Edouard Espinosa

Beginning at age twelve, Edouard picked up odd jobs "selling embroidery supplies, toys and Bohemian crystal, before becoming a sales representative for dental wares.

Being briefly apprenticed to a local dentist, he even managed to botch his one and only tooth extraction ... before belatedly beginning his ballet training at the age of eighteen.

[5] Espinosa codified the steps his father taught, and this code became the basis for the first structured syllabus of its kind to be devised internationally.

[6] In 1920, Espinosa and Richardson had ongoing meetings with other ballet greats, including Phyllis Bedells, Lucia Cormani, Adeline Genée, Tamara Karsavina, Ninette de Valois, and Anton Dolin to discuss the state of ballet and aimed to establish an “association which would make it its duty to see that all teachers taught correctly.”[6] Eventually, the group founded the Association of Operatic Dancing, later known as the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).

[3][5] By the time Espinosa left the Association of Operative Dancing, many of his students had become prominent teachers in various parts of the British Isles, and they formed the BBO's nucleus.

[citation needed] After his death, his son, Eduard Kelly Espinosa, and daughter, Ivette, took over control of the BBO.

[5] In 1932, a studio was built alongside the house which has continued to host classes and BBO examinations and provides rehearsal space for many leading dance companies and professional artists.

[5] Many famous students studied with Espinosa at Woolborough House, including Phyllis Bedells and Ninette de Valois.