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Birmingham Ormiston Academy BOA


hoglett

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Does anybody have any experience of the dance programme at BOA? I would be particularly interested in how much ballet there is and how much dance compared to academic study. Would this prepare you for vocational school? Thanks in advance.

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I can't comment about the amount of practical or academic work but what I can say is that it has very good outcomes.  I have a young friend doing the audition rounds who has 7 offers, all funded, for musical theatre.  I believe many of her fellow students have similar musical theatre offers. These are all at top schools such as Laines, Arts Ed, GSA, etc etc

 

Heather

Aka TaxiMom

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I think BOA has quite a range of abilities within each year group and although a good number do go onto top vocational schools with funded places for dance courses, I know there are also plenty who do not.  My DDs have had quite a few friends go to BOA and all but one did secure funded places for further vocational dance training - for level 6 Trinity diplomas at Laines, Bird, Millennium, Stella Mann (all dance) or for degrees at Laban (contemporary) and London Studio Centre (jazz strand? not sure) . The one who did not gain a place anywhere did not actually apply but decided dance was not the career for her.  I do not know the breakdown between dance and practical but would believe that the dance program would prepare a student for dance courses, just not necessarily classical ballet. I know one of the girls currently doing a level 6 diploma in professional dance commented that the academic content for the BOA course certainly prepared her as a lot of the topics/assignments on her level 6 course were similar - but obviously studied in more detail and depth. I am not sure if they do much ballet, but rather a mix of dance styles. There are a lot of performance opportunities - some of which are entry by audition - often by visiting companies - like Matthew Bourne where BOA dance students often perform at the Hippodrome prior to the opening night of a Matthew Bourne production. I would have to say that you would need check for additional ballet classes. I know some of DDs friends were still intermediate when they started year 12, taking the exam through their local schools in the first term and they were then able to do advance 1 at BOA, whereas another year a friend already in advance 1 found there were no additional classes at her level - due to staff changes.  I can tell you that all the girls we know (and a few boys) that have been to BOA have thoroughly enjoyed their time there. Incidentally, DD also knows someone who went straight into work from BOA and is dancing professionally overseas.

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