Questions about Upper School auditions

[Nicola H]

12 hours ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

A level equivalent means a Level 3 Btec or Cambridge Technical or the new RSA Diploma I’m afraid not RAD/ISTD exams. 

the problem is that the Level 3  awards   in dance / drama / music  are 'awards'  amd not  certificates  or diplomas -  their 'weight' alone is insufficient to fulfill the requirements for levle 3  qualifications  to enter  a degree

[balletbean]

20 hours ago, Boogalou said:

Thank you Balletbean, so does this mean that where a degree course requires A level or equivalent then its still worth DD applying at 16 with her RAD intermediate and ISTD Modern Intermediate? I was starting to think the degree courses were only for 18 yrs+.

Hi. You will have to contact the individual Higher Education establishments to ascertain their exact requirements for the particular course you were interested in. Depending on the Degree courses some will accept the dancing exams on their own whilst others still require A levels like the Royal Academy of Dance for their teaching courses. There really doesn’t appear to be one rule to fit all but it is helpful to understand all exams across the board that your DC has and therefore put to their best use. Can also help when seeking funding. 

Good Luck. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by balletbean

[hoglett]

Do any of these places that you're talking about above have open days and when do they tend to be please? Thanks.

[Loulou]

I think a lot of the places do have open days, we went to the RCS one and it was definitely worthwhile if never been , Elmhurst also have one, we didn’t do that as dd is an Associate but we did do Elmhurst audition prep day which was also very good, details are on both schools websites, or presume will be nearer the time. These were both Oct/Nov. Rcs we had to register and then it opened up on a certain date for you to book onto it. 

[hoglett]

Thanks @Loulou x

[bethany]

Hi everyone

 

I wondered if anyone could share any information about the following 3 courses please which are on my daughter's list of places to audition?

She is hoping to audition for a year 12 place starting sept 19. 

She loves ballet but is not of the standard to audition for a classical ballet course. Therefore, we are hoping for a college that is more general / jazz focused but where she can still take regular ballet classes. 

The difficulty is finding somewhere that is of a good standard but where she won't feel out of her depth with ballet. 

 

1)KS dance - I've read a lot of positives about this course but we aren't very familiar with it. 

2)Chantry dance - again, not familiar with this but someone on this forum kindly suggested we look at it.  Course content sounds ideal and the fees seem very reasonable. 

3)Northern ballet, Manchester. 

 

Any comments about the audition, expected standard for year 12 entry, accommodation and pastoral care for 16 year olds would be very helpful. Also, with regards to KS dance does anyone have any information about fees / bursaries?

 

Any other suggestions gratefully received. 

I want to start narrowing things down a bit as it's becoming difficult to keep track! 

 

Thank you x

 

 

 

 

[BlueLou]

5 minutes ago, bethany said:

 

1)KS dance - I've read a lot of positives about this course but we aren't very familiar with it. 

2)Chantry dance - again, not familiar with this but someone on this forum kindly suggested we look at it.  Course content sounds ideal and the fees seem very reasonable. 

3)Northern ballet, Manchester. 

 

 

Good list! I have no direct experience of those schools, but would consider adding Laine to your list. It is an MT school, but Miss Laine has a well-known love of ballet and everyone there does a daily ballet class. They have several grads in Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. 

[Canary]

KS Dance is ballet focused, the principle is known for her teaching ability and taught many of the great teachers who teach all over the world 

 

 the first years are assisted to be placed in local rented flats and houses with other students and rent is around the £300 pcm plus bills 

the school is on an industrial estate in a quiet safe area and most students walk or cycle and later drive to classes 

 

theyve announced their open days and first audition in November and I suggest you visit the college and get a feel for the place if you can 

 

many people know as soon as they walk in that it’s the right place for them 

 

Happy, nurturing environment making students feel safe and lots of laughter

 

some students focus on ballet for a ballet career but all students are trained to be confident and versatile 

 

One of the UKs well known strength and and conditioning coach works on site 

 

if you ring the office next week when summer school is on I’m sure there will be someone that can advise re fees 

 

 

 

 

[bethany]

Thank you Bluelou and Canary, very helpful. 

Such a lot to take in. I have a feeling year 11 is going to be very stressful! 

[Anna C]

Does your daughter sing, bethany? Is she interested in Musical Theatre as a career, or purely dancing? 

 

If MT I would also look at Millenium (perhaps at the Foundation course for year 12, rather than the degree.  Tring Park offers A'Levels alongside the Dance course so that might be worth looking at too, as well as Urdang, Bird, SLP and London Studio Centre. 

[bethany]

1 hour ago, Anna C said:

Does your daughter sing, bethany? Is she interested in Musical Theatre as a career, or purely dancing? 

 

If MT I would also look at Millenium (perhaps at the Foundation course for year 12, rather than the degree.  Tring Park offers A'Levels alongside the Dance course so that might be worth looking at too, as well as Urdang, Bird, SLP and London Studio Centre. 

 

Hi Anna, thanks for the suggestions 🙂 

She likes singing but has never had lessons  - she's happy to consider a dance course with singing but definitely wants it to be dance focused. 

She does like SLP, she took some children's classes there a while ago and said it had a nice atmosphere. 

 

 

[2dancersmum]

Bethany,  the level 6 Trinity diploma is available for Professional Dance or for Musical Theatre - 2 separate qualifications. There are loads of colleges that offer professional dance - in this they are assessed on a minimum of 2 dance disciplines with another module being dance, singing or choreography based. The first link below gives you information on the qualification and colleges that provide it.  Your DD may well study ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap for example but in the end would be assessed on her strongest disciplines. Disciplines depend on the college. The 2nd link is for the council of dance , drama and mt training - quite a useful website.  They organise a careers conference each year that students and parents can attend (at cost). Colleges taking part vary each year as does location but it does give the parent the opportunity to talk direct to various colleges and get questions asked and answered.

 

Obviously neither of these include all options available for further training - nor does it mean that colleges not included are 'lesser' in any way. Dance training is a minefield with so many training options and different ways of funding with so many routes to becoming a professional dancer. Hope something I have said here helps and good luck

 

 

https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=270

https://cdmt.org.uk/

 

[bethany]

22 minutes ago, 2dancersmum said:

Bethany,  the level 6 Trinity diploma is available for Professional Dance or for Musical Theatre - 2 separate qualifications. There are loads of colleges that offer professional dance - in this they are assessed on a minimum of 2 dance disciplines with another module being dance, singing or choreography based. The first link below gives you information on the qualification and colleges that provide it.  Your DD may well study ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap for example but in the end would be assessed on her strongest disciplines. Disciplines depend on the college. The 2nd link is for the council of dance , drama and mt training - quite a useful website.  They organise a careers conference each year that students and parents can attend (at cost). Colleges taking part vary each year as does location but it does give the parent the opportunity to talk direct to various colleges and get questions asked and answered.

 

Obviously neither of these include all options available for further training - nor does it mean that colleges not included are 'lesser' in any way. Dance training is a minefield with so many training options and different ways of funding with so many routes to becoming a professional dancer. Hope something I have said here helps and good luck

 

 

https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=270

https://cdmt.org.uk/

 

Thank you so much for this. 

Yes, definitely a minefield! We did go to some open days in year 10 to try to reduce time off school in year 11 but there is still so much to organise and think about 

[Picturesinthefirelight]

3 hours ago, Anna C said:

Does your daughter sing, bethany? Is she interested in Musical Theatre as a career, or purely dancing? 

 

If MT I would also look at Millenium (perhaps at the Foundation course for year 12, rather than the degree.  Tring Park offers A'Levels alongside the Dance course so that might be worth looking at too, as well as Urdang, Bird, SLP and London Studio Centre. 

 

There may be an issue with funding at Millennium next year (if funding is needed). I believe they lost their DaDa funding a couple of years ago & they had problems with Designation this year for the degree.  

[Picturesinthefirelight]

With regards to the schools you asked about.

 

I’ve heard mixed about Northern ballet. I know a couple of their current teachers who are excellent but I have heard rumblings of discontent. The students I know of didn’t complete the course One because of injury the other transferred elsewhere so I know a sample of two isn’t representative. 

 

I dont know much about  KS general dance course. I only really hear of the classical course. 

 

There is definately a difference in the amoaunt of ballet the different colleges offer. For example even though it’s not a classical course a daily ballet class is at the core of Hammond’s training & I have heard ballet is featured heavily at Laine. By contrast colleges such as Performers & Bird offer less ballet classes from what students there have told me.  

[bethany]

13 hours ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

With regards to the schools you asked about.

 

I’ve heard mixed about Northern ballet. I know a couple of their current teachers who are excellent but I have heard rumblings of discontent. The students I know of didn’t complete the course One because of injury the other transferred elsewhere so I know a sample of two isn’t representative. 

 

I dont know much about  KS general dance course. I only really hear of the classical course. 

 

There is definately a difference in the amoaunt of ballet the different colleges offer. For example even though it’s not a classical course a daily ballet class is at the core of Hammond’s training & I have heard ballet is featured heavily at Laine. By contrast colleges such as Performers & Bird offer less ballet classes from what students there have told me.  

Thanks for sharing your experiences. 

we hadn’t really looked properly at Laine, performers etc. Partly due to the cost and partly because of how hard they are to get a place. Laine and the Hammond both sound ideal for what she is looking for though. 

I don’t have any background in dance so it’s very hard to know what to do for the best! 

 

Anyway, thank you all of you for your help and suggestions. We both appreciate it 🙂 

[w445403]

I recommend looking at Stageworks, their Audition Preparation course prepares students for auditions at 18 and has a 100% record for placing students at all the major schools. It has ballet, jazz, commercial , contemporary etc as well as singing and acting. It's a BTec Advanced course so is funded. The students are housed in shared houses/flats and the pastoral care is good. 

[bethany]

1 hour ago, w445403 said:

I recommend looking at Stageworks, their Audition Preparation course prepares students for auditions at 18 and has a 100% record for placing students at all the major schools. It has ballet, jazz, commercial , contemporary etc as well as singing and acting. It's a BTec Advanced course so is funded. The students are housed in shared houses/flats and the pastoral care is good. 

Thank you. We’ve not heard of this but will have a look 

[TwoLeftFeet]

Does anyone have experience of auditioning for any of the German schools?  If you have, could you please pm me if you don't mind?  Thank you

[Science in Dance]

For those that only know of KS Dance for their Ballet...

They have a really strong Dancer's Course to specialise for Commercial, Jazz and Contemporary Dance. 

Graduate Destinations include: West End and Broadway, Cirque Du Soleil, Friederich statpalaste Germany, and Las Vegas based shows.

 

All students have a grounding in ballet as it provides the lines that even commercial dance auditions look for. 

Graduates of Ballet Course have ended up in Ballet Companies... Grads of Dancers Course end up in Commercial Dance and Theatre. The choice is endless.

 

http://ksd-online.co.uk/dancers-course/

[ArucariaBallerina]

Hello! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm auditioning this year for upper schools! I have a large document with funding, photo requirements, audition dates and anything else (eg personal statement, doctors note etc).

 

im hoping to get everything sent off, photos taken after EYB which is next week. I'm wondering if anybody could help with the personal statements required by KS Dance and RCS? I'm guessing the KS dance one is much shorter? What exactly should I put on it? My mum is very experienced as I have lots of siblings, but not for a dance/performance course, so some extra help would be appreciated!

Also, does RCS have set publicised dates or do you just get sent one randomly when you apply?

 

Sorry for all the questions! I am applying for Elmhurst, Ballet West, Central, RCS, Moorland, NBS and KS Dance  I'm both beyond excited and beyond nervous!

[sarahw]

Hi Arucaria,

 

RCS dates came out relatively late last year. You can get on and apply. First auditions were November in Glasgow if I remember correctly.

[balletbean]

16 hours ago, ArucariaBallerina said:

Hello! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm auditioning this year for upper schools! I have a large document with funding, photo requirements, audition dates and anything else (eg personal statement, doctors note etc).

 

im hoping to get everything sent off, photos taken after EYB which is next week. I'm wondering if anybody could help with the personal statements required by KS Dance and RCS? I'm guessing the KS dance one is much shorter? What exactly should I put on it? My mum is very experienced as I have lots of siblings, but not for a dance/performance course, so some extra help would be appreciated!

Also, does RCS have set publicised dates or do you just get sent one randomly when you apply?

 

Sorry for all the questions! I am applying for Elmhurst, Ballet West, Central, RCS, Moorland, NBS and KS Dance  I'm both beyond excited and beyond nervous!

Good Luck. My DD has just started at NBS this week so if you have any direct questions regarding the audition process I’m happy to help. If I can. 🙆‍♀️

[Loulou]

My dd applied to RCS, from memory her personal statement included, dance experience, styles, exams taken, ass courses, summer/ Easter courses, eyb experience, nyb experience, her dance ambitions and why she wanted to join rcs. She has just started at Ballet west so happy to answer questions about that.

 

 

 

[Piccolo]

Just wondered if anyone knows what the photo requirements for Rambert and Central usually are. They don’t seem to be online yet. Or are they somewhere in this 52 page topic?!?

[BlueLou]

2 hours ago, Piccolo said:

Just wondered if anyone knows what the photo requirements for Rambert and Central usually are. They don’t seem to be online yet. Or are they somewhere in this 52 page topic?!?

I answered this on a recent thread (audition photos Central and Rambert, I think). Out and on my phone right now so can’t link or copy, but a search should find it! 

[Jan McNulty]

33 minutes ago, BlueLou said:

I answered this on a recent thread (audition photos Central and Rambert, I think). Out and on my phone right now so can’t link or copy, but a search should find it! 

 

You did indeed BlueLou:  

 

[Piccolo]

Thank you both!

[ArucariaBallerina]

Hi, I have 2 questions sorry! 

 

1) Could anyone recommend a really really good pair of ballet flats (preferably canvas split soles) to me? I love the shape of the so danca sd16, but I don't feel they support my feet enough - they can sometimes ache? I do really like the basic Bloch canvas flats, but they do tend to look a bit baggy. I would like a shoe that is comfortable, arch hugging, and good for turns 😃 I have medium-high arches, fairly strong feet and a very narrow ankle, widening to medium-narrow at the ball of the foot. 

 

2) What forms do Central usually require? I.e Will they want a dance or academic reference, a doctors note or a personal statement?

 

Thank you so much in advance everybody! X

[Peanut68]

Both myself & my daughter have similar sounding feet/ankles to yourself & we really like the ‘Chacott’ canvas split sole ballet flats sold at Freeds & probably any Freed stockist. They are reasonably priced & come with elastics pre sewn in exactly right position/tension - big hooray!!! 

We both find Bloch have rather baggy fronts but these are nice & snug!

[Dancing unicorn]

Dd only wears Bloch zeniths! I’ve tried them too and now only like my older girls to have them! They are so comfy and hug the feet beautifully x

[BlueLou]

11 hours ago, ArucariaBallerina said:

 

2) What forms do Central usually require? I.e Will they want a dance or academic reference, a doctors note or a personal statement?

 

 

 

Last year they required both an academic and a dance reference, and a personal statement. No doctors note though.

[Peanut68]

I agree Bloch Zeniths are nice.....but must be our overly narrow feet as still bagged a little over top of toes for us....best advice to all is I guess try on as many brands/styles/sizes as you can in a good dance shop if you can visit in person!

Edited October 1, 2018 by Peanut68
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