National Youth Ballet

[thewinelake]

How good do you have to be to get in (as a 17 year old)? eg. Are they expecting Advanced 2 with distinction?!

 

Is it really for full time associates?

Edited October 23, 2015 by thewinelake

[balletqs]

The standard is very high as lots of full time seniors audition but they also want exceptional stage presence and musicality so it is worth trying. There are varying roles for varying ages and standards.

[thewinelake]

thanks. Suspect way beyond DD!

Edited October 24, 2015 by thewinelake

[thewinelake]

...is there anything that sits between EYB & NYB in terms of difficulty of getting in/the challenge it represents?

[taxi4ballet]

EYB don't stint when it comes to technical difficulty for their seniors - they like giving them a challenge and some solos are full variations from the classics.

[thewinelake]

I wasn't meaning to belittle EYB, but I suspect that it's far easier to get through the audition process due to (what I presume to be!!) the relative lack of competition compared to NYB? At least DD (who made the scholarship shortlist for EYB) reckons she's got "no chance" at NYB!

[Anna C]

Well you're talking about two entirely different things really, so it's a bit like comparing apples to oranges. EYB tours and holds a relatively large number of auditions each year, auditioning a couple of hundred students for a hundred places each time. I have known full-time vocational school students do EYB but they are probably more likely to do NYB or LCB if logistically possible.

 

I assume that NYB auditions are only once a year in London so proportionately they are able to see - and accept - far fewer students, making competition much more fierce.

 

As Taxi says, the standard of work and especially pointework required for EYB is high; it's certainly not dumbed down. Were they to only hold one audition a year like NYB and LCB it would be much easier to compare difficulty and likelihood of getting a place.

[thewinelake]

Interesting - thanks!

[Lilac]

My Dd who was aged 16 and not at vocational school participated in NYB this Summer. We're 3 1st auditions in London and one in Birmingham, and then a second/ casting audition in London later. Summer school was good as a mix of dance styles, and seemed a bit like being at vocational school. Main parts went to vocational school students, she had minor roles in a couple of dances. Can be lots of waiting around, her room- mate, also non vocational was only in one, at least DD was in the main ballet. Both were small for their age which may have helped them get in. It would be fairly late in the day to get in at most summer schools if you weren't successful at second audition. Lovely costumes, and great to perform at Sadler's Wells,