of Dance is the biggest | | | | at that time. |
| association of ballet dancing in the world. There are | | | | Ivy Conmee and her sister Mary, were the first to |
| thousands of teachers and examiners world wide | | | | teach the syllabus in SA. Ivy Conmee took it upon |
| who teach the RAD Syllabus and enter candidates | | | | herself to go to London to study and was the first |
| for ballet examinations each year. | | | | teacher in South Africa to bring back the teachers |
| The Royal Academy of Dance was started in London | | | | diploma at the ripe old age of fifteen. |
| in 1920 by a few teachers who wanted to improve | | | | Ivy Conmee was born in SA, but spent most of her |
| the standard of classical ballet and the teaching of it. | | | | childhood in London. She returned to Johannesburg to |
| At that time anyone could say they were a ballet | | | | open a dance school. Ivy Conmee's name is |
| teacher and operate as such. As a result there was a | | | | mentioned whenever reference is made to the Royal |
| very poor standard of dancer being turned out, along | | | | Academy in South Africa. Being a founder member in |
| with a lot of unnecessary injuries. | | | | South Africa, she devoted many years of her life to |
| The Operatic Association as it was called then was | | | | training and development within the Academy. |
| surprisingly taught in South Africa as early as 1922, | | | | In 1926, she and two other teachers, Majorie |
| but only really established in 1927. In 1920 Madame | | | | Sturman and Poppy Frames asked for an examiner |
| Ravodna visited South Africa and performed at the | | | | to be sent out. They telegraphed Edouard Espinosa |
| Empire Theatre in Johannesburg. Madame Ravodna | | | | (the founder of the RAD) and guaranteed 500 |
| ended up staying on, and this was the beginning of | | | | pounds, which they didn't have, to cover the journey. |
| the teaching of real technical classical ballet in South | | | | When Espinosa agreed, the teachers had to become |
| Africa. She held annual concerts which aroused | | | | frantically busy arranging cake sales and raffles and |
| interest among dance lovers, and she got rave | | | | every other thing they could think of to raise the |
| reviews in the newspapers for her good solid | | | | vast sum of money required. And they did! |
| technique, which was never seen in Southern Africa | | | | |