La Danse Royale
La Protection de l'Enfance

Safeguarding Policy

Every dancer under 18 who trains with La Danse Royale has the right to be safe, respected and listened to. Nothing about the pursuit of excellence displaces that. What follows is a statement of practice — what a parent, a dancer or a partner institution may expect, and require, of us.

Last revised — August 2026 Applies to every engagement involving a dancer under 18
01

Our commitment

A dancer's safety is not a condition of the training; it is the ground the training stands on. This policy sets out how we work with dancers under 18, and it applies to every maître, guest maître and accompanist engaged by the Atelier.

02

Who is responsible

The Atelier appoints a designated safeguarding lead for every engagement. The role is held by the Founding Directrice, Yuki Ogasawara, who exercises it on behalf of La Danse Royale and not in a personal capacity.

The lead may be written to at ldr.ladanseroyale@gmail.com; a direct telephone number is given in the correspondence confirming an engagement. Where an engagement is delivered inside a host school or company, we work to that institution's policy in addition to this one, and follow the stricter of the two.

03

Recruitment and checks

Every instructor who teaches minors — including guest maîtres — provides proof of identity, professional references, and a criminal record certificate (in Japan, 無犯罪証明書) or the equivalent from their country of residence. Guest maîtres are given this policy in writing and confirm their acceptance of it before teaching.

04

One-to-one teaching

Private instruction is the form of our work. It is delivered with the following in place.

— A parent or guardian may observe any lesson, at any time, without arranging it in advance.
— The room used is visible from outside — a clear window in the door, or the door left open.
— Lessons take place in the Atelier's studio or at a named partner venue — never at a private residence.
— Where a lesson is filmed for critique, the dancer and the guardian are told before recording begins.
05

Physical correction

Hands-on correction is a normal and valuable part of ballet pedagogy. We ask consent for it at the start of an engagement and explain what it involves; a dancer may decline it, or withdraw that consent, at any time and without any consequence to their training. Correction is given in the way and to the places the work requires, and it stops the moment a dancer asks.

06

Communication

Correspondence about a dancer under 18 goes to the parent or guardian, or to the dancer with the guardian copied. We do not conduct private one-to-one messaging with a minor on personal accounts or on social media.

07

Photography, video and social media

No image or recording of a dancer under 18 is published without the written consent of a parent or guardian, given separately from these terms and specific to the use. We do not publish a minor's full name alongside their image without that consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

08

Health, weight and the body

We do not weigh dancers. We do not set weight targets, prescribe diets, or comment on a dancer's body beyond what the technical work requires.

Where a dancer appears to be in difficulty — injury, exhaustion, or distress around eating or the body — we raise it with the parent or guardian and, where appropriate, recommend a qualified professional. We do not attempt to manage such matters ourselves.

09

Travel, residencies and competitions

Where the Atelier accompanies a dancer to a competition, audition or residency, a dancer under 16 is accompanied by a parent or guardian; for a dancer of 16 or over, separate written arrangements are made for each trip and travel is never unaccompanied. Accommodation, supervision and emergency contacts are agreed in writing before departure.

10

Raising a concern

Anything a dancer, a parent or a colleague wishes to raise may be brought to the safeguarding lead at ldr.ladanseroyale@gmail.com. The Atelier acknowledges it within 48 hours, keep a written record, and tell you what we have done.

Where a concern relates to the safeguarding lead, it may be brought instead to the safeguarding lead of the host school, company or competition organiser for the engagement concerned, or to the independent adviser named in your engagement correspondence.

Where we believe a child is at risk of harm, we will contact the relevant authorities — in Japan, the local 児童相談所 (Child Guidance Centre) or the police — whether or not consent to do so has been given.

11

Review

This policy is reviewed once a year, and again after any incident. A copy of the current version is sent to any partner institution, competition organiser or parent who asks for it.

This policy is given and performed by La Danse Royale as an organisation. Those who carry it out do so in their capacity as its representatives.

Privacy Policy → Terms of Engagement → Enquire →
La Danse Royale
La Protection de l'Enfance

Safeguarding Policy

Every dancer under 18 who trains with La Danse Royale has the right to be safe, respected and listened to. Nothing about the pursuit of excellence displaces that. What follows is a statement of practice — what a parent, a dancer or a partner institution may expect, and require, of us.

Last revised — August 2026 Applies to every engagement involving a dancer under 18
01

Our commitment

A dancer's safety is not a condition of the training; it is the ground the training stands on. This policy sets out how we work with dancers under 18, and it applies to every maître, guest maître and accompanist engaged by the Atelier.

02

Who is responsible

The Atelier appoints a designated safeguarding lead for every engagement. The role is held by the Founding Directrice, Yuki Ogasawara, who exercises it on behalf of La Danse Royale and not in a personal capacity.

The lead may be written to at ldr.ladanseroyale@gmail.com; a direct telephone number is given in the correspondence confirming an engagement. Where an engagement is delivered inside a host school or company, we work to that institution's policy in addition to this one, and follow the stricter of the two.

03

Recruitment and checks

Every instructor who teaches minors — including guest maîtres — provides proof of identity, professional references, and a criminal record certificate (in Japan, 無犯罪証明書) or the equivalent from their country of residence. Guest maîtres are given this policy in writing and confirm their acceptance of it before teaching.

04

One-to-one teaching

Private instruction is the form of our work. It is delivered with the following in place.

— A parent or guardian may observe any lesson, at any time, without arranging it in advance.
— The room used is visible from outside — a clear window in the door, or the door left open.
— Lessons take place in the Atelier's studio or at a named partner venue — never at a private residence.
— Where a lesson is filmed for critique, the dancer and the guardian are told before recording begins.
05

Physical correction

Hands-on correction is a normal and valuable part of ballet pedagogy. We ask consent for it at the start of an engagement and explain what it involves; a dancer may decline it, or withdraw that consent, at any time and without any consequence to their training. Correction is given in the way and to the places the work requires, and it stops the moment a dancer asks.

06

Communication

Correspondence about a dancer under 18 goes to the parent or guardian, or to the dancer with the guardian copied. We do not conduct private one-to-one messaging with a minor on personal accounts or on social media.

07

Photography, video and social media

No image or recording of a dancer under 18 is published without the written consent of a parent or guardian, given separately from these terms and specific to the use. We do not publish a minor's full name alongside their image without that consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

08

Health, weight and the body

We do not weigh dancers. We do not set weight targets, prescribe diets, or comment on a dancer's body beyond what the technical work requires.

Where a dancer appears to be in difficulty — injury, exhaustion, or distress around eating or the body — we raise it with the parent or guardian and, where appropriate, recommend a qualified professional. We do not attempt to manage such matters ourselves.

09

Travel, residencies and competitions

Where the Atelier accompanies a dancer to a competition, audition or residency, a dancer under 16 is accompanied by a parent or guardian; for a dancer of 16 or over, separate written arrangements are made for each trip and travel is never unaccompanied. Accommodation, supervision and emergency contacts are agreed in writing before departure.

10

Raising a concern

Anything a dancer, a parent or a colleague wishes to raise may be brought to the safeguarding lead at ldr.ladanseroyale@gmail.com. The Atelier acknowledges it within 48 hours, keep a written record, and tell you what we have done.

Where a concern relates to the safeguarding lead, it may be brought instead to the safeguarding lead of the host school, company or competition organiser for the engagement concerned, or to the independent adviser named in your engagement correspondence.

Where we believe a child is at risk of harm, we will contact the relevant authorities — in Japan, the local 児童相談所 (Child Guidance Centre) or the police — whether or not consent to do so has been given.

11

Review

This policy is reviewed once a year, and again after any incident. A copy of the current version is sent to any partner institution, competition organiser or parent who asks for it.

This policy is given and performed by La Danse Royale as an organisation. Those who carry it out do so in their capacity as its representatives.