In response to COVID-19, the current lockdown and its impact on dance training and the preparation to audition for a coveted place at a specialist dance school, ten of the UK’s leading vocational ballet institutions have come together in support of thousands of young dancers considering the next step in their training and auditioning for September 2021 entry.
The schools working as one in a joint agreement that sees the traditional audition start move from the autumn to January 2021 are Central School of Ballet, English National Ballet School, Elmhurst Ballet School, The Hammond School, KS Dance, Northern Ballet School, Rambert School, The Royal Ballet School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
By putting back the start of the auditions, prospective students will have more time to consider their options and work through the application process. With the slight delay, the schools hope the young dancers will feel supported and encouraged to audition, despite the effects of lockdown.
Many of the young auditionees apply for more than one school and clock up hundreds of travel miles during the annual round of auditions. The audition process can include submitting a detailed application, a preliminary audition and a final call-back consisting of a ballet class, a tour of the school, an assessment by school physiotherapists and meeting faculty members.
English National Ballet School, Elmhurst Ballet School, The Hammond School, KS Dance, Northern Ballet School, and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts are Accredited members of the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) which also supports this joint agreement of the ballet schools.