RBS Summer Intensive 2024

[sunrise81]

Well......truly priced out of applying for RBS now. £950 for what is 5 days of training?!!! I have read that correct haven't I? They have put their dates out for summer on their website:(

[MissEmily]

@sunrise81 Yes, you seem to have done 🤦🏻‍♀️ There are much better value (quality and quantity of training for price) out there. 

[Millicent]

It's more like 4 days of training and then a half day demonstration to parents. 

[AllAboutTheJourney]

My two children have both loved the RBS summer intensive (older one several times now) but yes, it's a lot of money. 

 

Having said that, I am still likely to send my DS again next year, if he gets a place, simply because I haven't been able to find any other residential intensive which offers an equivalent experience for younger boys. A week of ballet in a class full of 10/11 year old boys - when he is often the only male for miles around - was an exceptionally positive experience for my DS.

 

If anyone knows of any other options which offer similar then I would love to hear about them. We do love YBSS but the number of boys in the youngest age group is often low. 

[Peanut68]

Good point re: boys & positive affirmation of in a class with more than just 1-2

Out of interest (nosiness really!) when you say £950 for 5 days is that the cost residential at WL intensives or the upper school fees? Thought they were about that non-residential 😱

[LinMM]

Is that cost inclusive of everything for the whole 5 days ( boarding and food etc) or just the ballet tuition itself? 

[AllAboutTheJourney]

The £950 covers both the tuition and the boarding. The price is broken down on the website this year - £630 for tuition (i.e. non-residential option) and £320 for boarding so a total of £950.

 

That's for the one week courses at White Lodge, which involve 5 nights of boarding and 4 and a half days of training (as the course tends to finish at lunch time on the last day). 

 

The 2023 equivalent course was (if I remember rightly?) £890 so it has gone up a bit - perhaps not surprisingly. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by AllAboutTheJourney

[LinMM]

Well relatively speaking it’s not so bad! 
For board and food that’s around £65 per day and even in some of the cheaper hotels you’d be lucky to get just a room for this price not counting the food!! 
It’s working out around £25 per hour for tuition ( if it’s around 5 hours a day) 

When I attend workshops as an adult it’s usually around £40/60 for 2-3 hours ( half a day) so I suppose the above price although looks horrific at first sight is sort of at the going rates for 2024? 
 

Just a quick check though that boarding fee does include food as well? 

Edited October 2, 2023 by LinMM

[AllAboutTheJourney]

Yes I think you're probably right tbh @LinMM and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other notable summer intensives increase their prices for 2024 too. 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

I don’t think it’s too bad for a week although a previous poster is correct - it’s not really 5 full days of classes. I do think it’s okay for a week. I think if it was 2 weeks I will have to think VERY carefully as I would prefer an actual family holiday for the money and I really don’t know how anyone can afford 5 weeks intensive with boarding at the upper school SI! I think I’m in the wrong job or maybe have different priorities…

[LinMM]

I think if it really was a choice of a family holiday or sending one of the children to an intensive week of ballet I’d go for the family holiday every time!! Unless you can somehow combine the two!! 
 

Do the RB intensives offer any scholarships for this week?  
I seem to remember YBSS do this for their summer intensive weeks though don’t know how many children actually get offered them. 
 
I think any more than two intensive weeks in one summer is pushing it a bit never mind the money!!! 

Edited October 2, 2023 by LinMM

[Neverdancedjustamum]

39 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I think if it really was a choice of a family holiday or sending one of the children to an intensive week of ballet I’d go for the family holiday every time!! Unless you can somehow combine the two!! 
 

Do the RB intensives offer any scholarships for this week?  
I seem to remember YBSS do this for their summer intensive weeks though don’t know how many children actually get offered them. 
 
I think any more than two intensive weeks in one summer is pushing it a bit never mind the money!!! 

I’m not sure if they offer scholarships, if there are any I suspect it will be to competition winners. They do offer direct entry to the next year’s intensives which I guess saves on application fees but those also often go to internationals. Not all, lest I be accused of generalising, but definitely the two offered direct entry from my DD’s group were both competition finalists from overseas.  I suppose RBS would have some means-tested bursaries but I don’t have any knowledge of this myself.

[sunrise81]

£950 plus travel from the north and hotel stay needed at either end of week makes it so expensive for us! I think we will stick to our local northern YBS for £650 for 6 days!

[AllAboutTheJourney]

I'm with you on that one @sunrise81 - its the London hotel prices that kill me at the moment. I always wish they would schedule the parent observation class later on pick-up day as otherwise it always involves a night in hotel to be able to make it there on time.

 

Once they get to an age where they can travel down south by themselves it makes a huge difference but it's still tricky on pick-up day as I always feel bad if they don't have someone there to watch when everyone else does! 

[WhereToNow]

I’ve just seen Upper prices - which again is probably worth it, if you have the money. Min option is 2 weeks - that prices us out.

 

It’s our first year applying for Upper - Has it always been this way? No option to do just 1 week?

[Lifeafterballet]

19 hours ago, sunrise81 said:

Well......truly priced out of applying for RBS now. £950 for what is 5 days of training?!!! I have read that correct haven't I? They have put their dates out for summer on their website:(

My husband refused to pay when Dd got a place and it was £550 then. He said it was a very expensive audition 🤣 

Save your money, you will need it for all the auditions later. 

[HopelessMummy]

My dd has pretty much done most of the intensives out there (incl rbs x2) and rbs doesn't rank as her favourite

[littledancer99]

On 18/10/2023 at 14:31, HopelessMummy said:

My dd has pretty much done most of the intensives out there (incl rbs x2) and rbs doesn't rank as her favourite

Any recommendations of ones she preferred? X

[HopelessMummy]

Sorry for delay. Half term.

 

Malvern came out on top!

 

[sunrise81]

YBS is my dds favourite 😍 

[Raquelle]

Quick question.....does going to rbs/enbs/rambert etc intensives give dancers an advantage in getting in at upper school to these schools? My dd is vocational and we were planning on doing intensives at the schools she would apply for upper school but can't really afford them on top of school fees (even with mds...)....might just have to stick to one or two local courses that aren't quite so pricey but don't want to disadvantage her....x 

[Ruby Foo]

I don’t think you would disadvantage them at all by not attending the intensives. The schools have plenty opportunity to see everything they need to see in the auditions. There are sometimes 1 or 2 students from RBS intensives who are invited to attend a private audition or given a straight offer of a place and no doubt other schools too may note an interest in a particular student while at an intensive. But the fact you have not attended an intensive will not make any difference to your Dd in the audition.

[Ruby Foo]

Just to add, it might make your Dd feel a little more at ease and confident if she’s been working in certain studios before ( at an intensive )or she’s had certain teachers who may also be taking the audition class, but that’s just a personal thing and definitely not a requirement to do well in an audition.

Some students say they get a feel for the school by doing an intensive and I guess there may be something in that but personally I think intensives are a very different beast than actually training somewhere.

[Ruby Foo]

Sorry, I just remembered - you can apply for scholarships for all the intensives.

[Raquelle]

Thank you Ruby Foo! 😊 

[Peanut68]

16 hours ago, Raquelle said:

Quick question.....does going to rbs/enbs/rambert etc intensives give dancers an advantage in getting in at upper school to these schools? My dd is vocational and we were planning on doing intensives at the schools she would apply for upper school but can't really afford them on top of school fees (even with mds...)....might just have to stick to one or two local courses that aren't quite so pricey but don't want to disadvantage her....x 

There might still be time tk apply to attend a YBS scholarship session…. We benefited from these several times as otherwise attending was not possible & RBS intensives have a means tested funding which I think if you get offered a place you can automatically apply for & get as long as below income thresholds (think it’s a sliding scale as to what you get but seems a fair way to do it) 

Also look around gif local arts charity organisations in your home area as there are often ones that may assist with things like summer courses, dance kit etc…. May only be bursaries of £100 up to around £500 but every little helps in this game & again, this helped enable offspring to do intensives 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Peanut68

[Raquelle]

Thanks so much Peanut. Unfortunately can't do the local ybs session...and would be a trip to London otherwise which will cost a lot.....but great idea to try local arts charities. X 

[BallerinaMum13]

Does anyone know if choosing the non-boarding option for RBS SI has an impact on admission? My daughter would only be 10 yrs old and we live in London so she can just be a day student. I see the option is offered. Just don't know if this might put her at a disadvantage (the cost is also lower).

[MissEmily]

@BallerinaMum13 If anything, I’d say being a day student would put her at an advantage as she wouldn’t need a bed! The selection process recently has seemed entirely random though so don’t read too much into your daughter’s result either way.

[Ruby Foo]

1 hour ago, MissEmily said:

@BallerinaMum13 If anything, I’d say being a day student would put her at an advantage as she wouldn’t need a bed! The selection process recently has seemed entirely random though so don’t read too much into your daughter’s result either way.

I agree. Applying for a day place seems an advantage. There are only so many beds! We have done both boarding and day and she preferred day.

[In at the deep end]

Did anyone else attend the scholarship audition this weekend in Birmingham? It was my DD first time of trying. Is the audition usually this tough? She said difficult moves that she hasn't been taught before. She isn't a stranger to auditions and does two associate schemes. It was surprising but perhaps this is typical for YBS? Thanks.

[FlexyNexy]

My DD was doing Covent Garden SI back in her senior days and found it boring and not challenging at all. Second round she walked out after 1 day and did not want to go back. I think my DD must be the only child who disliked RBS coaching and did not feel it gave her anything to progress on.
Yet she had SI with both Daria and Acosta overseas and the coaching was incomparable in intensity and quality. I find is bizarre that teacher known to RBS will adapt intensity depending where is teaching for the summer?
There are many other SI around that are far better in coaching and worth your money. 
But if you are after Instagram post that the DC got place and expensive T-shirts...it's the perfect place.

[StillSewingShoes]

My daughter had the opposite experience to @FlexyNexy - maybe it's what our kids individually need in terms of coaching at the time?