What information about previous training is asked for by Upper Schools

[Kerfuffle]

Hi my DD will be applying next year for upper schools. I was wondering what information the schools might want about training, such as associates and intensives.  Also my DD is a RBS SA right now and is considering continuing a further year. Are there advantages to being part of this during the audition process and do teachers have access to feedback in the way they do for JAs auditioning for year 7 at White Lodge? 

[Anna C]

It’s a good few years since dd was applying for upper schools, but the application forms all asked similar things, namely:

 

How many years ballet training the applicant had,

Do they take any other dance classes (tap, modern etc)

Name and contact details for local/full-time dance teacher,

Name and contact details for Associate/other dance teacher/school

Last ballet exam passed with result (if applicable)

Current level being studied.

 

Then all asked for academic school and projected/actual GCSE results.

 

So Associates/CAT scheme were definitely a useful thing to have for those applicants not already at lower school. I don’t know about feedback from SAs but hopefully someone with more recent application experience will know.

[Kerfuffle]

Thank you Anna C that is so helpful. The associates are quite a distance for us but definitely worth it! My DD has taken RAD intermediate but since then has stopped taking syllabus classes having changed schools. It sounds like being an RBS SA would give another clue to her level which  is another bonus. 

[glowlight]

I don't think you need to worry that you dd has stopped syllabus classes.  The fact that she has taken RAD intermediate and is an RBS Senior Associate will show the selection teams that she is working at the right sort of level.  (If I remember rightly those schools which do specify say that candidates must be Intermediate level or above).  Senior Associates places are like gold dust, so that fact your dd has a Senior Associate place will surely tell them that she has something special.   I think some applications ask the candidate to write a personal statement - my dd found that tough at 15!  

 

[Kerfuffle]

Hi Glowlight thank you for your reply, that is very reassuring. She’s been learning the Russian style so the SA training complements it and she’s used to picking up choreography very fast as a result. She hasn’t had an in person audition for a long time because of covid restrictions- do you think that matters? She is generally a calm person and quite ok with new people so I hope it doesn’t as time is running out! 

[glowlight]

I'm sure she will soon get back into the swing of in person auditions.  Our young people are very adaptable.

 

 

[taxi4ballet]

From remembering what they said when my dd was auditioning, they ask for the grade passed or currently being studied, or an indication of the equivalent if no syllabus is being studied. Which of course is very common anyway for international applicants.

 

I believe that most (if not all) people who apply for an audition will get one, and naturally during the audition they are looking at the dancer and not pieces of paper (as a very wise dance teacher once said to me!). They may well only go through the applications in greater detail when they are deciding who to recall for finals, but who knows?

 

[Kerfuffle]

I would imagine that associates etc are probably not very relevant to the preliminaries but maybe later on if they ask for contact details of associate teachers. It’s the dancing in the audition that matters at the end of the day.