College and Associate Programs

[lt070809]

Hi, I’m 15 years old (born in September so I’m almost 16). I am in year 10 now and will be auditioning for colleges in year 11. Recently I have been attending lots of associate program auditions; I was accepted into ballet boost seniors but rejected to enb and csb. I still have my rambert audition tomorrow. I am not sure what to do as csb is my dream college (realistically. I’d LOVE rbs but I’m not sure if I’m talented enough so my dad told me to reduce my expectations, and I chose csb. I’ve done lots of research and it seems like the perfect school for me). I’m a bit heartbroken as I’m not sure what to do now, I have about 6 months before the audition for the college, and if I can’t make it into the associates, I’m not sure how I’ll make it to the college. They don’t respond with feedback either, so there’s no way to know what I need to work on in this limited time too. Does anyone have any advice? What do colleges look for? And especially csb and enb. I’ve tagged my top schools, however I will be audition for a few others, but they include musical theatre which isn’t me so I’d prefer the tagged schools. I’ve just taken my intermediate RAD exam too (literally yesterday) and have already been training in advanced 1 for a while. Thank you so much for any advice you can give, I’m a little stressed and overwhelmed right now 😅

[Anna C]

Hi It070809 and welcome. 😊

 

Congratulations on being accepted into Ballet Boost.  After you’ve been there for a term, it might be worth speaking to your BB teacher and asking for her honest opinion of your potential.  Try not to get hung up on worrying about Central Pre-Seniors; like most upper schools, not all their associates will get a place on the full-time course, and there will be plenty of dancers at auditions who aren’t associates.  
 

Has your current teacher given you any indication of what they think your prospects are; do you have the physical facility/capacity (turnout, the strength to maintain turnout while dancing, and the other aspects that Kerfuffle has mentioned) and so on?  

Edited June 16, 2023 by Anna C
Edit to change problematic phrase.

[Kerfuffle]

Hi Anna C is right, it’s best not to worry about associates and apply to your dream schools as well as some others. Most schools look for the following :

 

What are you looking for? (From ENBS FAQ) 

•The applicant must have the physical capacity to become a professional dancer,
• The applicant must have turn out, arched feet, a flexible back, and flexible legs,
• The applicant must have good musicality, coordination, and use of space.

 

I would talk to your ballet boost associate teacher when you join, they should be able to give you advice and also recommend places.

 

My daughter is going to ENBS this September and has never been an associate there. She is not at a vocational school either, so it is possible. 
 

Good luck ! 

 

 

[Ballet Power]

I suggest booking some summer schools with teachers that can help. Like ballet boost.

I booked my daughter an assessment with a fab teacher (nicholson ballet in Birmingham) and she gave feedback of what she needs to work on 

[Streetdancer]

Do you do other forms of dance as well as ballet? My DD auditioned this year for mixed genre dance diplomas (and one MT diploma) but she definitely wanted a college with a high standard of ballet. Her top two choices were Northern Ballet School and The Hammond. I've heard that London Studio Centre also has a good classical element. You could have a look at those maybe in addition to the pure classical schools? 

[Sally-Anne]

Hi there, 

A couple of things.
At CSB, the associates and the main school are quite separate entities, so I wouldn’t let one failed audition for their associate programme put you off.  
Also, I think you should go ahead and audition for RBS if you want to. After all, you’ll never know if you don’t try, and there’s nothing to lose.

I do have a recommendation for a wonderful private ballet coach you could see to help you prepare for the auditions, and also to give you an honest evaluation of your potential/talent, possibly offer advice as to the best places to apply based on your strengths. If you are London-ish based, let me know if you would like the details.
 

[lt070809]

Hi everyone!! Thank you so much for all the advice, this was so helpful. I’ll have a talk with my teachers and see how it goes. My current ballet teacher does say that I have the strength, technique, and potential to dance as CSB full time, she said she can see me at ENB too, which was why I was quite upset when I didn’t get in. @Sally-Anne I would absolutely love the contact for the ballet teacher please! I am London based so that sounds great. Do they do one time lessons or frequent ones for a few weeks? 
 

I also have booked three summer schools over the holiday (I’ve never been to any before so it’ll be exciting) I’ve booked places for Tring Park, YBSS, and Dance Works. I also do three hours a week of Advanced 1 ISTD Modern and 1 hour of Intermediate ISTD Tap. Though, I’d prefer a school heavily based on ballet. I’ll have a look at some of the schools you’ve all mentioned, but if you have any others, I’d love to hear those too! 

[Sally-Anne]

I have sent you contact by private message