The RAD was founded in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing, and was granted a Royal Charter in 1935.

In pursuit of improving instruction, a new teaching method and dance technique was devised for the Academy by a group of eminent European dancers.

The RAD is one of the largest dance organisations in the world with over 13,000 members in 85 countries,[2] including about 7,500 who hold Registered Teacher Status.

The competition was introduced as an additional incentive for candidates who had passed the Solo Seal examination, and has taken place almost every year since 1931, even during the Second World War.

In 1934, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden agreed to an alliance with the Association and a Grand Council of men & women was formed to act as a governing body to advise the executive committee.

In 1935 King George V approved the granting of a Royal Charter for the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing.

The crest at the top of the coat of arms is a figure of Terpsichore, one of the Muses from Greek mythology, representing dance.

The Escutcheon shows a pentagram symbolising health, with a wavy and zigzag line conveying the movement of dancing.

In 1950, founder President of the RAD Adeline Genée was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours List.

On 23 April 1970, Founder President of the Academy, Dame Adeline Genée died at the age of 92 and in 1972, the RAD moved into its current headquarters in Battersea Square, London.

The building was fully refurbished to provide high quality dance facilities and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.

Since that time, the RAD has opened offices worldwide, including Brazil, China, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, In 1990, a new studio complex was opened at RAD headquarters.

The following year in 1991, Dame Margot Fonteyn died on 21 February in Panama City and Antoinette Sibley was elected as the RAD's third President.

In 1996, RAD President Antoinette Sibley was appointed a Dame in the Queen's New Year Honours List and the Academy's first 12-degree students attended their graduation at Durham Castle.

In 1997, the Benesh Institute[9] was incorporated into the RAD and in 1999, The 'Faculty of Education' was established with further teaching qualifications being launched, validated by the University of Durham.

On 20 December 2000, the RAD officially adopted its current title, "Royal Academy of Dance" and in the same year, qualifications were established for students studying 'Benesh Movement Notation'.

UK and Republic of Ireland members from the three dance organisations were invited to video and submit a short dance piece online, and a variety of acts were then chosen both by an esteemed panel of professionals and through a public vote to perform live at the Royal Albert Hall.

Presentation Classes were introduced for students who a dance teacher feels may not benefit from, or be suitable for taking the series of examinations.

They dance a condensed selection of exercises from the appropriate grade and receive a certificate of participation, which is normally presented by the examiner at the end of the class.

Students choosing to study this series of awards are required to be competent in the fundamentals of ballet technique and movement vocabulary.

Students studying the vocational syllabus are expected to achieve a high level of technical and artistic ability in ballet and it can take a great deal of time and commitment to reach the standard required to pass these examinations.

The most identifiable aspect of the RAD method is the attention to detail when learning the basic steps, and the progression in difficulty is often very slow.

Whilst the new association is not a merger, it is intended that it will develop co-operation between the two organisations and mutual recognition of the training and qualifications that they both provide.

Acts are then chosen both by an esteemed panel of professionals and through a public vote to be performed live at the Royal Albert Hall.

The following is a list of countries, by region, in which the RAD has active members, including the locations of regional administrative offices: UK & Ireland Europe North America Caribbean, Central and South America Mexico Asia and Pacific Africa, Middle East and South Asia Ballet Schools & Companies – A number of international ballet schools offer their students the opportunity to take vocational examinations with the RAD.