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I think the new RBS approach means that parents and children can always have a plan B in mind for year 10. They will also be secure knowing that they are guaranteed the first 3 years at White Lodge (and possibly an additional 2 if offered yr 10/11.) In my experience, about 95% of students who were assessed out under the old system continued to train in different high standard vocational schools around the world. Rarely do children who are so passionate and devoted to ballet quit suddenly because they have been assessed out of one school. This could be for so many reasons- injury and injury recovery rate, physical strength, stamina, attitude and behaviour. Nobody will deny it’s a tough process but these young people are exceptionally resilient and do find an alternative path- one that suits them at that stage of their ballet journey. Some even rejoin RBS for upper school. In the UK there are lots of other great schools - YDA in London, Moorland, Elmhurst, Hammond, Tring Park etc. Students who have spent any time at RBS are clearly talented and will audition successfully to join a new school if that’s their wish.

What a superb, sublime and emotional evening. The dancers were all wonderful and with no staging to detract or distract the eye it was lovely to enjoy the purity of their performances. Francesco Gabriele Frola- where to begin? Very rarely does a dancer cause an entire audience to gasp audibly at the sheer virtuosity and seemingly impossible athleticism achieved. He was breathtaking to watch and partnered with the exquisite Mayara Magri they brought dynamics, passion, excitement and a brilliant chemistry that was undeniable from the moment they took to the stage. I had hoped to see more of Alina but her performance bore all of the hallmarks that I love about her. She is so utterly genuine and generous with her every movement and always dances wholeheartedly and with complete abandon that draws you in. Just beautiful. Too many outstanding moments to recount as I’m still taking it all in but bravo to all of the dancers involved and of course to Alina and Ivan for their extraordinary efforts. Wonderful to see dancers and people from all over the world united in their support of Ukraine. A very special evening.

Yes please!

If anyone has a reasonably priced ticket spare for Osipova/Clarke I would be super grateful! Thank you

Sounds like she is lucky to have such a wonderfully supportive teacher and indeed -resilience is key! Wishing her luck with remaining auditions. Congrats on the first place too, a great confidence boost for her.

Wow didn’t expect the results so quickly! Good luck everyone awaiting news from the scholarship audition.

Internet stabilised just in time! Wow, a really strong group of highly accomplished dancers in the junior group. I have 10 favourites so I think the panel have a very tough job today! Looking forward to seeing the older group later. So delighted the Prix is live again this year! Seeing the students in class and having that opportunity to be coached allows us such insight and is invaluable for them. Bravo to all the candidates!

Anyone else struggling with the live stream this morning or is it just my internet? 😩

Hi, It’s always a friendly audition and a great class. I think there are 20 dancers in each group, no pointe work for girls. There are a large number of scholarships awarded to a mixture of vocational and non vocational dancers across the age groups. Not too sure of the exact number available but possibly around 40-50. I am sure someone else will be able to give an accurate number.

Hi, is this still available?

Best of luck! Hope the wait for results isn’t too long. What a relief that auditions can finally be held in person once again!

Always a fine balance regarding photos. If an application relies solely on still photos for a place to be offered then I totally understand that the quality of the image is important for the student to be granted the opportunity to dance. However, the panels that assess these photos are so highly trained at spotting the necessary facility required or appropriate to the course that so long as the images are decent quality (lighting/exposure/in focus etc) then that is fine. Most crucial I think is that the student is accurately represented and shown in their best light technically. I would say that the input of a ballet teacher to advise and ensure that the technique and position is accurate is more important than the standard of the actual photography. For company level applications I’m sure that a professional portfolio is expected but prior to that I assume that a trained eye can spot potential amongst both professional and amateur photos.

What a wonderful summary of the final Nutcracker of the season! Lovely insights to read for those of us who weren’t able to be there.

Hi, Dancia in London stock R-class and also The Dancers Pointe in Newcastle.

Another idea- I make ballet themed bracelets with semi-precious beads that I have sold to many people as teachers gifts and indeed gifted to my daughters ballet teachers! https://www.kirstengrace.com/the-barre-ballet-gifts (Hope ok to mention this here mods)

Good luck everyone! Many many years ago when dd was at finals they taught them sections of the choreography from the actual show to see how They picked it up/performed and also to see how well they could portray the character acting parts. Congrats on the finals, (a great achievement in itself) and enjoy!

I’m not sure about other vocational schools but RBS has recently changed their structure so there is no longer any possibility of a child being assessed out. As I understand it, Students are now guaranteed their place in the school for 3 years (Yr 7,8,9) as the first phase of their training and then all students re-audition to join the new training phase which is the next 2 years (years 10-11 and also aligns with academics for GCSE) It would be harder to join in year 8 as there will be fewer places available but not impossible if there are still spaces available in that year group.

Thank you so much for sharing this. Fascinating, and what incredible precision, energy and form! 👏

Would love stalls circle standing if anyone has any spare for weds or Fridays Giselle please?

Sorry to hear you are facing such a tough predicament. Reading what you say I would be inclined to pause and wait till term end whilst making other back up plans and buying some extra time to plan his next steps smoothly if he does decide to leave. You say he loved it at first as it was probably exciting and new but as the novelty has worn off and reality has set in he has had a change of heart. 11 is exceptionally young to find yourself away from home, with a brand new structure, friends, expectations and it’s probably very confronting to realise the enormity of making a decision to pursue ballet as a career at this early stage too. The kids certainly tend to have wobbles after spending time back with the family in the early days and that certainly takes time to adjust. If his heart was always with ballet before he went away and he really wanted this then I would be inclined to let the dust settle before removing him. However, If he really doesn’t want to continue training and you know it’s not a reaction to initial homesickness and being so young then I would say it is best to bring him home. Hopefully the school have great pastoral care and house parents who can let you know how he is doing in general and also great advice to speak to a counsellor to talk things through and determine what is best for him. You don’t want him to have any regrets either way! Wish you well whichever way you decide. Don’t be afraid to ask the school for support in the first instance as your child will certainly not be the first to feel this way.

Best of luck! 🍀

It really was a magical experience to witness the incredible insights and see the passing on to the next generation of such wisdom from amazing coaches. I also loved the ethereal beauty of Yasmine in Giselle and her jaw dropping control in such slow and demanding adage sections. Mostly I loved to see the level of detail that was discussed over each movement and gesture and the importance of really living the role and bringing each character and their intentions to the audience. The RB company are so very good at story telling and it was wonderful to observe and appreciate the process!

I agree! Dancers are all about movement quality and not static pics. However, I wonder whether importance is placed on the photographs submitted as I’m not sure all applicants are automatically invited to audition after application or are the photos used to select candidates for audition at 16+? Covid has also changed the approach to auditions and I know that over the last 2 years photos and video submission have been relied on with the limits on travel. Let’s hope that ‘in person’ auditions are all back to normal this year as that’s absolutely the best way to assess an individual dancers ability, performance and potential.

I would say most important to ensure the student is shown in their best light technically so would recommend that if the teacher can’t be there when you take the shots that they do advise on which are the best ones to submit. If you do decide to use a professional photographer I know that Photography by Ash is very popular for audition photo shoots though have no personal experience with them.

In case anyone missed this! Happy World Ballet Day all. Such a wonderful and rare opportunity to catch a glimpse inside so many incredible studios, schools and companies around the world to see their different approaches to training and coaching etc.