What does the RBS look for?

[balletla]

I'm really surprised that everyone thinks facial beauty is so important. I hate to be horrible but I have seen some very plain/ugly dancers in big prestigious companies who are clearly there for their balletic ability but not so much their looks!

[Dadadance]

I'm intrigued to what comments are on the first page of this topic. My work PC will let me see the second page but when I try to look at the first page it is blocked for pornograghic and adult material!!

 

My DS has what is known as a very classical build but it didn't stop him being assessed out of W/L. Amonst the boys it was very difficult to see what they were looking for as they were all very different. They did seem to prefer shorter boys where Elmhurst seems to prefer taller.

 

I expect we will never know

Edited February 8, 2012 by Dadadance

[rowan]

I do remember someone on the old forum - and I hope it's not bad form to mention it - who said her/his child had been assessed out of White Lodge halfway through the first year because the RBS had decided their legs weren't long enough. The child didn't go to another vocational dance school and became a happy recreational dancer.

[amber21]

I agree with you to a certain extent rachael, but I do believe certain attributes can be improved upon if physical, and learned, in the case of "performance", and that in a learned attribute, some children will find this later than others. I don't believe a child should be written off at 10 because they may find that at 13 or older, they come into their own and suddenly something "clicks" for them.

 

I dont believe the RBS is writing off any child in auditions, they are very honest in the way they deliver the first session of JA's in that everyone is made aware that only maybe 1 or 2 out of every group may only ever make it onto the stage as a professional ballerina, on their website it says that they have their own system of training and choose children who may respond to this. I agree that they may miss that one child who could have been 'the one' and they maybe chosen by other companies and possibly end up back at RBS at a later date. Surely isnt this about having the experience and enjoying it for what it is or maybe?

 

My own DD dance teacher advised my DD to give up her other styles of dance because she had got into the RBS and at present she doesnt want to, if she does choose to do this at some point and gets assessed out later down the line at least she would have enjoyed the experience and still can do ballet along with her other dancing she enjoys. I think aswell If we really knew why it was children werent picked that could prove quite damaging to both childrens confidence and parents committment.

[rachaelballet12]

Spannerand pony I now what u are saying performance can come with experience but the Royal ballet do state that All children are invited to audition again so many more chances can be given to be seen again .

[Gingerbread]

Gingerbread- I was talking about both, people who have been turned down and those that have been assessed out. I think the majority of people can see the royal ballet school type just by looking at photos from the school let alone actually going and experiencing it for yourself. There is a particular body shape and look. Some people have it, others just don't. Which is what the discussion is about.

 

I am not trying to discourage anyone from going to the RBS but you, as a dancer or a dancer's parent have to be prepared to understand how the RBS look for a very particular type of child. Often for petty reasons. I have however never heard of the facial beauty thing before although I notice how many people in America in particular and the UK wear stage makeup to auditions nowadays.

 

without wanting to put too fine a point on it, when my DD was turned down for a JA place about 4 years ago, I didn't get any feedback as to why - just a straight no - I thought this was the norm. I know what the discussion is about (I think)! but wanted to clarify whether anyone's son or daughter had received a No after a RB audition with a reason - or just a straight no.

[tomuchtallent]

Just reading through this old thread and found it very interesting!

I have a friend who went to the RB upper school.She is a teacher now and she told me that they do like pretty girls and it does count at the audition!!

[Two left feet]

RBS simply look for talent.i have a DC who has been through WL and currently at RBS upper school,and through all the years DC has been there there has been a mixture of tall and short students, in the current class there is a large range in heights . And as for facial beauty ,this made me smile some students are ,some are not.

They look for talent.

[JulieW]

Interesting Tomuchtallent, that she has that view.  Personally, from watching the RBS students over many years now, I agree with Two Left Feet - not wishing to be personal or upset anyone (so I'll keep it general) but I've seen pretty and not very pretty getting into WL and Upper School - it's all subjective anyway isn't it and not something you can do anything about.

 

I also smile to myself when parents of auditioning children worry about whether schools are looking for long/short legs/backs/necks, size of head, length of arms.....  These are all things you have no control over - there's no point worrying about it

[balletla]

And contrary to the views expressed here occasionally - ALL the schools are looking for the same thing (talent and physique suitable for ballet) - they just don't always recognise it in the same people and when they do, they can't always get the ones that they want, so make offers to others.

[GTL]

As a mere ballet-goer, I sympathise with your dilemma as parents of dancers and am very grateful for the efforts you make.

Years ago, I knew someone who had auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in the late 1960s.  She said that the RBS had offered a place but told her mother that she would grow to 5’6’’ and would have to leave them after about two years.  Her mother declined it and told her she had been unsuccessful in the audition.   She did indeed grow to 5’7’’ with the build of a contemporary dancer, but had no lingering interest in dance at all.    Discussing it with me the day after her mother had finally come clean, she was absolutely certain her mother had acted in her best interests and did not think she would regret the decision, but she could not help wondering, “What if?”.   I never heard her mention it again, so it looks as though her mother did know best.

[balletla]

How fascinating! I'm sure they don't do height predictions any more or that it matters. Imagine if she had only grown to 5' 3" though.

[Pointytoes22]

Maybe a silly question, but what is a long back?! I've never seen anyone and thought they definitely have an abnormally long back...

[Pointytoes22]

Maybe a silly question, but what is a long back?! I've never seen anyone and thought they definitely have an abnormally long back...

[Pointytoes22]

Oops sorry!

[atacrossroads]

How fascinating! I'm sure they don't do height predictions any more or that it matters. Imagine if she had only grown to 5' 3" though.

Oh they do Ribbons!  You still have to put the mother and father's height on all RBS JA application forms, so I'd imagine that that follows through.  But what if the father is 6 ft and the mother is 5 ft 1" , what predictions can they make from that?

[Pas de Quatre]

A common way of predicting height is to add both parents' height together, divide by 2 then for a boy add 2.5 inches or for a girl subtract 2.5 inches.

[tutucute22]

does anyone know how flexible RBS like the dancers to be- ie super flexible and being able to do all splits easily or do children less flexible do just as well ?

[balletmum20]

What' is the ideal height for a ballet dancer? Does anyone know x

[balletmum20]

When I went RB insight day in November, I asked that question and they said in ja audition, they do not make them do the splits, and I know people in ja, who cannot o the splits x

[Circe]

I asked about height at the RBS insight day that we went to as DD is 5,7 at age13. They said that there are no height restrictions but it may be a factor if a dancer is TOO tall. I asked what too tall is but luckily for my dd was not given definitive answer. I guess its a combination of factors one way or another and therefore worth trying if genuinely interested.

[Aurora]

Ideal height used to be 5'4"-5'6" but it's changed now and seem to accept a wider range.

[Katymac]

I'm 5ft 5 & DH is 6ft 2 - will that make DD 5ft 6?  If so she has a way to go yet

 

Mind you that sounds more reasonable than the HV who suggested she would be 5ft 11.5.........after measuring her hands & feet as a toddler

[Anna C]

Maybe a silly question, but what is a long back?! I've never seen anyone and thought they definitely have an abnormally long back...

Not a silly question at all. A "long body" means just that - long in proportion to the legs; I believe "long back" refers to the length of the back from the waist down to the top of the inside leg.

 

My daughter is fairly long in the back but she does have long legs and arms and a lovely neck.

 

But - at the end of the day - all you can do in terms of height, limb length, neck length and torso/back length is make the best of what you were born with.

 

AND - look at the dancers in RB and in particular ENB - there are all shapes, sizes and heights! They certainly don't all have banana feet, high insteps, long legs, short bodies etc. (which does make you wonder why the schools are so insistent on these traits).

[tomuchtallent]

I think my friend meant after talent they looked for a pretty face.

As for height,she is the same height as me, 5ft 1 and is in her early 30s so maybe thats what they wanted then or they don't mind tall or short.She had a great job in a Portugues company for 10 years or so.

I think my dd will be short like me!! But I believe if she is good enough then it should not matter.

[Balletgirlsplease]

They do still ask for parents height on the application forms though!

My DD is a year 6 JA and I wouldn't say she was talented at ballet as only grade 1. She obviously has potential though. She is very petite for her age at 130cm turning aged 11 in march and weighing only 26kg. She is the smallest girl in her JA class. I would say she has a pretty face but then I'm biased as her mother!! ????

And re:splits she can now do them on both sides but couldn't do either when she auditioned for JAs last year. In the audition they like to see them in box splits as far as they can get their legs out (if that makes sense not how far they can go down). In her class they do splits on one side , then roll round to box splits then go down on other leg, then round to box splits. In My DDs JA class they are all different heights.

Edited January 25, 2013 by eloise_please

[HAIRBELLES]

Everyone has their theories as to what The Royal Ballet look for in a 10/11 year old child but this is what they actually state on their letter:

 

The requirements for the Lower School are quite exacting: technical facility, theatricality, musicality,physical proportions, and suitability for Classical Ballet training at this School are all taken into consideration. Often it may be a limitation in only one aspect that can be a deciding factor.

 

The School does recognise that young people change and develop at different stages and for this reason no one is ever dissuaded from auditioning again.

 

I took the opportunity, through our local dance teacher, to obtain feedback as my DD had been an associate for 3 years and Gailene Stock had asked her to come back in the audition studio and looked at her again. I was given very positive feedback some of which I could see for myself. 

 

Both my DD's have been associates and both are very different in physique, flexibility etc.Neither of them made Lower School finals (much to my dismay as I really would like to visit White Lodge)  but both are in a  vocational ballet school!

Edited January 26, 2013 by HAIRBELLES

[Lisa O`Brien]

Didn`t I read somewhere that WL at the Final Audition,used to take an XRay of the child`s wrist to determine eventual height?

[HAIRBELLES]

My mother watched a programme featuring Wayne Sleep .... When discussing his stature ,He was saying that he missed the x-ray part of his audition so yes it must right that you read this somewhere.

[JulieW]

Hairbelles - how about a visit to WL for the summer fair - perhaps a balletcoforum get together there is in order! I've been every year since my son auditioned for JAs, so 12 years I think now :-) It's a lovely day.

[Legseleven]

Yes, I read in 'Life at the Royal Ballet School' by Camilla Jessel that WL x-rayed auditionees' wrists to gauge adult height. The book also said that the parents were looked at to get an idea of likely adult shape - and there was a definite reference to parental width as well as height, very un-PC! The book was published in c 1978 though so the non-PC aspect of the reference to that practice probably didn't jar as much as it does now at that time.

 

I have no idea how they did this as I don't imagine that they could guarantee that both parents would or could come to the school so that they could take a view as to their height and width! Or why they needed to do this as they were x-raying wrists.

 

I still don't know why they ask for parents' heights on application forms as these are not always accurate indicators of a child's likely adult height - and in the case of adopted children they would have no relevance at all. If they still want an idea of likely adult height then they should perhaps go back to x-raying wrists.

[Pups_mum]

X raying a wrist can't tell you what someone's final height is going to be, but it gives you some idea of how much more growing they have got to do. A "bone age" can be determined from looking at what stage of ossification the various bones in the hand are. If your bone age is less than your chronological age then you are likely to carry on growing for longer than average, and vice versa. I suppose they used that to try and guage how near to "the finished product" each child was, physically speaking. It's a very inexact science though, as are the calculations from parental height - at best they give a vague idea, especially if the parents are very different in size from each other.

[balletla]

I don't know why they still ask for parents' height on the form; probably a legacy that they haven't had time or money to re-design or re-print. It doesn't seem to make any difference as there are really tall and really small girls at White Lodge and Upper School.

 

As for x-rays, they would be considered unnecessary exposure to radiation nowadays and unsafe for a child.