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RBS Junior Associate Auditions 2021


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5 minutes ago, Balletbuds80 said:

Do you know if the JEP children need to re- audition like everyone else? 

Yes, everyone needs to apply and audition the same way. I seem to remember the first time we applied (Y4) the application asked if you've applied before.  But when we applied for Y5, there was no mention of previous applications.  

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21 minutes ago, BusyDancemum said:

Hi yes they do have to audition again my daughter does the JEP.

May I ask, purely out of interest, how big the groups are in the JEP class?  They seem to run the same frequency and last roughly the same amount of time as the JA class, so it must be a great experience.

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I think there’s 18 in my daughters class and I know there is another group aswell, not sure how many are in that or if there are more than 2 groups.  The class is an hour and 10 and I’m sure is very similar to the JA class as my older daughter used to do JA’s.  They get homework to do and exercises to practice, it is very good just a shame it’s by zoom.

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11 minutes ago, BusyDancemum said:

I think there’s 18 in my daughters class and I know there is another group aswell, not sure how many are in that or if there are more than 2 groups.  The class is an hour and 10 and I’m sure is very similar to the JA class as my older daughter used to do JA’s.  They get homework to do and exercises to practice, it is very good just a shame it’s by zoom.

Alas, let's hope there's a way out of zoom in the not too distant future.  

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16 hours ago, Isabella said:

I’m struggling with this at the moment. My DD did the insight day today and she loved it. It was fantastic and matched a lot of what they were looking for in the videos last year but with a different context e.g. improv. However we feel scarred from last year. We went for another associate centre to the one we’re thinking about this year and we found out after the audition that many many children were going for 5 places! We’re looking at different centre this year as we’ve moved but I feel beaten by the system. 

You may find it less traumatic this year Isabella, as you will have more idea what it's all about. JAs is often the first "no" that many dancing children receive and it's tough for both them and their parents. For many of us it is our first contact with the wider ballet world outside of our local schools and it can come as a bit of a shock to realise quite how many talented children there are out there and how tiny the odds of "success" are.

 

Remember that the majority of auditionees will be amongst the most able pupils in their local school and are probably already used to getting high marks in exams, winning local competitions etc. They are all good dancers - but only around 10% will be chosen. But despite knowing the figures intellectually, I think it still hits us emotionally when the "no" letter arrives. That feeling never completely goes away, but the first time is definitely worst. Most people's ballet journeys are a mix of yesses and nos, ups and downs, and as someone said earlier it's the same in many other activities. Some things are a bit easier to understand though as there are seemingly more objective measures  - ballet can feel frustratingly opaque at times.

 

I think it's important to be realistic and to remember that there's more to ballet than the RBS. I think we all tend to see RBS JAs as the "best" scheme for which they will select the most talented dancers so it feels like a slap in the face if your child isn't "good enough". But that's not really what it's about. Obviously the children they pick do have a lot of potential but they are looking for those who they think are most suited to their very specific way of doing things. Plenty of children don't have that, but do have something else, and would thrive elsewhere. I would always agree that getting into JAs is a "good sign" with regards to potential but not getting in isn't necessarily a "bad sign" if that makes sense? And ultimately what *really* matters is that a child is dancing because they love it and us enjoying the journey. If your DD enjoys the audition as an experience in it's own right, regardless of the result then that's a win. Good luck with whatever path you/she decide to follow.

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11 minutes ago, Pups_mum said:

You may find it less traumatic this year Isabella, as you will have more idea what it's all about. JAs is often the first "no" that many dancing children receive and it's tough for both them and their parents. For many of us it is our first contact with the wider ballet world outside of our local schools and it can come as a bit of a shock to realise quite how many talented children there are out there and how tiny the odds of "success" are.

 

Remember that the majority of auditionees will be amongst the most able pupils in their local school and are probably already used to getting high marks in exams, winning local competitions etc. They are all good dancers - but only around 10% will be chosen. But despite knowing the figures intellectually, I think it still hits us emotionally when the "no" letter arrives. That feeling never completely goes away, but the first time is definitely worst. Most people's ballet journeys are a mix of yesses and nos, ups and downs, and as someone said earlier it's the same in many other activities. Some things are a bit easier to understand though as there are seemingly more objective measures  - ballet can feel frustratingly opaque at times.

 

I think it's important to be realistic and to remember that there's more to ballet than the RBS. I think we all tend to see RBS JAs as the "best" scheme for which they will select the most talented dancers so it feels like a slap in the face if your child isn't "good enough". But that's not really what it's about. Obviously the children they pick do have a lot of potential but they are looking for those who they think are most suited to their very specific way of doing things. Plenty of children don't have that, but do have something else, and would thrive elsewhere. I would always agree that getting into JAs is a "good sign" with regards to potential but not getting in isn't necessarily a "bad sign" if that makes sense? And ultimately what *really* matters is that a child is dancing because they love it and us enjoying the journey. If your DD enjoys the audition as an experience in it's own right, regardless of the result then that's a win. Good luck with whatever path you/she decide to follow.

Wow another spot on post in such a supportive group. To give context, we went into it last year knowing it was a long shot but as you suggested she had potential and if I’m being totally honest I’ve felt more upset about it than my resilient daughter! She already has a place at another ballet school and loves it. But I just feel paying a hefty audition fee again for a few spaces when there are SWLs who are already deemed better is a bit of a waste of time. Then, on the other hand it’s the what ifs that are left behind. 

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43 minutes ago, Isabella said:

Wow another spot on post in such a supportive group. To give context, we went into it last year knowing it was a long shot but as you suggested she had potential and if I’m being totally honest I’ve felt more upset about it than my resilient daughter! She already has a place at another ballet school and loves it. But I just feel paying a hefty audition fee again for a few spaces when there are SWLs who are already deemed better is a bit of a waste of time. Then, on the other hand it’s the what ifs that are left behind. 

The torment of having a ‘what if’ is probably worse than the satisfaction of knowing, however favourable or disappointing the outcome. 

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1 hour ago, Isabella said:

Wow another spot on post in such a supportive group. To give context, we went into it last year knowing it was a long shot but as you suggested she had potential and if I’m being totally honest I’ve felt more upset about it than my resilient daughter! She already has a place at another ballet school and loves it. But I just feel paying a hefty audition fee again for a few spaces when there are SWLs who are already deemed better is a bit of a waste of time. Then, on the other hand it’s the what ifs that are left my

My dd was a flat no year 4, no for another associate scheme in year 5...then got into year 6 off swl...and just got into rbs finals. I am so pleased she had those first rejections as it made her more resilient and determined to work hard...definitely don't let the 'no' put you off applying.. I think they like to see improvement x 

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9 minutes ago, Raquelle said:

My dd was a flat no year 4, no for another associate scheme in year 5...then got into year 6 off swl...and just got into rbs finals. I am so pleased she had those first rejections as it made her more resilient and determined to work hard...definitely don't let the 'no' put you off applying.. I think they like to see improvement x 

This is very encouraging.
 

Congratulations to you DD.

 

I do feel my DD has improved in 6 months but we’ll see. 🤞🏻

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After discussing with my daughter’s teacher, we’ve decided not to apply again this year (for year 5) and to wait for 2022 applications, when she’ll be applying for year 6 and it should be in person. She started at London Junior Ballet associates last September and is having a brilliant time there and is very settled. I do think she’s improved a lot, particularly when I look at the photos from over a year ago, but we’ve decided to give it another year. She has lots of fun things to do this year including EYB Swan Lake and the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive. :)  Best of luck to you all though, I will be keeping an eye on the thread and cheering you all on!

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2 minutes ago, RachH said:

After discussing with my daughter’s teacher, we’ve decided not to apply again this year (for year 5) and to wait for 2022 applications, when she’ll be applying for year 6 and it should be in person. She started at London Junior Ballet associates last September and is having a brilliant time there and is very settled. I do think she’s improved a lot, particularly when I look at the photos from over a year ago, but we’ve decided to give it another year. She has lots of fun things to do this year including EYB Swan Lake and the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive. :)  Best of luck to you all though, I will be keeping an eye on the thread and cheering you all on!

Wow that sounds amazing. I didn’t know ABT did a summer intensive. Might be a silly question but is that in America or do they hold a course in the UK too? 

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I totally understand the reluctance to try again this year after going through the process on video etc last time around - though as others have said I do think it’s worth it as there are so many kids who’ve got a yes after a previous no for whatever reason. 
 

I think with the in-person auditions it was very easy to make the whole the thing into a fun adventure - when DD tried out we had a lovely overnight in London, fun meal out, the whole ‘it’s a chance to dance at Covent Garden!’ big adventure etc and no matter what the outcome that was worth the time and expense (and stress, on my part, not hers as she was pretty resilient about the outcome either way). 
 

While I fully appreciate the video audition is the only way to do it this year, it’s not quite the same ‘experience’ for DS. We’re happy to do it as he wants to try but it’s a bit of a thought organising it all. We’re encouraging him to think of this year as a trial in a way to see what the audition is like as I think as a v young year 4 he is pretty unlikely to

get a place - especially with the reduced capacity and so many kids trying again who were clearly thought highly of last year (hence the creation of the engagement programme). 

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2 hours ago, Balletbuds80 said:

Wow that sounds amazing. I didn’t know ABT did a summer intensive. Might be a silly question but is that in America or do they hold a course in the UK too? 

This year they are doing a virtual intensive and possibly in-person too but the virtual work for us - 2 weeks on zoom. Times are a bit tricky as it will be 6-10pm due to the time difference but I think it will be really fun! My daughter auditioned on zoom a few weeks ago. https://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/summer-programs/summer-intensives/

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40 minutes ago, RachH said:

This year they are doing a virtual intensive and possibly in-person too but the virtual work for us - 2 weeks on zoom. Times are a bit tricky as it will be 6-10pm due to the time difference but I think it will be really fun! My daughter auditioned on zoom a few weeks ago. https://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/summer-programs/summer-intensives/

Sounds brilliant! What a great opportunity. Whilst Covid has been rubbish in so many ways, there have also been some great opportunities too. 

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Please don’t ever be put off by any no’s to JAs, my DD had two no’s in year 4 and 5 and SWL for year 6.  Luckily she managed to get a place at Elmhurst young Dancers this year for year 6 instead and the difference it has made is phenomenal.  She never let the no’s affect her passion for ballet and her aspirations and dreams to try for finals this year.  I think the no’s from RBS have made her a much better dancer and this week she has received invitations to both White Lodge and Elmhurst Finals.  

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19 minutes ago, Ballet Dreams said:

Please don’t ever be put off by any no’s to JAs, my DD had two no’s in year 4 and 5 and SWL for year 6.  Luckily she managed to get a place at Elmhurst young Dancers this year for year 6 instead and the difference it has made is phenomenal.  She never let the no’s affect her passion for ballet and her aspirations and dreams to try for finals this year.  I think the no’s from RBS have made her a much better dancer and this week she has received invitations to both White Lodge and Elmhurst Finals.  

Wow...inspirational. Big well done to your daughter. As a parent I need to hear this more than my child! For me it is the financial implication too. I just don’t have the money to keep trying at things where the likelihood is it will be a ‘no’. 

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13 minutes ago, Isabella said:

Wow...inspirational. Big well done to your daughter. As a parent I need to hear this more than my child! For me it is the financial implication too. I just don’t have the money to keep trying at things where the likelihood is it will be a ‘no’. 

Money has been tight for us so I completely understand your point. But just wanted to stress that a no to JA does not open less doors for your child and that the no’s my child has received have had a real positive affect on her.   As she just wanted to succeed and worked that little bit harder to achieve her goals.  

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13 minutes ago, Ballet Dreams said:

Money has been tight for us so I completely understand your point. But just wanted to stress that a no to JA does not open less doors for your child and that the no’s my child has received have had a real positive affect on her.   As she just wanted to succeed and worked that little bit harder to achieve her goals.  

I also think that how a child reacts to a ‘no’ is so important. After seeing my DD react so stoically after getting her first RBS no when she was 8, I realised that she had thicker skin than I’d given her credit for and that maybe we were travelling on the right path. She’s had many, many no’s along the way, but enough yeses to make it all worthwhile (she’s now at voc school) As you said -  I think in some ways the no’s were almost as valuable as the yeses for keeping her focussed and determined xx

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13 hours ago, RachH said:

This year they are doing a virtual intensive and possibly in-person too but the virtual work for us - 2 weeks on zoom. Times are a bit tricky as it will be 6-10pm due to the time difference but I think it will be really fun! My daughter auditioned on zoom a few weeks ago. https://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/summer-programs/summer-intensives/

My DS is doing the ABT online intensive too. I was surprised how full on the audition was!  Though it’s great that they got to do it on zoom as close to ‘real life’ as possible. 
 

He did similar times in the evening with Joffrey last year, but worked through the tiredness as he was having so much fun. Great that they have this to look forwards too.
 

 

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@RachH & @BalletBoysDad congratulations on your dc getting into the ABT Summer Intensive👏 Fabulous news! My dd auditioned last weekend and we are still waiting to hear the outcome. Does the e-mail with the audition result come from the address they sent the initial correspondence from (Summerintensive@abt.org)? I want to ‘favourite’ it will pop up on my phone then I can stop obsessively email checking!🤦🏻‍♀️ lol 

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35 minutes ago, PurplePirouette said:

@RachH & @BalletBoysDad congratulations on your dc getting into the ABT Summer Intensive👏 Fabulous news! My dd auditioned last weekend and we are still waiting to hear the outcome. Does the e-mail with the audition result come from the address they sent the initial correspondence from (Summerintensive@abt.org)? I want to ‘favourite’ it will pop up on my phone then I can stop obsessively email checking!🤦🏻‍♀️ lol 

My son did the audition on Sunday 7th Feb, and the results came on Friday 12th, from the email address summerintensive@abt.org 

 

The ABT programme seems to present good value for money considering its for 2 weeks, and quality of training seems really high.  My son got into the Joffrey in-person programme last July, whichwas obviously cancelled and went onto zoom.  Although he was disappointed not to go 'in person', I was amazed how fun and rewarding the virtual programme could be.  

 

Good luck to your DD!

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2 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

My son did the audition on Sunday 7th Feb, and the results came on Friday 12th, from the email address summerintensive@abt.org 

 

The ABT programme seems to present good value for money considering its for 2 weeks, and quality of training seems really high.  My son got into the Joffrey in-person programme last July, whichwas obviously cancelled and went onto zoom.  Although he was disappointed not to go 'in person', I was amazed how fun and rewarding the virtual programme could be.  

 

Good luck to your DD!


That’s brilliant, thank you so much. Hopefully we will hear in the next few days then. Yes I totally agree about value for money. I also like the fact that it’s guaranteed to go ahead on Zoom so when you accept a place, you know exactly what you’re signing up for and aren’t anxiously awaiting news of postponement/cancellation or a disappointing move to Zoom when that was planned all along!

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2 minutes ago, PurplePirouette said:


That’s brilliant, thank you so much. Hopefully we will hear in the next few days then. Yes I totally agree about value for money. I also like the fact that it’s guaranteed to go ahead on Zoom so when you accept a place, you know exactly what you’re signing up for and aren’t anxiously awaiting news of postponement/cancellation or a disappointing move to Zoom when that was planned all along!

Do let us know how she gets on, wishing lots of luck! 

 

Going back to the topic of JAs, we applied to some USA programmes last year (after a SWL place for JAs that never materialised) purely because I wanted to remind my son that there's an entire planet/dance world out there, and not to get hung up purely on a handful of schools in the UK that he may or may not get into now or in the future.  

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1 hour ago, RachH said:

@PurplePirouette - the email came from summerintensive@abt.org and it was exactly 1 week after the audition. So fingers crossed for good news this weekend for you!

@rachh I’m really sorry, I somehow managed to totally miss your reply until now🙈 Thanks so much. It’s funny how we were both waiting on RAD exam results and now we have both applied to ABT, I feel like our dd’s are following similar patterns!😀 

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54 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

Do let us know how she gets on, wishing lots of luck! 

 

Going back to the topic of JAs, we applied to some USA programmes last year (after a SWL place for JAs that never materialised) purely because I wanted to remind my son that there's an entire planet/dance world out there, and not to get hung up purely on a handful of schools in the UK that he may or may not get into now or in the future.  

Can I ask where? 

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11 minutes ago, Isabella said:

Can I ask where? 

Last year (pre-covid) I applied for Junior summer programmes with Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and Ballet Austin, as at the time my son was 8 (turning 9 in July) and after quite a lot of research they seemed to be one of the few ‘bigger city’ companies that did a junior summer programme for younger dancers that was more than a couple of hours each day. Some of the major schools seemed to start from age 10 plus...

 

This year, my son is 9 and turns 10 in July, so that just scrapes the age threshold for ABT virtual summer programme.  I applied again to Joffrey, but it’s an in-person 2 or 3 week programme and the complications of travel make that seem a slim reality (if successful, as still awaiting their results).

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Can't believe I'm back here for a third year of JA audition turmoil! 🙈😭

DD trying AGAIN for yr6 this time. We really have zero hope so not taking it too seriously this time.

She did the virtual insight day today and I only just discovered that the video auditions have to be sent in with the application this year. It says not to watch the video or practice (which we absolutely didn't last time) but it is the exact same video as last year and my DD remembers it very clearly having watched her videos back many times and going over what she could improve on, so it may be hard for it not to look rehearsed! 😬

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