Central School of Ballet

[PetitJeté]

We are considering Central for my daughter at age 16 (currently in year 9), but would be interested to know whether being a Central associate would be an advantage in regards to getting a place? She is currently an ENB associate, but we obviously don’t know whether she will be offered further training with them next year and the year after, hence considering other associate schemes as well. Any views on the 16+ course at Central would also be appreciated! It looks like a good course, and I was pleased to see that it can be funded with a student loan (from what I can gather, this is only the case for Central, Northern and Rambert). We live a commute from London, hence she could travel daily there. 
 

Many thanks. 

[Ballet Saga]

5 hours ago, PetitJeté said:

We are considering Central for my daughter at age 16 (currently in year 9), but would be interested to know whether being a Central associate would be an advantage in regards to getting a place? She is currently an ENB associate, but we obviously don’t know whether she will be offered further training with them next year and the year after, hence considering other associate schemes as well. Any views on the 16+ course at Central would also be appreciated! It looks like a good course, and I was pleased to see that it can be funded with a student loan (from what I can gather, this is only the case for Central, Northern and Rambert). We live a commute from London, hence she could travel daily there. 
 

Many thanks. 

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is student loan and a smaller one in Leicestershire…(Don’t think I can mention it!) 

 

Central is very good. I don’t know if being an associate helps but it can’t hurt to learn their way of doing things and being seen by their staff. 
 

it’s good to start thinking of it all now and getting as much information as you can. Auditioning soon arrives! 

[PetitJeté]

Thanks for your reply @Ballet Saga! Yes what you say makes sense regarding getting to know their ways and staff through associates. Yes I’m conscious that the next 2 years will fly by, so trying to make an early start thinking about it all! 

[JJBalletMum]

23 hours ago, PetitJeté said:

We are considering Central for my daughter at age 16 (currently in year 9), but would be interested to know whether being a Central associate would be an advantage in regards to getting a place? She is currently an ENB associate, but we obviously don’t know whether she will be offered further training with them next year and the year after, hence considering other associate schemes as well. Any views on the 16+ course at Central would also be appreciated! It looks like a good course, and I was pleased to see that it can be funded with a student loan (from what I can gather, this is only the case for Central, Northern and Rambert). We live a commute from London, hence she could travel daily there. 
 

Many thanks. 

My daughter’s in year 11 and has been an associate at Central for several years.  We were told that there would be absolutely no preference given to the associates  in their application to upper school.  Having said that, as far as I know, they have all got through to finals.  I’d certainly recommend Central associates particularly the final, pre-senior year.  It’s a full day with ballet, pointe, Pilates, contemporary, repertoire and pas de deux.  My daughter also successfully auditioned for ENBS associates this year but chose to stay at Central because of both the quality and quantity of training.

[Neverdancedjustamum]

I cannot comment on the full time school and whether being an associate can help but my DD decided to move to Central Associates from another prestigious associates scheme last September. She was torn and couldn’t decide whether she wanted to stay for her third year in her previous associates or go to Central but after she attended the latter’s induction day she was hooked. (I would not recommend waiting until last minute like she did as I still had to pay for a full term’s fees for the other scheme as per notice period). CSB associates has about 4 separate classes within the day. Pointe is a separate class which is very good and I found that only one other scheme (I am aware of) has a separate, timetabled pointe class. They also have contemporary class. They get breaks including lunch which means they get to make friends and really bond. It was also refreshing to apply for their intensive and receive a decision within the same day, and without having to pay an application fee.  The two Saturdays either end of half terms normally don’t have classes which is so ideal for family holidays. Having worked in education for over a decade, I am very impressed with their organisation and communications. They utilise their school’s virtual learning environment for the associates’ homework and learning resources. My DD once left her jacket in one of the studios and within half an hour of emailing them, I received a response from their Associates Manager (not an admin staff!) telling me she’s found it and will keep it for my DD to collect the week after. It’s very early days and we are only into her second term but I can honestly say my DD has not looked back and is absolutely loving it. People thought she was crazy/bonkers/mad when she left the other associates scheme (and kept getting told places in it are like gold dust and she must be out of her mind to give it up) but luckily, she never really cared much about what others think and doesn’t really care about big names and reputation. She will go where she feels settled and happy and where she can enjoy her love of dance. I have watched class in about half a dozen associates schemes over the years and I can honestly say that in my non-dancing, outside observer’s eyes, Central Associates is one of the more enjoyable ones to watch, the level seems quite high, fast paced, and is not boring to watch. There is a lot of dancing as such. As I said it’s early days and I might change my mind but I can honestly say that I’m impressed with the scheme so far and my DD is happy. 

[PetitJeté]

3 hours ago, JJBalletMum said:

My daughter’s in year 11 and has been an associate at Central for several years.  We were told that there would be absolutely no preference given to the associates  in their application to upper school.  Having said that, as far as I know, they have all got through to finals.  I’d certainly recommend Central associates particularly the final, pre-senior year.  It’s a full day with ballet, pointe, Pilates, contemporary, repertoire and pas de deux.  My daughter also successfully auditioned for ENBS associates this year but chose to stay at Central because of both the quality and quantity of training.

Thank you so much for this, that’s really helpful. I have heard good things about Central associates. 

[PetitJeté]

2 hours ago, Neverdancedjustamum said:

I cannot comment on the full time school and whether being an associate can help but my DD decided to move to Central Associates from another prestigious associates scheme last September. She was torn and couldn’t decide whether she wanted to stay for her third year in her previous associates or go to Central but after she attended the latter’s induction day she was hooked. (I would not recommend waiting until last minute like she did as I still had to pay for a full term’s fees for the other scheme as per notice period). CSB associates has about 4 separate classes within the day. Pointe is a separate class which is very good and I found that only one other scheme (I am aware of) has a separate, timetabled pointe class. They also have contemporary class. They get breaks including lunch which means they get to make friends and really bond. It was also refreshing to apply for their intensive and receive a decision within the same day, and without having to pay an application fee.  The two Saturdays either end of half terms normally don’t have classes which is so ideal for family holidays. Having worked in education for over a decade, I am very impressed with their organisation and communications. They utilise their school’s virtual learning environment for the associates’ homework and learning resources. My DD once left her jacket in one of the studios and within half an hour of emailing them, I received a response from their Associates Manager (not an admin staff!) telling me she’s found it and will keep it for my DD to collect the week after. It’s very early days and we are only into her second term but I can honestly say my DD has not looked back and is absolutely loving it. People thought she was crazy/bonkers/mad when she left the other associates scheme (and kept getting told places in it are like gold dust and she must be out of her mind to give it up) but luckily, she never really cared much about what others think and doesn’t really care about big names and reputation. She will go where she feels settled and happy and where she can enjoy her love of dance. I have watched class in about half a dozen associates schemes over the years and I can honestly say that in my non-dancing, outside observer’s eyes, Central Associates is one of the more enjoyable ones to watch, the level seems quite high, fast paced, and is not boring to watch. There is a lot of dancing as such. As I said it’s early days and I might change my mind but I can honestly say that I’m impressed with the scheme so far and my DD is happy. 

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. This is quite an endorsement! I must say the part about them being organised really appeals to me, it drives me mad when emails disappear into the ether! Good for your dd in going where she felt happy. My daughter did a one day intensive at Central last year and did enjoy. I also feel the fact they have recently moved to new premises suggests an organisation doing well, and their website is impressive. I was a dancer myself, but that isn’t always an advantage when comparing the relative merits of these schools! 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

2 hours ago, PetitJeté said:

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. This is quite an endorsement! I must say the part about them being organised really appeals to me, it drives me mad when emails disappear into the ether! Good for your dd in going where she felt happy. My daughter did a one day intensive at Central last year and did enjoy. I also feel the fact they have recently moved to new premises suggests an organisation doing well, and their website is impressive. I was a dancer myself, but that isn’t always an advantage when comparing the relative merits of these schools! 

I can’t fault the comms. They are always very timely. In my experience, emails I have sent have been responded to within an hour or so on average. I really do feel like they value not just the dancers but the parents also. 

[PetitJeté]

@Neverdancedjustamum that really is great, and as it should be, really refreshing to hear. 

[Tulip]

My daughter was a full time student at CSB, she previously attended Tring full time. Central’s training is very high standard. Those students selected they believe will make it into the professional world of dance. Students are treated like adults as the school starts from age 16 and up, which is excellent preparation for when they join the professional world. My daughter has worked as a dancer since graduating from Central a few years ago now. I would highly recommend Central, training is thorough and prepares them well for their future careers.  

[Tiaramum]

@Tulip can I ask do they help with auditions/interviews etc in 3 year when they are looking to start working?